Floor Maintenance Machine With Filter Box Fluid Reservoir

Abstract

A floor maintenance machine has a filter box that both provides a filter-receiving space and a fluid reservoir. The floor maintenance machine includes for cleaning a floor includes one or more brushes or brooms, the filter box, a sprayer, and a pump. The filter box is adapted to receive a filter in a filter-receiving volume. The filter box and the filter-receiving volume of the filter box are defined by walls with a hollow interior volume providing the fluid reservoir. The sprayer is positioned to spray the fluid on the floor adjacent to the brush or broom. The pump is configured to pump a fluid in the fluid reservoir of the filter box to the sprayer, thereby selectively placing the fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the sprayer.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A floor maintenance machine for cleaning a floor, the floor maintenance machine comprising:
 one or more brushes or brooms;   a filter box adapted to receive a filter in a filter-receiving volume, the filter box and the filter-receiving volume being defined by walls with a hollow interior volume providing a fluid reservoir configured to hold a fluid;   a sprayer in selective fluid communication with the fluid reservoir of the filter box, the sprayer positioned to spray the fluid on the floor adjacent to the one or more brushes or brooms; and   a pump configured to pump a fluid in the fluid reservoir of the filter box to the sprayer, thereby selectively placing the fluid reservoir in fluid communication with the sprayer.   
     
     
         2 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid includes a cleaning detergent. 
     
     
         3 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid reservoir surrounds only a portion of the filter-receiving volume. 
     
     
         4 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid reservoir entirely surrounds the filter-receiving volume. 
     
     
         5 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the filter box has a filter in the filter-receiving volume, the filter being configured to receive an airflow therethrough. 
     
     
         6 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the filter box is molded from a polymeric material. 
     
     
         7 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the filter box is rotomolded from a polymeric material. 
     
     
         8 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the filter box is positioned beneath an operator seat. 
     
     
         9 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 8 , wherein the operator seat is moveable to provide access to the filter box. 
     
     
         10 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 8 , wherein the operator seat is hinged to provide access to the filter box. 
     
     
         11 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the sprayer in selective fluid communication with the fluid reservoir of the filter box is one of a plurality of sprayers in selective fluid communication with the fluid reservoir of the filter box. 
     
     
         12 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 11 , wherein the pump is configured to pump the fluid in the fluid reservoir of the filter box to the plurality of sprayers, thereby selectively placing plurality of sprayers in fluid communication with one the interior volume of the fluid reservoir. 
     
     
         13 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the interior volume of the fluid reservoir is fluidly coupled to the plurality of sprayers via a plurality of hoses. 
     
     
         14 . The floor maintenance machine of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow interior volume providing the fluid reservoir is discontinuous.