The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 31, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 24, 1997
Steven L Boomgaarden, Rosemount, MN (US);
Tennant Company, Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
A surface maintenance machine has a body, wheels for supporting the body, a source of cleaning solution on the body and a conduit for applying the cleaning solution to a surface to be cleaned. There are scrub brushes on the body and there is a squeegee carried by the body. A container for used cleaning solution is located on the body and there is a vacuum system, including a vacuum fan, for removing used cleaning solution from adjacent the squeegee and conveying it to the used cleaning solution container. The vacuum system includes a conduit between the used cleaning solution container and the vacuum fan. There is a seal extending about this conduit, with the exterior of the seal being exposed to atmospheric pressure and the interior being exposed to the less than atmospheric pressure of the vacuum system. The seal has connected annular lip portions, with the pressure difference between opposite sides of the seal moving said lip portions into tight sealing contact with the conduit and adjacent portions of the vacuum system.