Surface cleaning apparatus with steam delivery

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a surface cleaning apparatus that includes steam delivery. The apparatus includes a hand-carried body adapted to be hand carried by a user, the hand-carried body having a main housing, a supply tank, and a heater. A flexible hose is mounted to the hand-carried body and a hand-held cleaning tool mounted to an end of the hose. The tool has a liquid distributor to deliver liquid cleaning fluid and a steam distributor to deliver steam. Various features for controlling the operation of electrical component of the extraction cleaner are disclosed.

1 . A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
 a hand-carried body adapted to be hand carried by a user, the hand-carried body comprising:
 a main housing; 
 a supply tank disposed on the main housing; 
 a liquid supply pump; 
 a steam supply pump; and 
 a heater; 
   a flexible hose mounted to the hand-carried body and comprising a first conduit in fluid communication with the liquid supply pump and a second conduit in fluid communication with the steam supply pump;   a hand-held cleaning tool mounted to an end of the hose and comprising a liquid distributor to deliver liquid cleaning fluid and a steam distributor to deliver steam; and   a first pressure relief device in a supply path between the supply tank and the hose to limit the pressure in the supply path, the first pressure relief device configured to open at a predetermined set pressure.   
     
     
         2 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a vacuum motor mounted within the main housing and a recovery tank disposed on the main housing, wherein:
 the flexible hose comprises a third conduit in fluid communication with the recovery tank; and   the hand-held cleaning tool comprises an extraction nozzle to recover soiled cleaning fluid from the surface to be cleaned.   
     
     
         3 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 2 , comprising a bypass line diverting cleaning fluid from the supply path to the recovery tank, wherein the first pressure relief device normally closes the bypass line, and wherein the first pressure relief device opens the bypass line at the predetermined set pressure. 
     
     
         4 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first pressure relief device is fluidly downstream of the steam supply pump and fluidly upstream of the heater. 
     
     
         5 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a check valve in a supply path between the supply tank and the steam supply pump to provide unidirectional flow of cleaning fluid from the supply tank to the steam supply pump. 
     
     
         6 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a pressure control device to cut off power to the steam supply pump at a predetermined control pressure. 
     
     
         7 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the pressure control device detects pressure fluidly downstream of the steam supply pump and fluidly upstream of at least one of:
 the heater; and   the first pressure relief device.   
     
     
         8 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the predetermined control pressure is less than the predetermined set pressure. 
     
     
         9 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the pressure control device is a normally-closed pressure switch. 
     
     
         10 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a temperature switch to control power to the steam supply pump, wherein the temperature switch senses temperature at the heater and powers the steam supply pump at a predetermined minimum temperature. 
     
     
         11 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a temperature switch to cut off power to the heater at a predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         12 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising:
 a liquid dispensing valve to control the flow of cleaning liquid to the liquid distributor;   a steam dispensing valve to control the flow of steam to the steam distributor; and   a trigger controlling the liquid dispensing valve and the steam dispensing valve, wherein depressing the trigger opens both the liquid dispensing valve and the steam dispensing valve.   
     
     
         13 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 12 , comprising a wand connecting the hand-held cleaning tool to the hose, wherein the trigger and the valves are located on the wand. 
     
     
         14 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a user interface on the main housing, the user interface comprising:
 a power button to activate and de-active at least one electrical component of the surface cleaning apparatus; and   a mode selector to select one of a plurality of cleaning modes.   
     
     
         15 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 14 , comprising:
 a power source;   a vacuum motor switch to control a supply of power from the power source to a vacuum motor, wherein selection of the power button closes the vacuum motor switch to power the vacuum motor;   a pump switch to control a supply of power from the power source to the liquid supply pump, wherein selection of the power button selectively closes the pump switch to power the liquid supply pump dependent on the selected cleaning mode; and   a heater switch to control a supply of power from the power source to the heater, wherein selection of the power button selectively closes the heater switch to power the heater dependent on the selected cleaning mode.   
     
     
         16 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the plurality of cleaning modes comprise a liquid/steam cleaning mode, a liquid cleaning mode, and a steam cleaning mode;   selection of the power button in the liquid/steam cleaning mode closes the pump switch to power the liquid supply pump and closes the heater switch to power the heater;   selection of the power button in the liquid cleaning mode closes the pump switch to power the liquid supply pump and does not close the heater switch; and   selection of the power button in the steam cleaning mode closes the heater switch to power the heater and does not close the pump switch.   
     
     
         17 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the hand-carried body comprises:
 a main housing comprising a base adapted to rest directly on a floor surface;   a partition extending upwardly from the base; and   a carry handle on an upper portion of the partition;   wherein the supply tank is removably mounted to the main housing on a first side of the partition and a recovery tank is removably mounted to the main housing on a second side of the partition;   wherein the heater, the liquid supply pump, and the steam supply pump are positioned below the carry handle.   
     
     
         18 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a second pressure relief device in a portion of the supply path between the heater and the hand-held cleaning tool to limit the pressure in the supply path, wherein the first pressure relief device is configured to open at a first set pressure and the second pressure relief device is configured to open at a second set pressure, different than the first set pressure. 
     
     
         19 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the first pressure relief device opens at a positive pressure and the second pressure relief device opens at a negative pressure. 
     
     
         20 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the second pressure relief device opens to the ambient environment at a predetermined pressure.