Patents by Inventor William J. Sampson

William J. Sampson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5093955
    Abstract: A combination floor sweeping and scrubbing machine is as compact and maneuverable as an equivalent machine which only sweeps or scrubs, while retaining typical hopper and tank volumes. Its operator can change it from sweeping to scrubbing or vice versa at any time by moving a few controls and without adding or removing any parts. It has one debris hopper and one horizontal cylindrical rotating brush and they function in both the sweeping and scrubbing modes. A vacuum system supplies dust control during sweeping and vacuum pickup of dirty solution during scrubbing. In the scrubbing mode a single tank supplies scrubbing solution and receives dirty solution picked up from the floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Assignee: Tennant Company
    Inventors: Michael L. Blehert, William J. Sampson
  • Patent number: 4099285
    Abstract: A surface maintenance machine that includes a powered vehicle having a rotary tool in a tool enclosure to direct debris from the surface through an enclosure outlet, a debris hopper having a debris inlet locatable adjacent the enclosure outlet, and a discharge opening remote from the hopper inlet, a hingedly mounted door for closing the discharge opening, lift arms mounted on the vehicle for mounting the hopper for pivotable movement relative thereto, supporting the hopper in a debris collecting position, and selectively elevating the hopper from a street level position to a high dump position, control arms and piston cylinder combinations to control the pivoting of the hopper as it is moved between its street level and high dump positions, the piston cylinder combinations being operated from a retracted condition to an extended condition for pivoting the hopper to a dumping position in either the street level position or the high dump position, latches mounted on the hopper that are operated through the hopp
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1977
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1978
    Assignee: Tennant Company
    Inventors: Bryan L. Christensen, William J. Sampson, Ronald L. Brogger, Jeffrey A. Lee