ATBECHDEDKESFRGBGRITLILUNLSEMCPTIESILTLVFIROMKCYALTRBGCZEEHUPLSKBAHRIS..MTNORSMESMMAKHTNMD..........
J
BDM Ver 1.7.2 (20 November 2019) - 1100000/0
3804601
EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
A1
20210414
EP
20200894.2
20201008
it
en
en
201900018212
20191008
IT
20210414
202115
20210414
202115
A47L 13/51 20060101AFI20210311BHEP
A47L 13/58 20060101ALI20210311BHEP
de
BODENREINIGUNGSVORRICHTUNG
en
FLOOR CLEANING DEVICE
fr
DISPOSITIF DE NETTOYAGE DU SOL
3
Watt S.r.l.
101873097
E8190/20-EP
Strada Cironvallazione, 23
10090 Gassino Torinese (TO)
IT
VALLAR, Ramon Manolo
c/o WATT S.R.L. Strada Circonvallazione, 23
10090 GASSINO TORINESE (TO)
IT
Giannini, Manuela
et al
101350220
Studio Torta S.p.A. Via Viotti, 9
10121 Torino
IT
AL
AT
BE
BG
CH
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
ES
FI
FR
GB
GR
HR
HU
IE
IS
IT
LI
LT
LU
LV
MC
MK
MT
NL
NO
PL
PT
RO
RS
SE
SI
SK
SM
TR
BA
ME
KH
MA
MD
TN
A floor cleaning device (1) comprising a stick (2) with a cleaning head (3) at one end thereof; a lower tank (6); an upper tank (9) mounted inside and/or above the lower tank (6) and designed to contain a cleaning liquid; and a basket (18) adapted to receive the cleaning head (3) to be rinsed and carried by the upper tank (9) to move between a rest position, in which the basket (18) fluidically separates the upper tank (9) and the lower tank (6), and an operating position, in which the basket (18) fluidically connects the upper tank (9) with the lower tank (6) to allow the cleaning liquid to flow from the upper tank (9) to the lower tank (6) through the basket (18) so as to rinse the cleaning head (3) inside the basket (18).

Cross-Reference To Related Applications
This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102019000018212 filed on 08/10/2019.

Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a floor cleaning device.

Background
In the floor cleaning sector, floor cleaning devices are known comprising a stick with a cleaning head at one end thereof; a tank for a cleaning liquid normally consisting of a mixture of water and detergent; and a basket mounted on the tank and fluidically connected to the tank to allow the cleaning head to be wrung.
Generally, the cleaning head comprises a stick attachment flange to allow the cleaning head to be attached to the stick and multiple bristles; and the basket has multiple openings to fluidically connect the tank and the basket.
The above-described know floor cleaning devices have some drawbacks mainly due to the fact that the cleaning liquid contained in the tank is contaminated by dirt discharged from the cleaning head when the latter is rinsed inside the tank and when it is wrung inside the basket.
As a result, the cleaning action is compromised by rinsing the cleaning head into the contaminated/dirty cleaning liquid contained in the tank.
A cleaning device that offers, in part, a solution to the above-described drawback is disclosed in US 2006/151054 A1 and comprises a stick with a cleaning head at one end thereof, an upper tank for a cleaning liquid, a lower tank, and a basket for rinsing the cleaning head. The upper and lower tanks are separated, and the basket can be fluidically connected to the upper tank to receive the cleaning liquid and can be emptied into the lower tank after the cleaning head has been rinsed in the basket. This solution, although better than solutions in which the cleaning head is rinsed in the same tank that contains the clean cleaning liquid, still has limitations, both in terms of rinsing effectiveness and in terms of operation complexity.

