U.S. patent application number 10/092611 was filed with the patent office on 2003-09-11 for vacuum assisted ceiling fan blade cleaner.
Invention is credited to Egnatovich, Robert G. JR..
Application Number | 20030167592 10/092611 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27787854 |
Filed Date | 2003-09-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030167592 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Egnatovich, Robert G. JR. |
September 11, 2003 |
Vacuum assisted ceiling fan blade cleaner
Abstract
A housing having an open top and an outlet port in a bottom
opposite thereof, a brush partially within and spanning across the
housing, and a hose detachably securable between a vacuum cleaner
and the outlet port, with the brush being drawable across the top
of a ceiling fan blade.
Inventors: |
Egnatovich, Robert G. JR.;
(Atlantic Highlands, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Charles I. Brodsky
2 Bucks Lane
Marlboro
NJ
07746
US
|
Family ID: |
27787854 |
Appl. No.: |
10/092611 |
Filed: |
March 8, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/394 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/06 20130101; A47L
9/0693 20130101; A47L 9/0613 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/394 |
International
Class: |
A47L 009/06 |
Claims
I claim:
1. The combination comprising: a housing having an open top and an
outlet port in a bottom opposite thereof; a brush coupled with, and
spanning across, said housing; and a vacuum hose detachably
securable with said outlet port.
2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said housing is of a lateral
surface area greater at said open top than at said ported
bottom.
3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said housing is of a depth
sloping downwardly from said open top to said ported bottom of
gradually decreasing angle.
4. The combination chair of claim 3 wherein said housing is of a
rectangular cross-section at said open top.
5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said outlet port is
substantially centered beneath said open top.
6. The combination of claim 3 wherein said outlet port is offset to
one side beneath said open top.
7. The combination of claim 3 wherein said brush spanning across
said housing is of a length greater than the width of a ceiling fan
blade.
8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said brush spanning across
said housing is of a length at least 4 inches.
9. The combination of claim 7 wherein said brush spanning across
said housing is of a length between 4 and 12 inches.
10. The combination of claim 2 wherein a portion of said brush
extends downwardly within said housing.
11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said brush includes first
and second rows of bristles separated by at least the thickness of
a ceiling fan blade.
12. The combination of claim 11 wherein individual bristles of each
of said first and second separated rows are spaced apart one from
another.
13. The combination of claim 1 wherein said vacuum hose is
securable with said outlet port by an encirclement therewith.
14. The combination of claim 13 wherein said vacuum hose is
securable with said outlet port by a snug fit therebetween.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] NONE
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Research and development of this invention and Application
have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under
any Federal program.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] NOT APPLICABLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] This invention relates to the cleaning of ceiling fan blades
and, more particularly, to the cleaning of such blades using vacuum
assistance.
[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0007] As is well known and understood, a great portion of the
populace engages each year in the practice commonly referred to as
"spring cleaning". For those fortunate enough to own their own
home, the procedure usually starts outdoors with the cleaning up of
the lawn and garden from the ravages of winter. For those owning or
renting apartments, on the other hand, the procedure usually begins
with the cleaning of kitchen, living room and dining room
areas--rooms which are most often occupied during the day--and
where various papers and other things tend to pile up, out of
place. Whether the homeowner attacks these same rooms first, before
starting the cleaning outdoors or not, and whether the apartment
dweller turns his/her attention to these rooms first before
progressing through the rest of the apartment or not, the tendency
of both is to first go after those areas of the dwelling which are
the most visible and the accumulations most apparent.
[0008] As will be further appreciated, this "spring cleaning" is
hard work, and oftentimes quite tiring. As a result, in almost all
instances, the process is ended somewhat short of completion--many
things just don't get put away, or get done. As will also be
appreciated, one of the most frequent items left behind in the
process is the cleaning of one's ceiling fan, and more
particularly, the ceiling fan blades. Experience has shown, first
of all, that the dust that accumulates on its blades only becomes
apparent if one takes a close look at the blades from below, or
when walking down a flight of stairs in a multi-floor dwelling at
the same time glancing over towards the ceiling fan itself.
