CARPET AGITATION APPARATUSES AND METHODS

A method and apparatus for cleaning a carpet. In some embodiments, the appliance includes a pad attached to a cleaning head, the pad having a non-absorbent portion that agitates the carpet with a reciprocating movement to work an encapsulant or other cleaning agent into the carpet fibers. The pad also may include an absorbent portion to absorb moisture from carpet.

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Description
FIELD

The invention relates generally to surface treatment such as carpet cleaning, and more specifically to methods and apparatuses which can be used to agitate a carpet with a pad to work encapsulants or other cleaning agents into the carpet.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

Surface treatment appliances are used in the home, office and other locations to treat floors and other surfaces. Various types of surface treating appliances are known for cleaning carpets, including appliances with oscillating and rotating brushes.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a method of cleaning a carpet with a surface cleaning appliance having a pad mounted to a cleaning head is disclosed. The method includes applying a liquid solution including an encapsulant to a carpet to be cleaned, agitating the carpet by moving a pad across the carpet in a reciprocating motion, allowing the encapsulant to interact with dirt particles, and vacuuming the dirt particles and encapsulant from the carpet.

In another embodiment, a carpet cleaning appliance is disclosed. The appliance includes an appliance body, a cleaning head that is attached to the appliance head and has a moveable member, a pad removably attachable to the moveable member, a liquid reservoir adapted to contain a solution, and a liquid applicator to apply the solution to the carpet. The moveable member on the cleaning head is moveable relative to the appliance body in a reciprocating motion. The pad moves in a reciprocating motion with the moveable member and is configured to agitate a carpet and work an encapsulant into the carpet fibers.

It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments, and features of the present teachings can be more fully understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carpet cleaning appliance according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the cleaning appliance agitating a carpet to work an encapsulant into the carpet fibers;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom of a cleaning pad according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom of a cleaning pad according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bottom of a cleaning pad according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a glide strip according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the bottom of a cleaning pad according to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a cleaning pad of FIG. 7 taken along a longer side of the pad;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the bottom of a cleaning pad according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottom of a cleaning pad according to one embodiment.

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Surface treatment appliances, such as cleaning appliances with rotating and oscillating brushes, are used with various cleaning solutions to clean carpets in the home, office, and other locations. Surface cleaning appliances with rotating and oscillating pads are also commonly used for cleaning low knap loop carpet in office environments, however, in these environments the appliances are often operated by trained technicians. In addition, the rotating and oscillating pads used with these appliances are composed of moisture and dirt absorbing materials such as wool and/or polyester microfiber that must be cleaned at regular intervals for proper carpet cleaning to be achieved. Applicant has recognized that the use of an encapsulant solution in combination with a cleaning pad that moves in a reciprocating motion on a carpet and that absorbs little to no moisture and dirt is effective in cleaning the carpet in a low-moisture manner. Embodiments disclosed herein include a cleaning appliance and methods of using the appliance to clean a carpet by applying an encapsulant to a carpet and agitating the carpet to work the encapsulant into the carpet with a cleaning pad that moves in a reciprocating motion. In some embodiments, the pad has a non-absorbent portion which is effective in agitating the carpet without absorbing the encapsulant before the encapsulant has been worked into the carpet to interact with the dirt.

