Beating carpets is an unpleasant stage during cleaning due to dust and heaviness, nevertheless there is no suitable apparatus available on the market for the mechanical cleaning of. household carpets. In the publication WO 01/93739 A1 industrial cleaning of carpets is considered, but it is not applicable for the cleaning of small separate carpets.

An apparatus according to the publication ES 2016512 is intended for the cleaning of car carpets. There the need slightly differs from that of regular household carpets. The apparatus in question puts emphasis on brushing the carpet with an apparatus intensified by manual beating. It is typical for especially rotating brushes, that long fibrous trash such as human and animal hair stick to the brush. In this case the brushes need to be cleaned often, especially before cleaning delicate carpets. Additionally, a wet brush accumulates all kinds of dirt, and if the brush itself is not continuously carefully cleaned, strongly discolouring water soluble impurities may copy discolouration at each cycle into the carpet. For example, the brush according to the publication ES 2016512 is not cleaned otherwise despite once by a water shower, from which the dripping water is carried along to the same place as the treated carpet.

It is an aim of the present invention to reduce or to even entirely eliminate problems appearing in the prior art.

An object of the invention is in particular a mechanical cleaning apparatus, which is as well as simple also light in use and furthermore, the cleaning takes place in the closed and ventilated inner part of the apparatus, which makes it practical to use in the common facilities of apartment buildings and/or terraced houses.

An object of the invention is also a beating method, which is lighter and easier than manual beating.

The disadvantages above are eliminated or reduced and the above- mentioned objectives are attained with the present invention, which is characterised by what is defined in the characterising parts of the independent claim defined below.

Some preferred embodiments according to the invention are described in the dependent claims presented below.

A typical beating apparatus for the beating of dry carpets according to the invention comprises a frame, at least one main shaft that has been arranged to rotate, and which shaft has been arranged in connection with the frame, elongated beating elements that are fastened to the main shaft at their first ends and that rotate together with the main shaft, to the other end of which elements a roll has been arranged as a rotating beating head for beating and transporting a carpet through the beating apparatus.

In a typical method according to the invention for the cleaning of dry carpets by beating the carpet to be beaten is arranged to travel in a first direction by rotating the main shaft in the travel direction of the carpet, several blows are directed towards the carpet with the beating heads of the beating elements that are fastened to the rotating main shaft, and the beating heads are arranged to travel several centimetres along the surface of the carpets during each blow by arranging a rotating roll as the beating head of the beating elements.

In this application by roll is meant a preferably flat circular discoid object.

By beizung element is meant a substantial firm, infiexib'e e'ongated object.

B/itb_the aid_of the_invention the_cleaning of_carpets of_loose trash_by beating is simple and light. This is possible with the apparatus according to the invention, because cleaning only requires that the user turns the apparatus on, places the carpet at the feed opening and uses the brakes lightly during cleaning. According to one embodiment of the invention it is further possible to arrange a fan in the apparatus, which fan automatiça ! ly -attfflnds, to otheXsleanliness of the air in the entire work environment.

Heavier trash that does not leave while ventilating can be removed through a hatch that opens at the bottom of the apparatus.

According to another embodiment of the invention the beating apparatus can be arranged inside the frame casing. Further, the bottom of the casing can be formed funnel-shaped and a vacuum cleaner can be arranged on the bottom of the funnel, whereby a typical user does not have to attend to any other problem associated with dirt than the removal of trash that has fallen during the stages of bringing and feeding the carpet. Whereas, the caretaker of the facility cleans the fans and the filters of the vacuum cleaner at regular intervals. However, this automatic removal of trash from the bottom of the apparatus is in a way an extra feature in addition to the actual beating and raises the purchase and operational costs of the apparatus.

An apparatus according to the invention is typically used for the beating of dry carpets. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention the beating elements have been fastened to the main shaft in at least one row in the direction of the shaft. The length of the beating elements is typically about 60-250 mm. A roll has been arranged as a rotating beating head advantageously at one end of the beating elements, the outer end thereof, for example by fitting with a bearing. The main shaft of the beating apparatus has advantageously been arranged in connection with a power source, such as an engine, for rotating the shaft. The main shaft can be brought in to a rotating motion also with a manual power source, such as a crank.

Typically the travel direction of the carpet in the beating apparatus is horizontal. According to an embodiment of the invention the travel direction of the carpet is from upwards down regarding the surface of the earth in which case a grate is substituted by the effect of gravity. In this case a flexible stopper element has been arranged in the vicinity of a tangent arch, or even somewhat inside it.

An advantageous version of the apparatus according to the invention is described below with reference to the enclosed drawings: Figure 1 shows a beating apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention and the principle of the cleaning event,

Figure 2 shows the situation in Figure 1, when the main shaft has rotated 90°, Figure 3 shows a casing of the beating machine according to the invention and the cleaning of the work environment.

Figure 1 shows a beating apparatus and the principle of the cleaning event according to an embodiment of the invention. Carpet 1 travels along the support grate 2 in direction A and simultaneously the main shaft 3 rotates mechanically under the grate in direction B, which is the same as direction A. Beating elements 4 have been fastened to the main shaft 3, at the end of which beating elements rolls 5 have been arranged, which rolls rise together whilst rotating with the shaft 3 about 30-150 mm above the grate 2. The beating elements 4 have thus been arranged to travel between slits of the grate 2 when the main shaft rotates. The grate has been arranged to support the carpet 1 during beating.