Recognizing the difficulty with, and/or the danger of, standing on
a chair and reaching up trying to dust the top of the ceiling fan
blades, some manufacturers have suggested the use of a pole, at the
end of which a brush is fixed in place; then, the fan blade could
be cleaned while standing on the floor, without the need for a
chair or stepladder. However, even with this type of assist,
experience has shown that it brings on another problems: namely,
that as the cleaning of the ceiling fan blade is typically done
after everything else in the room has been put into place, the dust
which is brushed off from the fan blades then falls upon those
surfaces of the room which have already been brushed, cleaned and
polished. As such, that part of the room in the area of the ceiling
fan has to be cleaned a second time. While an alternative
suggestion might be to start off cleaning the cleaning fan blade,
years of experience has shown that that is not the usual method of
"spring cleaning", where those areas of the dwelling first worked
upon are those which are regularly walked through during the course
of a day and most open to the inhabitants and/or visitors to the
house or apartment.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to
provide a new and improved manner of cleaning ceiling fan blades
which obviate these problems of the prior art.
[0010] It is another object of the invention to provide this new
manner of cleaning the ceiling fan blade from a standing position
on the floor.
[0011] It is a further object of the invention to provide such a
manner of cleaning the fan blade which virtually eliminates the
possibility of any dust or debris cleaned off the ceiling fan blade
from itself falling onto the floor, carpeting, furniture or other
such areas beneath and around the ceiling fan.
[0012] It is an object of the present invention, also, to provide
this manner of cleaning in a way which can be accomplished easily
and safely--and by both men and women alike.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] As will become clear from the following description, this
manner of cleaning according to the invention employs vacuum
assistance. As will be seen, a housing is provided having an open
top and an outlet port in the bottom. Partially within the open top
is a brush which spans across the housing, and a vacuum hose
detachably secures with the outlet port at one end, and to a vacuum
cleaner on the other end. Whether the outlet port is substantially
centered beneath the open top or whether it is offset to one side
beneath the top (both, in accordance with the invention), by
choosing a brush coupled with and spanning across the housing of a
length greater than the width of a ceiling fan blade, moving the
vacuum hose down and back along the length of the ceiling fan blade
draws the brush across the top of the blade so that any dust or
debris cleaned off during the process is captured within the
housing, and then pulled by vacuum into the cleaner for collection
in the usual manner.
[0014] In the embodiment of the invention described, the brush
selected is of a length at least 4 inches, and preferably between 4
and 12 inches, so as to draw across the top of most ceiling fan
blades found in use. In this embodiment, the brush may include
first and second rows of bristles, separated by at least the
thickness of the ceiling fan blade, so that both its top and under
sides can be brushed clean simultaneously in cleaning the blade not
only of dust accumulations but of cobwebs, spiderwebs and similar
unwanted collections. In such construction, the housing may be of
rectangular cross-section at the open top, with its sides sloping
downwardly to the ported bottom at a gradually decreasing angle,
making the lateral surface area at the open top greater than at the
ported bottom. As will be appreciated, this not only facilitates
the greater collection of the debris, but eases the ability of the
vacuum assistance in drawing down the accumulations into the vacuum
cleaner. Although not a requirement for producing the desired
results thus obtainable with the invention, one preferred
construction employs a brush whose bristles are individually spaced
one from one another. As will be apparent, the end of the vacuum
hose which is detachably securable with the outlet port may be
coupled with it either by an encircled, latching connection, or
merely by a snug or press fit. Obviously, an extension attachment
may alternatively be coupled between the hose ending and the outlet
port of the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] These and other features of the present invention will be
more clearly understood from a consideration of the following
description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a manner of cleaning a ceiling
fan blade with vacuum assistance according to the invention;
and
[0017] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view helpful in an understanding
of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] In the drawings, a vacuum cleaner 10 rests on a floor
surface 12, with its vacuum hose 14 to be utilized in cleaning the
individual blades 16 of a ceiling fan 18 downwardly extending from
an overhead 20. As will be appreciated, in accordance with the
invention, a user 22 employs the vacuum cleaner 10 and its hose 14
in cleaning the blades 16 while standing on the floor surface 12,
without the need for standing on a chair, foot stool or stepladder
to carry out the dusting and cleaning process. With one end of the
vacuum hose 14 being coupled to the cleaner 10 at 24, to accomplish
the ceiling fan blade cleaning the other end of the vacuum hose 14
(shown without an extension attachment) is coupled to a housing 30,
at 32. Such coupling at 32 may be of any selected manner--for
example, by a snug or press fit, or through any type of latch
arrangement, as by a securement coupling the hose 14 at the end 32
by a clockwise twist, and with an uncoupling of the hose 14 from
the connection 32 by a counterclockwise twist.
