Tennant Company

Michael Thomas Basham

Joseph F D'Costa

Richard William Wellens

Warren L Larson

Robert M Berdahl

Karl R Hansen

Mark J Fleigle

Donald F Durenberger

Bruce E Field

Barbara J Peterson, Legal Representative

Bruce F Field

Robert A Geyer

Larry David Wydra

Laurence A Jensen

Terence Alan Peterson

Steven A Burke

Michael Stewart Wilmo

Kurt Clarence Adelman

Philip E Koenigs

Christopher M Danielson

Don Durenberger

Todd M Engel

Brent Hayden

Thomas E Johansson

Ron Lehman

Michael Shawn Ardito

Terence A Peterson

A filter shaking assembly for a floor surface maintenance machine including a filter assembly in fluid communication with the debris hopper and having a cylindrical filter held against a shaker plate. The shaker plate is vibrated by a shaker motor at least partially positioned within an interior of the filter and eccentric mass to remove an accumulation of debris from the surface of the filter. The eccentric mass may include two eccentric masses positioned on a common shaft of the shaker motor.

Filter shaker assembly for sweeping machine

A filter cleaning mechanism for a cylindrical filter within a filter box of a surface maintenance machine having a shaker plate engaging a top end of the filter and having vibrations induced via a motor and eccentric mass combination. In one example, the motor and eccentric mass are mounted to a hinged cover plate via a vibration isolating connection. A pair of slot structures may limit movement of the filter to a generally vertical direction relative to ground.

Filter cleaning apparatus

A cleaning head for use with a floor cleaning machine comprises first and second cleaning tools, at least one motor and a cleaning tool support. The at least one motor is configured to respectively drive rotation of the first and second cleaning tools about first and second horizontal axes. The first and second cleaning tools each have an exterior cleaning surface configured to engage the floor during floor cleaning operations. The cleaning tool support is configured to support the first and second cleaning tools for movement of the first and second horizontal axes relative to each other in a plane that is transverse to the first and second horizontal axes. Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a floor cleaning machine that includes embodiments of the cleaning head.

Cleaning head for use in a floor cleaning machine

A filter system for a surface maintenance machine having a hopper assembly for receiving brush-thrown debris including a cyclonic separator for separating dust and debris from air drawn through the hopper via vacuum action. The cyclonic separator may include multiple cyclone and may be in fluid communication with the hopper assembly so as to periodically receive dust and debris exiting the filter system.

Cyclonic filter for surface maintenance machine

A hard floor sweeping and scrubbing machine includes a mobile body comprising a frame supported on wheels for travel over a surface, a motorized cleaning head, a waste hopper, a hopper lift and a vacuum squeegee. The motorized cleaning head is attached to the mobile body and is configured to perform sweeping and scrubbing operations on the surface. The waste hopper is positioned on a rear side of the cleaning head and is configured to receive waste discharged from the cleaning head during the surface sweeping operations. The hopper lift is configured to raise the waste hopper from an operating position, in which the waste hopper is positioned adjacent the cleaning head, to a dumping position, in which the waste hopper is positioned to dump waste collected in the waste hopper. In one embodiment, the vacuum squeegee is attached to the hopper lift. Also disclosed is a method of cleaning a surface using embodiments of the machine.

Floor sweeping and scrubbing machine

A structure and method of removing semi-rigid debris and demisting gas for use primarily in surface maintenance or conditioning machines, Demisting is accomplished by, a combination techniques including rapid pressure reduction and removal of semi rigid debris is accomplished by forcing the debris through a path with curvatures to great for the debris to follow.

Demisting chamber with elbow strainer

A sweeping machine for picking up debris from a surface includes a frame and wheels attached to said frame to support the frame of the sweeping machine over the surface being swept. A cylindrical brush is rotatably attached to said frame. The cylindrical brush includes a tubular main body and tufts attached to said tube such that the tufts extend radially outward from said tube. The tube has regions devoid of tufts bounded by regions having tufts. The sweeping machine also includes a mechanism for rotating said cylindrical brush.

Tessellated cylindrical brush

A surface cleaning machine includes a frame, wheels for supporting the frame and a debris hopper positioned on the forward part of the frame. There is a cylindrical sweeping brush mounted on the frame for rotation about an axis transverse to machine movement. There is a drive on the frame for the sweeping brush with the sweeping brush being mounted behind the debris hopper and rotating in a direction to throw debris from a surface being cleaned forwardly toward the debris hopper. A cylindrical conveying brush, parallel to the sweeping brush, is mounted on the frame for rotation in the same direction as the sweeping brush. The same drive rotates both brushes. The conveying brush is positioned above the sweeping brush and located relative thereto to convey debris moved upwardly by the sweeping brush in an upward and forward direction toward the debris hopper. A scroll is mounted on the frame forward of both brushes and between the brushes and the debris hopper to direct the flow of debris from the brushes to the debris hopper.