According to one aspect of the invention, a carpet cleaning appliance includes an appliance body, a cleaning head with a moveable member that moves relative to the appliance body, a pad with non-absorbent portions that is mounted to the moveable member, a liquid reservoir filled with an encapsulant, and a liquid applicator to apply the encapsulant to the carpet. In one embodiment, the appliance agitates a carpet to work an encapsulant into the carpet fibers by moving the pad in a reciprocating manner. The pad may be attached to one, two, or any suitable number of moveable members on the cleaning head. In some embodiments, the pad includes first and second connected pad portions that move toward and away from one another to agitate the carpet. Two or more pads which are not connected may be used in some embodiments. The pad may be configured such that it has both non-absorbent and absorbent portions. In some embodiments, the non-absorbent portion includes plastic loops such as polyolefin loops. In some embodiments, the pad may have one or more glide portions, such as a glide strip, to facilitate movement of the appliance on the carpet. In some embodiments, the appliance operates in a reciprocating manner to more effectively agitate the encapsulant into the carpet with the pad while resolving the frictional forces inside the machine. This may result in an effective use of the encapsulant while keeping the load transmitted to the operator very low as compared to traditional methods.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 shows a cleaning appliance 2 according to one embodiment, the appliance including an elongated appliance body 4 and an appliance head, such as a cleaning head 6. The cleaning head 6 includes two moveable members 8 to which the surface cleaning pad 10 is removably attachable by an attachment side 12. The moveable members 8 may be driven by an electric motor via a gear drive, belt drive, or other drive system. The moveable members 8 may be used to provide reciprocating motion, and in some embodiments, the moveable members may move toward and way from one another. The reciprocating motion produced by the appliance 2 shown is a linearly reciprocating motion in some embodiments. The appliance 2 also includes a liquid reservoir 14 on the appliance body 4 that communicates with a liquid applicator 16 on the cleaning head 6 to apply an encapsulant to a carpet to be cleaned. In one embodiment, the liquid reservoir 14 is filled with a solution including an encapsulant. Although one liquid reservoir 14 is shown in this embodiment, other embodiments may include two or more liquid reservoirs 14. Additionally, while the liquid applicator 16 is shown on only the front of the cleaning head 6 in this embodiment, one or more applicators 16 may be positioned on the sides of the cleaning head 6 and/or on the back of the cleaning head 6 so as to allow multi-directional use of the cleaning appliance 2. In some embodiments, the applicators 16 are positioned on the appliance body 4 or at the base of the cleaning head 6.

The attachment side 12 of the cleaning pad 10 is configured to removably attach the pad 10 to the cleaning head 6 in some embodiments. The attachment side may include a hook and loop fastening material, which attaches to complementary hook and loop fastening material on the moveable members 8 of the cleaning head 6. The attachment side 12 instead may include any other suitable material for attaching the pad 10 to the cleaning head 6 as this aspect of the disclosure is not limiting. In some embodiments, the pad and the moveable members may be configured such that the pad wraps around the sides of the moveable members for attachment. Fastening devices such as clips, screws, snaps or interference fit arrangement may be used to removably attach the pads to the moveable members such that the attachment sides are removably attached to the moveable members even though, in some cases, the attachment sides themselves do not play a direct role in their attachment to the moveable members.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment after application of the encapsulant by the liquid applicator 16 (shown in FIG. 1). Although referred to as an encapsulant, it is important to note that in some embodiments, the encapsulant does not encapsulate the dirt particles but rather attaches to dirt particles and dehydrates them. Accordingly, for purposes herein, the term “encapsulant” should not be limited to only agents which encapsulate dirt or other particles. In one embodiment, the cleaning pad 10 is attached to the moveable members 8 of the cleaning head 6, and the appliance 2 is positioned on top of a carpet 18 to be cleaned. The surface cleaning pad 10 has a first pad portion 20 with a first surface-facing side 24a and a second pad portion 22 with a second surface-facing side 24b, and the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b are in contact with the carpet 18. The first and second pad portions 20, 22 may be connected by one or more connectors 19.

In some embodiments, the first and second pad portions 20, 22 reciprocate with the moveable members 8 to agitate the carpet 18. This movement may be accomplished by using the pad 10 with an appliance 2, which includes a reciprocating member at the cleaning head 6.

In some embodiments, the first pad portion 20 and the second pad portion 22 move toward and away from one another to agitate the carpet 18. In some embodiments, agitation also may be accomplished by rotating one or more pads on the carpet.

