US20090100636A1 - Vacuum Cleaner Nozzle with Disposable Cover Sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner base includes a source of suction and front wheels and rear wheels for wheeling the base across a floor. A nozzle assembly is attached to and supported by the base. The nozzle assembly includes a suction inlet and a sheet-pressing surface that are located in front of the front wheels. A disposable sheet is configured to be removably attached to the nozzle assembly such that, as the base is wheeled across the floor, the sheet-pressing surface presses the sheet against the floor to dislodge dirt from the floor, and the suction draws the dirt from the floor through the suction inlet.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• This claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 60/981935, filed Oct. 23, 2007, hereby incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
• This technology relates to vacuum cleaners.
BACKGROUND
• A vacuum cleaner base can be wheeled across a floor. Different cleaning attachments can be removably attached to the base for cleaning different types of surfaces. These include a floor nozzle supported by the base and a vacuuming head that is coupled to the base by a hose. The base generates a flow of air that draws dirt through the nozzle or the cleaning head to clean a floor.
SUMMARY
• A vacuum cleaner base includes a source of suction and front wheels and rear wheels for wheeling the base across a floor. A nozzle assembly is attached to and supported by the base. The nozzle assembly includes a suction inlet and a sheet-pressing surface that are located in front of the front wheels. A disposable sheet can be removably attached to the nozzle assembly such that, as the base is wheeled across the floor, the sheet-pressing surface presses the sheet against the floor to dislodge dirt and the suction draws the dirt from the floor to and through the suction inlet.
• The sheet includes an airflow opening configured for an airflow to carry dirt through the airflow opening to and through the suction inlet. The suction inlet is a front suction inlet of the nozzle assembly, and the nozzle assembly further includes a rear suction inlet, and the sheet-pressing surface is located between the front and rear suction inlets.
• The sheet-pressing surface is a front sheet-pressing surface, and the nozzle assembly further includes a rear sheet-pressing surface, and the suction inlet is located between the front and rear sheet-pressing surfaces.
• The nozzle assembly includes a nozzle and a bracket. The bracket is removably attached to the nozzle and includes the sheet-pressing surface. The nozzle includes a brushroll configured to rotate against the floor to dislodge dirt from the floor when the bracket and the sheet are removed from the nozzle. A portion of the sheet-pressing surface is located directly under the brushroll, and even directly under a rotational axis of the brushroll.
• The nozzle assembly is removably attached to the base. The base includes a height adjust mechanism for raising and lowering the nozzle assembly. The sheet is impregnated with an oil. A nozzle assembly is configured to be connected to a source of suction. The nozzle assembly has front and rear suction inlets and a sheet-pressing surface located between the front and rear inlets. A disposable sheet has front and rear airflow openings. The sheet is configured to be removably attached to the nozzle assembly with the front and rear openings of the sheet respectively aligned with the front and rear inlet openings of the nozzle assembly. As the nozzle assembly is moved along a floor, the sheet-pressing surface presses the sheet against the floor to dislodge dirt from the floor, and the suction draws the dirt from the floor through the sheet's front and rear openings and the nozzle assembly's front and rear inlets.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of parts that can be interconnected in different combinations for different modes of vacuum cleaning, the parts including a base, a floor nozzle, a vacuuming head, a hose structure, a cover sheet, and a bracket.
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the floor nozzle.
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the floor nozzle attached to the base.
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vacuuming head.
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vacuuming head attached to the base.
• FIG. 6 is one perspective view of the bracket, taken from beneath.
• FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the bracket, taken from above.
• FIG. 8 is a top view the cover sheet.
• FIG. 9 is a perspective view the sheet being attached to the bracket.
• FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the bracket being attached to the vacuuming head.
• FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a vacuuming head assembly comprising the vacuuming head, the bracket and the sheet.
• FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the vacuuming head assembly showing paths of air flowing into the assembly.
• FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the base, the floor nozzle, the bracket and the sheet attached together.
• FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the bracket and the sheet attached to another vacuuming head.
DESCRIPTION
• The apparatus shown in the drawings has parts that are examples of the elements recited in the claims. The illustrated apparatus thus includes examples of how a person of ordinary skill in the art can make and use the claimed invention. It is described here to meet the requirements of enablement and best mode without imposing limitations that are not recited in the claims.
Overview
• Theapparatus1 shown inFIG. 1 is a vacuum cleaner for cleaning afloor6. It includes abase10 configured to be wheeled across thefloor6, ahandle14 extending upward from thebase10, and afilter bag16. Afloor nozzle20 can be attached to, and supported by, thebase10 for vacuum cleaning thefloor6. A cleaning attachment such as avacuuming head22 can be coupled by ahose assembly24 to thebase10 for cleaning thefloor6 and above-the-floor surfaces. Abracket30 can connect adisposable cover sheet32 to thecleaning head22 and to thefloor nozzle20.
Base
• Thebase10 is located on an axis Al and has axially-opposite front andrear ends41 and42. Thebase10 has twofront wheels51 and tworear wheels52 for wheeling thebase10 over thefloor6. It also has asuction inlet54 in front of thefront wheels51.
Floor Nozzle
• As shown inFIG. 2, thefloor nozzle20 is located on an axis A2 and has axially opposite front andrear ends101 and102. Thenozzle20 further has abrushroll110 withtufts112 of bristles projecting through asuction inlet120 at thebottom122 of thenozzle20. Theinlet120 is surrounded by front andrear flanges131,132 that extend respectively forward and rearward from an upwardly-extendingsurface134 surrounding thenozzle20.
• FIG. 3 shows anupright vacuum cleaner160 in which thefloor nozzle20 is attached to thefront end41 of thebase10. Thenozzle20 is supported by thebase10 and the base'swheels51,52, so as to move in unison with thebase10 as thebase10 is wheeled by itshandle14 across thefloor6. Thebrushroll110 rotates against thefloor6 to dislodge dirt from thefloor6. Thebase10 is configured to generate an air flow that draws dirt through thenozzle inlet120 and the base's suction inlet54 (FIG. 1) and deposits the dirt in thefilter bag16.
Vacuuming Head
• The vacuuminghead22 is shown inFIG. 4. It is a type of vacuuming nozzle. It is an elongated, generally rectangular structure with a longitudinal axis A3, a transverse axis A4, and front and rear side edges201 and202. Thehead22 has a planarbottom surface222 configured to face the surface being cleaned. Twofront wheels231 and tworear wheels232 extend through holes in thebottom surface222. Thebottom surface222 defines a longitudinally extending series offront suction inlets241 and a longitudinally extending series ofrear suction inlets242. Alongitudinally extending scrubber244 is located between the front andrear air inlets241 and242. Thescrubber244 is a brush strip with bristles or fibers projecting downward from thebottom surface222. Front andrear flanges251 and252 extend, with a slightly upward slant, respectively forward and rearward from the planarbottom surface222. Thehead22 has anoutlet tube256 that is pivotable (arrow257) and rotatable (arrow258) relative to the remainder of thehead22.
• FIG. 5 shows acanister vacuum cleaner260 in which thecleaning head22 is attached to thebase10 by thehose assembly24. One end of thehose assembly24 is coupled to the suction inlet54 (FIG. 1) of thebase10. The opposite end of thehose assembly24 is coupled to theoutlet tube256 of the vacuuminghead22. In operation, thehead22 is moved forward and rearward across a surface to be cleaned, which is thefloor6 in this example. Thebase10 is configured to be pulled across thefloor6 by thehose24.
• Referring toFIGS. 4-5, the head'swheels231 and232 space the head's bottom surface222 a set distance from thefloor6. Thescrubber244 dislodges dirt from thefloor6. Thebase10 generates an air flow that draws the dirt through the vacuuming head'sinlets241,242 and thehose24 and deposits the dirt in thefilter bag16.
Bracket
• As shown inFIG. 6, thebracket30 also is an elongated, generally rectangular structure with a longitudinal axis A5 and a transverse axis A6. Thebracket30 further has front and rear side edges301 and302 and opposite end edges324. Abottom surface340 of thebracket30 defines a longitudinally extending series offront air inlets341 and a longitudinally extending series ofrear air inlets342.
