U.S. patent application number 09/821652 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-22 for univeral nozzle for vacuum cleaners.
Invention is credited to Sjogreen, Jorgen.
Application Number | 20010042282 09/821652 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27545222 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010042282 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sjogreen, Jorgen |
November 22, 2001 |
Univeral nozzle for vacuum cleaners
Abstract
Universal nozzle to be used in connection with general known
vacuum cleaners and the like, with or without washing devices, to
clean floors with different floorings, including carpets, textiles
and the like. The nozzle is provided with one or more cylindrical
rollers, (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2), so suspended and so designed, by
means of free wheeling bearings, so the rollers freely can revolve
around their own axis, when the nozzle (14) is moved in one
direction, but where the rollers are blocked, when moved in the
opposite direction. Hair, thread and other foreign materials are
thereby assembled in an oblong cylindrical cushion, easy to
evacuate. The rollers can be provided with outside linings of
different kind, for instance as a rubber roller, (FIG. 1), or as a
brush roller, (FIG. 2). The rollers can be suspended in an
activation device (7) and (10), making it possible to activate one
or more of the rollers. The rollers are provided with beams (12)
and (13), in order to scrape off hair and foreign materials, which
are fastening on these, by which the rollers are self cleaning. The
beam (13) is do designed, that it in same time is acting as a
throttle valve.
Inventors: |
Sjogreen, Jorgen; (Rorvig,
DK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LAW OFFICES OF DICK AND HARRIS
Suite 3800
181 West Madison Street
Chicago
IL
60602
US
|
Family ID: |
27545222 |
Appl. No.: |
09/821652 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09821652 |
Mar 29, 2001 |
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09586228 |
Jun 2, 2000 |
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09586228 |
Jun 2, 2000 |
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08960098 |
Oct 27, 1997 |
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08960098 |
Oct 27, 1997 |
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08758012 |
Nov 27, 1996 |
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08758012 |
Nov 27, 1996 |
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08633562 |
Mar 17, 1996 |
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08633562 |
Mar 17, 1996 |
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08084216 |
Jun 17, 1993 |
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08084216 |
Jun 17, 1993 |
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PCT/DK91/00391 |
Dec 11, 1991 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
15/322 ; 15/373;
15/48 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 11/4055 20130101;
A47L 11/4094 20130101; A47L 11/4072 20130101; A47L 11/00 20130101;
A47L 9/0477 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/322 ; 15/373;
15/48 |
International
Class: |
A47L 011/30 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 9, 1990 |
DK |
305/90 |
Claims
1. Nozzle for use in connection with vacuum cleaners, carpet
brushing machines or other machines, for cleaning floors, covered
with different kind of materials, where the said nozzle comprise a
housing (14) and a pipe socket (15 provided with a cylindrical
roller of which the axis of rotation is horizontal and is
transversely positioned in relation to the moving direction of the
machine, characterized thereby, the nozzle is provided with one or
more cylindrical rollers, and the roller/rollers comprising an axis
(1) and two or more free wheeling bearings (2), fitted in a tube
(3) covered with an outside lining (4), the said free wheeling
bearings (2) are so constructed, that the roller, during the
movement along the surface (5) in one direction, can freely revolve
around its own axis, but that the revolving is blocked, when the
roller is moved in the opposite direction.
2. Nozzle in accordance with claim 1, characterized thereby, one or
more of the said rollers, used in the nozzle, are mounted in a set
of horizontal possitioned arms (16), turning around a set of pivot
pins (17) fastened in the nozzle housing (14) and the pipe socket
(15), is activated by a set of bars (9), fastened in the one end in
the horizontal mounted arms (16) by the axle (10) and fastened in
the other end in the activation handle (7) by the pivot pins (8),
and where the suspension is pressed against the surface (5) by
springs (18) or its own weight and where the turning axis (8) of
the activation handle (7) is placed in the distances (d) and (e)
from the two contact surfaces of the activation handle (7), and the
said distances (d) and (e) mutually are of different size, whereby
the bars (9) can be raised or lowered the distance (f).
3. Nozzle in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterized thereby,
one or more of the said rollers, used in the invention, have a
plane--or a nearly plane--surface of gummy materials (4).
4. Nozzle in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterized thereby,
one or more of the said rollers used in the nozzle, have a surface
of brushes or brush like materials (6).
5. Nozzle in accordance with claim 3, characterized thereby, the
rollers used in the nozzle, are provided with rectangular beams
(13), suspended turnable in point (22) in the housing (14) and with
contact surface against the roller, and is pressed against this by
pressure of the spring (20) or by the own weight of the beam
(13).
6. Nozzle in accordance with claim 4, characterized thereby, the
rollers used in the nozzle, are provided with comb shaped beams
(12), suspended turnable in the point (21) in the housing (14) and
with contact surface against the roller, and is pressed against
this by pressure of the spring (23) or by the own weight of the
beam (12).
