USO0RE39304E
(19) United States O
(12) Reissued Patent
(10) Patent Number:
Kasen et a]. (54)
US RE39,304 E
(45) Date of Reissued Patent:
UPRIGHT EXTRACTION CLEANING
2,149,138
*
MACHINE
2,156,805
*
5/1939 DOW
2,375,331
*
5/1945
2,416,418 2,613,242 2,680,260
* 2/1947 Taylor ....................... .. 15/330 * 10/1952 s111111161<61 6161. ........ .. 310/258 * 6/1954 Danielsson et al. 15/50.1
Inventors; Timothy E, Kasens 131115011’ Gary A_ Kasper, Grand Rapids, MI (Us)
(73) Assignee; Bissel] Homecare, Inc” Grand Rapids’ M
S
2/1939 Gasner ..................... .. 474/140
2,850,756
*
: 9/1958 Duff .......................... .. 15/359
2,980,939
*
9/1958 Z16g161, 11. 6161. .
K166111166 .................. .. 55 357
4/1961
sp611<1111 6161. ............ .. 15/377
(21)
APPI'NO'Z 10/607’727
(22)
Filed:
3,126,570
>l<
3/1964 Green
3,204,281
*
9/1965
Related US Patent Documents
3,448,485
A
1
_
P1131111
0"
3,624,861
262863812001
3,634,905
*
1/1972 B6y61 ...... ..
09g” 529
3,639,941
>l<
2/1972 K11w6116161. .............. .. 15/372
3,896,520
*
7/1975 W111161116 ................... .. 15/320
3,908,223
>l<
9/1975
M
23 2000 ay
’
.
3,911,524
*
(51)
(58)
15/350 .. 15/383
'
15/353
15/353
3 959 844
*
6/1976
_ 15620
9/1978
161166 6161. ................. .. 15/320
lication No. 60/075,924, ?led on Feb. 25,
4’ll4’229
*
1998, and prfv?sional application No‘ 60/052,021, ?led on
4,194,262
* 3/1980 F11116y 6161. ............... ..15/314
M 9, 1997,
4,196,492
*
4/1980 1611116611 6161. ..
15/320
Int-Cl-
4,216,563 4,245,371
* *
8/1980 cyp11611 1/1981 s61161?6161..
15/321 15/320
_
Division ofapplication No. 09/112,527, ?led on Jul. 8, 1998,
A47L11/30
(52)
B1661<66161.
10/1975
15/320
2/1976
Provisional a
)
15/361
P16111611 .
>l<
_
How Pat‘ NO‘ 6467587‘
(
5/1971 BalZef 12/1971
3,939,527
US' APP1_1C_an°nS~ 60
6/1969 W61w6g .................... .. 15/332
>l<
1e ~ .
15/331
W611616161. ............... .. 15/364
*
_
(64) ETEINO"
>l<
12/1961 K611111112 5/1962 H11611111g, 11. .............. .. 15/359
3,579,699
Reissue of. '
*
15/323
101960
3,012,267 3,031,710
Jun-27, 2003
15/334
T6y161 ...................... .. 356/600
2,850,757 2,955,674
(U )
(62)
Sep. 26, 2006
(2006-01)
.
4,287,635
*
9/1981
166666 ....................... .. 15/321
4,333,202
*
6/1982
B1661< ........................ ..
US. Cl. ........................... .. 15/320; 15/332; 15/355;
4,349,935
*
9/1982 Knestele
15/368
4,353,145
* 10/1982
Field 61C16661?6611611 $661611 ................. .. 15/320,
15/320
W6661f6161 .................. ..
15/321
4458377
*
4,488,329
* 12/1984
4’498’214
* 2/1985 O_Xe1
4,559,665
* 12/1985
F11Zw6161 ................... ..
4,586,208
*
5/1986
T16v61111611
References C‘ted
4,660,246
*
4/1987 13111166116161. ..
15/329
4,685,171
*
8/1987
15/391
US‘ PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,709,442
* 12/1987
s1611611,11 .................. .. 15/320 Bowerman er a1. ......... -.15/351
See application ?le for complete search history. _
(56)
561,548 A
*
6/1896
1,151,029 A
*
8/1915 M6K11116y
M6M611611 ................ .. 213/185
1,346,972 A
*
7/1920
1,462,071 A
*
1,844,212 A 1,893,233 A
* *
7/1984
15/320
Frohbieter ----------------- -- 15/320 Lackenbach ............... ..
