EP1223844B1

EP1223844B1 - Accessory device for a portable liquid-suction, wash-and-dry, steam generating appliance and the like

Info

Publication number: EP1223844B1
Application number: EP99956310A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Validio Sozzi
Original assignee: GISOWATT SpA INDUSTRIA ELETTRODOMESTICI
Current assignee: GISOWATT SpA INDUSTRIA ELETTRODOMESTICI
Priority date: 1999-09-21
Filing date: 1999-11-02
Publication date: 2004-07-14
Anticipated expiration: 2019-11-02
Also published as: ATE270841T1; DE69918731T2; EP1223844A1; ITMI991949A1; IT1313536B1; DE69918731D1; ITMI991949A0; AU1294000A; WO2001021054A1; ES2224715T3

Abstract

Accessory device (10) for portable liquid-suction wash-and-dry appliances and the like comprising, within a box-shaped casing (11), a tank (30), a boiler (51) with electric heating element, a motor driven pump (40) a suction unit (70) with an oblong mouth (71) at the front and a rear chamber (74) in which the head (77) of a pipe union (76) can freely turn, said pipe union fitting into the tube for carrying fluid to said portable appliance, an electric shunting switch which, according to its position, permits operation of the motor-driven pump (40) only or, simultaneously with it, ignition of the heating element respectively for distribution of liquid or of steam (63) through a set of nozzles (62) aligned transversally below the base (13) of the device (10).

Description

Presently known portable appliances for cleaning indoor floors and surfaces such such appliances that wash and dry by suction and similar types, operate by association of a solvent, especially water, with a mechanical brushing action to facilitate removal of dirt.
Appliances have recently appeared on the market for cleaning vertical structures and articles of furniture as well as floors, that combine the use of heat, pressure and humidification produced simultaneously by steam emitted at suitable pressure and temperature, such applicances representing an undoubted improvement on former types due to the speed and ease with which they can clean areas where dirt is hardened on and difficult to remove.
The Japanese document JP-A-10 043099 is illustrative of the more relevant prior art, relating to a cleaning device for generating steam and suitable for connection to a portable wash and dry appliance.
Purpose of the above invention is to associate heat and pressure, to the action by mechanical means and solvents offered by presently known appliances that and wash and dry by suction, this being done by an accessory steam emitting device easily fitted onto said appliances, providing considerable advantages of speedy and effective action as will now be explained.
Subject of the invention is an accessory steam-producing device for the above portable appliances as defined in independent claim 1.
The casing preferably presents an upper front wall, a base, two sides and a downwardly-inclined wall at the rear.
The tank for liquid is placed uppermost inside the casing and is closed by a plug on said casing's upper surface.
The motor-driven pump and steam boiler are substantially cylindrical and are preferably situated between the base of the casing and the tank for liquid at its lower longitudinal cylindrically concave edges, the pump occupying an approximately central position and the boiler lying towards the front end of the casing.
The oblong chamber from which liquid is distributed is advantageously situated under the base of the casing between the front pair of wheels and the brush, and aligned along its length are a number of nozzles.
Three tubes respectively connect: the first one, a mouth in the bottom of the tank to a mouth in one side of the pump, the second tube connects a mouth in the other side of said pump to a lateral mouth in the steam boiler and the third tube connects a mouth in the side of said boiler to the oblong chamber for distribution of liquid.
The suction unit comprises an oblong aperture under the base of the casing at its front end, a longitudinal channel between the motor-driven pump-steamer uinit and the flat base of the casing, a substantially cone-shaped conveyor that expands enabling it to connect up with a transversal cylindrical chamber within which the cylindrical head of a pipe union can freely turn round a pin, said head having in it a mouth facing towards the conveyor.
Said pipe union fits into the end of the tube for passage of fluid to the usual portable appliances and the like that wash and dry by suction.
The tank, motor-driven pump, steamer boiler, oblong chamber for distribution of liquid, the pipe union's geometrical axis of rotation, the geometrical axes of the pairs of front and rear wheels and the brush, are all preferably transversal to the longitudinal axis of the device and are therefore substantially parallel one to another.
The electric circuit comprises a main switch and a shunting switch ; when the device is switched on this latter, according to its position, causes the motor-driven pump to operate alone or simultaneously with ignition of the steam boiler's heating element, so that liquid is distributed in the first case and steam in the second.
Two thermostats are mounted on the electric circuit, at the position of the boiler's heating elements, an overload thermostat for maximum heat which is normally turned one, and an underload thermostat for minimum heat which is normally turned off.
When the previously set steam pressure level has been reached, the overload thermostat automatically switches off and comes on again when pressure falls below the fixed limit.
When steam pressure falls below said fixed limit the underload thermostat automatically switches on to raise pressure to the desired level.
The main and shunting switches are situated on the upper surface of the casing while the thermostats are placed on the body of the boiler for producing steam.
The invention offers evident advantages.
Mechanical action of a brush and chemical action of a liquid, especially water, as in the presently known liquid suction, wash-and-dry appliances, is associated to action of steam whose pressure and temperature greatly increase the efficiency and speed of cleaning operations, this being done without any change to present appliances but merely by completing them with an accessory that is both inexpensive in cost and compact in size.
This accessory is simple to operate and is perfectly coordinated with equipment to which it can be associated forming what may be considered as a natural completion of liquid-suction, wash-and-dry appliances and the like.
Characteristics and purposes of the disclosure will be made still clearer by the following example of its execution illustrated by diagrammatically drawn figures.
Fig 1 The accessory device associated to a liquid suction appliance, view in perspective.
Fig. 2 Longitudinal section of the accessory device.
Fig. 3 Plan view of the accessory device.
Fig. 4 Front view of the accessory device.
Fig. 5 Perspective detail of the accessory device showing essential internal parts.
Fig. 6 Layout of the electric circuit when liquid is distributed.
Fig. 7 The same circuit when steam is distributed.
The device 10 consists of a casing 11 that essentially comprises a continuous frontal-upper wall 12, a flat base 13, an inclined rear wall 15 and two sides 14.
Inside the casing, approximately in a central position along the frontal-upper wall 12, is an oblong tank 30 with a fixed lid and a screw cap 32 in the upper surface.
Between the tank 30 and the base 13 of the casing 11, at the position of said tanks' lower edge in which there are cylindrical concavities 33, the motor-driven pump 40 is situated towards the rear and the cylindrical steamer 50, with its boiler 51 and electric heating element 56, at the front.
A tube 35 connects the mouth 36 in the base 32 of the tank 30 with one side 41 of said motor-driven pump 40.
A second tube 45 connects the mouth 44 in the other side 42 of said pump 40 with a mouth 53 in the cylindrical wall of the boiler 51 for the steamer 50.
A third tube 55 connects the mouth 54, in the side 52 of the boiler 51 for the steamer 50, with an oblong chamber 60 for disribution of the liquid placed below the base 13 of the casing 11, there being fitted to said chamber a series of nozzles 62.
A suction tube 70 departs from the base 13 of the casing 11, forms a wide curve to become a cone-shaped conveyor 73, the mouth 71 of said tube in the base 13 connecting with a cylindrical suction chamber 74 that receives the head 77, with mouth 78, of a pipe union 76 rotating rouund two lateral pins 79 and suitable for fitting onto the usual connecting tubes 112 joined by a flexible tube 111 to the liquid-suction wash-and-dry cleaning appliances in present use.
Two pairs of wheels, a front pair 16 and rear pair 17 with pins 18 are fixed to the base 13 of the casing 11, wheels that freely turn on their front 19 and rear 20 supports.
An electric heating element 56 is mounted in the boiler 51 for the steamer 50.
The main switch 93, the shunt switch 94 and pilot light 95 to show ignition are situated on the upper surface of the casing.
Two thermostats 96 and 97, an overload thermostat (normally on) and one for underload (normally off) are mounted on the body of the boiler 51.
The essential electrical connections are shown in diagrams 90, 90' in Figures 6 and 7. In addition to the components already described, these comprise wiring 89 for electric feed, a capacitor 100, connector 99 and heat fuse 98.
The device operates very simply.
After filling the boiler 51 for the steamer 50 with liquid, especially water, having turned the main switch 93 on, and the shunt switch 94 to the position shown in Figure 6, the motor-driven pump 40 enters into operation by means of connections 101 for distribution of water or solvent needed for cleaning purposes.
If the shunt switch 94 is in the position 94' shown in Figure 7, when the main switch 93 is turned on and by means of connections 102, the heating element 56 on the boiler 51 for the steamer 50 is also turned on.
Water therefore enters the boiler 51 where it is transformed into steam 63 and emerges through the nozzles 62.
Little by little as the back-and-forth movement of the brush 75 cleans the dirty surface, the loosened dirt can be sucked up through the mouth 71, channel 72, conveyor 73 and mouth 78 in the head 77 of the pipe union 76,76' and on into the cleaning appliance 110 of the ordinary type.
When the appliance is cold the overload thermostat 96 is turned on and therefore adequate electric power is absorbed to produce the maximum amount of steam.
On reaching the previously set level of pressure, the overload thermostst 96 automatically switches off thus stopping power feed until it is automatically resumed when production of steam causes pressure in the boiler to fall below a certain limit.
Whenever steam pressure falls below the previously set values the underload thermostat is automatically switched on.