In one embodiment, upon agitation by the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b of the pad 10, the encapsulant 26 penetrates and disperses throughout the carpet 18 being cleaned. When the encapsulant 26 contacts dirt particles 28 in the carpet 18, as shown in FIG. 2, the encapsulant 26 interacts with the dirt particles 28 to chemically and/or physically affect the dirt particles. In some embodiments, the encapsulant is allowed to interact with the dirt particles 28 for an amount of time such that the encapsulant 26 can dehydrate the dirt particles 28 and/or reduce or eliminate the dirt particles' ability to bond to the carpet fibers. In some embodiments, the dirt particles 28 are dehydrated beyond their natural state into a powder. In one embodiment, the encapsulant 26 chemically effects the dirt 28 via emulsification. In some embodiments, the carpet 18 is left to dry and the dehydrated dirt particles 28 are removed from the carpet fibers 18 along with the dried encapsulant 26. In one embodiment, the dirt particles 28 and encapsulant 26 are removed by vacuuming the carpet 18. The encapsulant 26 may be a low moisture cleaning solution that, unlike some other carpet cleaners, is only lightly sprayed on the top surface of the carpet 18. In some embodiments, one gallon of solution is sufficient for application to between 200 ft2 and 400 ft2 of the carpet 18. As a result, in some embodiments, the agitation step does not substantially wet the carpet 18.

In some embodiments, the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b of the cleaning pad are configured to clean a carpet. In one embodiment, a cleaning element (such as a solution including an encapsulant) is applied to a carpet and then agitated and/or absorbed by the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b of the pad 10. In some embodiments, as shown by way of example in FIG. 3, the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b include only non-absorbent portions 30 to agitate the cleaning element. In some embodiments, the non-absorbent portions 30 are a loop monofilament material. In one embodiment, the non-absorbent portions 30 include olefin to agitate an encapsulant, and in another embodiment, the non-absorbent portions 30 include a plastic material to agitate a polymer. In one embodiment, the olefin is 100% olefin, 489.9 g/m2, with 16.5 wales by 27.0 courses per inch. In some embodiments, the wales are parallel to an edge of a longer side 23 of each pad portion 20, 22. In other embodiments, the wales are parallel to an edge of a shorter side 25 of each pad portion 20,22. The olefin loops may be configured to be parallel to the edge of the longer side 23 of the pad portions 20, 22, or parallel to the edge of the shorter side 25 of the pad portions 20,22. In some embodiments, the olefin loops are at least 4 mm in length. In some embodiments, the surface-facing sides include a binding 21 that extends around the edge of the longer and shorter sides 23, 25 of the pads 20, 22.

In some embodiments, the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b and the attachment side 12 of the pad 10 all include the same material. In one embodiment, the sides 12, 24a, 24b include an abrasive material, e.g., a hook and loop fastener or any other abrasive material that is suitable for attachment and for agitation. In some embodiments, the non-absorbent portions 30 may include an abrasive sanding material such as sandpaper or a sanding pad. The non-absorbent portions 30 also may include any other suitable material for agitating a carpet, such as a material having a rake or teeth.

In other embodiments, the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b of the pad 10 include both absorbent portions 32 and non-absorbent portions 30. In some embodiments, the absorbent portions 32 and/or the non-absorbent portions 30 are capable of agitation or scrubbing. One such material capable of both scrubbing and absorbing is a mini-shag material with strands and/or loops. As shown in FIG. 4, the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b of the pad portions 20, 22 may include a quilted, absorbent portion 32 with a non-absorbent portion 30 in the center of each pad portion 20, 22. Although only one non-absorbent portion 30 is shown on each pad portion 20, 22, the number of non-absorbent portions 30 and the position of those portions 30 on each pad portion 20, 22 may vary. In one embodiment, the non-absorbent portion is quilted.

