CN214180290U

CN214180290U - Floor cleaner and floor cleaning chemicals

Info

Publication number: CN214180290U
Application number: CN201890001549.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 佩奇·施耐德
Original assignee: TTI Macao Commercial Offshore Ltd
Current assignee: AC Macao Commercial Offshore Ltd; TTI Macao Commercial Offshore Ltd
Priority date: 2018-01-10
Filing date: 2018-01-10
Publication date: 2021-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2028-01-10
Also published as: US20200196823A1; EP3737273A1; WO2019139571A1

Abstract

A floor cleaner (10) includes a fluid supply tank (14) having a first volume and a fluid delivery system (20) in communication with the supply tank, and a sealed flexible container (12) made of a water-insoluble plastic film. The sealed flexible container has a second volume and a front panel (30) and a back panel (32) defining the second volume therebetween. The sealed flexible container has an upper end (38) with the front and rear panels in a vertical orientation, a reinforcement panel at the upper end of the sealed flexible container, and an aperture (48) through the reinforcement panel positioned above the center of gravity of the container. The concentrated floor cleaning chemical is in a sealed flexible container. The concentrated floor cleaning chemical is diluted for use to formulate a floor cleaning chemical having a percent concentration by volume (second volume/first volume) x 100 v/v%.

Description

Floor cleaner and floor cleaning chemicals

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a ground cleaner.

Background

Floor cleaners generally include a fluid supply tank for storing cleaning solution and a fluid distribution system for distributing the cleaning solution to the floor. The cleaning solution is typically made from a mixture of concentrated floor cleaning chemicals and water. The user must measure the concentrated floor cleaning chemical before placing the chemical in the supply tank. This requires the presence of some type of measuring equipment, such as a lid for a clean chemical container. When measurements are made using the lid of a chemical container, spillage and residue of cleaning chemical remaining in the lid can be messy when the lid is replaced on the container.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In one embodiment, a floor cleaner includes a fluid supply tank having a first volume and a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank, and a sealed flexible container made of a water-insoluble plastic film. The sealed flexible container has a second volume and a front panel and a back panel defining the second volume therebetween. The sealed flexible container has an upper end with the front and rear panels in a vertical orientation, a reinforcing panel at the upper end of the sealed flexible container, and an aperture through the reinforcing panel positioned above the center of gravity of the container. The concentrated floor cleaning chemical is in a sealed flexible container. The concentrated floor cleaning chemical is diluted for use to formulate a floor cleaning chemical having a percent concentration by volume (second volume/first volume) x 100 v/v%.

In another embodiment, a method of cleaning a floor includes operating a floor cleaning machine including a supply tank having a first volume and a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank. The method further includes receiving a concentrated floor cleaning chemical in a single sealed flexible container made of a water-insoluble plastic film, the sealed flexible container having a front panel and a back panel defining a second volume therebetween, the container having an upper end with a reinforcing panel at the upper end of the container and an aperture through the reinforcing panel positioned above the center of gravity of the container, the floor cleaning chemical being diluted for use in dispensing the floor cleaning chemical at a volume percent concentration of (second volume/first volume) x 100 v/v%. The method also includes evacuating the floor cleaning chemical into the supply tank, flooding the supply tank with water to make a floor cleaning solution, and delivering the floor cleaning solution to the surface to be cleaned via the fluid delivery system.

In another embodiment, a floor cleaner for use with a floor cleaning machine includes a fluid supply tank having a first volume and a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank. The floor cleaner includes a first container and a sealed flexible container disposed with the first container, the sealed flexible container containing a concentrated floor cleaning chemical. A sealed flexible container made of a water-insoluble plastic film, the sealed flexible container having a front panel and a back panel defining a second volume therebetween, the container having an upper end with the front and back panels in a vertical orientation, a reinforcing panel at the upper end of the container, and an aperture through the reinforcing panel disposed above a center of gravity of the container, the floor cleaning chemical being diluted for use to dispense the floor cleaning chemical at a volume percent concentration of (second volume/first volume) × 100 v/v%. The front panel includes graphics configured for one-pack retail sale.

In another embodiment, a floor cleaner includes a floor cleaning machine including a fluid supply tank having a first volume and a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank. The floor cleaner also includes a concentrated floor cleaning chemical in a sealed flexible container made of a water-insoluble plastic film. The sealed flexible container has a front panel and a rear panel defining a second volume therebetween, and is a multi-purpose container that is resealable to open for a first use and selectively dispensable for topical cleaning and openable for a second use to empty the supply tank. The floor cleaning chemical is used diluted to a formulated volume percent concentration of (second volume/first volume) x 100 v/v%.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor cleaner according to one possible embodiment.

Fig. 2A is a perspective view of the container of the floor cleaner in a closed state.

Fig. 2B is a perspective view of the container of fig. 2A in an open state.

Fig. 3A is a perspective view of a container of a floor cleaner in a closed state according to another embodiment.

