US20090044359A1 - Suction brush having hair removal unit for vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A suction brush having a hair removal unit for a vacuum cleaner is provided. The suction brush includes a brush body having a rear end fluidly connected to a main body of the vacuum cleaner, a suction port on a lower surface of a front end, and a rotation brush inside the suction port; and a hair removal unit detachably connected to the suction port.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0082372, filed on Aug. 16, 2007, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
• Also, this application may be related to commonly-owned copending U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,296,324, filed Jul. 29, 2004, by Byung-jo Lee; 7,272,872, filed May 24, 2004, by Keon-soo Choi; 6,918,156, filed Jul. 16, 2002, by Sang-tae Joo; and commonly-owned copending U.S. application Ser. Nos. 10/851,070, filed May 24, 2004, by Jong-kook Lim et al.; 10/991,426, filed Nov. 19, 2004, by Kyoung-woong Kim; 11/362,144, filed Feb. 27, 2006, by Myung-won Lee et al.; 11/363,032, filed Feb. 28, 2006 by Hwa-gyu Song et al; 11/386,802, filed Mar. 23, 2006, by Hyun-ju Lee et al.; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a single suction brush that is capable of cleaning a variety of different surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Vacuum cleaners generally use a variety of accessory brushes to more conveniently clean different cleaning surfaces. An example of a suction brush to clean human or animal hair tangled in blankets or carpets is disclosed in U.K. Patent Registration No. GB 2,425,715.
• In the above-referenced conventional invention, a general suction brush and a hair removal suction brush are used separately according to the type of cleaning surface. General floors are cleaned using the general suction brush. But, in order to clean blankets or carpets, the entire general suction brush assembly must be separated from an extended tube and a hair removal suction brush must be installed and used in its place.
• Changing the suction brush according to the cleaning surface in such a manner is inconvenient, and because two or more suction brushes are necessary, manufacturing costs are increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• Accordingly, to solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below, a non-limiting object of the present invention is to provide a single suction brush for a vacuum cleaner that is able to be used for both cleaning on general floor surfaces and floor surfaces with tangled hair, the suction brush includes a brush body having a rear end fluidly connected to a main body of the vacuum cleaner, a suction port on a lower surface of a front end, and a rotation brush inside the suction port; and a hair removal unit detachably connected to the suction port.
• The hair removal unit includes a support frame mounted on the suction port and including a front, a back and sides with a hole disposed therebetween, the hole corresponding to the suction port; a first brush member connected to the front of the support frame and a second brush member connected to the back of the support frame; at least one hook that extends from the front of the support frame to fix the support frame at the front of the suction port; and at least one connection unit that extends from the back of the support frame to fix the support frame at the back of the suction port.
• The connection unit includes a front end configured to snap-engage with a connection hole formed at the back of the suction port to attach the support frame to the brush body and a lever configured to draw the front end of the connection unit out of the connection hole to separate the support frame from the brush body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The above and other aspects and/or advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suction brush for a vacuum cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 2 is a exploded perspective view of a suction brush for a vacuum cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of a suction brush for a vacuum cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A inFIG. 3; and
• FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part B inFIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
• Reference will now be made in detail to non-limiting embodiments of the present invention by way of reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, components and structures.
• With reference toFIGS. 1 and 2, a suction brush according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes abrush body100, arotation brush110, and ahair removal unit200.
• Thebrush body100 includes adrum casing unit120 at the front that supports therotation brush110 so that therotation brush110 can be rotated, asuction port121 under thedrum casing unit120 to draw in dust-laden air, and aconnection port130 that is connected to an extended tube (not shown) connected to a main body (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner and transfers the dust-laden air drawn in through thesuction port121 to the main body of the vacuum cleaner.
• Thedrum casing unit120 includes first andsecond holding holes123aand123bformed at the front of thesuction port121, wherein the front end of first andsecond hooks221 and223 are inserted, and first andsecond connection holes125aand125bformed at the back of thesuction port121, to snap-engagehanging units231aand233aof first andsecond connection units231 and233.
• Thedrum casing unit120 further includes arib support128athat extends in the front and back of thesuction port121, and arotation brush support128bthat rotatably supports therotation brush110. Elevatedparts126a,126b,126cand126dextend between the two sides of thedrum casing unit120, therib support128a, and therotation brush support128b.
• As shown inFIG. 2, thehair removal unit200 is snap-engaged with thesuction port121 of thedrum casing unit120 in order to be removably connected to thesuction port121. The hair removal unit includes first andsecond brush members241 and243 disposed at the front and back of thesuction port121 respectively so human or animal hair tangled in blankets or carpets can be easily removed. Thehair removal unit200 further includes asupport frame210, first andsecond hooks221 and223, first andsecond connection units231 and233, and first andsecond brush members241 and243, each of which is described in more detail below.
• Thesupport frame210 is tetragonal in shape so as to correspond with thesuction port121, and has ahole211 in the center to enable fluid communication between thesuction port121 and a surface to be cleaned. First andsecond ribs213aand213bare formed at certain intervals to extend from the front to the back of thehole211. The first andsecond ribs213aand213bprevent a part of a blanket or carpet from being sucked through thehole211 into thesuction port121 so that manipulation of thebrush body100 on the blanket or carpet is enhanced. Holding grooves214a,214b,214cand214dextend between the two sides of thesupport frame210 and the first andsecond ribs213aand213b.