Subject and Summary of the Invention
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a floor cleaning device free from the above-described drawbacks and simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
According to the present invention, a floor cleaning device is provided, as claimed in the appended claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings showing a non-limiting embodiment thereof, wherein:
- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for clarity, of a preferred embodiment of the floor cleaning device according to the present invention;
- Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view, with parts in cross-section and parts removed for clarity, of the floor cleaning device shown Figure 1; and
- Figures 3 and 4 are two cross-sections along the line III-III of a detail of the floor cleaning device shown in Figure 1, in two different operating positions.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention
With reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, reference numeral 1 references as a whole a floor cleaning device comprising an elongated stick 2 provided with a cleaning head 3 at one free end thereof.
The cleaning head 3 comprises a flange 4 to attach the cleaning head 3 to the stick 2, and multiple cleaning bristles 5 fixed to the flange 4.
The floor cleaning device 1 further comprises a lower tank 6, which, in the embodiment shown, has a cup shape and is delimited at the bottom by a substantially flat and horizontal bottom wall 7, and laterally by a substantially vertical side wall 8.
The floor cleaning device 1 further comprises an upper tank 9, which is removably inserted into the tank 6, extends into the tank 6, and is designed to contain a cleaning liquid consisting, for example, of a mixture of water and detergent.
The upper tank 9 is delimited at the bottom by a substantially flat bottom wall 10 and laterally by a substantially vertical side wall 11.
The upper tank 9 is slidably coupled to the lower tank 6 and is locked in a substantially vertical insertion direction 12 by at least one tooth 13, which protrudes from the side wall 8 inside the lower tank 6, and extends along the side wall 8 so as to stop the side wall 10 at a specified distance from the bottom wall 7.
The upper tank 9 is provided with a first basket 14, which, in the embodiment shown, has a cylindrical shape and extends through the upper tank 9 and the side wall 10 in the insertion direction 12, and projects into the lower tank 6.
The first basket 14 is fluidically separated from the upper tank 9, and has multiple connecting holes 15, which are formed on the outside of the upper tank 9, and fluidically connect the basket 14 and the lower tank 6.
The upper tank 9 is also provided with a body 16, which, in the embodiment shown, has a cylindrical cup shape, extends through the upper tank 9 in the insertion direction 12, and has a height, measured parallel to the insertion direction 12, lower than the height of the upper tank 9, also measured parallel to the insertion direction 12.
The body 16 is delimited at the bottom by a bottom wall 17 arranged at a determined distance by the bottom wall 10.
The floor cleaning device 1 further comprises a second basket 18, which, in the embodiment shown, has a cylindrical shape and is carried by the upper tank 9, extends through the body 16 and the bottom walls 17 and 10 in the insertion direction 12, and projects into the lower tank 6.
The basket 18 is provided with multiple upper connection holes 19 and multiple lower connection holes 20.
The basket 18 is slidably coupled to the body 16 to move between a raised rest position (Figure 3), where the upper connection holes 19 are arranged inside the body 16 and outside the upper tank 9, the lower connection holes 20 are arranged inside the lower tank 6, and the lower and upper tanks 6, 9 are mutually fluidically separated by the basket 18, and a lowered operating position (Figure 4), where the upper connection holes 19 are arranged outside the body 16 and inside the tank 9, the lower connection holes 20 are arranged inside the tank 6, and the lower and upper tanks 6, 9 are mutually fluidically connected by the basket 18,
The basket 18 is moved, and normally kept, in the raised rest position by the thrust exerted by multiple springs 21 arranged between the body 16 and the basket 18.
The basket 18 is moved from the raised rest position to the lowered operating position by the thrust exerted on the basket 18 by the flange 4 of the cleaning head 3.
In use, the bristles 5 of the cleaning head 3 are wrung into the basket 14 in order to feed the contaminated/dirty cleaning liquid into the lower tank 6 through the connection holes 15.
At this point, the head 3 is moved inside the basket 18 and the basket 18 is moved from the raised rest position to the lowered operating position by means of the flange 4 so as to mutually fluidically connected the lower and upper tanks 6, 9 and cause the uncontaminated/clean cleaning liquid in the upper tank 9 to flow from the upper tank 9 to the lower tank 6, through the basket 18, so resulting in the bristles 5 being rinsed.
In other words, when the basket 18 is moved to the lowered operating position, the uncontaminated/clean cleaning liquid in the upper tank 9 first flows into the basket 18 through the upper connection holes 19 and then into the lower tank 6 through the lower connection holes 20.
The floor cleaning device 1 is advantageous compared to the known floor cleaning devices mainly due to the fact that basket 18 prevents the bristles 5 from immersing into the contaminated/dirty cleaning liquid both in the lower tank 6 and in the uncontaminated/clean cleaning liquid in the upper tank 9, and allow the bristles 5 to be rinsed only with the uncontaminated/clean cleaning liquid in the upper tank 9.
In alternative embodiments not shown, the basket 14 may be omitted and the bristles 5 may be wrung and rinsed inside the basket 18; the basket 18 may be moved from the raised rest position to the lowered operating position directly by a user, e.g., via a foot pedal mechanism; and the cleaning head 3 may be replaced with a cleaning head with cleaning elements other than the bristles 5.
1. A floor cleaning device (1) comprising:
a stick (2) with a cleaning head (3) at one end thereof;
a lower tank (6);
an upper tank (9) mounted inside and/or above the lower tank (6) and designed to contain a cleaning liquid; and
a basket (18) adapted to receive the cleaning head (3) to be rinsed;
the floor cleaning device (1) is characterised in that the basket (18) is carried by the upper tank (9) to move between a rest position, in which the basket (18) fluidically separates the upper tank (9) and the lower tank (6), and an operating position, in which the basket (18) fluidically connects the upper tank (9) with the lower tank (6) to allow the cleaning liquid to flow from the upper tank (9) to the lower tank (6) through the basket (18) so as to rinse the cleaning head (3) inside the basket (18).
2. The floor cleaning device (1) of claim 1, wherein the basket (18) is movable from the rest position to the operating position under the thrust of the cleaning head (3).
3. The floor cleaning device (1) of claim 1 or 2, further comprising elastic thrust means (21) between the upper tank (9) and the basket (18) to move, and keep, the basket (18) in the rest position.
4. The floor cleaning device (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the basket (18) extends through a bottom wall (10) of the upper tank (9) so as to protrude inside the lower tank (6).
5. The floor cleaning device (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the basket (18) is provided with at least one first opening (20) for fluidically connecting the lower tank (6) and the basket (18), when the basket (18) is in the operating position.
6. The floor cleaning device (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the basket (18) is provided with at least a second opening (19) fluidically separated from the upper tank (9) when the basket (18) is in the rest position and fluidically connected with the upper tank (9) when the basket (18) is in the operating position.
7. The floor cleaning device (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper tank (9) is dismountably mounted inside and/or above the lower tank (6).
8. The floor cleaning device (1) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an additional basket (14) mounted inside and/or above the lower tank (6), fluidically separated from the upper tank (9), and fluidically connected with the lower tank (6) via at least a third opening (15) in the additional basket (14).
9. The floor cleaning device (1) of claim 8, wherein the additional basket (14) is carried by the upper tank (9) and extends through a bottom wall (10) of the upper tank (9).
E8190/20-EP
EP
20200894.2
Watt S.r.l.
3
MN
20210317
A47L
US
2006151054
A1
DEATON LEVI [US]
20060713
A
1,7
* abstract *
* figures 1,2,3A,3B *
Baumgärtner, Ruth
Munich
20210305
US
2006151054
A1
20060713
CA
2537277
A1
20050414
EP
1685027
A2
20060802
US
2006151054
A1
20060713
WO
2005032323
A2
20050414

REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

Patent documents cited in the description
- IT
102019000018212
20191008
[0001]
- US
2006151054
A1
[0007]