Fig. 3B is a perspective view of the container of fig. 3A in an open state.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a container of a floor cleaner according to another embodiment.

Figure 5 illustrates a method of using the floor cleaner.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a retail display of the container.

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 Description

Fig. 1 shows a floor cleaning machine 10. As described below, the floor cleaning machine 10 is used with a sealed flexible container 12 (fig. 2A and 2B), which sealed flexible container 12 stores a single use amount of concentrated floor cleaning chemicals for use by the machine 10.

The illustrated floor cleaning machine 10 includes a fluid supply tank 14, a recovery tank 16, a suction source 18, and a fluid delivery system 20. Fluid supply tank 14 is removably attached to machine 10, which facilitates filling tank 14 with water. The tank 14 includes a removable fill cap 22 to fill the tank 14 with water and concentrated cleaning chemicals. The volume of the tank 14 is the maximum volume of liquid that can be stored in the tank 14. In one embodiment, the volume is between about 1 ⁄ 2 gallons and 3 gallons. Alternatively, the tank volume is between about 1 ⁄ 3 gallons and 1.5 gallons.

Suction source 18 includes a motor and fan operable to generate a suction airflow through suction nozzle 24 and recovery tank 16. The recovery tank 16 separates the recovered liquid from the suction airstream and stores the recovered liquid. Fluid delivery system 20 includes spray nozzles and conduits fluidly connecting supply tank 14 and the spray nozzles. The fluid delivery system 20 is operable to spray the liquid in the supply tank 14 onto the ground.

Referring to fig. 2A and 2B, the sealed flexible container 12 stores a volume of concentrated floor cleaning chemical that mixes with water in the supply tank 14 to make a liquid cleaning solution that is dispensed to the floor by the fluid delivery system 20. The container 12 is made of a water-insoluble plastic film. That is, the container 12 does not disintegrate or dissolve when the container 12 is placed in water. Instead, the user must open the container 12 to dispense the concentrated floor cleaning chemical. The empty container 12 is then processed.

The container 12 includes a front panel 30 and a rear panel 32. The storage volume of the container 12 is defined between the

plates

30, 32. The storage volume is the volume of concentrated floor cleaning chemical stored by the container 12. The illustrated

panels

30, 32 each include outwardly extending blisters 34 to facilitate defining the volume of the container 12. The front panel 30 includes graphics or indicia 36 for retail sale and identification of the type of chemical within the container 12.

As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the container 12 further includes an upper end 38 and a lower end 40 when the container is in an upright vertical orientation. A reinforcing plate 42 is located at the upper end 38. The reinforcing panel 42 is configured to be torn from the remainder of the container 12. For example, the container 12 includes perforations 44, which perforations 44 facilitate tearing the reinforcement panel 42 into the position shown in FIG. 2B. The stiffener is torn to open the container 12. That is, the exposure opening 46 enables a user to empty the concentrated floor cleaning chemical into the fluid supply tank 14 of the floor cleaning machine 10. The reinforcement plate 42 also includes an aperture 48. The aperture 48 is adjacent the upper end 38 of the container 12 above the center of gravity of the container 12 with the concentrated floor cleaning chemical. The aperture 48 can be used to hang the container 12 on a retail display rack (e.g., a hook, clip, etc.). The reinforcement plate 42 may be reinforced by welding the front and

rear plates

30, 32 together around the hole 48. Additionally or alternatively, the reinforcement panel 42 includes at least one piece of material that is located proximate to the front panel 30 and/or the back panel 32, or between the front panel 30 and the back panel 32.

The concentrated floor cleaning chemical stored in the container 12 is formulated to mix with water in the supply tank 14 to make a cleaning solution that the machine 10 dispenses onto the floor. The storage volume of the container 12 is sized to store the amount of single use concentrated cleaning chemical designed for mixing with the water in the volume of the supply tank 14. I.e., the total amount of concentrated cleaning chemical in the container 12, is designed to mix with a full or total volume of water equal to the volume of the supply tank 14 to achieve a desired or designed mixing ratio of concentrated cleaning chemical. The concentrated floor cleaning chemical, when cleaned or after dilution in use, is a floor cleaning chemical formulated to have a percent concentration by volume equal to the volume of the container 12 divided by the volume of the supply tank 14 multiplied by 100 v/v%. That is, the intended or designed use dilution of the concentrated chemical is the total volume of chemical in the container 12 mixed with the maximum amount of water that the supply tank 14 can store. In one embodiment, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical is formulated at a concentration of between 0.5 and 1 v/v% by volume when diluted for cleaning or use. In another embodiment, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical is formulated at a concentration of between 0.75 and 2 v/v% by volume when diluted for cleaning or use. In another embodiment, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical is formulated at a concentration of between 1 and 1.6 v/v% on cleaning or use dilution. In yet another embodiment, the concentrated floor cleaning chemical is formulated at a concentration of between 2 and 5 v/v% by volume when diluted for cleaning or use. For a given cleaning chemical formulation, the expected use dilution may be a range of values such that an amount of cleaning solution equal to the storage volume provided in the container 12 can be mixed with a range of volumes of water to achieve a use dilution within a desired range to provide the desired cleaning performance. For example, the cleaning solution in the container 12 may be emptied into a supply tank containing 1 gallon of water or 1.25 gallons of water, both to achieve a dilution of use of the cleaning chemical within a range that provides the desired cleaning action. Thus, the container 12 is designed for single use with a machine selected from a group of machines having different volume supply tanks 14. The user empties the entire volume of concentrated chemical in the container 12 into the tank 14 and injects water into the tank 14 (see fig. 5). The user does not need to measure the amount of concentrated chemical or water placed in the tank 14.

