Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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l FIELD_OF_THE_INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for ozone
cleaning of contaminated surfaces in which the ozone is
directed onto the surface by means of a portable cleaning
unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE_INVENTION
It has been found that ozone is an extremely
effective cleaning agent particularly as a deoderizer in
odour contaminated areas. In the past ozone has been
used in burned buildings to eliminate the smell of smoke
by sealing off the building and then pumping in ozone.
Ozone is also being used instead of chlorine or other
chemicals to fight odour causing bacteris in swimming
pools. In addition, Ozone is used as a deoderizer in
sewage treatment plants.
It has been known in the past to use ozone in
association with vacuum cleaning where the vacuumed
material drawn into the vacuum bag is subjected to ozone
to prevent the build of mould and the like in the bag and
to deodorize the air flowing from the motor through the
bag. United States Patent 2,242,163 issued May 13, 1941
to
AA Bargeboer shows such an arrangement. ~owever,
according to the Bargeboer structure the vacuumed surface
itself is not subjected to the ozone which is produced
only in the filter area of the vacuum.
S~MMARY_OF_THE_PRESENT_INVENTION
The present invention provides an ozone cleaning
system in which surfaces to be cleaned on carpets,
furniture, drapery and the like are directly subjected tc
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1 ozone. The system comprises an ozone producing unit and
a portable cleaning unit having a cleaning head with at
least one ozone outlet at the cleaning head. An ozone
passage is provided from the ozone producing unit to the
at least one ozone outlet and a blower is used for
blowing the ozone along the ozone passage. The ozone
producing unit is adapted to prevent escape of ozone
therefrom other than at the ozone passage and the at
least one ozone outlet is adapted to direct the ozone
under pressure from the blower past the cleaning head at
the surface for maximizing the cleaning thereof.
According to the present invention, essentially all
the ozone produced is put to effective use and since it
is blown under pressure there is great penetration of the
ozone into the contaminated surface from which the ozone
slowly dissipates while it is deodorizing.
BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE DRAWINGS
____________ ____________ ____ __
The above as well as other advantages and features
of the present invention will be described in greater
detail according to the preferred embodiments of the
present invention in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ozone rug
cleaning device according to one preferred embodiment of
the present invention;
Figure 2A is a section taken along the lines 2-2 of
~igure l;
Figure 2B is a view similar to Figure 2A showing the
rug cleaning device of Figure 1 in contact with the rug
surface;
Figure 3 is a partially exploded bottom perspective
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1 view of the rug cleaner shown in Fi~ure 1;
Figure 4 is a perspective view looking down on the
filter area of the ozone unit of Figure l;
Figure 5 is a partially sectioned perspective view
showing in greater detail the ozone producing unit of the
rug cleaner of Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a perspective view showing an ozone
furniture cleaning unit with its ozone producing unit
shown in partial section according to a further preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION ACCORDING TO THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS O__T~E_PRESENT_INVENTION___ _______
In Figure 1 an ozone cleaning unit generally
indicated at 1 is used for cleaning rugs, carpets and
other similar types of floor surfaces~ The unit which is
hand operated through a handle mechanism at its upper end
is provided with a pair of wheels 3 which are elevated
relative to the cleaning head and which are only used for
transport by tipping the unit onto the wheels. Supported
above the wheels is a motor M for operating the cleaning
head of the unit. A combination ozone producing and
blowing unit generally indicated at 2], is provided on the
handle of the unit so that it is carried with the
cleaning unit while in operation.
The cleaning head itself is best shown in Figures
2A, 2B and 3. It includes a rotatable support plate 9
with a fabric pad 11 held to the bottom of the plate.
The plate is provided at its upper end with an opening 13
into which connector 15 from the unit motor is adapted to
lock for rotation of the plate and cleaning pad. For
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I operation of the cleaning head the pad is soaked in a
detergent and rotates on the rug R shown in Figure 2B to
clean contaminants from the rug.
A frame portion 17 is provided at the periphery of
the cleaning head with an exterior floating shroud 5
surrounding both the head frame and the cleaning head.
Shroud 5 is secured to the cleaning unit through a
flexible membrane 7 which allows up and down movement of
the shroud in accordance with the surface level on which
the unit is being used so that the shroud follows the
contour of the surface over which it is travelling to
substantially eliminate the outward escape of Ozone.
A pair of flexible tubes 47 connect the ozone
producing unit to shroud 5. These tubes as best shown in
Figure 5 extend from a manifold 45 fitted directly to the
bottom of an ozone box 33 and extend to ozone outlets 49
to either side of shroud 5. These ozone outlets are set
up to direct the ozone downwardly into the rug surface
and around a channel lg between shroud 5 and cleaning
head frame 17 as best shown in Figure 2B.
The combination unit shown in Figure 5 includes both
an ozone producing side housed in box 33 and a motor side
housed in box 23 for blowing the ozone through tubes 47
to the cleaning head of the unit.
