US 6,141,812 AGranted

Cleaning apparatus and cleaning member rinsing apparatus

AssigneeEbara Corporation

InventorsNaoki Matsuda, Kenya Ito

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Abstract

A rinsing apparatus comprising a rinsing sink for rinsing an article brought thereinto with a rinsing liquid which is continuously supplied thereinto, and a carrier for carrying an article to be rinsed. The rinsing sink is provided with a drain hole in the bottom wall of the sink. The carrier is adapted to move between a rinsing position where the article is positioned close to an inlet of the drain hole, thereby restricting a flow path from the sink to the drain hole so that the rinsing liquid continuously supplied into the sink fills and then overflows from the sink while a flow of the rinsing liquid through the restricted flow path is maintained, and a retracted position where the article is positioned out of the sink to allow the rinsing liquid to flow through the flow path into the drain hole without the restriction by the article.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A rinsing apparatus comprising:

a rinsing sink having a bottom wall and a side wall defining a cavity for rinsing an article in said cavity with a rinsing liquid supplied into said cavity, said rinsing sink including a sink drain having an inlet in said bottom wall;
an overflow drain for receiving a portion of the rinsing liquid overflowing from said cavity of said rinsing sink;
and
a carrier for carrying the article to be rinsed, said carrier being operable to move between a rinsing position, whereat the article carried by said carrier is positioned at said inlet of said sink drain so as to restrict a rinsing liquid flow path from said rinsing sink to said sink drain such that the rinsing liquid supplied into said cavity of said rinsing sink fills said cavity and overflows into said overflow drain while a flow of rinsing liquid through said rinsing liquid flow path is maintained, and a retracted position, whereat the article carried by said carrier is positioned out of said rinsing sink so as to allow the rinsing liquid to flow from said rinsing sink into said sink drain without restriction by the article.

1 more element

A cleaning apparatus comprising:

a cleaning station including a cleaning member adapted so as to engage and move relative to an object to be cleaned;
a cleaning member rinsing station including a rinsing sink having a bottom wall and a side wall defining a cavity for rinsing said cleaning member in said cavity with a rinsing liquid supplied into said cavity, said rinsing sink including a sink drain having an inlet in said bottom wall;
a cleaning member carrier for carrying said cleaning member between a first position, whereat said cleaning member is engaged with a surface of the object to be cleaned so as to clean the object, and a second position, whereat said cleaning member is positioned in said rinsing sink so as to rinse said cleaning member, and said cleaning member carrier being operable to move between a rinsing position, whereat said cleaning member is positioned at said inlet of said sink drain so as to restrict a rinsing liquid flow path from said rinsing sink to said sink drain such that the rinsing liquid supplied into said cavity of said rinsing sink fills said cavity and overflows from said cavity while a flow of rinsing liquid through said rinsing liquid flow path is maintained, and a retracted position, whereat said cleaning member is positioned out of said rinsing sink so as to allow the rinsing liquid to flow from said rinsing sink into said sink drain without restriction by said cleaning member.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.