• A longitudinally extendingfront scrubber351 is located between thefront inlets341 and therear inlets342. Thefront scrubber351 preferably is a single elongated piece of elastic foam rubber, e.g., a sponge. Arear scrubber352 is located rearward from therear openings342 and is parallel with thefront scrubber351. Therear scrubber352 is a brush strip with bristles or fibers projecting downward from the bracket'sbottom surface340. Thebrush strip352 is bounded by a ridge extending downward from the bracket'sbottom surface340 to protect the bristles. The front andrear scrubbers351 and352 have respectivebottom surfaces361 and362 configured to function as sheet-pressing surfaces by pressing the cover sheet32 (FIG. 1) against thefloor6.
• Twofront spacers371 extend downward from respective opposite front corners of thebracket30. Tworear spacers372 extend rearward from respective opposite rear corners of thebracket30. As shown inFIG. 7, thebracket30 has front and rearouter hooks381,382 and front and rearinner hooks391,392 that project upward.
Cover Sheet
• Thecover sheet32 is shown inFIG. 8. It might be cut from of a mat of air-permeable non-woven melt-blown polypropylene fibers that is impregnated with mineral oil. Like thehead22 and thebracket30, thesheet32 is elongated and generally rectangular with longitudinal and transverse axes A7 and A8. Thesheet32 has eightattachment holes420 for hooking thesheet32 onto thehooks381,382,391,392 (FIG. 7) of thebracket30. Thesheet32 has a longitudinally-extending row offront airflow openings441 shaped similar to, and configured to be aligned with, the bracket'sfront openings341. Thesheet32 further has a longitudinally-extending row ofrear openings442 that are shaped similar to, and configured to be aligned with, the bracket'srear openings342.
• Thesheet32 has afront portion451 located in front of thefront openings441, amiddle portion452 located between the front andrear openings441,442, and arear portion453 located rearward from therear openings442. Themiddle portion452 is configured to bear the pressure applied by the bracket's front sheet-pressingsurface361. Therear portion453 is configured to bear the pressure applied by the bracket's rear sheet-pressingsurface362.
• Using the Cover Sheet with the Cleaning Head
• To attach thesheet32 to thebracket30, first thebracket30 is placed downward onto thesheet32 as shown inFIG. 9. Then, the sheet's front andrear portions451,453 are wrapped respectively about the front and rear side edges301 and302 of thebracket30. As indicated by arched arrows, the attachment holes420 in the front andrear portions451 and453 of thesheet32 are slipped over the correspondinghooks381,382,391,392 of thebracket30, to secure thesheet32 to thebracket30. Thesheet32 is thus attached to thebracket30 as shown inFIG. 10. Thesheet32 is not wrapped about the bracket's opposite end edges324.
• To attach thebracket30 to the cleaninghead22, thebracket30 is pressed up against the head'sbottom surface222 as indicated by arrow470 inFIG. 10. The bracket'souter hooks381,382 hook onto the head's front andrear flanges351,352. The bracket'sinner hooks391,392 extend through respective attachment holes280 in the head'sbottom surface222.
• Thehead22, thebracket30 and thesheet32 are thus attached together to form a cleaninghead assembly500 shown inFIG. 11. The front andrear scrubbers351,352 keep the bracket'sbottom surface340 and its front andrear inlets341,342 spaced above thefloor6. As theassembly500 is moved forward (arrow501) and backward, the front and rear sheet-pressingsurfaces361 and362 press thesheet32 against thefloor6 to scrub or scrape dirt from thefloor6. Due to resiliency of thescrubbers351 and352, when the middle andrear portions452 and453 of thesheet32 ride over a dirt particle that raises one point on thesheet32 above thefloor6, adjacent points on thesheet32 can remain under load.
• Thefront airflow openings241,341,441 of the threecomponents22,30,32 of theassembly500 are mutually aligned. This enables afront airflow511 to carry dirt from thefloor6 through thefront openings241,341,441 into the vacuuminghead22. Similarly, therear openings242,342,442 are mutually aligned, to enable arear airflow512 to carry dirt through therear openings242,342,442 into the vacuuminghead22.
• By manipulating the head'soutlet tube256, thehead22 can be pivoted rearward about therear scrubber352 to lift thefront scrubber351 from thefloor6 and increase the airflow into thefront openings241,341,441. Thehead22 can also be pivoted forward about thefront scrubber351 to lift therear scrubber352 above thefloor6 and increase the airflow through therear openings242,342,442. When thehead22 is pivoted, the front andrear spacers371,372 keep the front and rear ends321,322 of thebracket30 spaced above thefloor6.