Circle C indicates the travel path of the outermost point of roll 5 i. e. the tangent arch. At a moment shown in Figure 1 the rolls 5 do not support the carpet 1 but the one on the left is approaching the carpet. By adjusting mutual relationship between the rotating speed of the main shaft 3, the radius of the tangent arch C and the distance of the highest point of the tangent arch C from the upper surface of the grate 2 appropriate, the speed of incidence of the roll 5 regarding the carpet 1 can be made to match manual beating, i. e. a local and momentary acceleration created by roll 5 is achieved in the carpet 1 that corresponds to manual beating and thereby, loosening trash and dust from it. By a blow arranged in this manner the roll 5 travels several centimetres along the surface of the carpet during each blow. If the end of the beating element 4 that meets the carpet is solid regarding main shaft 3, this causes great wearing to the carpet 1 due to friction and at the same time it attempts to transport the carpet 1 too fast through the apparatus in the direction A. When the end of the beating element 4 is equipped with a rotating roll 5, then it travels along the carpet 1 by rolling and thus does not cause substantial wearing.

At the same time traction towards direction A is reduced to suitably light feeding for transporting the carpet 1 trough the apparatus. Roll 5 can also be a narrow round brush, which while rotating freely brushes the carpet fairly efficiently, but in this case a problem may arise with the transfer of

animal and human hair that adhere to brushes from one carpet to another especially in apparatuses that are intended for common use.

In order for the beating to be efficient the acceleration towards the carpet caused by the blow of the roll 5 must be great enough. Thus, the carpet 1 does not necessarily have time to return to the grate 2 merely by the effect of the earth's gravity, nor really to the tangent arch C before the next roll 5 comes up between slits of grate 2, whereby the next blow may miss and even during the following blow the carpet is only slightly inside the tangent arch C, whereby the carpet in a manner of speaking floats shivering above the rolls 5 and does not get beaten. To prevent this problem flexible stoppers 6 can be arranged above the tangent arch C, which stoppers return the carpet 1 close to the grate 2 before the next blow. Flexible stoppers 6 are thus arranged close enough, outside the tangent arch C formed by the beating elements 4, in order to reverse the direction of the kinetic energy of the carpet 1 that has bounced outwards due to the force from the beating elements 4. Thus, the carpet is led between the beating elements 4 and the stopper element or elements 6.

In Figure 2 the situation in Figure 1 is shown, when the main axis has rotated 90°. The carpet 1 has been thrown against the flexible stopper elements 6. The flexible stopper 6 can be, for example a long bristled brush or an about 2 mm thick and about 30-70 mm high vertically arranged rubber sheet or a horizontal sheet, for example the cover to the casing of the beating apparatus. The beating apparatus may also comprise several stopper elements, such as vertical rubber sheets, which have been arranged successively in the travel direction of the carpet. The stopper element is advantageously a rubber sheet, which rubber sheet gives a more even beating result. The flaring of the carpet 1 is preventable also with the cover to the frame casing, which is close enough to the tangent arch C.

In Figure 3 a casing of the beating machine according to the invention and the cleaning of the work environment is shown. It shows the beating element of the beating apparatus according to Figure 1 arranged inside a casing 10, so that the cover 11 covers the entire beating event but allows the passage of the carpet through the gap 12 inside the apparatus and out through gap 13. The lower surface has been closed by a hatch 14 that

can be opened for the removal of trash, this open hatch has been indicated by a dashed line. Fine dust that has been loosened during the beating is removed by a fan that has not been indicated in the figure, from the upper surface through suction opening 15 as indicated by arrow D.

Thereby, an underpressure is created inside the apparatus. Replacement air enters the apparatus as indicated by arrows E trough the inlet gaps 12 and 13 of the carpet, therefore dust does not pass therethrough to the work space. During the cold seasons some of the ventilation air can be returned back into the machine after the separation of dust. This is most suitably arranged as indicated by arrow E above the carpet 1, and to the opposite side of the apparatus as the suction, whereby the transfer of dust is more efficient even from above broad carpets to the suction opening. When the carpets of a household have been beaten once, the hatch 14 is opened and the trash is brushed from the trough into the waste bin in the direction of arrow F. At this stage the brushing does not substantially raise dust, because during beating the ventilation has removed the finest dust, and the trash and the rest of the dust have partially bound to each other. For the sake of the environment, this is a functioning entity as compared to regular manual beating performed outdoors, because with beating performed outdoors small amount of nearly invisible dust travels with the wind to a vast area and large amount of dust and bigger pieces of trash remain in the immediate vicinity of the beating location. The person performing the beating is substantially inside the dirt flying in the air and finally the whole area remains dirty. In an apparatus according to the invention coarse dust and trash remain in an easily controllable form inside the apparatus on a bottom 14 and is removable into a waste bin in one go and the small amount of the finest dust is led out of the apparatus through suction openings 15 along with the ventilation air either out or to a filter, depending on the circumstances, so that the person performing the task can work in fresh air and the carpet is also aired. The filter is not shown in the drawing.

For illustrating the ease of operation of the apparatus configuration according to the invention shown in Figure 3, the following summary can be made: the user only needs to turn on the apparatus by pressing the push button 16, whereby the beating unit begins to rotate and the ventilation starts and they remain operational. Then the carpets are individually fed through opening 12 and brakes are lightly used depending

on the dirtiness of the carpet and the cleaned carpets are rolled to be taken away. Eventually the apparatus is stopped by pressing the push button 17. The bottom hatch 14 is opened to a position as shown by the dashed line in Figure 3 and the trash is swept away from a trough formed by the hatch according to arrow F. Finally the hatch 14 is closed, whereby the apparatus is left ready for the next user.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the examples presented above, but the invention can vary within the scope of the claims presented below.