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US 11,304,581 B2Granted
Surface cleaning apparatus
AssigneeBISSELL Inc.
InventorsJacob Resch, Jacob S. Boles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure provides a surface cleaning apparatus that includes a housing including a base adapted for movement across a surface to be cleaned, a fluid delivery system, and a recovery system. The surface cleaning apparatus can be configured to clean multiple surfaces, including hard and soft surfaces, and for different cleaning modes, including wet cleaning, dry vacuum cleaning, and self-cleaning. Methods for self-cleaning a surface cleaning apparatus are also provided.
Claims19
A floor cleaning system, comprising:
- a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
- an upright body comprising a handle and a frame;
- a base coupled with the upright body and adapted for movement across a surface to be cleaned;
- a moveable joint assembly mounting the base to the upright body, wherein the upright body is pivotable via the joint assembly between an upright storage position and a reclined use position;
- a fluid delivery system comprising a supply tank removable from the frame, a pump within the base, and a fluid distributor;
- a recovery system comprising a recovery pathway, a recovery tank removable from the frame and a vacuum motor within the upright body;
- a brushroll removably mounted to the base within the recovery pathway;
- a brushroll motor in the base and be operably coupled to the brushroll;
- a rechargeable battery selectively powering the pump, the vacuum motor, and the brushroll motor;
- a battery charging circuit controlling the recharging of the rechargeable battery;
- a user interface disposed on the handle, the user interface comprising a power button and a cleaning mode button;
- a self-cleaning mode input control disposed on the upright body and configured to initiate an unattended automatic cleanout cycle for a self-cleaning mode of operation in which the pump, the vacuum motor, and the brushroll motor are selectively energized and powered by the battery, wherein the self-cleaning mode input control is separate from the power button and the cleaning mode button;
- and
- a controller controlling the operation of the fluid delivery and recovery systems, and operably coupled with the user interface for receiving inputs from a user;
- a cleaning tray configured to dock the surface cleaning apparatus in the upright storage position for recharging the battery of the surface cleaning apparatus and for self-cleaning of the surface cleaning apparatus;
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- automatically disable the battery charging circuit upon actuation of the self-cleaning mode input control;
- execute the unattended automatic cleanout cycle for the self-cleaning mode of operation;
- and
- automatically enable the battery charging circuit to recharge the battery after the end of the unattended automatic cleanout cycle.
17 more elements
A floor cleaning system, comprising:
- a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
- an upright body comprising a handle and a frame;
- a base coupled with the upright body and adapted for movement across a surface to be cleaned;
- a moveable joint assembly mounting the base to the upright body, wherein the upright body is pivotable via the joint assembly between an upright storage position and a reclined use position;
- a fluid delivery system comprising a supply tank, a pump within the base, and a fluid distributor;
- a recovery system comprising a recovery tank and a vacuum motor;
- a brushroll within a recovery pathway of the recovery system;
- a brushroll motor operably coupled to the brushroll for rotating the brushroll;
- and
- a suction nozzle configured to extract fluid and debris from the brushroll;
- a rechargeable battery selectively powering the pump, the vacuum motor, and the brushroll motor;
- a battery charging circuit controlling the recharging of the rechargeable battery;
- a user interface disposed on the handle, the user interface comprising a power button and a cleaning mode button;
- a self-cleaning mode input control disposed on the upright body and configured to initiate an unattended automatic cleanout cycle for a self-cleaning mode of operation in which the pump, the vacuum motor, and the brushroll motor are selectively energized and powered by the battery, wherein the self-cleaning mode input control is separate from the power button and the cleaning mode button;
- and
- a controller controlling the operation of the fluid delivery and recovery systems, and operably coupled with the user interface for receiving inputs from a user;
- a combination cleaning and charging tray configured to dock the surface cleaning apparatus in the upright storage position for recharging and self-cleaning the surface cleaning apparatus, the cleaning and charging tray comprising at least one charging contact for recharging the battery of the surface cleaning apparatus and a sump configured to collect fluid dispensed during the automatic cleanout cycle;
- wherein the controller is configured to:
- automatically, upon actuation of the self-cleaning mode input control, disable the battery charging circuit and execute the unattended automatic cleanout cycle for the self-cleaning mode of operation;
- and
- automatically enable the battery charging circuit to recharge the battery after the end of the unattended automatic cleanout cycle.
18 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.