B6611616111 .... ..
4,724,574
*
2/1988
116/274
4,745,877
*
5/1988 c11611g .............. ..
15/361
4,782,552
* 11/1988
7/1923 R16111611 2/1932 D6 L61166y ............... ..116/274
4,809,397 4,811,450
1/1933
4,912,805
011 ........................... ..
H1111 ......................... ..116/274
* * *
17
41B
428 415 414
10°
106 26
456
206466 216
‘HP’
404 406
412 41°
15
15/339
8/158
..116/274
B61116116161. .............. ..15/333
3/1989 1666666161. ............... ..15/320 s16661111g6 ...... .. 15/337
3/1989 4/1990
420 424
@
15/322
552
K166Z11616161. ............ ..15/392
US RE39,304 E Page 2
4,940,082 A
*
7/1990 Roden ....................... .. 15/321
having a ?uid recovery chamber for holding recovered ?uid
4,940,397 A i 4,956,891 A
7/ 1990 Kuhlen ..................... .. 417/435 9/1990 ........................ .. 15/320
and housing the ?exible bladder’ and a ?uid passageway between tb6 ?uid Supply Chamber and tb6 recovery Chamber’
4,976,003 A
* 12/1990 W1ll1ams
4,980,945 A 4,993,108 A 5,101,352 A
* * *
h
th
h
b
.
.
H .d
.
t.
W_ ere y _e recovery C am er 1s m ‘11 commumcalon Wlththe ?uld Supply Chamber andthe Pressure 1111116 ?exlble bladder is equalized with the pressure in the tank as the
5,101,532 A * 4/1992 Dyson et a1. 5,129,128 A : 7/1992 B9Werman et a1~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~ 15/413
cleaning ?uid is dispensed from the supply chamber and the dirty liquid is collected in the recovery chamber. In a further
5’l34’750 A
15/333
embodiment the tank has an outlet opening in a bottom
5,134,752 A 5,218,736 A 5,237,719 A
* * *
8/1992 Shlpman .................... .. 15/412 6/1993 Bartasevich et a1. ........ .. 15/344 8/1993 Dwyer et a1‘ ______ __ 15/321
rt. th f d d . 1 . M t d. th PO Ion e160 an a ramp ug 1S_rem°"a_ ymoun e m 6 outlet opening. In another embodiment a lid mounted on the
5,243,734 A 5,244,003 A
* *
9/ 1993 Maurer et a1. .............. .. 15/334 9/ 1993 Boorngaarden .............. .. 137/1
tank de?nes an expansion chamber having an inlet opening, an outlet passage, and ?rst and second diverters against
8/1992 K‘Pg et a1‘ """ "
5,247,720 A :
9/1993 SOYIS et a1~ ~~~~~ ~~
15634
which the working air ?ow reverses direction twice between
5297312 A
3/1994 Zulderveen et a1‘ """" " 15691
the inlet opening of the expansion chamber and the tank. In
5,329,666
A
*
7/1994
Bowerman et a1.
......... ..
15/323
.
.
.
.
.
5 345 650 A * 9/l994 Downham et al 15631 5,351,361 A * 10/1994 Buchtel ..................... .. 15/334
another embodiment the working a1r conduit includes a manual actuator knob having an Over-Center linkage mecha
5,355,549 5,386,613 5,394,587 5,406,673
4/1995 Bradd et a1. ................ .. 15/320
nism Connected to a Conversion valve for movement between ?rst and second positions and thereby selectively moving the conversion valve between open and closed positions, whereby ?uid communication between the tank
5,493,752 A : 2/1996 crousér et a1~ 15/321 i * ‘hall/$111“: et all‘ """""" "
and the suction noZZle is selectively opened and closed. In a further embodiment, a ?ow indicator is mounted to the
’
A A A A
* 10/1994 Steinberg et a1. ........... .. 15/334 * 2/1995 W00 ,,,,,,,,,,,, ,, __ 15/326 * 3/1995 Parise ....................... .. 15/353
*
’
1 1mm et a ' """""" "
5,537,712
Weber et a1.