Stacked tools for overthrow sweeping

A sweeping machine has a chassis, wheels for supporting the chassis and a brush mounted on the chassis for rotation to throw debris over the brush and into a debris hopper mounted on the chassis behind the brush. There is a control lever on the chassis for raising and lowering the brush relative to a surface to be swept. As the brush wears, a recirculation flap is positioned between the brush and the debris hopper and located closely adjacent a rear portion of the brush to direct debris not reaching the debris hopper forwardly toward the brush sweeping zone. The recirculation flap is moved toward and away from the brush concurrently with movement of the brush toward the surface being swept as the brush wears, whereby the space between the rear portion of the brush and the recirculation flap remains relatively constant.

Sweeping machine with movable recirculation flap

A sweeper movable over a surface to be swept includes a frame having a longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of sweeper movement and a debris hopper mounted on a front portion of the frame. There is an opening in the rear of the debris hopper to admit debris. A first brush rotates about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the frame and is located behind the debris hopper and has a motor for rotating the brush to throw surface debris forward into the hopper. There is a second brush which is also rotatable on an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the frame, with the second brush being positioned away from the surface to be swept and in front of the first brush. There is an auxiliary sweeping lip positioned closely adjacent to the second brush, which lip and the second brush add momentum to debris swept by the main brush into the hopper, so that the hopper is more fully loaded. The improvement is especially notable when sweeping light debris such as crumpled paper, leaves, etc.

Sweeper with auxiliary brush and auxiliary lip

A sweeping machine has a wheel supported body and a rotatable brush mounted transversely of the direction of machine movement. There is a debris hopper adjacent the brush and a dust collection chamber on the body. A vacuum fan draws dust laden air from the area about the brush, through the debris hopper, and into the dust collection chamber. The improvement comprises a dust control side skirt assembly mounted on each side of the body generally in alignment with the brush. Each such assembly includes a flexible inner skirt and a flexible outer skirt spaced from the inner skirt. A flexible spacer extends between and is attached to the inner and outer skirts, with the spacer and skirts defining a cavity which has an air opening at a lower portion of the side skirt assembly. The air opening is formed by a discontinuity in the spacer. There is an opening in the inner skirt connecting the cavity with the area about the brush whereby the vacuum fan creates an airflow path through the air opening, into the cavity, through the inner skirt opening and into the debris hopper and dust collection chamber.

Composite side skirt for powered sweeper

A sweeping machine includes a chassis with wheels supporting the chassis on a surface to be swept. There is a brush mounted on the chassis for rotation in a direction to throw debris over the brush and into a debris hopper mounted on the chassis behind the brush. A flap assembly is positioned in front of the brush and closely adjacent thereto. The flap assembly has a flexible lip which is in contact with a surface being swept during its normal position. There is an operator control and a connection between the operator control and the flap assembly for raising and lowering the flap assembly between the normal position in which the flexible lip is in contact with a surface being swept, a first raised position in which the flexible lip has been raised substantially vertically a small distance above the surface being swept, and a second raised position in which the flap assembly has been raised and pivoted in a forward direction relative to the first position to permit debris to pass under the flap assembly to an area about the rotatable brush.

Sweeping machine with multiple position front flap

A collectorless vacuum fan for floor maintenance machines has a backplate with an inlet plate attached thereto in spaced relationship, and an impeller between the backplate and inlet plate. Both the backplate and the inlet plate extend radially beyond the periphery of the impeller. A shaft mounts the impeller for rotation. The inlet plate has a central opening providing air to the hub of the impeller. Vanes on the impeller discharge air out through a diffuser channel defined by the space between the inlet plate and the backplate outside the periphery of the impeller. Attachment elements for mounting the inlet plate on the backplate leave the diffuser channel substantially unobstructed so that air is discharged about the entire periphery of the impeller. The fan has increased air flow compared to a conventional fan having an integral collector housing and decreased noise compared to a fan having a 360 degree discharge and no diffuser.

Low noise fan

A convertible sweeper has a main rotating cylindrical brush and a second rotatable cylindrical tool. The second tool is movable between a first position in front of the main brush where it rotates to assist in very effectively loading debris comprised mainly of dry leaves, paper, etc. into the hopper, and a second position in the upper part of the hopper entrance. There it may be held stationary when the debris to be swept is mainly sand, which is very efficiently swept by the main brush alone, or it may be rotated if the debris also includes some light material, because such rotation assists to a degree in loading that material.

Growing community of inventors

Maple Grove, MN, United States of America

Michael Thomas Basham