7. Nozzle in accordance with claim 5, characterized thereby, the
beam (13) is so carried out, that it fully or partly, is preventing
the vacuum air stream passing the space between the under side of
the housing (14) and the top side of the roller, in such a way,
that the beam (13), which fits tightly against the surface of the
roller, is allowed to open, when the vacuum power has reached such
a size, exceeding the power of which, the spring (20) and the own
weight of the beam (13), is holding the beam (13) pressed against
the roller.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a universal nozzle, designed for
use in connection with the hitherto known vacuum cleaners, with or
without washing devices, to carpet brushing equipment or other
floor cleaning machinery, to clean floors covered with different
materials, such as carpets, (pre-mixed carpeting). and other
textiles and to floors covered with solid materials, such as wood,
parquet, plastic materials, tiles or other ordinary used floor
materials. During the invention, it has been important to design a
nozzle, especially useable to remove hair originating from humans,
dogs and cats, and thread, lint and the like from floors, carpets
and other textiles, with or without the use of washing devices.
Furthermore, to enable the user to change the same nozzle rapidly
to serve different cleaning jobs. In use, the nozzle should have
excellent wearing qualities and be gentle to the floor surface.
Furthermore, the nozzle should be self-cleaning to the greatest
possible extent. The nozzle should also be usable for the cleaning
of other kinds of textiles, furniture, car seats, cushions etc.
[0002] The nozzles known until now for vacuum cleaners and carpet
brushing equipment and the like are characteristic thereby, they
are moved forward and backward along the surface. Even if the
nozzle is equipped with different kinds of devices, fitted to that
side facing against the floor surface, the forward and backward
going movement along the floor surface will not be able to loosen
and pick up hair and fibers, to such an extent that they can be
removed efficiently by a vacuum cleaner. Some nozzles are provided
with backward directed teeth of different materials, gripping the
nap of the carpet, to remove hair and fibers, etc. Consequently,
the nozzle is hard to move and is causing heavy wear on the
surface, and hair and fibers are catched in the teeth, whereupon
these have to be cleaned manually. Other types of nozzles are
provided with textile pads, but these are by experience worn-out
rapidly, for which reason they lose their ability to catch heir,
etc. Likewise, hair and lint get stuck in the pad. Other known
nozzles are using one or more rails of different profiles and
methods of suspension, acting by drawing the sharp edge of the rail
along the surface of the floor, which consequently is causing heavy
wear of the carpet. The up till now known nozzles are not designed
to clean all kinds of flooring, or to clean with water or
detergents. The known designs are not comprising a nozzle, which
rapidly can be converted to perform cleaning jobs of different
kinds, for which reason the user must be in possession of different
types of nozzles. The use of the known mechanical or motordriven
rotatory brushes is expensive, and does not solve the problems
satisfactorily, as hair and fibers are twisted around the brushes ,
which are difficult to clean.
[0003] From Danish patent No.124919 is known a carpet brushing
machine which according to the claims is working in such a way,
that a brush, positioned transversery in relation to the moving
direction of the machine, mounted in the machine at a point of
rotation, vertically over the brush, is moved forward and backward
along the floor by means of a driving lever, connected to a
transversely positioned cylindrical brush, which is rotating, when
the brush is moved forward and backward along the floor surface.
The brush is revolving around its own axis with alternating
direction of rotation, depending on the alternating direction of
movement of the machine, and the transversely positioned brush
therefore is moving correspondingly forward and backward along the
surface.
[0004] Danish patent No. 124919 therefore, is not providing a
device, which include the in the aforementioned described
qualities.
[0005] By the present invention, a construction of a nozzle is
provided, which is of the in the introductory part of claim 1
described character, and which has the qualities described in the
introduction, included in one and the same nozzle, which is
described in the following.
[0006] The nozzle can include a housing and a pipe socket and be
provided with cylindrical rollers, with horizontal axis of rotation
and transversely positioned in relation to the moving direction of
the machine and characterized thereby, it is provided with one or
more cylindrical rollers, each of which is containing an axle with
two ore more free wheeling bearings fitted in a tube covered with
outside linings, which can be of varied materials. The free
wheeling bearings are so constructed, that the roller at movement
along the floor in a certain direction, freely can rotate around
its own axis, but the roller is blocked, when it is moved in the
opposite direction. When the roller is moved along the floor
surface in blocked position, hair, fibers, etc. are assembled in
the wedge-shaped area between the roller and the surface, in the
shape of an oblong cushion, which it is easy to extract or pick up
in a container, designed for the purpose. By using of cylindrical
roller with a circular cross section, which are moved in
reciprocating direction, the in the invention described qualities
are obtained.