• Holding grooves214aand214bare formed on both sides of thesupport frame210 to receive the elevatedparts126aand126brespectively on both sides of thesuction port121. Accordingly, when thebrush body100 is moved forward and backward during cleaning and the first andsecond brush members241 and243 are in contact with the floor, the interface between the matching uneven surfaces of theholding grooves214aand214bof thesupport frame210 and theelevated parts126aand126brespectively of thesuction port121 firmly fixes thesupport frame210 to thedrum casing unit120 so that thesupport frame210 is not displaced from thesuction port121 by frictional forces generated between the first andsecond brush members241 and243 and the floor being cleaned.
• To more firmly fix thesupport frame210 to thedrum casing unit120, elevatedparts126cand126dare disposed on therib support128aand therotation brush support128brespectively, and the first andsecond ribs213aand213bhavecorresponding holding grooves214cand214drespectively to receive the elevatedparts126cand126drespectively. The interface between the matching uneven surfaces of theholding grooves214cand214dof therib support128aand therotation brush support128brespectively and the elevatedparts126aand126bof thesuction port121 fix thesupport frame210 to thedrum casing unit120 in the same manner discussed above.
• The first andsecond hooks221 and223 protrude from the front of thesupport frame210 at certain intervals to fix the front of thesupport frame210 to the front of thedrum casing unit120. The front ends221aand223aof the first andsecond hooks221 and223 respectively are inserted into the first andsecond holding holes123aand123brespectively of thedrum casing unit120.
• The first andsecond connection units231 and233 protrude from the back of thesupport frame210 at certain intervals to fix the back of thesupport frame210 to thedrum casing unit120. The first andsecond hanging units231aand233aare disposed on the first andsecond connection units231 and233 respectively so as to be snap-engaged with the first andsecond connection holes125aand125brespectively of thedrum casing unit120. The first andsecond connection units231 and233 also havelever protrusions231band233brespectively to separate the first andsecond hanging units231aand233afrom the first andsecond connection holes125aand125brespectively when thehair removal unit200 is separated from thedrum casing unit120.
• In order for the first andsecond connection units231 and233 to be elastically connected to thesupport frame120, thesupport frame120 and the first andsecond connection units231 and233 may be made of elastic material such as synthetic rubber or plastic.
• In addition to fixing thesupport frame210 to thedrum casing unit120, the interface of the first andsecond hooks221 and223 and first andsecond connection units231 and233 of thesupport frame210 inserted into the first andsecond holding holes123a,123b,125aand125brespectively of thedrum casing unit120 also supplements the interface between the matching uneven surfaces of theholding grooves214aand214bof thesupport frame210 and theelevated parts126aand126brespectively of thesuction port121. This interface supplements the interface between the matching uneven surfaces of theholding grooves214aand214bof thesupport frame210 and the elevatedparts126aand126brespectively of thesuction port121 by further fixing thesupport frame210 to thedrum casing unit120 so that thesupport frame210 is not displaced from thesuction port121 by forces generated in a direction inclined to the forward and backward movement during cleaning, such as a force perpendicular to the forward and backward movement.
• In this exemplary embodiment, thesupport frame210 is described as having a pair of the firstsecond hooks221 and223 and a pair of first andsecond connection units231 and233, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of first andsecond hooks221 and223 and first andsecond connection units231 and233 may vary.
• The first andsecond brush members241 and243 may be detachably connected at the front and the back of thesupport frame210 and may be made of a material having a certain solidity that will not damage blankets or carpets during cleaning.
• The operation of the suction brush according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference toFIGS. 3 to 5.
• As shown inFIG. 4, when thesupport frame210 of thehair removal unit200 is connected to thesuction port121 as shown inFIG. 2, thefront ends221aand223aof the first andsecond hooks221 and223 are inserted into and fixed to the first andsecond holding holes123aand123bof thedrum casing unit120. In this configuration, when the back of thesupport frame210 is connected to the back of thedrum casing unit120 by compressing the back of thesupport frame210 using a certain force, thehanging units231aand233aof the first andsecond connection units231 and233 are snap-engaged with the first andsecond connection holes125aand125brespectively as shown inFIG. 5.
• When thehair removal unit200 is separated from thebrush body100, thelever protrusions231band233bare drawn out of the first andsecond connection holes125aand125brespectively by elastically pulling thelever protrusions231band233bof the first andsecond connection units231 and233 respectively in the reverse direction to that in which thebrush body100 was pushed into place. In this configuration, the front ends221aand223aof the first andsecond hooks221 and223 arc unhooked from the first andsecond holding holes123aand123brespectively so that thehair removal unit200 can be easily and conveniently separated from thebrush body100.
• As described in the above exemplary embodiment, the user can easily and conveniently mount and remove thehair removal unit200 on thebrush body100. Thelever protrusions231band233benable the user to mount and remove thehair removal unit200 on thebrush body100 without contacting the first andsecond brush members241 and243, thereby avoiding fouling the user with dirt and debris collected thereon. The user may, for example, take eachlever protrusion231band233bbetween their thumb and forefinger to mount or remove thehair removal unit200 on thebrush body100.
• As can be appreciated from the above description, when a surface such as a blanket or carpet containing tangled human or animal hair is cleaned, the user can easily connect and use the hair removal unit with the suction brush. And, for general floors, the user can easily separate the hair removal unit from the suction brush without removing the entire suction brush, thereby enhancing user convenience.
• Accordingly, the present invention provides ahair removal unit200 that is mounted on abrush body100 by snap engagement, so a single suction brush can clean a variety of floor surfaces without need for a separate suction brush. This reduces manufacturing costs, improves user convenience, and reduces fouling of the user.
• While the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, additional variations and modifications of the embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims shall be construed to include both the above embodiments and all such variations and modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (7)

1. A suction brush for a vacuum cleaner, the suction brush comprising:

a brush body having a rear end fluidly connected to a main body of the vacuum cleaner, a suction port on a lower surface of a front end, and a rotation brush inside the suction port, the suction port having a front and a back; and

a hair removal unit having a front and a back, the hair removal unit being detachably connected to the suction port.

2. The suction brush ofclaim 1, wherein the hair removal unit includes:

a support frame mounted on the suction port and including a front, a back and sides with a hole disposed therebetween, the hole corresponding to the suction port;

a first brush member connected to the front of the support frame and a second brush member connected to the back of the support frame;

at least one hook that extends from the front of the support frame to attach the support frame at the front of the suction port; and

at least one connection unit that extends from the back of the support frame to attach the support frame at the back of the suction port.

3. The suction brush ofclaim 2, wherein the connection unit includes a front end configured to snap-engage with a connection hole formed at the back of the suction port to attach the support frame to the brush body and a lever configured to draw the front end of the connection unit out of the connection hole to separate the support frame from the brush body.

4. The suction brush ofclaim 2, wherein the connection unit extends elastically from the support frame.

5. The suction brush ofclaim 1, wherein the support frame is held in place on the suction port by surfaces on the support frame engaging surfaces on the brush body in more than one plane.

6. The suction brush ofclaim 2, wherein the support frame includes at least one rib formed to cross the hole so as to prevent a part of a blanket or carpet from being sucked into the suction port.

7. The suction brush ofclaim 6, wherein the support frame is held in place on the suction port by surfaces on the at least one rib on the support frame engaging surfaces on at least one rib on the brush body in more than one plane.

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