• Air that provides theupward airflows511 and512 can enter theassembly500 through several paths. As shown inFIG. 12, these include arearward path520 at the front of theassembly500 and a pair ofend paths521 and522 at each end of theassembly500. Therearward path520 extends under the bracket'sfront side edge301. Theend paths521 and522 extend under the bracket's opposite end edges324 and through front andrear openings531 and532 beneath the opposite end edges324. Theopenings531 and532 are vertically bounded by thesheet32 and thebottom surface340 of thebracket30. Therear opening532 is horizontally bounded by the front andrear scrubbers351 and352. Thesepaths521 and522 are made possible by the bracket'sbottom surface340 being raised above thefloor6 by thescrubbers351 and352 and by thesheet32 not being wrapped about theends324 of thebracket30.
• The mineral oil impregnated in thesheet32 increases the sheet's adhesion to dust and reduces the sheet's friction with thefloor6. However, friction with the front sheet-pressingsurface361 is increased by its having a high-friction rubbery texture. Thesheet32 protects thefloor6 from being marred by hard surfaces of the cleaninghead22. It also prevents thefloor6 from abrading thescrubbers351,352. Dirt picked up by thesheet32 is disposed of when the usedsheet32 is discarded and replaced with a new one.
• Using the Cover Sheet with the Floor Nozzle
• To attach thesheet32 to thefloor nozzle20, first thesheet32 is attached to thebracket30 as explained above with reference toFIG. 9. Then, referring toFIGS. 2 and 10, thebracket30 is pressed upward against the nozzle'sbottom120. The bracket'sinner hooks391,392 extend through thenozzle inlet120 to hook onto upward-facing surfaces inside thenozzle20.
• This yields anozzle assembly600 shown inFIG. 13, comprising three components—thenozzle20, thebracket30, and thesheet32. These three components, including their respectiveair inlet openings120,341,342,441,442 are all located in front of thefront wheels51. This configuration, relative to if these components were not in front of thefront wheels51, facilitates mounting of thenozzle20 on thebase10, and mounting theother components32,30 on thenozzle20, by positioning thenozzle20 out in front of thebase10 and itswheels51,52. This configuration also enables locating theair inlet openings120,341,342,441,442 closer to a household wall.
• Thebracket30 lifts thebrushroll110 away from theground6, with thefront scrubber351 located between the brushroll110 and theground6. The front scrubber's sheet-pressingsurface361, along with thesheet32, takes the place of thebrushroll110 in dislodging dirt from thefloor6. Accordingly, at least a portion of the front sheet-pressingsurface361 is located directly under thebrushroll110, and preferably even directly under the rotational axis A9 of thebrushroll110. Preferably, thesheet pressing surface361 is axially centered under the brushroll's rotational axis A9.
• In operation, a user wheels the base10 forward and backward by thehandle14. Concurrently, the bracket's front and rear sheet-pressingsurfaces361,362 press thesheet32 against thefloor6 for thesheet32 to scrape dirt from thefloor6. In contrast to use of thesheet32 with the cleaninghead22, in which thebracket30 can be pivoted forward or backward by the user, use of thesheet32 with thenozzle20 does not enable such pivoting. The angular orientation of thebracket30 and its height from thefloor6 are kept constant by thebase10. Thebracket30 can be raised or lowered, to vary the pressure of thescrubbers351,352 against thefloor6, only by raising or lowering theentire nozzle20 via a height adjustmechanism610 on thebase10.
• Thebracket30 andsheet32 protect thefloor6 from being marred by hard surfaces of thenozzle20. Thesheet32 prevents thefloor6 from abrading thescrubbers351,352. Thesheet32 also picks up dirt, which is disposed of when the usedsheet32 and is replaced with a new one.
• Using the Cover Sheet with Another Cleaning Head
• FIG. 14 shows thebracket30 and thesheet32 attached to asecond cleaning head22′. Thishead20′ is similar to thefirst cleaning head22 described above. Thesecond cleaning head22′ is connected to thebracket30 in the same way as thefirst cleaning22 is attached to thebracket30. Also, an assembly comprising thesecond head22′, thebracket30 and thesheet32 has the same cross section as the assembly500 (FIG. 11) comprising thefirst head22, thebracket30 and thesheet32. Thesecond head22′ differs from thefirst head22 in that it is shorter in the transverse direction. Consequently, twoportions700 of thebracket30 extend transversely outward from thesecond head22′ in two opposite directions. Theseportions700 contain the bracket'sinner hooks391,392. So thebracket30 is secured to thesecond head22′ by only itsouter hooks381,382.
• This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