..
base module and has a visibility window observable to a user
A
*
7/1996
5,542,147 A
*
8/1996 Merten ...................... .. 15/321
15/391
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
and the ?ow mdlcator 1S dlsposed “1 the ?uld Supply Condu“
5,551,120 A * 9/ 1996 cipolla et a1‘ 5,615,448 A * 4/1997 Crouser et a1‘
and is responsive to the ?ow of ?uid through the ?uid supply conduit to visually indicate the ?ow of ?uid through the
5,632,060 A * 5,640,738 A * 5,867,857 A *
5/ 1997 Steinberg et a1, ___________ __ 15/391 6/1997 Williams et a1. ............ .. 15/320 2/ 1999 CfOllSef et ?1~ -- 15/501
supply conduit to the user. Another embodiment includes a pump primer connected to the pump and having a housing de?ning a priming chamber with a valved opening con
* 11/1999 Garner ...................... .. 15/354
nectedtothe Vacuum Source, aninletopening Connectedto
5,974,625 A
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS CA
1262201
GB
610918
the'?uid supply chamber, and an outlet opening connected to an inlet for the pump. A further embodiment includes a ?rst mechanical connector extending between the motor drive
* 10/1989 *
10/1948
................ ..
15/368
* cited by examiner
Primary ExamineriTerrence R. Till (74) Attorney, Agent, or FirmiMcGarry Bair PC
(57)
b
1/1991 Bewley ..................... .. 15/339 2/1991 Genge et a1. ............... .. 15/383 3/1992 Rembert ...................... .. 705/8
ABSTRACT
shaft and the pump drive shaft, whereby the motor drives both the agitation brush and the pump. In a further embodiment, the base module includes an upper housing
portion and a lower housing portion and an upright handle is pivotably mounted to the rear portion of the base module through at least one bearing for rotatable reception in the
housing. In another embodiment], an elevator assembly [is] reciprocally mounted to the base module and movable in
A portable surface cleaning apparatus including a base module [for movement along a surface], an upright handle pivotally attached to the base module, a liquid dispensing system [including a ?exible bladder de?ning a ?uid supply chamber for holding a supply of cleaning ?uid], a ?uid
tive position to the upright position for upwardly pivoting a
recovery system [including a tank on the base module
30 Claims, 17 Drawing Sheets
response to movement of the upright handle from an opera
pivot arm mounting an agitation brush.
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154 114
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774 763 750 751 752 59
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Fig. 16
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Fig. 17
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Fig. 1a
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Sheet 16 6f 17
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US RE39,304 E
US RE39,304 E 1
2
UPRIGHT EXTRACTION CLEANING MACHINE
solution. Further, while the steam systems have the advan tage of creating a temperature that effectively kills a wider
range of microbes, bacteria, microorganisms, and mites, the steam systems generally suifer from poor cleaning perfor
Matter enclosed in heavy brackets [ ] appears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissue speci?
mance. Additionally, the high power requirement for gen erating steam may not be su?icient with ordinary 120V
cation; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.
power supplies for running a vacuum motor as well as the
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
steam generator, so cleaning performance is further hin dered. Also, by adding a heater to a ?uid supply chamber, the user may be inconvenienced by the amount of time required to heat the contents of the supply chamber to the desired
This application is a divisional application of US. patent application Ser. No. 09/112,527, ?led Jul. 8, 1998, now US. Pat. No. 6,167,587, issued Jan. 2, 2001, which claims the bene?t of US. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/075, 924, ?led on Feb. 25, 1998, and US. Provisional Applica tion Serial No. 60/052,021, ?led on Jul. 9, 1997.
temperature. Conversely, conventional detergent cleaning systems are somewhat effective at cleaning surfaces, but could be made more effective by raising the temperature of the cleaning solution to some temperature below the boiling point. There is an optimal temperature at which cleaning performance is maximized without causing damage to car pets or setting stains. This temperature is around 1500 Fahrenheit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an extraction cleaning machine and, more particularly, to an upright extraction cleaning machine.
