Patent ID: 8584688

Claim:
An apparatus for cleaning an area of flooring, comprising: (a) a pump; (b) a cleansing fluid chamber, wherein a first fluid passageway connects the pump and the cleansing fluid chamber; (c) an applicator, wherein a second fluid passageway connects the cleansing fluid chamber and the applicator; (d) a waste fluid chamber, wherein a third fluid passageway connects the applicator and the waste fluid chamber and a fourth fluid passageway connects the waste fluid chamber and the pump; (e) a first one-way valve configured to permit flow through the first fluid passageway in a flow direction from the pump to the cleansing fluid chamber but inhibit flow through the first fluid passageway in a flow direction from the cleansing fluid chamber to the pump; (f) a second one-way valve configured to permit flow through the third fluid passageway in a flow direction from the applicator to the waste fluid chamber but inhibit flow through the third fluid passageway in a flow direction from the waste fluid chamber to the applicator; and (g) a base, wherein the first and fourth fluid passageways extend within the base, with the applicator being located to a first side of the base, and with the cleansing fluid chamber, the waste fluid chamber, and the pump each being located on a second side of the base opposite the first side; (h) wherein the apparatus is hand portable and is configured to be positioned on top of the area of flooring to be cleaned with the applicator covering the area of flooring to be cleaned; and (i) wherein the apparatus is configured such that air is transferred through the pump from the waste fluid chamber to the cleansing fluid chamber when cleansing fluid is transferred through the applicator from the cleansing fluid chamber to the waste fluid chamber.