SURFACE CLEANER
A wet surface cleaner operable in an upright cleaning mode, an auxiliary cleaning mode, and a lift-off cleaning mode. The surface cleaner has a canister assembly that is coupled to a body in the upright cleaning mode and removed from the body in the auxiliary cleaning mode and the lift-off cleaning mode.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/172,347, filed Apr. 8, 2021, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUNDThe present invention relates to surface cleaners, and more particularly, a wet surface cleaner with more than one cleaning mode.
SUMMARYIn one embodiment a surface cleaner is disclosed including a body, a base pivotally coupled to the body and configured to move across a cleaning surface, a nozzle, a handle, and a canister assembly coupled to the body. The body has a lower portion and an upper portion opposite the lower portion, the upper portion including the handle. The base is coupled to the lower portion of the body. The nozzle is positioned on the base adjacent the cleaning surface. The canister assembly is removably coupled to the body. The canister assembly includes a housing, a supply tank, and a recovery tank. The surface cleaner further includes a hose having a first end coupled to the canister assembly fluidly connected to the recovery tank and a second end coupled to the base fluidly connected to the nozzle. A suction source is in fluid communication with the recovery tank and is operable to draw fluid and debris through the hose into the recovery tank. The surface cleaner is operable in an upright cleaning mode when the canister assembly is coupled to the body. The surface cleaner is operable in an auxiliary cleaning mode when the canister assembly is uncoupled from the body. In the upright cleaning mode and in the auxiliary cleaning mode, the nozzle is movable over the cleaning surface by a user grasping the handle such that in operation debris and fluid are drawn through the nozzle, through the hose and into the recovery tank.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe present disclosure relates to a surface cleaner, specifically a surface cleaner configured to recover and/or distribute cleaning liquid, with multiple different cleaning positions or modes. The surface cleaner includes an upright cleaning mode, an auxiliary cleaning mode, and a lift-off cleaning mode. It is beneficial for the user to be able to have one machine that is able to serve multiple purposes. The surface cleaner includes a canister assembly removably coupled to a body, the canister assembly having a housing, a recovery tank, and a supply tank. The surface cleaner operates in the upright cleaning mode when the canister assembly is coupled to the body. The surface cleaner operates in the auxiliary cleaning mode when the canister assembly is removed from the body.
The surface cleaner 10 includes a canister assembly 28 that is removably coupled to the body 12. The canister assembly 28 includes a housing 30, a suction source or motor 32, a supply tank 34, and a recovery tank 36. The canister assembly 28 is movable between a coupled position, illustrated in
As shown in
The surface cleaner 10 includes a nozzle 24 positioned on the base 20. The nozzle 24 is in fluid communication with the suction motor 32 and the recovery tank 36. The suction motor 32 generates a working airflow along an airpath extending from a suction inlet 52 on the nozzle 24 to an exhaust outlet 58, operable to draw debris and fluid from the cleaning surface through the suction inlet 52. The working airflow extends through the hose 40 and into the recovery tank 36. In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
The surface cleaner 10 includes the hose 40 with a first end 42 coupled to the recovery tank 36 and a second end 44 for drawing debris and fluid from the cleaning surface to the recovery tank 36. As illustrated in
The upright cleaning mode enables the user to use the surface cleaner 10 in a familiar manner, similar to a traditional upright hard floor cleaner or upright extractor. The canister assembly 28 is coupled to the body 12 and the base 20 is moved across the surface by the handle 22. The auxiliary cleaning mode illustrated in
As illustrated in
The surface cleaner 10 may include an accessory cleaning tool 70 connectable to the second end 44 of the hose 40 in the lift-off cleaning mode. In the embodiment illustrated in
One advantage to the hose 40 connecting directly to the base 20 or the cleaning tool 70 is that the hose 40 creates a shorter and more direct airpath to recover debris and fluid from the cleaning surface. Secondly, it allows different constructions of the body 12 that allow a more compact and space efficient surface cleaner 10.