2. Description of Related Art Upright extraction cleaning machines have been used for removing dirt from surfaces such as carpeting, upholstery, drapes and the like. The known extraction cleaning machines can be in the form of a canister-type unit as disclosed in US. Pat. No. 5,237,720 to Blase et a1. or an
upright unit as disclosed in US. Pat. No. 5,500,977 to McAllise et a1. and US. Pat. No. 4,559,665 to FitZwater. Current upright extraction cleaning machines can be made
easier to use by limiting the weight and number of components, such as ?uid storage tanks, on the pivoting
handle of the upright cleaning machine. Reducing the
20
SUMMARY
According to the invention, a portable surface cleaning 25
dispensing system and a ?uid recovery system. The liquid
dispensing system comprises a liquid dispensing noZZle 30
35
noZZle and a vacuum source in ?uid communication with the
machine, which results in a better feel to the user. 40
can be made easier to use and better adapted for a variety of
cleaning conditions. For example, none of the current extraction cleaning machines includes an elevator
tank for generating a ?ow of working air from the noZZle
through the working air conduit and through the tank to thereby draw dirty liquid from the surface to be cleaned through the noZZle and working air conduit and into the tank. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a
responsive-to-handle position for restraining a ?oating adjustable in response to changes on the surface being cleaned. Another problem inherent with the known extrac tion cleaning machines is the di?iculty of ?lling and emp tying the ?uid supply chamber and ?uid recovery chamber, particularly with bladder-within-a-tank type assemblies. Further, none of the current upright extraction cleaning
a ?uid tank on the base module having an recovery chamber
for holding recovered ?uid and enclosing the ?exible bladder, a suction noZZle associated with the base, a working air conduit extending between the tank and the suction
rearwardly can also lower the center of gravity for the
roller-type agitation brush, which is automatically height
associated with the base module for applying liquid to a surface to be cleaned, a ?exible bladder de?ning a ?uid supply chamber for holding a supply of cleaning ?uid and a
?uid supply conduit ?uidly connected to the ?uid supply chamber and to the dispensing noZZle for supplying liquid to the dispensing noZZle. The ?uid recovery system comprises
weight that a user must support as the handle is tilted
Furthermore, the current extraction cleaning machines
apparatus comprises a base module for movement along a surface and having a rear portion, an upright handle pivot ably attached to the rear portion of the base module, a liquid
45
50
?uid passageway is provided between the ?uid supply chamber and the recovery chamber of the tank, whereby the tank is in ?uid communication with the ?uid supply chamber and the pressure in the ?exible bladder is equalized with the pressure in the tank as the cleaning ?uid is dispensed and the dirty liquid is collected in the tank. The ?exible bladder preferably includes an outlet opening in the bottom portion thereof connected to the ?uid supply conduit. In one embodiment, the ?exible bladder extends between a bottom surface of the tank and an upper portion of the tank. In a preferred embodiment, the ?uid passageway between
machines are simply convertible to a pre-spray applicator for
directing cleaning solution to and agitating the surface to be cleaned without applying suction. Finally, current extraction
cleaning machines do not use a the same motor to drive an 55 agitation brush as well as an impeller. In some cases a the ?uid supply chamber and the recovery chamber of the
separate motor is used. In other cases, a turbine is used to
drive the agitation brush or brushes which diminishes the suction power available to extract the dirty solution from the ?oor surface. A more recent development in the extraction cleaning
60
opening in the baf?e plate and is supported thereby. Preferably, the tank includes a removable lid on a top portion
industry is the use of steam or hot water as a cleaning agent. The cleaning machine incorporates a boiler or other means for generating steam or hot water, which is pumped to an
applicator where it is brought into contact with the surface being cleaned. Because the steam is airborne, it may be unsafe to include detergents and the like in the cleaning
tank comprises a ?lling spout disposed in an upper portion of the ?exible bladder. A bai?e plate is mounted within the upper portion of the tank and includes an opening. The ?lling spout on the ?exible bladder extends through the
65
thereof and a ?lling spout is disposed between the bai?e plate and the lid. Further according to the invention, in one embodiment, the tank has an outlet opening in a bottom portion thereof
and a drain plug is removably mounted in the outlet opening.