Referring to fig. 5, a user empties (represented by arrow 52) the concentrated floor cleaning chemical in the container 12 into the supply tank 14. The user also fills the tank 14 (represented by arrow 54) until the tank 14 is full. The user reattaches the supply tank 14 to the machine 10 (fig. 1). The machine 10 is then used to dispense a mixture of water and chemicals to the surface. In the illustrated embodiment, machine 10 uses suction source 18 to recover the mixture through suction nozzle 24 into recovery tank 16, where the recovered liquid is separated from the suction airstream in recovery tank 16.

Fig. 3A and 3B illustrate an alternative embodiment of the container 10. The container 10 in fig. 3A and 3B includes interlocking grooves and ridges 58 for resealing the container 10 after initial opening and allowing reopening. For example, small areas such as pet stains or small spills may be washed locally first with a small amount of concentrated floor cleaning chemical. The grooves and ridges 58 are used to reseal the container 10 so that the remaining chemicals may be later used with the supply tank 14, as described above. In other embodiments, other types of resealable latches (e.g., adhesive latches, threaded caps) may be used.

Fig. 4 shows a container 12 according to another embodiment. The vessel 12 includes a surface agitator 60. In the illustrated embodiment, the surface agitator 60 is proximate the lower end 40 of the vessel 12. The surface agitator 60 may comprise a brush, such as a nylon brush or the like. In other embodiments, the agitator 60 may comprise cloth. Further, in other embodiments, the container 12 may include a chemical applicator. The chemical applicator may include a nozzle or the like near the upper end 38 of the container 12.

Fig. 6 shows a possible retail display 64 of the container 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the display includes a carton 66 housing a plurality of containers 12. In other embodiments, the container 12 may be hung from a hook or strap, such as a hanging strip, with the aperture 48. In some embodiments, the container 12 is configured for different cleaning applications. For example, in one embodiment, the container 12 includes a first type of concentrated cleaning chemical specifically designed for cleaning pet stains. The indicia on the front panel 30 indicate this. In another embodiment, the container 12 includes a second type of concentrated cleaning chemical specifically designed for spills such as wine stains, which is indicated by indicia on the front panel 30. In another embodiment, the container 12 includes a third type of concentrated cleaning chemical specifically designed for general cleaning (e.g., cleaning dust from carpeting), which is indicated by indicia on the front panel 30. In one method of operation, a user selects a container 12 containing a desired type of cleaning chemical based on the stain to be cleaned.

The various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A floor cleaner, comprising:

a fluid supply tank having a first volume;

a fluid delivery system in communication with the supply tank;

a sealed flexible container made of a water-insoluble plastic film, the sealed flexible container having a second volume and a front panel and a back panel forming the second volume therebetween, the sealed flexible container having an upper end with the front panel and the back panel in a vertical orientation, the sealed flexible container having a reinforcing panel at the upper end and an aperture through the reinforcing panel disposed above a center of gravity of the container;

a concentrated liquid floor cleaning chemical located in the sealed flexible container.

2. A floor cleaner as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said front and rear panels includes outwardly extending blisters.

3. A floor cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the second volume is in the range of from 1 to 6 fluid ounces.

4. A floor cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the reinforcing panel is configured to tear away from the front and rear panels to open the sealed pliable container.

5. A floor cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the front panel includes graphics configured for one-pack retail sale.

6. A floor cleaner according to claim 1 wherein portions of the front and rear panels are resealable to separate to open the sealed flexible container.

7. A floor cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the sealed flexible container is a multi-purpose container which is resealable to open for first use and selectively dispensable for localised cleaning and openable for second use for emptying into the supply tank.

8. A floor cleaner according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the rear plate and the reinforcing plate includes a chemical applicator.

9. A floor cleaner according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the rear plate and the reinforcing plate includes a surface agitator.

10. The floor cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a carton arranged with the 3 sealed flexible containers.

11. A floor cleaner according to claim 10 wherein the floor cleaning chemical is a first floor cleaning chemical, one of the 3 sealed flexible containers contains the first floor cleaning chemical, and a second of the 3 sealed flexible containers contains a second floor cleaning chemical.

12. A floor cleaner according to claim 11 wherein a third of the 3 sealed flexible containers contains a third floor cleaning chemical.