Apparatus for cleaning surfaces

Claim 2

A surface cleaning machine normally driven in a forward direction, comprising a mobile vehicle having a frame, a downwardly opening debris pick up unit mounted on the frame and having a debris outlet, a combination filter-debris container mounted on the frame, and first means fluidly connected to the unit outlet for drawing air and air entrained debris from the unit and discharging the air and entrained debris in the container, said unit including a housing having said debris outlet, a paddle wheel made of resilient material, means including a shaft mounted in the housing for mounting the paddle wheel adjacent the surface to be cleaned, and power means drivingly connected to the shaft, said paddle wheel having a mounting portion rotatably driven by the shaft to rotate therewith, a tube in surrounding concentric relationship to the mounting porTion, a plurality of angularly spaced first flap portions each having one end joined to the mounting portion and an opposite end joined to the tube, and a plurality of second flap portions extending generally radially outwardly of the tube, said second flap portions each having a first end joined to said tube in angularly spaced relationship.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said housing includes joined side, rear and front walls, a rear skirt mounted on the rear wall to extend downwardly and forwardly thereof, side skirts mounted on the side walls, and leaf seal means mounted on the front wall, said paddle wheel having diametrically opposed second flap portions that in a horizontal position have outer edges spaced slightly less than the corresponding horizontal spacing of the rear wall and the leaf seal means.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 further characterized in that the first flap portions extend generally radially relative to the tube, are integrally joined to the tube angular adjacent the second flap portions, and are of radial dimensions at least as great as the radial dimensions of the second flap portions.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2 further characterized in that the front wall includes a front panel, a front wall portion and second means to hingedly connect the front panel to the front wall portion for movement between a predominately downwardly extending datum position and a substantially more forwardly extending position, and that the leaf seal means includes a resilient leaf flap, and third means for dependingly mounting the leaf flap on the front panel.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 further characterized in that the leaf flap has a lower portion bendable into the path of rotary movement of the paddle wheel, the third means mounting the leaf flap to the front panel to move the front panel and leaf flap as a single unit about the second means hinge axis in a direction away from the paddle wheel when the paddle wheel engages the lower portion of the leaf flap and is rotating in a direction such that the lower part of the paddle wheel is rotating toward the leaf flap.

Claim 7

A surface cleaning machine normally driven in a forward direction, comprising a mobile vehicle having a frame, a downwardly opening debris pick up unit mounted on the frame and having a debris outlet, a combination filter-debris container mounted on the frame, and first means, including a suction blower, fluidly connected to the unit outlet for drawing air and air entrained debris from the unit and discharging the air and entrained debris in the container, the unit including a housing having front, rear and side walls joined together to have the debris outlet and a rear skirt dependingly mounted on the rear wall, and side skirts dependingly mounted on the side walls, a front panel having an upper edge portion hingedly connected to the front wall for movement between a depending position abutting against the side walls and a forwardly extending position, a resilient leaf flap, second means dependingly mounting the leaf flap on the front panel and power driven rotary means mounted in the housing adjacent the surface for moving material upwardly into the housing.

Claim 8

A surface cleaning machine normally driven in a forward direction, comprising a mobile vehicle having a frame, a downwardly opening debris pick up unit mounted on the frame and having a debris outlet, a combination filter-debris container mounted on the frame, and first means, including a suction blower, fluidly connected to the unit outlet for drawing air and air entrained debris from the unit and discharging the air and entrained debris in the container, the unit including a housing having front, rear and side walls joined together to have the debris outlet and a rear skirt dependingly mounted on the rear wall, and side skirts dependingly mounted on the side walls, a front panel having an upper edge portion hingedly connected to the front wall for movement between a depending position abutting against the side walls and a forwardly extending position, a resilient leaf flap, second means dependingly mounting the leaf flap on the front panel and power driven rotary means mounted in the housing adjacent the surface for moving material upwardly into the housing.

Claim 9

A surface cleaning machine comprising a mobile vehicle having a frame, a downwardly opening debris pick up housing mounted on the frame, said housing having a debris outlet, a power driven surface cleaning tool rotatably mounted in the housing adjacent the surface to be cleaned for raising debris from the surface, a combination filter and a light debris collection container mounted on the frame, a suction blower having a discharge outlet and an inlet, first means for fluidly connecting the blower outlet to the container, a heavy trash receptacle mounted on the frame and having an inlet, and duct means for deflecting material passing therethrough to separate heavier material from lighter material, said duct means including a duct inlet fluidly connected to the housing outlet, a duct first outlet fluidlY connected to the blower inlet and a second duct outlet at a lower elevation than the first duct outlet opening to the trash receptacle inlet, said tool comprising a paddle wheel, said paddle wheel comprising an axially elongated mounting member, an axially elongated tube surrounding the mounting member, a plurality of angularly spaced first flap portions having first edges joined to the mounting member and second edges joined to the tube, and a plurality of angularly spaced second flap portions extending radially outwardly of the tube and having first edges joined to said tube.