Claims

An accessory device suitable to be connected to a portable liquid suction wash and dry appliance, for spraying a cleaning fluid onto a floor, and for sucking dirt-laden fluid, the device comprising:

a box-shaped casing (11) having a water holding tank (30), and a base (13) provided with two pairs of supporting wheels (16, 17);

a steam generator (50) having a boiler (51) connected to the water tank (30), said boiler (51) being provided with an electrical heating element (56);

an oblunge distribution chamber (60) connected to the steam generator (50) and provided with a series of nozzles (62); and

a brush (75) transversely extending to the casing (11);

a suction tube (70) having a suction mouth (71), said suction tube (70) being provided with a pipe union (76)to be connected to a pipe fitting (112) of a flexible tube (111) of the wash and dry appliance;

characterised in that

the distribution chamber (60) with nozzles (62), the suction mouth (71), and the brush (75), are arranged below the base (13) of the casing (11);

a motor driven pump (40) being provided inside the casing (11) to connect the steam generator (50) to the water tank (30); and

an electric control circuit (90) for said steam generator (50) and the motor driven pump (40), said control circuit (90) comprising a main switch (93) and a shunting switch (94) to connect the motor driven pump (40) only, respectively to connect said motor driven pump (40) and the electric heating element (56) of the steam generator (50) to an electric feeding line (89) according to the switched positions of the shunting switch (94).
An accessory device according to claim 1, characterised in that the water tank (30) is provided inside the upper part of the casing (11).
An accessory device according to claim 1, characterised in that the suction mouth (71), the brush (75) and the distribution chamber (60) with nozzles (62), are disposed at the front side of the cleaning device.
An accessory device according to claim 1, characterised in that said control circuit (90) comprises overload and underload thermostats (96, 97) for the heating element (56), to control upper and lower pressure levels inside the steam generator (50).
An accessory device according to claim 1 characterised in that the main switch (93) and the shunting switch (94) are provided on the upper surface (12) of the casing (11).