[0019] As more particularly shown in FIG. 2, such coupling of the
vacuum hose 14 at the connection 32 is more specifically to an
outlet port 36 positioned in a bottom 38 of the housing 30, having
an open top 40 opposite the port 36. With the vacuum hose 14 being
thus detachably securable with the outlet port 36 at 32, a
preferred embodiment of the invention is one in which the housing
30 is of a depth sloping downwardly from the open top 40 to the
ported bottom 38 at a gradually decreasing angle (such that the
housing 30 exhibits a lateral surface area greater at the open top
40 than at the bottom 38). The arrow shown by reference numeral 42
in the drawings indicates the outlet port 36 as being substantially
centered beneath the open top 40, or offsettable to one side, as
indicated at 44. In either location, the outlet port 36 lies
beneath the open top 40, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 as being of
rectangular cross-section.
[0020] In accordance with the invention, a brush 50 is included,
coupled with and spanning across, the housing 30, from left to
right. Shown, for example, as extending partially downwardly within
the housing 30, the brush 50 is selected of a length 52 greater
than the width 54 of the ceiling fan blade 16 (FIG. 1)--with the
brush 50 being of a length of at least 4 inches, and preferably
between 4 and 12 inches. Furthermore, in the embodiment of FIG. 2,
the brush 50 will be seen to include first and second rows of
bristles 60, 62, with the rows being separated at 64 by at least
the thickness of the ceiling fan blade 16. Individual bristles of
the rows 60, 62 may further be separated one from one another with
this type of brush, with the individual bristles being shown at
66.
[0021] With the relative dimensioning of the housing 30, the brush
50 and the rows of brush bristles, moving the vacuum hose 14
forwardly and backwardly then fits the separated rows of bristles
about the top and bottom sides of the fan blade 16 in allowing the
brush to be drawn back and forth across those two surfaces. In so
doing, any dust, cobwebs, spiderwebs and/or other debris
accumulations become dislodged, and fall by gravity to be captured
in the housing and directed towards the outlet port 36 in being
pulled away into the collection compartment of the vacuum cleaner
10 through vacuum assistance. As a result, substantially all the
debris becomes collectible, by a user 22 standing on the floor
surface 12, where the vacuum cleaner 10 rests, without any
requirement to stand on a chair, foot stool, or stepladder in
carrying out the process. An easy and simple manner of cleaning the
ceiling fan blades thus results--and, since the user 22 need only
move the vacuum hose 14 and the housing 30 to accomplish it, their
combined limited weight and bulk make it a simple and easy task,
able to be done by members of either sex.
[0022] While there have been described what are considered to be
preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily
appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be
made without departing from the scope of the teachings herewith.
Thus, while the preferred embodiment has been described employing a
rectangular-shaped housing--along with a brush that spans across
it--, any configuration for the housing and brush can be used
effectively. Similarly, while a double-row bristle brush is
described, any type of brush could be utilized instead, whether of
a design to bear against top and bottom sides of the ceiling fan
blade simultaneously, or only individually, one at a time.
Likewise, it will be understood that the housing can be constructed
with a brush fitted wholly within, with a cover, in providing side
entry openings for receiving a fan blade through one such opening,
and an exit at an opposing opening--and, in this respect, such
arrangement, as far as the brush is concerned, continues to be one
having the described open top for collecting the various debris.
For at least such reasons, therefore, resort should be had to the
claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *