US Patent 7814613 Rollers and disks for carpet cleaning

The claimed carpet cleaning apparatus incorporates recesses in a rigid surface of a roller or in a rigid disk. As the roller or disk rotates or is moved across the soft surface to be cleaned, the roller or disk presses downward on the soft surface and compresses it. The soft surface decompresses to the original position when the soft surface is in contact with a surface of a recess and recompresses when the roller or disk presses downward again. The compression, decompression, and recompression, preferably in combination with a cleaning compound, provide the mechanical action necessary for removal of foreign material.