Floor cleaning tool and method

Abstract

A floor cleaning tool including a housing, a reservoir coupled to the housing and adapted to hold a cleaning solution, and a floor-engaging roller coupled to the housing and rotatable with respect to the housing. The tool also includes a wheel by which the floor cleaning tool moves across a floor surface in a direction of travel at least partially defining a front, rear, and lateral sides of the floor cleaning tool. The tool further includes a squeegee laterally insertable between the roller and the wheel, and a squeegee mount located between the roller and the wheel by which the squeegee is releasably mounted to the floor cleaning tool by first and second laterally opposed protrusions rotatably secured within first and second apertures at opposite ends of the squeegee.

1 . A floor cleaning tool comprising:
 a housing;   a reservoir coupled to the housing and adapted to hold a cleaning solution;   a floor-engaging roller coupled to the housing and rotatable with respect to the housing;   a 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;   a squeegee laterally insertable between the roller and the wheel; and   a squeegee mount located between the roller and the wheel by which the squeegee is releasably mounted to the floor cleaning tool by first and second laterally opposed protrusions rotatably secured within first and second apertures at opposite ends of the squeegee.   
     
     
         2 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein the squeegee mount defines the apertures for receiving the protrusions on the squeegee. 
     
     
         3 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second apertures are located on opposite lateral sides of the floor cleaning tool. 
     
     
         4 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions and the apertures cooperate to suspend the squeegee relative to the floor cleaning tool. 
     
     
         5 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein the squeegee includes the first and second protrusions, and wherein the squeegee mount defines the first and second apertures that are sized to removably receive the protrusions to releasably mount and suspend the squeegee to the floor cleaning tool. 
     
     
         6 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 5 , wherein each of the protrusions is rotatable between a first position in which the protrusion is insertable and removable from the corresponding aperture, and a second position in which the protrusion is retained in the corresponding aperture. 
     
     
         7 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 6 , wherein each of the protrusions is rotatable by hand, without the use of tools. 
     
     
         8 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein the squeegee has a concave shape to direct cleaning solution to a center of the squeegee. 
     
     
         9 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are rotatable between a first orientation in which each protrusion is insertable into the corresponding aperture, and a second orientation in which each protrusion is retained within the corresponding aperture. 
     
     
         10 . A method of installing a squeegee assembly on a floor cleaning tool adapted to move in a direction of travel defining a front, rear, and lateral sides of the floor cleaning tool, the method comprising:
 laterally inserting the squeegee assembly below the floor cleaning tool;   raising the squeegee assembly to vertically insert a protrusion of the squeegee assembly into a mating aperture of the floor cleaning tool; and   rotating the protrusion to releasably couple the squeegee assembly to the floor cleaning tool.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein laterally inserting the squeegee assembly below the floor cleaning tool includes laterally inserting the squeegee assembly between a floor-engaging roller of the floor cleaning tool and at least one wheel of the floor cleaning tool. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein rotating the protrusion comprises rotating the protrusion to a first orientation in which the protrusion is insertable into the aperture, and further rotating the protrusion to a second orientation in which the protrusion is retained within the aperture. 
     
     
         13 . A floor cleaning tool comprising:
 a housing;   a reservoir coupled to the housing and adapted to hold a cleaning solution;   a floor-engaging roller coupled to the housing and rotatable with respect to the housing;   a 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;   a squeegee mount disposed on an underside of the floor cleaning tool; and   a squeegee laterally insertable into the housing along the underside of the tool and removably coupled to the squeegee mount.   
     
     
         14 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 13 , wherein the squeegee mount is attached to one of the housing and a frame of the floor cleaning tool. 
     
     
         15 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 13 , wherein the squeegee mount has an aperture or a protrusion and the squeegee has the other of the aperture and the protrusion, and wherein the squeegee is releasably mounted to the floor cleaning tool by engagement of the protrusion with the aperture. 
     
     
         16 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 15 , wherein the protrusion and the aperture cooperate to suspend the squeegee relative to the floor cleaning tool. 
     
     
         17 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 15 , wherein the squeegee includes the protrusion, and wherein the squeegee mount defines the aperture that is sized to removably receive the protrusion. 
     
     
         18 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 17 , wherein the squeegee includes another protrusion and the protrusions are positioned adjacent opposite ends of the squeegee and the squeegee mount includes an another aperture, and wherein each of the protrusions is rotatable between a first position in which the protrusion is insertable and removable from the corresponding aperture, and a second position in which the protrusion is retained in the corresponding aperture. 
     
     
         19 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 18 , wherein each of the protrusions is rotatable by hand, without the use of tools. 
     
     
         20 . The floor cleaning tool of  claim 15 , wherein the protrusion is movable between a first orientation in which the protrusion is insertable into the aperture, and a second orientation in which each protrusion is retained within the aperture, the floor cleaning tool further comprising a detent positioned on the squeegee mount to retain the protrusion in the second orientation.