In some embodiments, the absorbent portions 32 and/or the non-absorbent portions 30 are quilted. The quilting stitches may extend from the exterior edges of the first and second pad portions 20, 22 at a 30 degree angle, a 45 degree angle, a 60 degree angle, or any other suitable angle, in two directions to the opposed fabric edges. In one embodiment, the cross patterns form quadrilateral shapes or other polygon shapes. In some embodiments, the stitch pattern limits or prevents slippage of the pad layers relative to each other. Such slippage could reduce a pad's effectiveness at transmitting motion to the carpet in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b include a glide portion to reduce friction while cleaning the carpet. For purposes herein, a glide portion is a portion of the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b which has a lower coefficient of friction than one or both of an absorbent portion 32 and an agitation portion 32. One type of glide portion is a glide strip 27, as shown in FIG. 5. For purposes herein, the term “glide strip” refers to a section on a surface-facing side of a pad which extends from near one edge of the pad to near an opposite edge. The glide strip does not necessarily have to reach the absolute edge of the pad to be considered a glide strip. For example, in some embodiments disclosed herein, glide strips extend only to a binding which runs along the perimeter of the pad. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b include glide strips 27 positioned adjacent to the non-absorbent portion 30, extending along the shorter sides 25 of the pad portions 20, 22 to reduce friction while cleaning the carpet. Although two glide strips 27 are shown in this embodiment, it should be appreciated that the number of glide strips 27 may vary in other embodiments. It should also be appreciated that while the glide strips 27 are shown adjacent the shorter sides 25 of the pad portions 20, 22 in this embodiment, the glide strips also may be positioned adjacent the longer sides 23 of the pad portions 20, 22 or positioned in any other suitable location. It should further be appreciated that while the glide portions are shown to be rectangular glide strips 27 in FIG. 5, the glide portions may be any suitable shape.

The glide strips 27 may include polyester taffeta, 100 g/m2 and 70 Denier yarn. In one embodiment, there are a series of linings below the taffeta. As seen in the sectional view of the glide strips 27 in FIG. 6, in one embodiment, a polyester non-woven interlining layer 36, an olefin loop layer 38, a second polyester non-woven interlining layer 36, and a nylon loop backing layer 40 are positioned below a polyester taffeta layer 34. In some embodiments, a twill binding 21 is placed along the edge of the longer and shorter sides 23, 25 of the pad portions 20, 22. In some embodiments, the glide strips 27 are quilted. In some embodiments, the glide strips 27 have a coefficient of friction that is less than the coefficients of friction of the absorbent portions 32 and/or the non-absorbent portions 30.

In another embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 7, the pad portions 20, 22 include an absorbent portion 32 in the middle of the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b, non-absorbent portions 30 surrounding the absorbent portion 32 on two sides, and glide strips 27 adjacent to the non-absorbent portions 30. The absorbent portion 32 may include nylon loops, although absorbent portion 32 may include any material or combination of materials suitable for absorption. In one embodiment, the absorbent portion 32 is a mini-shag material with a plurality of strands or loops having a pile length P, as shown in FIG. 8, of at least 5 mm. In some embodiments, the strands or loops may have a pile length P of between 2 mm and 10 mm. In still further embodiments, the strands or loops may have a pile length P of between 1 mm and 15 mm. In one embodiment, the mini-shag material is 100% polyester, 15.45 oz/yd2, with 20 wales by 26 courses per inch.

In some embodiment, the mini-shag material is weft terry knit on a course gauge machine 8 to 14 gauge. In one embodiment, the mini-shag material is 100% microfiber polyester, 8 oz./yd2 In some embodiments, the microfiber lengths are twisted together to form strands or loops.

In some embodiments, the mini-shag material may be configured such that when the pad is placed on a carpet for cleaning, the shag material is compressed such that the shag height is even with the height of the glide strip(s). In some embodiments, this configuration would result in the compressed mini-shag material being between 4 mm and 5 mm lower than the extent of the olefin or other non-absorbent scrubbing section(s).

In some embodiments, the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b of the pad portions 20, 22 are configured differently from one another. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the first surface-facing side 24a includes only non-absorbent portions 30 and the second surface-facing side 24b includes an absorbent portion 32 and a non-absorbent portion 30. As depicted in this figure, the second surface-facing side 24b includes an absorbent portion 32 with a non-absorbent portion 30 extending down the center of the second surface-facing side 24b. It should be appreciated that the number of non-absorbent portions 30 and the position of those portions 30 on the second surface-facing side 20b may vary. It also should be appreciated that the pad 10 could have an inverted configuration to the one shown in the figure. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the first surface-facing side 24a includes an absorbent portion 32 surrounded by glide strips 27 on two sides and the second surface-facing side 24b includes a non-absorbent portion 30 surrounded by glide strips 27 on two sides. In one embodiment, the absorbent portion 32 is a terry knit material and the non-absorbent portion 30 is olefin loops.

