Squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system

A squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system, said apparatus comprising:

• main body means in communication with said vacuum cleaner system for directing a vacuum airflow generated by said vacuum cleaner system across a work surface;
• a squeegee coupled to said main body means, said squeegee including a flexible squeegee blade having an outermost edge portion having a tip portion for contacting said work surface, a first plurality of ports formed adjacent one side of said flexible squeegee blade and a second plurality of ports formed against the opposite side of said flexible squeegee blade;
• a front bumper extending longitudinally along said one side of said flexible squeegee blade and having an inner edge surface;
• a rear bumper extending longitudinally along said opposite side of said flexible squeegee blade and having an inner edge surface;
• said front and rear bumpers maintaining said plurality of ports at a predetermined minimum distance from said work surface;
• said first and second pluralities of ports enabling said vacuum airflow to be direction through said squeegee means to said work surface;
• said squeegee blade having a length sufficient to cause said tip portion thereof to flex and to simultaneously contact said work surface and one of said inner edge surfaces as said squeegee apparatus is moved over a work surface in a first direction, and to contact said work surface and the other one of said inner edge surfaces when said apparatus is moved in a second direction over said work surface, to thus alternately block said vacuum airflow through one of said first and second pluralities of ports at a time as said apparatus is moved in back and forth longitudinal movements over said work surface to thereby alternately increase said vacuum airflow through said pluralities of ports.

A squeegee apparatus for a vacuum cleaner system, said apparatus comprising:

• a main body portion forming a manifold;
• said main body portion including a tubular neck portion in communication therewith to enable airflow through said neck portion and said main body portion;
• and
• squeegee means coupled to a lower end portion of said main body portion for facilitating the extraction of water from a work surface;
• said squeegee means including a central portion having a squeegee blade, said squeegee blade having an outermost edge portion having a tip portion for wiping said liquid when said squeegee apparatus is manually moved over said work surface, said central portion further including a first plurality of ports disposed on one side of said squeegee blade and a second plurality of ports disposed on the opposite side of said squeegee blade;
• said squeegee means further including means forming front and rear bumpers each having an inner edge surface extending generally parallel to said first and second pluralities of ports, said squeegee blade being operable to simultaneously contact said work surface and flex toward said front bumper means as the squeegee apparatus is moved in a first direction such that said tip portion simultaneously contacts said work surface and abuts said inner edge surface of said front bumper means, thereby generally blocking airflow through said first plurality of ports and increasing air flow through said second plurality of ports;
• said squeegee blade further flexing towards said rear bumper means when said squeegee apparatus is moved in a second longitudinal direction opposite to said first direction such that said tip portion simultaneously contacts said work surface and said inner edge surface of said rear bumper means, thereby generally blocking airflow through said second plurality of ports and increasing airflow through said first plurality of ports.

For a vacuum cleaner system, a squeegee apparatus for removing liquid from a work surface such as a floor, said apparatus comprising:

• a main body portion forming a manifold, said main body portion including a tubular neck portion in communication with an interior area of said main body portion, said main body portion further including a lower end portion;
• a squeegee member releasably secured to said lower end portion of said main body portion;
• said squeegee member including a central portion, laterally spaced apart and downwardly depending front and rear bumper portions each having an inner edge surface, and a downwardly depending squeegee blade extending outwardly between said front and rear bumper portions, said squeegee blade having an outermost edge portion with a tip portion for contacting said work surface;
• said central portion of said squeegee member further including a first plurality of ports extending longitudinally along one side of said squeegee blade and a second plurality of ports extending longitudinally along the opposite side of said squeegee blade;
• said squeegee blade being flexible to allow said tip portion to simultaneously contact said work surface and flex into abutting engagement with said inner edge surface of said front bumper portion when said squeegee apparatus is moved in a first direction, thereby blocking airflow through said first plurality of ports and increasing airflow through said second plurality of ports, and to permit said tip portion to flex towards said rear bumper portion such that said tip portion simultaneously contacts said work surface and said inner edge surface of said rear bumper portion when said squeegee apparatus is moved in a second direction opposite to that of said first direction, thereby blocking airflow through said second plurality of ports and increasing airflow through said first plurality of ports.

An apparatus for removal of liquid from a work surface such as a floor comprising:

• a main vacuum unit for generating a vacuum force;
• a vacuum hose coupled to said main vacuum unit;
• a detachable tubular wand coupled to said vacuum hose;
• a squeegee attachment releasably, pivotally coupled to said wand;
• said squeegee attachment including a main body portion forming a manifold, a neck portion in communication with an interior area of said main body portion and also with said wand for enabling a vacuum force to be direction through said interior area, said main body portion further including a lower end portion;
• a squeegee member releasably secured to said lower end portion, said squeegee member including a central portion, a pair of front and rear parallel, longitudinally extending bumper portions depending downwardly from said central portion and each having an inner edge surface, a squeegee blade extending longitudinally between said front and rear bumper portions and depending outwardly from said central portion and having an outermost edge portion with a tip portion for contacting said work surface;
• said central portion of said squeegee member including a first plurality of ports disposed along one side of said squeegee blade and a second plurality of ports disposed along the opposite side of said squeegee blade, said tip portion of said squeegee blade being operable to flex such that said tip portion simultaneously contacts said work surface and said inner edge surface of said front bumper portion to thereby block airflow through said first plurality of ports when said squeegee attachment is moved in a first direction along said work surface, and to flex such that said tip portion simultaneously contacts said work surface and said inner edge surface of said rear bumper portion to thereby block airflow through said second plurality of ports when said squeegee attachment is moved in a direction longitudinally opposite to said first direction.