Portable steam cleaner with back harness

Abstract

A portable steam cleaner eliminates the need for the heavy, self-contained machine that houses the water pump, vacuum system, solution tank, and wastewater recovery tank. It moves the vacuum system and recovery tank from the self-contained unit to a module that the technician wears on his back. The water pump itself becomes a separate unit that attaches to any external tank of water at the job site, such as a bathtub. This external tank serves as the solution tank. Because the portable steam cleaner breaks the machine into small, manageable modules, a technician can easily transport the equipment to a job site. With the smaller steam cleaner, the technician has a great degree of flexibility, so he can maneuver the steam cleaner with ease and efficiency. Finally, because the recovery tank rests on the technician's back, he can effortlessly drain the tank simply by opening a valve.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates in general to cleaning machinery, and in particular, to portable steam cleaners.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0002] Professional carpet cleaners currently encounter many difficulties when they use a portable steam cleaner. The typical portable machine houses a water pump, vacuum system, solution tank, and recovery tank and weighs close to 70 lbs. It requires a separate vacuum wand, carpet rake, vacuum hose, and solution line. A technician must use a truck to transport the machine and accessories to a job site. Once reaching the site, the technician unloads the equipment and carries it into the client's home or office. Because the technician cannot carry the machine and accessories at one time, he must make multiple trips between the truck and the job site, thereby reducing his productivity. At multi-level apartment complexes, the technician may have to negotiate several flights of stairs while carrying the heavy machine, thereby risking physical injury to himself and excessive wear and tear on the machine.

[0003] Once the technician has unloaded all equipment, he must complete a time-consuming set-up process. Set-up requires him to untangle a vacuum hose that runs 35 to 50 feet in length, to connect the four separate accessories, and to fill the machine with up to 11 gallons of a soap solution.

[0004] After set-up, the technician begins cleaning the carpet with a machine that makes the cleaning process inefficient. The long vacuum hose is cumbersome and tangles with the solution line while cleaning, so the technician must continuously move it as he vacuums. He also continuously monitors the recovery tank to determine when it requires draining. To empty the tank, the technician must manually bucket wastewater from the tank to the toilet.

[0005] The clean-up process is as time consuming as the set-up process. Clean-up requires the technician to drain both the solution and recovery tanks, to untangle, wrap, and store the solution line and vacuum hose, and to make multiple trips from the job site to the truck carrying the machine and accessories.

[0006] What is needed in the art is a machine that is more efficient and requires less physical exertion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention eliminates the need for the heavy, self-contained machine that houses the water pump, vacuum system, solution tank, and wastewater recovery tank. It moves the vacuum system and recovery tank from the self-contained unit to a module that the technician wears on his back. The water pump itself becomes a separate unit that attaches to any external tank of water at the job site, such as a bathtub. This external tank serves as the solution tank.

[0008] Because the present invention breaks the machine into small, manageable modules, a technician can easily transport the equipment to a job site. With the smaller steam cleaner, the technician has a great degree of flexibility, so he can maneuver the steam cleaner with ease and efficiency. Finally, because the recovery tank rests on the technician's back, he can effortlessly drain the tank simply by opening a valve.

[0009] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates the components of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates the components of a typical conventional steam cleaner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. For the most part, details concerning electrical wiring and the like have been omitted in as much as such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention and are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art.

[0014] Refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by the same reference numeral through the several views.

[0015] The present invention separates the vacuuming and wastewater recovery systems from the solution pumping system, resulting in a lightweight, easily maneuverable steam cleaner.

[0016] FIGS. 1 and 2 contrast the present invention with the conventional machine. Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention houses the wastewater recovery tank 104 and vacuum motor 107 in a separate unit that a technician wears on his back using a harness assembly 103. The recovery tank 104 is small, so the technician avoids placing excessive weight on his back and enjoys ease in movement. The valve assembly and dump hose 108 are connected to the recovery tank 104 to allow easy drainage. To drain the recovery tank 104, the technician does not have to remove the backpack unit; he simply positions the dump hose 108 over a toilet 114, opens the tank valve, and lets the wastewater flow through the hose 108 to the toilet 114. The tank valve could comprise any well-known valve for controlling flow of a liquid in a conduit.

[0017] To power the vacuum motor 107, the power switch 106 is built into the backpack unit, and the technician uses a separate power cord 109 that spans the length of one or two rooms to connect to a power source (e.g., electrical outlet).

[0018] A separate vacuum hose 105 connects the backpack unit to the vacuum wand 101. Unlike the hose used by the conventional machine (see FIG. 2), this hose 105 is only three feet in length, which prevents the hose 105 from tangling with the solution line 102 while cleaning and eliminates the need for rolling up and storing the long hose used by the conventional machine (see FIG. 2). The vacuum motor 107 pulls wastewater through the vacuum wand 101 and hose 105 to the wastewater recovery tank 104.

