Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080216273 | Accessory Tool for a Vacuum Cleaner - An accessory tool according to the present invention comprises a recovery tank assembly for removing fluid and dirt from a surface to the cleaned and storing the recovered fluid and dirt. The recovery tank assembly comprises a suction nozzle in fluid communication with a recovery tank. The accessory tool further comprises a fan/turbine assembly including a turbine-driven suction fan for generating suction at the suction nozzle, which draws liquid and air into and through the accessory tool. The turbine-driven suction fan can be magnetically coupled with the turbine. The accessory tool can further comprise a fluid dispensing assembly for storing and distributing fluid to the surface to the cleaned. The fluid dispensing assembly can comprise a turbine-driven fluid pump. The accessory tool can further comprise an agitator assembly that can be moved from a use to a non-use orientation to allow the accessory tool to alternately be used for scrubbing the surface to the cleaned and for extracting fluid from the surface to be cleaned. The recovery tank can further comprise a rotating outlet conduit with an inlet opening that will have an upward orientation when the recovery tank is tilted. | 09-11-2008 |
20080216278 | WET/DRY VACUUM CLEANER - A wet/dry canister vacuum cleaner has a base assembly, a recovery tank, and a solution tank. A hose interface adapted to mount a vacuum hose is pivotally mounted on the base assembly for selective fluid communication with the inlet to the recovery tank. The hose interface is moveable between a position in which the hose interface is coupled with the recovery tank and a suction source in fluid communication with the recovery tank can draw fluid through the hose interface and the recovery tank, and a second position, in which the hose interface is removed from the recovery tank and the recovery tank can be removed from the vacuum cleaner without having to disconnect the vacuum hose from the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner can further comprise a diverter assembly for switching between dry and wet mode cleaning, where the diverter assembly forms an inlet to the recovery tank. | 09-11-2008 |
20080216283 | Vacuum cleaner base with belt drive disengager - An upright vacuum cleaner comprises a base assembly pivotally connected to an upright assembly. The base assembly comprises a foot-actuated belt drive disengaging mechanism and a ratchet operated nozzle height adjustment mechanism. | 09-11-2008 |
20090056069 | Vacuum Cleaner Base with Nozzle Height Adjustment - An upright vacuum cleaner comprises a base assembly pivotally connected to an upright assembly. The base assembly comprises housing, a support, and ratchet-operated nozzle height adjustment mechanism for raising or lowering a suction nozzle on the base assembly relative to a surface to be cleaned. The ratchet-operated nozzle height adjustment mechanism includes a ratchet mechanism for raising and lowering the housing relative to the support | 03-05-2009 |
20090094781 | EXTRACTION WITH AIR VENTING - An upright deep cleaner including a base housing pivotally connected to an upright handle, the upright handle carrying a liquid supply tank and the base housing including a recovery tank. The liquid supply tank includes an internal siphon tube for ensuring liquid flow to a feed valve when the upright handle is in the inclined position. The base housing includes a suction nozzle adjacent a spray bar, and removable floating brush for contacting a surface being cleaned, the brush being interchangeable with a bare floor tool including a sponge, brush, and squeegee. The recovery tank includes an internal baffle for preventing foaming of solution and a tank vent housing including a sponge-type filter to prevent spray from exiting the recovery tank. A vacuum motor cooling outlet is positioned on underside of the base housing to distribute air heated by the motor onto the surface to be cleaned. | 04-16-2009 |
20090094786 | SURFACE CLEANING IMPLEMENT WITH INDEPENDENT SUCTION NOZZLE AND AGITATOR - An surface cleaning implement comprises a recovery tank and a suction nozzle in fluid communication with a recovery tank, a fan/turbine assembly including a turbine-driven suction fan for generating suction at the suction nozzle, which draws liquid and air into and through the accessory tool. A fluid dispensing assembly is disclosed for storing and distributing fluid to the surface to the cleaned. An agitator assembly can be moved from a use to a non-use orientation to alternately scrub the surface to the cleaned and to extract fluid from the surface to be cleaned. | 04-16-2009 |
20090094788 | SURFACE CLEANING IMPLEMENENT WITH MAGNETIC COUPLED FAN - A surface cleaning implement has a suction nozzle, a fan in fluid communication with the suction nozzle, a suction-driven turbine motor for driving the fan and a magnetic coupling between the fan and the motor. The surface cleaning implement can be in the form of an accessory tool that has a housing with a suction opening adapted to be connected to a vacuum hose and mounting the suction nozzle, the fan and the motor and the housing mounts a recovery tank that is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle. The accessory tool can further comprise a fluid dispensing assembly for storing and distributing fluid to the surface to the cleaned. The fluid dispensing assembly can comprise a turbine-driven fluid pump. | 04-16-2009 |