Claim 10

A surface cleaning machine comprising a mobile vehicle having a frame, a downwardly opening debris pick up housing mounted on the frame, said housing having a debris outlet, a power driven surface cleaning tool rotatably mounted in the housing adjacent the surface to be cleaned for raising debris from the surface, a combination filter and a light debris collection container mounted on the frame, a suction blower having a discharge outlet and an inlet, first means for fluidly connecting the blower outlet to the container, a heavy trash receptacle mounted on the frame and having an inlet, and duct means for deflecting material passing therethrough to separate heavier material from lighter material, said duct means including a duct inlet fluidly connected to the housing outlet, a duct first outlet fluidlY connected to the blower inlet and a second duct outlet at a lower elevation than the first duct outlet opening to the trash receptacle inlet, said tool comprising a paddle wheel, said paddle wheel comprising an axially elongated mounting member, an axially elongated tube surrounding the mounting member, a plurality of angularly spaced first flap portions having first edges joined to the mounting member and second edges joined to the tube, and a plurality of angularly spaced second flap portions extending radially outwardly of the tube and having first edges joined to said tube.

Claim 11

A surface cleaning machine comprising a mobile vehicle having a frame, a downwardly opening debris pick up housing mounted on the frame, said housing having a debris outlet, a power driven surface cleaning tool rotatably mounted in the housing adjacent the surface to be cleaned for raising debris from the surface, a combination filter and a light debris collection container mounted on the frame, a suction blower having a discharge outlet and an inlet, first means for fluidly connecting the blower outlet to the container, a heavy trash receptacle mounted on the frame and having an inlet, and duct means for deflecting material passing therethrough to separate heavier material from lighter material, said duct means including a duct inlet fluidly connected to the housing outlet, a duct first outlet fluidly connected to the blower inlet and a second duct outlet at a lower elevation than the first duct outlet opening to the trash receptacle inlet, said tool comprising a paddle wheel, said housing including a front wall, a front panel having an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion, second means connecting the upper edge portion to the front wall for mounting the panel for limited pivotal forward and upward movement from a datum position, a flexible front flap, third means for dependingly mounting the front flap on the panel lower edge portion to extend closely adjacent and normally forwardly of the path of angular movement of the paddle wheel, said front flap being of sufficient flexibility to be bendable into said path of movement by relatively heavy debris on the surface being cleaned as the machine moves forwardly.

Claim 12

A surface cleaning machine comprising a mobile vehicle having a frame, a downwardly opening debris pick up housing mounted on the frame, said housing having a debris outlet, a power driven surface cleaning tool rotatably mounted in the housing adjacent the surface to be cleaned for raising debris from the surface, a combination filter and a light debris collection container mounted on the frame, a suction blower having a discharge outlet and an inlet, first means for fluidly connecting the blower outlet to the container, a heavy trash receptacle mounted on the frame and having an inlet, and duct means for deflecting material passing therethrough to separate heavier material from lighter material, said duct means including a duct inlet fluidly connected to the housing outlet, a duct first outlet fluidly connected to the blower inlet and a second duct outlet at a lower elevation than the first duct outlet opening to the trash receptacle inlet, said tool comprising a paddle wheel, said housing including a front wall, a front panel having an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion, second means connecting the upper edge portion to the front wall for mounting the panel for limited pivotal forward and upward movement from a datum position, a flexible front flap, third means for dependingly mounting the front flap on the panel lower edge portion to extend closely adjacent and normally forwardly of the path of angular movement of the paddle wheel, said front flap being of sufficient flexibility to be bendable into said path of movement by relatively heavy debris on the surface being cleaned as the machine moves forwardly.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 7 further characterized in that said paddle wheel is made of flexible material, and that the flap portions, the tube and mounting member are of about the same axial lengths.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 8 further characterized in that the second means comprises hinge means having a transverse hinge axis for mounting the front panel for movement away from the paddle wheel.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 10 further characterized in that the third means comprises means for mounting the front flap on the panel to transmit a force from the paddle wheel when the front flap is bent into the path of rotation of the paddle wheel to pivot the front flap and front panel as a single unit about the second means hinge axis in a direction to move the front flap out of the path of movement of the paddle wheel.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 11 further characterized in that the front flap includes a plurality of laminates, each successive laminate having a lower edge terminating at a higher elevation than the laminate forwardly thereof.