Surface cleaning apparatus

Abstract

A surface cleaning apparatus includes a housing including an upright handle assembly, a base mounted to the upright handle assembly, a recovery system comprising a recovery pathway, a fluid delivery system, and a brushroll within the recovery pathway of the recovery system. The surface cleaning apparatus is further provided with a self-cleaning mode configured to clean the brushroll and the recovery pathway.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A floor cleaning system, comprising:
 a surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
 an upright handle assembly comprising a handle and a frame; 
 a base coupled with the upright handle assembly and adapted for movement across a surface to be cleaned, the base comprising a removable brush cover; 
 a recovery system comprising a recovery pathway, a recovery tank, a suction inlet in the base housing, and a suction motor/fan assembly; 
 a brushroll within the recovery pathway of the recovery system, wherein the suction inlet is configured to extract fluid and debris from the brushroll; 
 a brushroll motor operably coupled to the brushroll to rotate the brushroll; 
 a fluid delivery system comprising a supply tank, a pump, and a fluid dispenser, the fluid dispenser provided on the base and configured to spray the brushroll; 
 a plurality of cleaning modes, one of the plurality of cleaning modes comprising a self-cleaning mode configured to clean the brushroll and the recovery pathway, and during which the brushroll motor is energized to rotate the brushroll and the suction motor/fan assembly is energized to draw fluid through the suction inlet and into the recovery pathway; 
 a user interface including at least one actuator for selecting the self-cleaning mode; and 
 a control unit controlling the operation of the recovery system and the fluid delivery system, and operably coupled with the user interface for receiving inputs from a user; and 
   a tray configured to receive the base of the surface cleaning apparatus for the self-cleaning mode, the tray configured to hold fluid to be drawn through the suction inlet and into the recovery pathway.   
     
     
         2 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cleaning modes comprise multiple floor cleaning modes, and the control unit adjusts a speed of the pump to generate a desired flow rate depending on a selected one of the multiple floor cleaning modes. 
     
     
         3 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the self-cleaning mode is configured to run:
 for a predetermined amount of time; or   until fluid in the tray is depleted.   
     
     
         4 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a battery configured to selectively power the pump, the brushroll motor, and the suction motor/fan assembly. 
     
     
         5 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the upright handle assembly comprises the user interface, and the at least one actuator for selecting the self-cleaning mode is disposed on one of the handle and the frame. 
     
     
         6 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the handle comprises a handgrip adapted to be gripped by a user, and the at least one actuator for selecting the self-cleaning mode is disposed on the handgrip. 
     
     
         7 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a fluid actuator provided on the upright handle assembly, the fluid actuator operably coupled with the fluid delivery system to deliver fluid from the supply tank to the fluid dispenser. 
     
     
         8 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the brushroll comprises one of:
 a dowel and microfiber material provided on the dowel; and 
 a dowel, bristles extending from the dowel, and microfiber material provided on the dowel, between the bristles. 
 
     
     
         9 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising an interference wiper provided on the base and adapted to interface with a portion of the brushroll to remove excess liquid from the brushroll. 
     
     
         10 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the fluid dispenser is disposed between the interference wiper and the suction inlet to dispense cleaning fluid onto a portion of the brushroll disposed between the interference wiper and the suction inlet. 
     
     
         11 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a squeegee provided on the base rearwardly of the brushroll and adapted to contact the surface to be cleaned. 
     
     
         12 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a swivel joint assembly mounting the base to the upright handle assembly, wherein the upright handle assembly is pivotable via the swivel joint assembly about at least one axis. 
     
     
         13 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the upright handle assembly comprises the pump and the base comprises the fluid dispenser, and the fluid delivery system comprises a fluid supply conduit fluidly coupling the pump, wherein the fluid supply conduit passes through the swivel joint assembly. 
     
     
         14 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 12  wherein the upright handle assembly is reclined in the self-cleaning mode. 
     
     
         15 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the fluid dispenser is provided on an underside of the brush cover and dispenses fluid onto the brushroll. 
     
     
         16 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the base comprises a base housing and the brush cover is selectively removable from the base housing. 
     
     
         17 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the base housing comprises:
 the suction inlet; and 
 a spray connector disposed above the suction inlet and behind the brushroll; 
 wherein the spray connector is fluidly coupled with the fluid dispenser by the installation of the brush cover on the base housing. 
 
     
     
         18 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the fluid dispenser comprises multiple outlets, the multiple outlets adapted to dispense fluid onto the brushroll. 
     
     
         19 . The surface cleaning apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the pump is not energized during the self-cleaning mode.