A grid network 35 is located in box 33. This
network comprises a plurality of electrical grids
separated by mica inserts to produce a corona at the
electrical grid. The corona in turn produces ozone from
the air surrounding the electrical grid. The level of
the corona and the amount of ozone produced which are
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1 directly proportionate to one another are controlled
through a rheostat 41 provided on transformer 39 for
adjusting the electrical intensity at the grid. A switch
43 is also provided at the transformer for on/off control
of the transformer and electrical grid.
The motor 29 within the combination unit produces a
vacuum within box 23 such that air is drawn in from the
top 25 of the box past filter 27 and through the central
opening 31 of the motor. The air drawn in from the
vacuum side of the motor is blown into ozone box 33 and
through the spaces 37 of grid network 3S where it picks
up the produced ozone. Box 33 is sealed other than at
the opening through the blower, where there is air
pressure, and at the opening into which manifold 45 is
fitted so that essentially all of the ozone produced is
blown down into the manifold through tubes 47 extending
to ozone outlets 49 at shroud 5.
~hen the unit is in operation it can be run either
as a standard floor cleaner without ozone or it can be
run as a combination unit in which both the cleaning head
and the ozone producing unit are actuated to clean the
surface over which the unit passes. It can also be run
strictly using ozone and no cleaning head. According to
the latter two modes of operation essentially all of the
ozone produced is directed to shroud 5 which acts as a
closure to prevent the escape of ozone other than
downwardly into the rug. Accordingly maximum use of the
produced ozone is achieved through its concentration by
means of the shroud 5.
Shroud 5 is as described above connected to the
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1 cleaning unit through the flexib]e membrane 7 which
enables the shroud to float to the rug surface. This is
particularly advantageous when the rug has a relatively
thick soft pile because regardless of the pile thickness
the shroud sits at the surface level of the rug as shown
in Figure 2B allowing easy movement of the entire
cleaning unit across the rug surface. It should be noted
that tubes 47 are also flexible to accommodate the
flotation of shroud 5 while maintaining a leak-free
connection between the ozone producing unit and the
shroud.
This floating shroud principle provided through the
use of a flexible membrane or diaphragm may also be used
on other types of floor and rug cleaning units in which
it is desirable to have automatic height adjustment of
the shroud. For example, if the unit is used to dispense
cleaning fluids other than ozone, the flow of these other
cleaning fluids should also be controlled beneath the
shroud. However" at the same time the shroud should be
allowed to float to the surface level over which the unit
is being directed to enable its smooth travel.
The amount of ozone produced by cleaning unit 1 is
adjusted according to the degree of cleaning and
decontamination required. For example, the unit may be
run at a production of 200 milligrams/hour of ozone at a
flow rate of about 50 cfm directed into the rug. This
flow rate which is controlled in its direction of travel
downwardly into the rug, is safe to the health of the
operator while at the same time providing good
decontamination effects due to the concentration into the
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1 rug pile.
Figure fi shows a further arrangement in which a
cleaning unit generally indicated at 51 is hand held for
use in cleanins furniture and the like. The cleaning
unit itself includes a handle portion 53 having a base 55
supporting a cleaning head 57. The motor for the unit
which is not shown in the figure is housed interiorly
between the handle and the base support. The unit is set
up such that when in operation cleaning head 57 which is
in the form of a flexible pad vibrates for agitating the
surface to be cleaned.
Ozone is fed to the cleaning unit from an ozone
producing unit generally indicated at 59. This ozone
producing unit comprises an electrical grid 61 similar to
that described above with a small air compressor 63 which
pressurizes the electrical grid 61 through its inlet 61A
such that ozone is blown out through the outlet 61B of
the grid arrangement. The grid itself is operated
through a transformer 65 having a rheostat control 67
exposed outwardly of the ozone producing unit adjacent
the on/off switch 69.
Outlet 61B from the grid arrangement is connected
directly to a flexible tube 71 extending to the hand held
cleaning unit where a small T connector 73 connects the
tube to a further pair of diverging tubes 75. Tubes 75
are fed through the base support 55 of the hand held
cleaning unit so as to feed ozone outlets 77 extending
directly through the cleaning head or pad 57.
As is the case with the earlier described embodiment
the arrangement shown in Figure 6 can be operated either
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1 with or without ozone. In either case the cleaning head
is adapted to frictionally loosen dirt and dust from the
furniture surface. When the ozone unit is in operation
the ozone that is produced which is again prevented from
escaping other than at the outlet tubes, is fed directly
through the cleaning pad into the furniture where it is
concentrated at the furniture surface through outlets
77. This particular unit may for example be set up to
operate at about .5 cfm which again is safe to the health
of the operator while at the same time providing more
than enough ozone flow into the furniture surface to
effect decontamination.
With the Figure 6 arrangement the ozone producing
unit is away from the cleaning unit to reduce its weight
making the cleaning unit extremely light and easy to
handle. If desired, a similar type of stationary ozone
unit could be used with the cleaning unit of Figure 1.
Furthermore different types of ozone producing units from
the electrical grid described above can be used in
accordance with the present invention. Therefore
although various preferred embodiments have been
described herein in detail it will be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that variations may be made
without departing from the spirit of the invention or the
scope of the appended claims~