Claims (22)

1. A vacuum cleaning apparatus comprising:

a vacuum cleaner base including a source of suction and front and rear wheels for wheeling the base across a floor;

a nozzle assembly attached to and supported by the base, the nozzle assembly including a suction inlet and a sheet-pressing surface that are located in front of the front wheels; and

a disposable sheet configured to be removably attached to the nozzle assembly such that, as the base is wheeled across the floor, the sheet-pressing surface presses the sheet against the floor to dislodge dirt from the floor, and the suction draws the dirt from the floor to and through the suction inlet.

2. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the sheet includes an airflow opening, configured for an airflow to carry dirt through the airflow opening to and through the suction inlet.

3. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the suction inlet is a front suction inlet of the nozzle assembly, and the nozzle assembly further includes a rear suction inlet, and the sheet-pressing surface is located between the front and rear suction inlets.

4. The apparatus ofclaim 3 wherein the nozzle assembly further includes a second sheet-pressing surface, located rearward from the rear suction inlet, that presses the sheet against the floor as the base is wheeled across the floor.

5. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the sheet-pressing surface is a front sheet-pressing surface, and the nozzle assembly further includes a rear sheet-pressing surface, and the suction inlet is located between the front and rear sheet-pressing surfaces.

6. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the nozzle assembly includes a nozzle and a bracket, with the bracket removably attached to the nozzle and including the sheet-pressing surface.

7. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the nozzle includes a brushroll configured to rotate against the floor to dislodge dirt from the floor when the sheet is removed from the nozzle.

8. The apparatus ofclaim 7 wherein a portion of the sheet-pressing surface is located directly under the brushroll.

9. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the nozzle assembly is removably attached to the base.

10. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the base includes a mechanism for raising and lowering the nozzle assembly.

11. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the sheet is impregnated with an oil.