[0007] The in the invention used rollers can be covered with
outside lining of various kinds, adapted to the actual cleaning
task. For the cleaning of carpets and pre-mixed carpeting, rollers
with a plane--or a nearly plane--gummy surface can be used, and
thereby, both efficiently and gently, remove hair, thread and the
like. If the vacuum cleaner used is of the type, after which water
or detergent through a jet is sprayed on the carpet surface, the
said rubber rollers are suitable to wipe the water against the
extractor duct, for efficient extraction. Another roller can be
covered with an external lining, designed as an cylindrical brush
roller or be covered with bristle like materials, which partly is
asissting to remove hair etc. and partly gives the carpet pile a
slight brushing effect, which is improving the vacuum cleaning
effect. The same brush roller can also be used for dry vacuum
cleaning on solid flooring. Mainly at floor washing, the brush
roller is working as a fixed brush in the blocked position--similar
to a scrubbing-brush--while the rubber roller is working like a
rubber scraper, when the nozzle is moved in the direction, where
the roller is blocked. Other roller linings can also be considered,
adapted for the job.
[0008] The in the nozzle, in accordance with the invention, mounted
rollers can be suspended in a combined suspension and activation
unit, making it possible, easily to activate that or those rollers,
the user wants to apply after demand. In the design of the nozzle,
for instance where one brush roller and one rubber roller are used,
the user can select to activate the brush roller alone, the rubber
roller alone, both rollers at the same time or none of the rollers.
The activation of the rollers, are guided by a hand or foot
operated activation grip on the upper side of the nozzle. The
suspension with rollers is pressed against the surface of possibly
adjustable springs or by its own weight. The suspension and
activation system used in the nozzle, can be extended by demand to
include several adjustable functions, for instance when
manufacturing nozzles for professional use. Likewise, a more simple
design also can be considered.
[0009] The rollers used in the nozzle, according to the invention,
are provided with beams, so designed and so suspended, that the
surfaces of the roller are being scraped by the beams, thereby hair
and foreign materials, which are sticking to those, are scraped off
and extracted, when the rollers rotate. Hereby, the rollers are
self cleaning during use. The beam, which is cleaning the brush
roller, can be likely designed as a comb, where the teeth are
intruding between the bristles of the brush rollers. Hereby, hair,
etc. are picked up by the brushes, when the roller is moved along
the surface in the blocked position, and catched by the comb and
extracted, when the roller is revolving. The beam, cleaning the
plain rubber roller, can be designed as a straight, rectangular
plate of suitable materials, for example steel or plast, possibly
provided with a hard-wearing edge against the roller. The cleaning
beam can be suspended in pivot pins, and can be pressed against the
rollers, either by means of springs or by own weight.
[0010] The rectangular beam, which in accordance with the
invention, is cleaning the plain rubber roller, prevents the air
stream pass by the upper surface of the rubber roller, when the
beam is designed air tight or nearly air tight. Hereby, the suction
of the nozzle is concentrated to the space between the roller and
the underlay. If the air stream is blocked to such a degree, that
the vacuum power is reduced, the beam, which is preventing the air
stream to pass the top of the roller, opens due to the difference
in the pressure between the vacuum side and the pressure side. By
adjusting the weight of the beam or the tension of the spring load,
the time of opening and closing can be regulated after need. It is
of greatest importance to establish the highest possible vacuum in
the mentioned space area, especially when suck in water. When the
rubber roller is out of function by lifted up from the floor
surface, free suction below the roller is established.
[0011] According to the invention, the said nozzle can be designed
in different ways some of which are described in the following,
referring to the enclosed drawing, FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
[0012] In the drawing, FIG. 1 is shown a cross section of a
cylindrical roller. The roller is carried of an axle 1, which can
be fastened in the nozzle for a vacuum cleaner, a brushing machine
or to a similar floor cleaning machine, and be of a suitable length
in relation to the nozzle. On the axle 1 is fitted two or more free
wheeling bearings 2 of a known construction, which allows rotation
in one direction only, fitted in a tube 3, covered with suitable
lining on the outer surface 4. When the roller is moved along the
surface 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow a, the free
wheeling bearing allow the roller to revolve, indicated by the
arrow c, along the surface 5. When the roller is moved along the
surface 5 in the opposite direction, as indicated by the arrow b,
the free wheeling bearings 2 are blocking the revolving of the
roller. By this the roller make a scraping movement along the
surface 5. Due to the friction in the wedge-shaped space, appearing
between the cylindrical surface, and the plane surface--or the
nearly plane surfaces hair, thread and foreign materials are
withdrawn by the blocked roller, and curled up into an oblong,
cylindrical cushion of hair and thread, easy to extract or to pick
up. Due to the design of roller the contact surface between the
roller and the floor surface, is changing frequently during the
use.) Hereby the optimum wearing quality and performance is
obtained.
