Floor treating apparatus

Abstract

A hollow body of floor treating apparatus has a suction inlet for air and an air outlet adapted to be connected to a source of suction during normal operation of the apparatus. In order to avoid clogging of the suction inlet by large particles of waste material like scraps of paper, an agitator in the form of a rotatable roller brush is positioned at a region remote from the suction inlet. The agitator picks up large particles of waste material and delivers such material to a receptacle which is in communication with the agitator. The agitator and receptacle are out of the path of flow of air from the suction inlet to the air outlet.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In conventional vacuum cleaners the suction nozzle is designed for optimum performance, that is, maximum removal of dust, at a given value of suction or negative pressure in the suction nozzle. This means that the nozzle usually is of such design and area that it is easily clogged by large particles, such as scraps of paper and the like, for example, whereby the efficiency of the nozzle and cleaning result are jeopardized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of my invention to overcome the aforementioned disadvantage and provide a floor treating apparatus in which the clogging of the nozzle under the most adverse operating conditions encountered is avoided. The floor treating apparatus of the invention is particularly useful in commercial and industrial establishments, such as department stores, for example, in which waste material like price tags usually clogs the nozzle and repeatedly must be removed by hand from the nozzle.

In floor treating apparatus embodying my invention clogging of the nozzle under the adverse operating conditions referred to above is avoided by providing an arrangement remote from the suction inlet of the nozzle for picking up large particles like scraps of paper, for example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of floor treating apparatus embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken at line II--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken at line III--III of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of details of the floor treating apparatus shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawing, I have shown floor treating apparatus embodying my invention which comprises a hollow body 10 including a bottom part 12 upon which is supported a top part 11. An agitator, which is in the form of a roller brush 13, is provided with a shaft 14 having its opposite ends journaled in the top body part 11. The agitator is driven by an electric motor 15 having a shaft provided with a roller 15'. An endless belt 17 is disposed about the roller 15' and the agitator at a portion 16 at one end thereof.

Waste material like scraps of paper and the like, for example, is flung by the rotating roller brush 13 onto an inclined surface 18 and passes from such surface into a receptacle 19 arranged in the top body part 11. The end of the receptacle 19 at the region of the inclined surface 18 is formed with an opening 20. The receptacle 19 is provided with a removable cover 21 to facilitate removal of waste material and the like from the interior of the receptacle. Alternatively, the cover 21 can be pivotally connected to the top body part 11.

The top body part 11 which, as just explained, supports the roller brush 13, electric motor 15, endless belt 17 and waste material receptacle 19, is tiltably supported on the bottom body part 12. As seen in the different figures of the drawing, I accomplish this by providing holes 22 in the top body part 11 which receive pins or projections 23 provided on the bottom body part 12. In this way adjustment of the roller brush 13 to compensate for wear of the bristles or variations in the contour of the floor or other work surface being treated is not required. With the top body part 11 tiltably mounted on the bottom body part 12, a so-called floating brush arrangement is realized in a simple manner. Due to the fact that the roller brush 13 is located at the front of top body part 11, the brush forms a support for the top body part and always is in contact with the work surface.

The bottom body part 12 comprises a bottom plate 24 and an upper wall member 25 which are spaced apart and parallel to one another. Side walls 26 close the space between the bottom plate 24 and upper wall member 25. The side wall at the rear of the hollow body 10, at the region of the apparatus opposite the roller brush 13, is provided with a hollow tubular member 27 which serves as an air outlet socket adapted to be connected to a suction line including a wand (not shown) and hose (not shown) of a suction cleaner and through which air is drawn when the suction cleaner is being operated. The bottom plate 24 is formed with a suction inlet 28 in the form of an elongated slot which is substantially parallel to the shaft 14. The hollow interior of the bottom body part 12 forms a passageway through which air is drawn toward the air outlet member 27 from the region of the elongated slot or air inlet opening 28.

The bottom plate 24 is provided with four wheels 30 to facilitate movement of the apparatus over a surface being treated. The opposing bottom edges 31, 32 of the elongated suction or air inlet opening 28 and the bottom edge 33 of the inclined surface 18 are fixed relative to the wheels 30 and hence to the surface being treated. Therefore, the distance between the surface being treated and the opposing bottom edges 32 and 33 of the elongated air inlet opening and the bottom edge 33 of the inclined surface 18 is constant under all operating conditions and about 2 mm. This is an important factor to achieve maximum dust removal through the suction inlet opening 28.

Further, because the suction inlet opening 28 is effectively separated from the space 13' in the top body part 11 in which the roller brush 13 revolves and functions to propel collected waste material to the receptacle 19, the likelihood that the suction inlet 28 will clog is practically eliminated. Moreover, it is not necessary to provide a roller brush in the suction inlet opening which has been the usual practice heretofore. This is so because the function of the roller brush to release dust from the surface being treated in accordance with previous practice, namely, at the immediate vicinity of the air or suction inlet, is effected in accordance with my invention by the roller brush 13 which is disposed at a region removed from and remote from the air inlet or suction opening 28.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a floor treating apparatus, the combination of

a. a hollow body comprising at least two parts in which one of said parts is provided with an inlet for air and an air outlet adapted to be connected to a source of suction during normal operation of the apparatus,

b. a structure remote from the suction inlet for picking up large particles of waste material such as scraps of paper and the like, said structure comprising an agitator means disposed in the other of said hollow body parts, the latter including a receptacle in communication with said agitator means for collecting the waste material,

c. said receptacle of the other hollow body part fully overlying said one hollow body part, and

d. an inclined surface located adjacent to said agitator means and between the latter and said receptacle which functions to convey the waste material flung up by the agitator means from the floor to said receptacle.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said agitator means includes a rotatable roller brush.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 which includes means for tiltably supporting the rear end of the other of said hollow body parts on said one of said hollow body parts.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said agitator means includes an electric motor disposed in the other of said hollow body parts.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said receptacle is of box-like form having a bottom and upstanding side wall, the part of said wall nearest to and facing said agitator means having an opening.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 which includes a removable cover for said box-like receptacle.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 which includes wheels mounted on said one of said hollow body parts having the suction inlet to facilitate movement of the apparatus over a surface to be treated, said wheels functioning to maintain the distance between the suction inlet and surface constant.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the bottom edges of the suction inlet and the bottom edge of the inclined surface being disposed at substantially the same distance from the surface being treated.