In some embodiments, the absorbent portions 32 are separate from the non-absorbent portions 30. For purposes herein, a separate portion does not necessarily mean that a first section is distanced from a second portion. Instead, separate portions, such as sections 30 and 32 in one embodiment, may be immediately adjacent to one another and be considered separate portions. In some embodiments two types of material overlap one another, but if each material has a section that does not overlap with the material, there would still be considered to be two separate portion.

In some embodiments, the pad 10 includes one or more connectors 19. The connectors 19 may be made of elastic straps, elastic cords, or any other suitable material for connecting the pads and maintaining their relative positions. The connectors 19 also may be made of any other suitable material for permitting the first and second pads 20, 22 to move relative to one another when attached to the moveable members 8. In some embodiments the elasticity of the connectors 19 is greater than the elasticity of the first and second pads 20, 22. The elasticity of the connectors 19 also may be configured such that the first and second pads 20, 22 can move relative to one another, irrespective of the positions of the moveable members 8, when the pad 10 is attached to the appliance head 6. In some embodiments, the connectors 19 may not necessarily pull the treatment cleaning pads 20, 22 toward one another. For example, the connectors may be made of a non-elastic material such as string. In embodiments where the connector(s) do not include elastic material, the pad 10, and in particular the connector(s) 19, may be sized such that the arrangement 10 is sufficiently long to remain attached to the moveable members 8 when the moveable members 8 are in their outermost position on the appliance head 6. Although two connectors 19 are shown in FIGS. 3-5, 7, and 9-10, in other embodiments one connector or more than two connectors may be used. In some embodiments, the connectors 19 may be made of the same material as the surface-facing sides 24a, 24b of the first and second treatment cleaning pads 20, 22. The connector(s) 19 also may be integral to the first and second pads 14, 16.

In some embodiments, the pads 20, 22 comprise a series of layers including a scrubbing layer, such as a monofilament material, a nonwoven or terry knit layer, and an attachment backing layer with hook and look fastening material. In one embodiment, the scrubbing layer, the nonwoven or terry knit layer, and the attachment backing layer are sewn together in a cross pattern. In some embodiments, the stitch pattern forms quadrilateral shapes or other polygon shapes. Other layers may be included with the pads in some embodiments.

Examples of other pads that can be used to clean a carpet are described in the U.S. non-provisional application filed Mar. 1, 2013, entitled Cleaning Pad Arrangement (attorney docket number E0465.70235US00), which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In yet another embodiment, a method of cleaning a carpet with an appliance 2 that has a pad 10 mounted to a cleaning head 6 includes applying an encapsulant 26 to the carpet 18 to be cleaned, agitating the carpet 18 with the pad 10 via reciprocating movement, allowing the encapsulant 26 to interact with the dirt particles in the carpet, and vacuuming the dirt particles 28 and encapsulant 26 from the carpet 18. In one embodiment, the encapsulant 26 is allowed to interact with the dirt particles 28 for an amount of time such that encapsulant 26 can penetrate, emulsify, and dehydrate the dirt particles 28. In some cases, the pad 10 includes non-absorbent portions, or is entirely non-absorbent. Two or more moveable members may be used to provide reciprocating motion, and in some embodiments, the moveable members may move toward and way from one another. The reciprocating motion produced by the appliance 2 may be a linearly reciprocating motion in some embodiments. In some embodiments, two or more moveable members may simultaneously move in the same direction.

While the present teachings have been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.

