FLOOR AND BASEBOARD CLEANING MACHINE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention 5 The invention herein pertains to floor cleaning machines and particularly to floor and baseboard cleaning machines which are electrically powered.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention ^
Rotary and other floor cleaning machines have been used in the past which utilize non-woven fabric disks for wax application and removal, cleaning, scouring, polishing and other maintenance activities. In commercial and institutional maintenance, baseboards become ^ soiled and must be constantly hand cleaned by custodians or other workers. Baseboard cleaning is particularly important in medical laboratories, food handling areas, operating rooms and other critical locations requiring the utmost in sanitation. Various baseboard cleaning 20 devices have been devised in the past such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,691,403 and 4,606,092. While such devices are useful in certain situations, such previous devices are limited in their function and adaptability and the particular need for a versatile machine which 25 will operate in a relatively confined space has not been satisfied until the present invention was conceived.
Thus, with the problems and disadvantages associated with prior art cleaning equipment as mentioned above, the present invention was developed and one of 30 its objectives is to provide a floor and baseboard cleaning machine which is relatively easy to operate by unskilled personnel.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a floor and baseboard cleaning machine which 35 includes a handle with an electric motor assembly pivotally attached thereto with a frame for attaching cleaning medium such as non-woven pads.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a floor and baseboard cleaning machine which 40 includes a reservoir for containing a liquid cleaner which can be sprayed through a rotatable nozzle onto the floor and/or baseboard.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a floor and baseboard cleaning machine in 45 which the motion of the cleaning medium can be adjusted for either a straight line or circular cleaning motion at variable speeds.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a floor and baseboard cleaning machine which 50 includes a medium frame driven by the motor assembly with the cleaning medium releasably attached thereto.
It is yet still another objective of the present invention to provide a floor and baseboard cleaning machine in which the medium frame includes a pivotal section 55 which can be raised to a vertical posture for cleaning baseboards and which can be lowered to a horizontal posture for cleaning floors.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention become apparent to those skilled in the art 60 as a more detailed presentation is set forth below.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a floor and baseboard cleaning machine 65 which includes a handle pivotally joined through a universal joint to a motor assembly. The motor assembly includes a fractional horsepower AC motor and a
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means to drive a cleaning medium frame in either a straight line or circular motion. The cleaning medium frame is attached beneath the motor assembly and includes a pivotal section which can be manually adjusted to an upright vertical posture for cleaning certain baseboards and which can be lowered to a horizontal posture to increase the surface area of the cleaning medium when used for cleaning floors. A spray nozzle is adjustably positioned proximate the cleaning medium for spraying a cleaning or other solution from a reservoir affixed to the handle. An electric pump is attached to the handle and has a control switch or button near the top of the handle. A dial type switch is also provided at the top of the handle for controlling the speed of the motor and thus the speed of the medium frame. The pivotal frame section can be manually adjusted to any of a variety of positions as required, depending on the particular cleaning task and surface encountered. The cleaning medium affixed to the medium frame may consists of two rectangular pads approximately five inches by ten inches and three-quarters of an inch thick formed from a synthetic non-woven material as are conventional in the trade.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a side elevational view of the floor and baseboard cleaning machine of the invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged front view of the motor assembly and cleaning medium pivotal frame section adjusted for cleaning a vertical baseboard;
FIG. 3 depicts the pivotal frame section enlarged in a downward or horizontal position for cleaning the floor;
FIG. 4 demonstrates an enlarged front view of the motor assembly with the pivotal section of the medium frame positioned at approximately a forty-five degree angle for cleaning a particular baseboard;
FIG. 5 pictures the circular motion of the cleaning medium;
FIG. 6 illustrates a straight line motion of the cleaning medium; and
FIG. 7 shows the adjustability of the spray nozzle enlarged for clarity.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENT
The preferred form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1-7 whereby a motor assembly with a medium frame is joined through a universal joint to a handle. The handle includes electrical controls including a motor speed on/off switch to control the speed of the medium movement and also a pump button switch to control the spray of the cleaning solution. A cleaning liquid tank is attached to the handle near the lower end and the tank is in fluid communication with a DC pump also mounted on the handle. As the pump switch is depressed, cleaning fluid is sprayed through rotatable nozzle positioned proximate the medium frame. Conventional non-woven pads are releasably attached to the medium frame which has a fixed and pivotal section. The pivotal section can be manually adjusted and secured to a horizontal, vertical or positioned therebetween for cleaning floors and/or baseboards as desired. The motor assembly is selectably adjustable for either straight line or circular (orbital) motion by setting a lever on the motor assembly. The motor assembly is powered by a 110 v source and the pump is a DC type with built-in transformer.
