Floor cleaning tool and method

Abstract

A floor cleaning tool having a body, a cleaning solution reservoir, a brush or other rotating roll by which floor cleaning is performed, and at least one wheel enabling tool movement across a floor. In some embodiments, the tool has a rotatable handle that can be locked in two or more rotational positions, and that can be rotated about a laterally-extending axis of the handle. Some embodiments of the tool have a roll retained by a bracket having one or more axially-extending portions secured by a fastener for easy roll removal, service, and/or replacement. Some embodiment of the tool have a resiliently deformable fluid nozzle plate for easy cleaning. The tool can have a squeegee assembly that is laterally insertable (e.g., between the roll and wheels of the tool) for mounting, such as by rotatable projections insertable into a mount of the tool.

1 . A floor cleaning tool, comprising:
 a housing;   a reservoir coupled to the housing and adapted to hold a cleaning solution;   at least one wheel by which the floor cleaning tool moves across a floor surface in a direction of travel, the direction of travel at least partially defining a front, rear, and lateral sides of the floor cleaning tool; and   a handle including a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end positioned on one side of the tool and the distal end positioned on a center line of the tool, the handle pivotable about an axis located above the wheel and extending laterally with respect to the direction of travel of the floor cleaning tool.   
     
     
         2 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the handle between the proximal and distal ends extends substantially parallel and spaced from the center line. 
     
     
         3 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein the handle is pivotable about the axis between a deployed position in which the distal end of the handle is located at least partially behind the housing and a stowed position in which at least part of the handle is rotated to a position forward of the deployed position. 
     
     
         4 . The floor cleaning machine of  claim 3 , wherein the handle extends at least partially forward of the floor cleaning tool in the stowed position of the handle. 
     
     
         5 . The floor cleaning machine of  claim 1 , further including a lock coupled to the handle and having a locked state in which the lock releasably secures the handle in at least one rotational position about the axis, and an unlocked state in which the handle is rotatable about the axis. 
     
     
         6 . The floor cleaning machine of  claim 4 , wherein the handle has a plurality of rotational positions about the axis in which the lock releasably secures the handle in each of the plurality of rotational positions. 
     
     
         7 . The floor cleaning machine of  claim 1 , wherein the proximal end of the handle is rotatably mounted by a joint located on one side of the tool. 
     
     
         8 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein the handle extends from the distal end located on the center line of the tool, laterally and forwardly to the one side of the tool, and to the proximal end located at the one side of the tool. 
     
     
         9 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A floor cleaning tool, comprising:
 a housing;   a reservoir coupled to the housing and shaped to contain a cleaning solution;   a resiliently deformable plate coupled to the housing and defining a plurality of apertures; and   a conduit extending from the reservoir to the plate and establishing fluid communication between the reservoir and the plate for delivery of cleaning solution from the reservoir, through the conduit, and through the plurality of apertures in the resiliently deformable plate;   the resiliently deformable plate removable from the conduit and the housing for cleaning and replacement.   
     
     
         23 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 22 , further comprising a recess within the housing defining a plurality of apertures, the recess sized to removably receive the resiliently deformable plate. 
     
     
         24 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 23 , wherein the resiliently deformable plate defines a plurality of protrusions sized to be received in respective ones of the plurality of apertures within the recess, and wherein each of the protrusions includes an aperture defined through the resiliently deformable plate. 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 22 , wherein the apertures have a varying cross-sectional size through the resiliently deformable plate. 
     
     
         27 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 22 , wherein the resiliently deformable plate is located at a bottom of a chamber within the housing positioned to receive cleaning solution from the conduit. 
     
     
         28 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 22 , wherein the resiliency deformable plate is made of an elastomeric material. 
     
     
         29 - 38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . A floor cleaning tool comprising:
 a housing;   a handle having a proximal end rotatably coupled to the housing and a distal end;   a user-manipulatable control positioned adjacent the distal end of the handle; and   a lock coupled to the user-manipulatable control, the lock movable from a locked state to an unlocked state by actuation of the user-manipulatable control, the lock maintaining the handle in one of a plurality of rotational positions with respect to the housing when in the locked state, releasable to permit the handle to be moved to another of the plurality of rotational positions with respect to the housing, and movable to the locked state again to maintain the handle in the other of the plurality of rotational positions.   
     
     
         40 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 39 , further comprising a first member rotatable with the handle, the first member comprising at least one tooth releasably engageable with a set of teeth to selectively inhibit rotation of the handle with respect to the housing, and wherein the first member is rotatable with respect to the handle between a locked position in which the at least one tooth engages a portion of the set teeth and an unlocked position in which the at least one tooth is spaced from the portion of the set of teeth. 
     
     
         41 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 40 , wherein the set of teeth are on a gear fixed with respect to the housing, and wherein the first member rotates into contact with the gear in the locked position and out of contact with the gear in the unlocked position. 
     
     
         42 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 40 , further comprising a second member rotatable with the handle, the second member comprising at least one tooth rotatably and releasably engageable with the set of teeth to selectively inhibit rotation of the handle with respect to the housing. 
     
     
         43 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 42 , wherein the tooth of the first member is offset from the tooth of the second member such that only one of the tooth of the first member and the tooth of the second member engages the set of teeth in at least one rotational position of the handle with respect to the housing. 
     
     
         44 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 40 , further comprising a biasing member positioned to bias the tooth of the first member into engagement with the set of teeth.