Claims

1. A method of cleaning a carpet using a surface cleaning appliance, the appliance having a pad mounted to a cleaning head, the method comprising:

applying a liquid solution including an encapsulant to a carpet to be cleaned;
agitating the carpet by moving a pad across the carpet in a reciprocating motion;
allowing the encapsulant to interact with dirt particles; and
vacuuming the dirt particles and encapsulant from the carpet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the pad includes a non-absorbent portion; and
agitating the carpet comprises moving the non-absorbent portion of the pad across the carpet in a reciprocating motion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein allowing the encapsulant to interact with dirt particles includes penetrating, emulsifying, and dehydrating the dirt particles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the pad is mounted to at least two moveable members on the cleaning head; and
agitating the carpet comprises moving the at least two moveable members and the pad in a reciprocating motion.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the pad comprises a first pad portion and a second pad portion; and
agitating the carpet comprises moving the first pad portion and the second pad portion toward and away from one another.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

a surface-facing side of the pad comprises only non-absorbent portions; and
agitating the carpet comprises moving the non-absorbent portions of the pad across the carpet while the surface-facing side of the pad is in contact with the carpet.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the surface-facing side of the pad further comprises at least one glide portion.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein:

a surface-facing side of the pad comprises non-absorbent and absorbent portions; and
agitating the carpet comprises moving the absorbent and non-absorbent portions of the pad across the carpet while the surface-facing side of the pad is in contact with the carpet.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-absorbent and absorbent portions are integrated in a same area of the surface-facing side of the pad.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-absorbent and absorbent portions are separate portions on the surface-facing side of the pad.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the surface-facing side of the pad comprises at least one glide portion.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the non-absorbent portion of the pad comprises polyolefin loops.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the non-absorbent portion of the pad comprises plastic loops.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising absorbing moisture and/or dirt from the carpet with an absorbent portion of the pad.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the encapsulant to the carpet comprises spraying the solution including an encapsulant using a liquid application system that is mounted to the appliance.

16. A carpet cleaning appliance comprising:

an appliance body;
a cleaning head attached to the appliance body, wherein a moveable member on the cleaning head is moveable relative to the appliance body in a reciprocating motion;
a pad which is removably attachable to the moveable member such that the pad moves in a reciprocating motion with the moveable member, wherein the pad is configured to agitate a carpet and work an encapsulant into carpet fibers;
a liquid reservoir adapted to contain a solution; and
a liquid applicator to apply the solution to the carpet.

17. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 16, wherein the pad includes a non-absorbent portion configured to agitate the carpet when the pad is moved in a reciprocating motion.

18. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 16, wherein the liquid reservoir contains a solution with an encapsulant.

19. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 16, wherein the encapsulant interacts with dirt in the carpet fibers by emulsifying and dehydrating the dirt.

20. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 16, wherein:

the cleaning head includes at least two moveable members; and
the pad is attached to the at least two moveable members.

21. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 20, wherein:

the pad comprises a first pad portion and a second pad portion; and
the first and second pad portions move toward and away from one another to agitate the carpet.

22. The carpet cleaning appliance of 21, wherein the first and second pad portions are connected.

23. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 16, wherein the pad comprises an absorbent portion to absorb moisture from the carpet.

24. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 17, wherein the non-absorbent portion of the pad comprises polyolefin loops.

25. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 17, wherein the non-absorbent portion of the pad comprises plastic loops.

26. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 20, wherein a surface-facing side of the pad comprises only non-absorbent portions.

27. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 26, wherein the surface-facing side of the pad comprises at least one glide portion.

28. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 20, wherein a surface-facing side of the pad comprises non-absorbent and absorbent portions.

29. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 28, wherein the non-absorbent and absorbent portions are integrated in the same area of the surface-facing side of the pad.

30. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 28, wherein the non-absorbent and absorbent portions are separate portions on the surface-facing side of the pad.

31. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 28, wherein the surface-facing side of the pad comprises at least one glide portion.

32. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 16, wherein the pad comprises at least one layer that is sewn together in a cross pattern.

33. The carpet cleaning appliance of claim 16, wherein the cross pattern forms a quadrilateral stitch pattern.

Patent History
Publication number: 20140246048
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 1, 2013
Publication Date: Sep 4, 2014
Inventors: David Jalbert (Coventry, RI), Robert Finnance (West Simsbury, CT)
Application Number: 13/783,232
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Using Solid Work Treating Agents (134/6); With Liquid Or Other Cleaning Material Application To Work (15/320)
International Classification: A47L 11/34 (20060101);