12. A vacuum cleaning apparatus comprising:

a nozzle configured to be connected to a source of suction, the nozzle having a suction inlet and a brushroll extending through the suction inlet and configured to rotate against a floor to dislodge dirt from the floor;

a bracket removably attached to the nozzle and having a sheet-pressing surface, a portion of which located directly below the brushroll; and

a disposable sheet having an opening and configured to be removably attached to the nozzle and configured such that, as the nozzle is moved along a floor, the sheet-pressing surface presses the sheet against the floor to dislodge dirt from the floor as the suction draws the dirt from the floor through the sheet's opening and the nozzle's suction inlet.

13. The apparatus ofclaim 12 wherein a portion of the sheet-pressing surface is directly under the rotational axis of the brushroll.

14. The apparatus ofclaim 12 wherein the nozzle is configured to be attached to and supported by a vacuum cleaner base that includes the source of suction.

15. A vacuum cleaning apparatus comprising:

a nozzle assembly configured to be connected to a source of suction, the nozzle assembly having front and rear suction inlets and a sheet-pressing surface located between the inlet openings; and

a disposable sheet having front and rear airflow openings, and configured to be removably attached to the nozzle assembly with the front and rear airflow openings of the sheet respectively aligned with the front and rear suction inlets of the nozzle assembly; and

configured such that, as the nozzle assembly is moved along a floor, the sheet-pressing surface presses the sheet against the floor to dislodge dirt from the floor and the suction draws the dirt from the floor through the sheet's front and rear airflow openings and the nozzle assembly's front and rear airflow inlets.

16. The apparatus ofclaim 15 wherein the nozzle assembly further includes a second sheet-pressing surface that is located rearward from the rear suction inlet and is configured to press the sheet against the floor.

17. The apparatus ofclaim 15 wherein the nozzle assembly includes a nozzle and a bracket, the bracket being removably attached to the nozzle and including the sheet-pressing surface and configured to attach the sheet to the nozzle.

18. The apparatus ofclaim 15 wherein the nozzle assembly includes a spacer located in front of the front inlet to space a front end of the nozzle assembly above the floor to maintain an airflow path extending from in front of the nozzle assembly rearward to the front suction opening.

19. A vacuum cleaning apparatus comprising:

a nozzle assembly having opposite front and rear side edges and opposite first and second end edges, and configured to be connected to a source of suction, the nozzle assembly having front and rear sheet-pressing surfaces and an airflow inlet located between the sheet-pressing surfaces; and

a disposable sheet having an airflow opening, configured to be removably attached to the nozzle assembly in a mounted position in which the airflow opening is located between the front and rear sheet-pressing surfaces and, under the first end edge, an end opening is vertically bounded by the nozzle assembly and the sheet and horizontally bounded by the front and rear scrubbers;

configured such that, as the nozzle assembly is moved along a floor, the sheet-pressing surfaces press the sheet against the floor to dislodge dirt from the floor, and the suction draws air through the end opening to the sheet's airflow opening for the air to carry the dirt from the floor upward through the sheet's airflow opening to and through the nozzle assembly's airflow inlet.

20. The apparatus ofclaim 19 wherein the nozzle assembly includes a nozzle and a bracket, the bracket being removably attached to the nozzle and including the sheet-pressing surfaces and configured to attach the sheet to the nozzle.

21. A vacuum cleaner apparatus for use with a nozzle assembly having a scrubber configured to support the nozzle assembly in a cleaning position above a floor surface, the apparatus comprising:

an elongated, generally rectangular sheet configured for mounting on the nozzle assembly in an installed position, the sheet having a longitudinal axis, a front portion with a longitudinally extending row of air flow inlets forward of the axis, a rear portion with a longitudinally extending row of air flow inlets rearward of the axis, and a central portion extending along the axis between the rows of air flow inlets, the central portion being configured for overlying engagement by the scrubber when the sheet is in the installed position.

22. The apparatus ofclaim 21 wherein the sheet further includes holes for hooking the sheet onto hooks of the nozzle assembly.

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