20090119868 | Surface Cleaning Apparatus with Recovery Tank - A surface cleaning apparatus comprises a recovery tank. The surface cleaning apparatus can further include a base, and the recovery tank can have side rails to facilitate alignment of the recovery tank with the base. The recovery tank can include a float assembly with a pivotable closure member. The recovery tank can have a lid with a handle and latch to secure the lid to the recovery tank. Further, the recovery tank can comprise a lid with a working air conduit mounted to the lid and removable from the recovery tank with the lid. | 05-14-2009 |
20090300872 | CYCLONIC VACUUM CLEANER WITH IMPROVED FILTER CARTRIDGE - An upright cyclonic vacuum cleaner comprises juxtaposed first and second filters for filtering a working airstream on both the inlet and outlet sides of a vacuum motor. The first and second filters can be mounted in a common frame in the upright housing of the vacuum cleaner. The first and second filters can be juxtaposed to each other. | 12-10-2009 |
20100236017 | VACUUM ACCESSORY TOOL - An accessory tool for use with a suction source has a housing having a suction outlet and a suction nozzle. A hair collection element is pivotally mounted within the suction nozzle for movement between a forward position and a rearward position. The hair collection element can be in the form of a blade and a hair collecting material mounted to the blade for contacting a surface to be cleaned. Alternatively, an elastomeric material can be coated onto the blade or form the blade itself. Also, the hair collecting material can be formed into the form of the blade without any support other than a rod for mounting the fabric. | 09-23-2010 |
20110119861 | PIVOTING EXTRACTOR NOZZLE - An extractor comprises a foot assembly supported by at least one wheel at a rearward portion thereof and at least one rotatable agitator at a forward portion thereof, a fluid delivery system, a fluid recovery system and an extension with a first end aligned with an inlet for an extraction path and a second end in register with a surface to be cleaned. The foot assembly can be traversed over the surface to be cleaned in alternating forward and rearward movements. Movement of the foot assembly in a rearward direction supports the forward portion of the foot assembly on the extension in a first position and the at least one agitator and movement of the foot assembly in a forward direction shifts support of the forward portion of the foot assembly off of the extension in a second position. | 05-26-2011 |
20110131753 | STEAM MOP WITH SHUTTLING STEAM DISTRIBUTOR - A surface cleaning apparatus, and in particular a steam mop, comprises a steam delivery system for generating and distributing steam onto a surface to be cleaned. The steam mop further comprises a handle assembly mounted to a foot assembly that has a shuttling plate slidably mounted beneath the foot assembly, wherein the shuttle plate is configured to selectively divert steam through one of a pair of steam distributors positioned at a forward and rearward portion of the foot assembly dependent on the cleaning stroke direction of the steam mop. In one embodiment, the surface cleaning apparatus further comprises a vacuum source mounted thereto and at least one suction nozzle connected to the vacuum source and adapted to contact the surface to be cleaned and to draw moisture and debris from the surface. | 06-09-2011 |
20110179596 | VACUUM CLEANER BASE WITH AGITATOR DRIVE ASSEMBLY - An upright vacuum cleaner comprises a base assembly pivotally connected to an upright assembly. The base assembly comprises an agitator and an agitator drive assembly for selectively driving the agitator. The agitator drive assembly includes a drive disk coupled to a motor shaft, a driven disk which engages the drive disk, and a drive coupling between the driven disk to the agitator. The agitator drive assembly can further include a drive disengager for selectively interrupting the transmission of drive force to the agitator. The agitator drive assembly can further include a speed selector for adjusting the relative speed of rotation of the agitator. | 07-28-2011 |
20120110775 | BARE FLOOR VACUUM CLEANER - A housing has a suction inlet thereon and a suction source associated with the housing, in fluid communication with the suction inlet to produce a working airflow therethrough and a dirt container in fluid communication with the suction inlet and suction source. The housing further comprises a body defined by a central portion and a pair of extension arms that extend laterally outwardly from the central portion, wherein each extension comprises a mount, which receives a rotatable agitator thereon. A drive assembly is configured to counter-rotate each agitator with respect to the other agitator, and wherein the suction inlet is positioned on the housing rearward of, and between, each of the axes of rotation of each agitator. The counter-rotating agitators are operable to cooperate with the suction source to direct dust and debris outside the periphery of the housing along a converging debris path, towards the suction inlet. | 05-10-2012 |