[0013] The surface of the roller can be of different suitable
materials, just as the structure of the surface can be of different
nature. In FIG. 2 is shown a roller designed as described under
FIG. 1, but with an outside lining of brushes 6. The stiffness and
the shape of the bristles can be made in accordance with the
cleaning task.
[0014] In FIG. 3 is in cross section shown the construction of an
activation handle device, which, in accordance with the invention,
is activating the said suspension and activation device. The
activation handle 7, has an approximate triangular cross section
and is of a suitable length, and can turn around the axis 8. The
lower edge of the handle 7 is cut across to allow a rolling
movement, shown by the arrow j, along the-upper surface of the
nozzle 11. As the axis 8 of the handle 7 is placed in the distance
d in relation to the one contact surface of the handle, and in the
distance a in relation to the other contact surface, and as those
distances d and e are different, the elevating arm 9, carrying the
roller suspension in the axle 10, is lifting or lowering the
suspension a similar distance f, which is equal to the difference
between the distances d and a, obtained when the activation handle
7 is turned.
[0015] FIG. 5 is in cross section shown a practical construction as
an example, using two of the in the invention said cylindrical
rollers, as shown and described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The one
roller, FIG. 2, is shown as a cylindrical brush roller, fastened at
the axle 1 in the arms 16. The other roller, FIG. 1, is shown with
a cylindrical cover of gummy materials, fastened at the axle 1 in
the other end of the arms 16. These are fastened by pivot pins 17
in the nozzle housing 14, which are adapted to the vacuum cleaner
by the pipe socket 15. The arms 16 are turnable in an arc of circle
round the pivot pins 17, so the rollers, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, can be
lifted or lowered as required, as indicated by the arrows h. The
arms 16 are raised or lowered by the vertical bars 9, fastened in
the lower end of the pivot pins 10 in the arms 16, and in the upper
end at the pivot pins 8 in the activating handle 7. The rollers
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, are pressed down, against the surface 5 by the
springs 18. By adjusting the load on the springs 18, the pressure
of the rollers, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, against the surface 5, can be
regulated. If the rubber roller FIG. 1 is to be uncoupled, it can
be lifted by turning the foot or hand operated activation handle 7
in the direction, as indicated by the arrow j. When the hole nozzle
14 is moved forward, as indicated by the arrow a, the rollers FIG.
1 and FIG. 2 can revolve freely around there own axis, as indicated
by the arrow g. When the nozzle 14 is moved backwards as indicated
by the arrow b, the free wheeling bearings in the rollers, FIG. 1
and FIG. 2, blocking the rollers. Hereby, the direction depending
scraping effect is obtained, as intended by the invention.
[0016] Hair, thread and other foreign materials, are hereby
withdrawn the rollers and curled up to an oblong cushion in front
of these and can thereby be extracted through the pipe connection
to the vacuum cleaner at the socket 15. When vacuum cleaning with
water the nozzle can be equiped with an injection pipe 19. Water,
which is sprayed on the floor surface, is drawn as explained above,
against the duct shaped socket 15 and evacuated.
[0017] The brush roller, FIG. 2, is provided with a beam, made as a
plane comb-shaped plate 12, as shown in FIG. 4, suspended in the
point 21 so the teeth of the comb are intruding the bristles at the
brush roller, FIG. 2. When the nozzle 14 is moved in the direction
as indicated by the arrow b, the brush roller, FIG. 2, is
withdrawing hair and foreign materials. When the nozzle 14 is moved
in the opposite direction, as indicated by the arrow a, the brush
roller FIG. 2, is revolving. Hair and foreign materials, caught by
the brushes, are scraped off and evacuated. Hair, thread and the
like are thereby not winded around the roller.
[0018] The rubber roller, FIG. 1 is provided with a beam, made as a
rectangular plate 13, FIG. 4, and suspended in the point 22 in such
a way, that it fits tightly against the roller, FIG. 1, by means of
the spring 20 and is turnable, as indicated by the arrow i. When
the nozzle 14 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow a,
the roller, FIG. 1 is rotating, as indicated by the arrow g,
whereby, hair and foreign materials including possible water, are
scraped off the roller, FIG. 1, by the beam 13, at which the roller
becomes self cleaning.
[0019] The rectangular beam 13, FIG. 4, can be so constructed, so
it fully or partly, is preventing the air stream to pass the upper
side of the roller, FIG. 1. The necessary vacuum, sufficient to
open the air passage along the upper side of the roller, FIG. 1, by
turning the beam 13 as indicated at the arrow i, can be regulated
by means of the tension of the spring 20 or by the weight of the
beam 13. When the roller, FIG. 1, is lifted from the surface 5,
there is unhindered passage of the vacuum stream below the roller
by which the vacuum power is lead to the brush roller, FIG. 2.
* * * * *