In the embodiment illustrated in
The surface cleaner 10 may also include an agitator 26 operatively positioned to engage the cleaning surface. In one embodiment, the agitator 26 is driven by an agitator motor 64. The agitator 26 is configured to agitate the cleaning surface in both the upright cleaning mode and the auxiliary cleaning mode. In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment of
In an alternative embodiment illustrated in
. In the embodiment of
In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A surface cleaner comprising:
- a body having a lower portion and an upper portion opposite the lower portion, the upper portion including a handle;
- a base pivotably coupled to the lower portion of the body and configured to move across a cleaning surface;
- a nozzle positioned on the base adjacent the cleaning surface;
- a canister assembly removably coupled to the body, the canister assembly includes a housing, a supply tank and a recovery tank;
- a hose having a first end coupled to the canister assembly and fluidly connected to the recovery tank and a second end coupled to the base and fluidly connected to the nozzle; and
- a suction source in fluid communication with the recovery tank, the suction source operable to draw fluid and debris through the hose into the recovery tank;
- wherein the surface cleaner is operable in an upright cleaning mode when the canister assembly is coupled to the body and the surface cleaner is operable in an auxiliary cleaning mode when the canister assembly is uncoupled from the body; and
- wherein in the upright cleaning mode and in the auxiliary cleaning mode the nozzle is movable over the cleaning surface by a user grasping the handle such that in operation debris and fluid are drawn through the nozzle, through the hose and into the recovery tank.
2. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second end of the hose is configured to be uncoupled from the base, and wherein the surface cleaner is operable in a lift-off cleaning mode when the canister assembly is uncoupled from the body and the second end of the hose is uncoupled from the base.
3. The surface cleaner of claims 1, wherein the body is collapsible into a collapsed position such that the lower portion and the upper portion are adjacent in the collapsed position.
4. The surface cleaner of claim 3, where in the upper portion and the lower portion telescope together.
5. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the supply tank is fluidly connected to a fluid line extending along the hose to a fluid distributor positioned on the base, the fluid distributor configured to distribute fluid to the cleaning surface.
6. The surface cleaner of claim 5, wherein the surface cleaner includes an actuator in fluid communication with the fluid line to selectively dispense fluid from the supply tank through the fluid distributor.
7. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a carrying handle.
8. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second end of the hose is configured to be uncoupled from the base, and wherein the nozzle is removable from the base and connectable to the second end of the hose.
9. The surface cleaner of claim 8, wherein the nozzle is coupled to the base in the upright cleaning mode and the auxiliary cleaning mode and the nozzle is removed from the base and connected to the second end of the hose in the lift-off cleaning mode.
10. The surface cleaner of claim 5, wherein the second end of the hose and the fluid line are configured to be uncoupled from the base, and wherein the surface cleaner further comprises a cleaning tool having a cleaning tool nozzle and a cleaning tool fluid distributor, wherein the cleaning tool is connectable to the second end of the hose fluidly connecting the cleaning tool nozzle to the hose and the cleaning tool fluid distributor to the fluid line.
11. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the supply tank and the recovery tank are in a side by side orientation.
12. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein when the canister assembly is coupled to the body and the body upper portion is positioned above the lower portion, the motor is positioned at an elevation below the supply tank.
13. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein when the canister assembly is coupled to the body and the body upper portion is positioned above the lower portion, the supply tank is positioned at an elevation above the recovery tank.
14. The surface cleaner of claim 13, wherein the motor positioned at an elevation below the supply tank.
15. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein when the canister assembly is coupled to the body and the body upper portion is positioned above the lower portion, the motor is positioned at an elevation above the recovery tank.
16. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein when the canister assembly is coupled to the body and the body upper portion is positioned above the lower portion, the motor is positioned at an elevation below the recovery tank.
17. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction source is operable to generate a working airflow along an airpath extending from a suction inlet to an exhaust outlet, wherein the airpath is external to the body upper portion.
18. The surface cleaner of claim 17, where the airpath is external to the body lower portion.
19. The surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the hose is flexible.
20. The surface cleaner of claim 1. wherein the base includes an agitator driven by an agitator motor.
21. The surface cleaner of claim 20, wherein the agitator motor is powered by a battery positioned on the base.
22. The surface cleaner of claim 20, further comprising a power cord configured to provide alternating electrical current to the suction source.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 8, 2022
Publication Date: Oct 13, 2022
Inventors: Mathieu Lhoste-Clos (Charlotte, NC), Rafael Davila (Kannapolis, NC), Jeremy Hansen (Huntersville, NC), Daniel Galleno (Charlotte, NC), Anthony Ferrigno (Mooresville, NC), Joshua Craig (Mint Hill, NC)
Application Number: 17/716,379