Cleaning device having at least one rotating cylindrical sponge

Claim 1

A device for cleaning a work surface, comprising a housing having a front end and a rear end; wheels carried by said housing for rollably supporting said housing said housing in spaced relation to the work surface; said housing having a movement axis parallel to the wheel movement planes; means for applying a film of cleaning fluid to the work surface as the housing moves therealong; an axially elongated rotary cylindrical brush carried by the housing for rotational motion around an axis transverse to the housing movement axis; said rotary brush being located behind the fluid applying means, whereby said brush exerts a scrubbing action on the fluid and work surface during movement of the housing; at least one rotary cylindrical sponge supported for rotational movement around an axis transverse to the housing movement axis; each said rotary sponge being located behind the rotary brush, whereby each said sponge removes cleaning fluid and loosened dirt from the work surface incident to movement of the housing along the work surface; sponge compression means engageable with an upper surface area of each said sponge to remove dirt-laden fluid from the sponge while the sponge is rotating; said sponge compression means comprising a perforated plate extending along the axial length of each said sponge, whereby the plate exerts a compressing action on the sponge, such that dirt-laden fluid is forced out of the sponge through the plate perforations; each said sponge comprising a rigid cylinder concentric with the sponge rotational axis, a plurality of segmental sponge elements radiating outwardly from said cylinder, and a plurality of flexible partitions extending outwardly from said cylinder between adjacent ones of said sponge elements, whereby fluid absorbed by any given sponge element is prevented from migrating into adjacent sponge elements.

Claim 2

A device for cleaning a work surface, comprising a housing having a front end and a rear end; wheels carried by said housing for rollably supporting said housing said housing in spaced relation to the work surface; said housing having a movement axis parallel to the wheel movement planes; means for applying a film of cleaning fluid to the work surface as the housing moves therealong; an axially elongated rotary cylindrical brush carried by the housing for rotational motion around an axis transverse to the housing movement axis; said rotary brush being located behind the fluid applying means, whereby said brush exerts a scrubbing action on the fluid and work surface during movement of the housing; at least one rotary cylindrical sponge supported for rotational movement around an axis transverse to the housing movement axis; each said rotary sponge being located behind the rotary brush, whereby each said sponge removes cleaning fluid and loosened dirt from the work surface incident to movement of the housing along the work surface; sponge compression means engageable with an upper surface area of each said sponge to remove dirt-laden fluid from the sponge while the sponge is rotating; said sponge compression means comprising a perforated plate extending along the axial length of each said sponge, whereby the plate exerts a compressing action on the sponge, such that dirt-laden fluid is forced out of the sponge through the plate perforations; each said sponge comprising a rigid cylinder concentric with the sponge rotational axis, a plurality of segmental sponge elements radiating outwardly from said cylinder, and a plurality of flexible partitions extending outwardly from said cylinder between adjacent ones of said sponge elements, whereby fluid absorbed by any given sponge element is prevented from migrating into adjacent sponge elements.

Claim 6

A device for cleaning a work surface, comprising a housing having a front end and a rear end; wheels carried by said housing for rollably supporting said housing in spaced relation to the work surface; said housing having a movement axis parallel to the wheel movement planes; means for applying a film cleaning fluid to the work surface as the housing moves therealong; an axially elongated rotary cylindrical brush carried by the housing for rotational motion around an axis transverse to the housing movement axis; said rotary brush being located behind the fluid applying means, whereby said brush exerts a scrubbing action on the fluid and work surface during movement of the housing; two rotary cylindrical sponges supported for rotational movement around spaced parallel axes extending transverse to the housing movement axis; said rotary sponges being located behind the rotary brush, whereby said sponges remove cleaning fluid and loosened dirt from the work surface incident to movement of the housing along the work surface; a sponge compression means engageable with an upper surface area of each said sponge to remove dirt-laden fluid from the sponge while the sponge is rotating; said sponge compression means comprising two perforated plates extending along the facing surfaces of the rotary sponges in the space therebetween, and a wall structure interconnecting said perforated plates to form a fluid collection chamber between the two rotary sponges; said plates being spaced from the respective sponge rotational axes by lesser distances than the individual sponge radii, such that each plate exerts a compressing action on the associated sponge to force dirt-laden fluid through the plate perforation into the fluid collection chamber; and a suction means for drawing the dirt-laden fluid out of said collection chamber while the housing is moving along the work surface.

Claim 7

A device for cleaning a work surface, comprising a housing having a front end and a rear end; wheels carried by said housing for rollably supporting said housing in spaced relation to the work surface; said housing having a movement axis parallel to the wheel movement planes; means for applying a film cleaning fluid to the work surface as the housing moves therealong; an axially elongated rotary cylindrical brush carried by the housing for rotational motion around an axis transverse to the housing movement axis; said rotary brush being located behind the fluid applying means, whereby said brush exerts a scrubbing action on the fluid and work surface during movement of the housing; two rotary cylindrical sponges supported for rotational movement around spaced parallel axes extending transverse to the housing movement axis; said rotary sponges being located behind the rotary brush, whereby said sponges remove cleaning fluid and loosened dirt from the work surface incident to movement of the housing along the work surface; a sponge compression means engageable with an upper surface area of each said sponge to remove dirt-laden fluid from the sponge while the sponge is rotating; said sponge compression means comprising two perforated plates extending along the facing surfaces of the rotary sponges in the space therebetween, and a wall structure interconnecting said perforated plates to form a fluid collection chamber between the two rotary sponges; said plates being spaced from the respective sponge rotational axes by lesser distances than the individual sponge radii, such that each plate exerts a compressing action on the associated sponge to force dirt-laden fluid through the plate perforation into the fluid collection chamber; and a suction means for drawing the dirt-laden fluid out of said collection chamber while the housing is moving along the work surface.