Mobile Surface Cleaner and Method for Generating and Applying an Electrochemically Activated Sanitizing Liquid Having O3 Molecules

A mobile surface cleaner comprising:

• a mobile body configured to travel over a surface;
• a least one wheel connected to the mobile body to move the mobile body across the surface;
• a source of a liquid;
• a pump;
• a liquid dispenser;
• a functional generator, which comprises an anode chamber comprising an anode and a cathode chamber comprising a cathode, which are separated by an ion exchange membrane and which are configured to electrochemically activate the liquid from the liquid source that is passed through the functional generator into a sanitizing anolyte liquid comprising O3 molecules in the anode chamber and a catholyte liquid in the cathode chamber;
• a flow path, from the liquid source to the liquid dispenser, which passes through the functional generator and lacks any liquid storage tanks between the functional generator and the dispenser, wherein the flow path is configured to dispense substantially all of the anolyte and catholyte liquids from the mobile surface cleaner upon electrical activation by the functional generator without an intermediate step of storing either of the anolyte or catholyte liquids;
• a control circuit coupled to the pump and the functional generator and configured to energize the pump to pump the liquid along the flow path and energize the functional generator to electrochemically activate the liquid that is passed through the functional generator and during;
• and
• a fluid recovery device connected to the mobile body.

A method for generating and applying a sanitizing liquid, the method comprising:

• a) moving a mobile floor cleaning device along a floor;
• b) electrochemically activating a liquid on the mobile floor cleaning device by passing the liquid through a functional generator comprising first and second electrode chambers that are separated by an ion exchange membrane such that the liquid activated in the first electrode chamber comprises O3 molecules;
• c) combining all of the liquid activated in the first and second electrode chambers to form a combined electrochemically activated liquid on the device without an intermediate step of storing either of the liquids produced in the first or second electrode chambers;
• d) dispensing substantially all of the combined electrochemically activated liquid from the mobile floor cleaning device upon electrical activation in step b), while moving the mobile floor cleaning device in step a);
• and
• e) recovering at least some of the dispensed liquid from the floor with a recovery device carried by the mobile floor cleaning device.

A method for generating and applying a sanitizing liquid, the method comprising:

• a) moving a mobile floor cleaning device along a floor;
• b) electrochemically activating a liquid on the mobile floor cleaning device by passing the liquid through a functional generator comprising first and second electrode chambers that are separated by an ion exchange membrane such that the liquid activated in the first electrode chamber comprises O3 molecules;
• c) dispensing substantially all of the liquid activated in the first and second electrode chambers from the mobile floor cleaning device within 5 seconds of the time at which the liquids are activated by the functional generator in step b) without an intermediate step of storing either of the liquids produced in the first or second electrode chambers, while moving the mobile floor cleaning device in step a);
• and
• d) recovering at least some of the dispensed liquid from the floor with a recovery device carried by the mobile floor cleaning device.