GB2566070A

GB2566070A - Portable vacuum window cleaning device

Info

Publication number: GB2566070A
Application number: GB1714092.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Brown Allan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-09-03
Filing date: 2017-09-03
Publication date: 2019-03-06
Also published as: GB201714092D0

Abstract

A handheld vacuum-powered cleaner for cleaning flat surfaces such as windows or glass comprises a cleaning fluid reservoir 6, 9, a squeegee 2, a cleaning fluid applicator 1, a pressurised pumping system 4, a spraying mechanism 17 and a vacuum suction mechanism 3. The applicator is arranged parallel to the squeegee blade, and is shorter than the blade. The pressurised pumping system transports cleaning fluid from the reservoir and, in response to user input 11, sprays the cleaning fluid onto the applicator. The vacuum suction mechanism collects used cleaning fluid left behind by the applicator. Used cleaning fluid may be funnelled from the vacuum suction mechanism into a second reservoir, and the two reservoirs may be connected by a gravity fed, filtered one-way valve. The filter may be removable. The squeegee may be hinged 5 and may raise and lower in response to user input 8. The applicator may comprise a scouring pad. Any of the reservoirs may be transparent. The squeegee blade ends may be turned towards the applicator, and may have scrim or microfiber pads behind them. Used cleaning fluid may be recycled by exhausting used fluid back to the applicator for reuse.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Background.

When a professional window cleaner uses a squeegee and applicator to clean windows the process consists of four parts:-

1. Apply cleaning solution using applicator.

2. Squeegee ofcleaning solution.

3. Using scrim or a microfiber cloth mop the dirty cleaning solution from sill.

4. Using scrim clean of any residual water marks left on the window.

It is the object of this invention to perform these tasks in one operation.

The main disadvantage of window cleaning with an applicator and squeegee is that the liquid is wiped of the window but is not collected by anything. This means that all the liquid runs down the window on to the window frame or window sill. There it can be dried by a cloth or sponge. But the liquid pick up is very little due to the limitations of absorption of the material. Consumers see this as a big hassle of wringing the cloth or sponge which results in liquid spillage etc.

A general disadvantage of the above mentioned manual cleaning methods is that the performance over time is not consistent. A cloth or sponge is getting increasingly dry during the cleaning action when releasing liquid to the surface, and is getting increasingly wet during the drying action when absorbing liquid from the surface.

Electric cleaning appliances that solve one the above issues by wiping the liquid from the surface by a squeegee and applying suction/airflow to transport the collected liquid to a reservoir are well known to those skilled in the art. However cleaning solution application has until now been an entirely separate job.

Vacuum squeegee devices that use solution to clean windows or other surfaces typically do not reuse and recycle cleaning solution. Usually, cleaning solution that is applied to a surface is returned, along with any soil or other debris, to a recovery tank of the cleaning device that is used to store dirty cleaning solution while the clean water solution is sprayed from a separate tank. These two tanks can either serve to make the handheld device bulky or limit the amount of surface area that can be cleaned between water changes. When all of the clean cleaning solution has been used, the cleaning device must generally be emptied so that the dirty solution can be drained and the cleaning device can be refilled with new cleaning solution. However as any professional window cleaner will testify you do not need to use an extremely clean supply of water to squeegee windows. The water is a medium for transporting the dirt suspended in solution from the windows using a squeegee and it can be reused to a considerable extent, put bluntly professional window cleaners use the same bucket of water all day.

Accordingly it is a primary objective of this invention to provide a system for recycling water already used in the widow cleaning process and directed by the squeegee blade into a portable vacuum cleaner and to exhaust said water back to the applicator for reuse in the cleaning process this extends the runtime of the cleaning device between empty and refill enough to clean the windows of a large domestic house before changing.

The spray pump a standard user operated spray pump.

Regarding residual water marks left on windows these are almost exclusively the result of solution coming of the ends of the squeegee blade accordingly with this invention a scrim or micro fiber covered absorbent pads are placed behind the curved ends of the squeegee blade.

It is the purpose of this present invention, therefore, to mitigate and/or obviate the abovementioned drawbacks in the manner set forth in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment.

Summary of the invention

A primary objective of this invention is to provide a portable hand held device for vacuuming or pumping air.

A window cleaning tool that consists of a cleaning fluid applicator (1) in parallel with but slightly shorter than a squeegee blade (2). The squeegee blade is attached to the input side of a portable rechargeable battery powered vacuum cleaner (3). A pressure device (4) with a hand operated button (9) feeds the water to the applicator (1). The vacuum action on the squeegee blade then returns the used cleaning fluid to the clear plastic reservoir (6).The device is therefore self- contained and should not need the cleaning fluid changing for at least one large domestic house's windows. A swivel device (5) operated by a trigger button (9) is provided between the squeegee blade (2) and the applicator (1) so that the blade can be raised to allow the blade into the corners of windows. The two ends of the squeegee blade (7) are flexible but turned in towards the applicator (1) in order to aid the vacuuming of water process. Scrim or microfiber pads are positioned behind the flexible ends of the squeegee blade (22) A scouring pad (10) is situated on the right hand side of the applicator (as viewed from above in figure 2)

Additionally, this novel apparatus eliminates the necessity for using several materials such as wet and dry cloths or Sponges, additional water, and a drying piece because the functions of these objects used in the conventional practices are performed by the unitary workpiece described and claimed herein.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this invention.

Cleaning fluid applicator

Squeegee with replaceable blade

Battery powered vacuum suction mechanism input side

Hand operated pressure device (e.g.pump) for pumping cleaning fluid.

Hinge for up/down of squeegee blade

Cleaning fluid reservoir

The two ends of the squeegee blade are turned in towards the applicator

Blade raising trigger control button

Cleaning fluid return reservoir

Scouring pad

Hand operated pressure device on/off button

Vac on/off switch

Cleaning fluid filling point

Motor

One way valve containing cleaning fluid filter

Buckets

Spray point feed

Recharging socket

Reservoir release button

Fluid return pipe from squeegee

Handle

Scrim or microfiber pads positioned behind the flexible ends of the squeegee blade

Claims

1. A handheld vacuum-powered cleaning apparatus for cleaning a flat surface, the apparatus comprising:

at least one reservoir configured to store cleaning fluid (6&9);

a squeegee (2);

a cleaning fluid applicator in parallel with and slightly shorter then with the squeegee blade (1);

a pressurized pumping system configured to transport cleaning fluid to and from the at least one reservoir (4);

a spraying mechanism configured, responsive to a user input, to spray the cleaning fluid transported from at least one reservoir onto the applicator (11); and a vacuum suction mechanism configured to collect used cleaning fluid left by the applicator (3).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collected cleaning fluid is funnelled from the vacuum suction mechanism to at least one reservoir.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one reservoir comprises a first reservoir (9) and a second reservoir (6) connected by a gravity fed one-way valve, the valve comprising a filter unit (15).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the squeegee is attached to the apparatus by a hinge joint and configured to be raised or lowered responsive to a user input. (5)

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the applicator (1) further in part comprises a scouring pad.(10)

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one reservoir is made of transparent material. (6 & 9)

7. A vacuum cleaner powered window cleaning system according to claim 1 where the squeegee blade ends are turned towards the applicator. (7)

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the filtering system (15) includes a removable filter

9. A squeegee blade in accordance with claim 7 where scrim or microfiber pads are positioned behind the flexible ends of the squeegee blade