Pneumatic rotating brush

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus that can safely and efficiently clean food processing containers (e.g., stainless steel vats) and other surfaces (especially metallic surfaces) using a pneumatic rotating brush housing. The brush housing can include various cleaning implements, such as cleaning pads, abrasive pads, foam pads brushes, etc. Some embodiments can also be used to clean any substantially flat, rigid surface, such as floors, windows, etc. According to some embodiments, the brush comprises a handle having a pneumatic input that can be coupled to a pneumatic hose to power a pneumatic rotating element via compressed air or gas. The pneumatic rotating element causes the brush housing to rotate at a high speed as controlled by a lever disposed on the handle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A rotating pneumatic brush assembly, comprising:
 a rigid and substantially hollow shaft;   tubing disposed within the shaft operable to contain and transport pressurized air;   a handle coupled to the shaft and comprising:
 a valve coupled to an air input and the tubing; 
 the air input coupled to the tubing and operable to be coupled to a pressurized air source; and 
 a lever operable to open and close a valve that controls flow of pressurized air through the tubing; 
   an air motor coupled to the shaft and to the tubing, wherein the air motor is operable to receive pressurized air via the tubing when the valve is open; and   a brush housing coupled to the air motor and operable to rotate and turn a removeable brush head held by the brush housing via rotational force produced by the air motor.   
     
     
         2 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the brush housing is operable to tilt between 0 and 90 degrees. 
     
     
         3 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the brush housing is operable to be unlocked to adjust a tilt position of the brush housing and to be locked to maintain the tilt position during operation. 
     
     
         4 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the removeable brush head comprises nylon bristles operable to remove contaminants from a metallic surface. 
     
     
         5 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the removeable brush head comprises a flat cleaning pad operable to clean flat surfaces. 
     
     
         6 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the removeable brush head comprises a scour pad operable to clean flat surfaces via abrasion. 
     
     
         7 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the pressurized air comprises pressurized gas. 
     
     
         8 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the pressurized air source comprises a pressurized air tank. 
     
     
         9 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a foamer nozzle and a soap input coupled to a soap line that provides soap to the foamer nozzle to produce soap foam, wherein the soap foam is received by the brush housing to facilitate cleaning during operation. 
     
     
         10 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a foregrip coupled to the shaft. 
     
     
         11 . The rotating pneumatic brush assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a motor housing that encloses the air motor; and   a bearing coupled to the motor housing and to the brush housing, wherein the bearing is operable to prevent wear on the motor housing caused by friction produced by the brush housing rotating.   
     
     
         12 . A rotating pneumatic cleaning device, comprising:
 a rigid and substantially hollow shaft;   tubing disposed within the shaft operable to contain and transport pressurized air;   an air motor coupled to the shaft and to the tubing, wherein the air motor is operable to receive pressurized air via the tubing;   a soap line coupled to a foamer nozzle, wherein the soap line is operable to be coupled to a soap container via a hose and to receive and transport soap from the soap container to the foamer nozzle;   a brush housing coupled to the air motor and operable to rotate and turn a removeable cleaning pad held by the brush housing via rotational force produced by the air motor; and   the foamer nozzle operable to receive soap from the soap line and produce soap foam that is received by the cleaning pad while the cleaning pad is rotating to facilitate cleaning of a metallic surface.   
     
     
         13 . The rotating pneumatic cleaning device of  claim 12 , wherein the brush housing is operable to tilt between 0 and 90 degrees. 
     
     
         14 . The rotating pneumatic cleaning device of  claim 12 , wherein the brush housing is operable to be unlocked to adjust a tilt position of the brush housing and to be locked to maintain the tilt position during operation. 
     
     
         15 . The rotating pneumatic cleaning device of  claim 12 , wherein the cleaning pad comprises an abrasive scour pad operable to remove contaminants from a metallic surface. 
     
     
         16 . The rotating pneumatic cleaning device of  claim 12 , wherein the cleaning pad comprises a foam pad or sponge operable to hold soap foam. 
     
     
         17 . The rotating pneumatic cleaning device of  claim 12 , wherein the pressurized air comprises pressurized gas. 
     
     
         18 . The rotating pneumatic cleaning device of  claim 12 , wherein the pressurized air is provided to the tubing from a pressurized air tank. 
     
     
         19 . The rotating pneumatic cleaning device of  claim 12 , further comprising an adjustable rod disposed in the shaft operable to extend out from the shaft to increase a length of the shaft. 
     
     
         20 . A rotating pneumatic cleaning device for scale removal of food preparation vats, comprising:
 a rigid and substantially hollow shaft;   tubing disposed within the shaft operable to contain and transport pressurized air;   a handle coupled to the shaft and comprising:
 a valve coupled to an air input and the tubing; 
 the air input coupled to the tubing and operable to be coupled to a pressurized air source; and 
 a lever operable to open and close a valve that controls flow of pressurized air through the tubing; 
   an air motor coupled to the shaft and to the tubing, wherein the air motor is operable to receive pressurized air via the tubing when the valve is open; and   a brush housing coupled to the air motor and operable to rotate and turn a removeable brush head held by the brush housing via rotational force produced by the air motor, and to remove scale from a food preparation vat via the rotational force, and wherein the food preparation vat is operable to hold produce to be cleaned before bagging.