[0019] The present invention not only uses the vacuum wand 101 to extract wastewater from the carpet, but it also uses the wand 101 to spray the soap solution onto the carpet. A separate solution line 102 connects the solution pump 110 to the wand 101 and delivers pressurized cleaning solution to the wand 101.

[0020] The solution pump 110 is a lightweight, self-contained unit that the technician can effortlessly transport between job sites. It has a built-in power switch 1 16 and uses two attached hoses 115 to pump the soap solution from an external tank, such as a bathtub 113 located at the job site, through the solution line 102 and vacuum wand 101 to the carpet. Because the present invention uses a different external tank at each job site, a technician does not have to carry the bulky solution tank 112 of the conventional machine (see FIG. 2) between job sites. The process of filling and draining the tank is also simplified since the technician only has to turn on a faucet to fill the tank and open a drain to empty the tank.

[0021] To prepare the solution pumping system, the technician fills the bathtub 1 13 with water and soap. He then attaches the solution pump 110 to the side of the tub 113 and immerses the two hoses 115 into the soap solution. He uncoils the solution line 102 and connects it to the solution pump 11 0 and vacuum wand 1 01. He finally connects the power cord 111 to the solution pump 110 and a power source (e.g., electrical outlet), and he starts the pump 1 10 by using the built-in power switch 1 16. Note, the pump 1 10 can be any commercially available pump capable of transporting a liquid from a source to a destination through hoses or tubes.

[0022] Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A portable steam cleaning apparatus operable for cleaning surfaces in one or more rooms located within a building unit comprising:

a. a housing unit having a vacuum motor and a recovery tank for collecting wastewater;

b. a wand connected to said vacuum motor by a vacuum hose, said wand having a distal end for being placed in proximity to a surface to be cleaned;

c. a solution pump operable for obtaining water from a plumbing fixture in proximity to a room having the surface to be cleaned within the building unit;

d. a solution line wherein an end of said solution line is connected to said solution pump and an opposite end of said solution line is connected to said wand.

2. The apparatus in

claim 1 further comprising a harness assembly for carrying said housing unit on the back of an operator.

3. The apparatus in

claim 1 wherein said plumbing fixture is a bathtub.

4. The apparatus in

claim 1 wherein said plumbing fixture is a sink.

5. The apparatus in

claim 1 wherein said plumbing fixture is a toilet.

6. The apparatus in

claim 1 further comprising a dump valve operable for expelling wastewater from said recovery tank.

7. The apparatus in

claim 1 further comprising a hose to pump a cleaning solution provided in said plumbing fixture to said surface to be cleaned, wherein an end of said hose is attached to said solution pump and an opposite end of said hose dips into said plumbing fixture.

8. A system for cleaning surfaces in one or more rooms located within a building unit comprising:

a. a housing unit having a vacuum motor and a recovery tank for collecting wastewater;

b. a wand connected to said vacuum motor by a vacuum hose, said wand having a distal end for being placed in proximity to a surface to be cleaned;

c. a plumbing fixture in proximity to a room having the surface to be cleaned within the building unit, wherein said plumbing fixture is filled with water and soap to create a cleaning solution for distribution onto the surface to be cleaned by said wand;

d. a solution pump operable for obtaining water from a plumbing fixture in proximity to a room having the surface to be cleaned within the building unit;

e. a solution line wherein an end of said solution line is connected to said solution pump and an opposite end of said solution line is connected to said wand;

f. a hose to pump the cleaning solution provided in said plumbing fixture to said surface to be cleaned, wherein an end of said hose is attached to said solution pump and an opposite end of said hose dips into said plumbing fixture; and

g. a harness assembly for carrying said housing unit on the back of an operator.

9. The system as recited in

claim 8, wherein said plumbing fixture is a bathtub.

10. A method for cleaning surfaces in one or more rooms located within a building unit comprising the steps of:

a. attaching a solution pump to a plumbing fixture in proximity to a room having a surface to be cleaned within the building unit to obtain water from said plumbing fixture;

b. filling said plumbing fixture with a water and soap to create a cleaning solution for distribution onto a surface to be cleaned;

c. connecting said solution pump to a portable housing unit having a recovery tank for collecting wastewater, a vacuum motor, and a dump hose connected to said recovery tank, wherein said portable housing unit is carried on the back of the operator; and

d. moving a wand connected to said portable housing unit in a longitudinal motion along said surface to be cleaned, wherein said wand distributes a cleaning solution onto said surface and concurrently extracts wastewater from said surface for disposal through a distal end of said wand.

11. The method in

claim 10 wherein said plumbing fixture is a bathtub.

12. The method in

claim 10 wherein said plumbing fixture is a sink.

13. The method in

claim 10 wherein said plumbing fixture is a toilet.