20120124769 | VACUUM CLEANER WITH AGITATOR HEIGHT CONTROL MECHANISM - A vacuum cleaner includes a base assembly with an upper housing, an agitator mounted in fixed position relative to the upper housing, an agitator height control mechanism for selectively adjusting the vertical height of the agitator relative to the surface to be cleaned, and a sole plate. The sole plate includes a suction nozzle opening for the base assembly and during operation of the agitator height control mechanism, the sole plate moves relative to the upper housing so that the distance between the suction nozzle opening and the surface to be cleaned remains essentially the same, regardless of the position of the agitator. | 05-24-2012 |
20120131764 | VACUUM CLEANER BASE WITH NOZZLE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT - An upright vacuum cleaner comprises a base assembly pivotally connected to an upright assembly. The base assembly comprises housing, a support, and a foot-actuated belt drive disengaging mechanism and a ratchet ratchet-operated nozzle height adjustment mechanism for raising or lowering a suction nozzle on the base assembly relative to a surface to be cleaned. The ratchet-operated nozzle height adjustment mechanism includes a ratchet mechanism for raising and lowering the housing relative to the support. | 05-31-2012 |
20120137465 | UPRIGHT STEAM MOP WITH AUXILIARY HAND TOOL - An upright bare floor cleaner with a handle assembly pivotally mounted to a base assembly. The handle includes a water tank to store a quantity of water and a fluid distribution system that includes a heater and a spray nozzle. Steam is generated by the heater and is distributed to a removable cleaning cloth that applies the steam to the surface to be cleaned. The fluid distribution system further includes an auxiliary hand tool for steam cleaning above-floor surfaces. | 06-07-2012 |
20120151713 | SUCTION NOZZLE WITH SHUTTLING PLATE AND CONVERGING DEBRIS PATHS - A suction nozzle assembly comprises a nozzle body with a slidably supported shuttling plate mounted therebeneath. The shuttling plate selectively directs suction to focused nozzle inlet openings at the front and rear portions of the nozzle body on forward and backward cleaning strokes, respectively. Converging debris paths defined by a plurality of debris guides direct debris towards the focused nozzle inlets. The debris guides further define along the underside of the shuttling plate sheet retention platforms that are isolated from the working air path and have dust cloths to remove dust from the surface. | 06-21-2012 |
20120204377 | ACCESSORY TOOL FOR A VACUUM CLEANER - An accessory tool can include a recovery tank assembly for removing fluid and dirt from a surface to be cleaned and store the recovered fluid and dirt. The accessory tool can be used in connection with a vacuum cleaner including an extraction cleaner. The accessory tool can include a housing assembly having a suction outlet opening adapted to be connected to a vacuum hose in fluid communication with the suction source of the vacuum cleaner and a recovery tank can be in fluid communication with the suction nozzle to store liquid drawn in through the suction nozzle. | 08-16-2012 |
20130125336 | STEAM CLEANING APPARATUS - A surface cleaning apparatus, and in particular a steam mop, comprises a steam delivery system for generating and distributing steam onto a surface to be cleaned. The steam mop further comprises a handle assembly mounted to a foot assembly that has a manifold configured to supply steam from a steam generator to the surface to be cleaned. | 05-23-2013 |
20130205535 | STEAM CLEANING APPARATUS - A surface cleaning apparatus, and in particular a steam/vacuum mop, comprises a steam delivery system for generating and distributing steam onto a surface to be cleaned and a vacuum source mounted to at least one of the foot assembly and the handle assembly and in communication with multiple suction inlets, where one of the suction inlets are intermittently blocked. | 08-15-2013 |
20130232724 | VACUUM CLEANER AND VACUUM CLEANER SYSTEM - A vacuum cleaner and vacuum cleaner system comprises a dirt separating and collecting system. The dirt separating and collecting system can include a filter module having a filter bag, wherein the inlet to the filter bag is helical and dirt entering the filter bag is visible to the user. Optionally, the filter bag filter module can be interchanged with a bagless filter module, which may include a conventional cyclone separator. | 09-12-2013 |
20140109337 | VACUUM CLEANER WITH FILTER CARTRIDGE - A vacuum cleaner with a separation module includes an advanceable filter media for filtering a debris-containing working airstream. The filter media can extend over an exhaust grill having openings through which air may pass. The filter media can be mounted on a pair of moveable reels, such that the filter media can periodically be replaced with new filter media. | 04-24-2014 |
20150033495 | UPRIGHT STEAM MOP WITH AUXILIARY HOSE - A steam mop with an upright handle assembly pivotally mounted to a foot includes a fluid distribution system having a distributor in the foot that applies steam to a floor surface and an auxiliary hose for steam cleaning above-floor surfaces. The auxiliary hose is mounted to the steam mop by an articulating joint. | 02-05-2015 |