Suction brush having hair removal unit for vacuum cleaner

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

[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 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.

[0002] 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

[0003] 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

[0004] 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.

[0005] 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.

[0006] 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

[0007] 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.

[0008] 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.

[0009] 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

[0010] 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:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suction brush for a vacuum cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a exploded perspective view of a suction brush for a vacuum cleaner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] 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;

[0014] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A in FIG. 3; and

[0015] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part B in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0016] 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.

[0017] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a suction brush according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a brush body 100, a rotation brush 110, and a hair removal unit 200.

[0018] The brush body 100 includes a drum casing unit 120 at the front that supports the rotation brush 110 so that the rotation brush 110 can be rotated, a suction port 121 under the drum casing unit 120 to draw in dust-laden air, and a connection port 130 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 the suction port 121 to the main body of the vacuum cleaner.

[0019] The drum casing unit 120 includes first and second holding holes 123a and 123b formed at the front of the suction port 121, wherein the front end of first and second hooks 221 and 223 are inserted, and first and second connection holes 125a and 125b formed at the back of the suction port 121, to snap-engage hanging units 231a and 233a of first and second connection units 231 and 233.

[0020] The drum casing unit 120 further includes a rib support 128a that extends in the front and back of the suction port 121, and a rotation brush support 128b that rotatably supports the rotation brush 110. Elevated parts 126a, 126b, 126c and 126d extend between the two sides of the drum casing unit 120, the rib support 128a, and the rotation brush support 128b.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the hair removal unit 200 is snap-engaged with the suction port 121 of the drum casing unit 120 in order to be removably connected to the suction port 121. The hair removal unit includes first and second brush members 241 and 243 disposed at the front and back of the suction port 121 respectively so human or animal hair tangled in blankets or carpets can be easily removed. The hair removal unit 200 further includes a support frame 210, first and second hooks 221 and 223, first and second connection units 231 and 233, and first and second brush members 241 and 243, each of which is described in more detail below.

[0022] The support frame 210 is tetragonal in shape so as to correspond with the suction port 121, and has a hole 211 in the center to enable fluid communication between the suction port 121 and a surface to be cleaned. First and second ribs 213a and 213b are formed at certain intervals to extend from the front to the back of the hole 211. The first and second ribs 213a and 213b prevent a part of a blanket or carpet from being sucked through the hole 211 into the suction port 121 so that manipulation of the brush body 100 on the blanket or carpet is enhanced. Holding grooves 214a, 214b, 214c and 214d extend between the two sides of the support frame 210 and the first and second ribs 213a and 213b.

[0023] Holding grooves 214a and 214b are formed on both sides of the support frame 210 to receive the elevated parts 126a and 126b respectively on both sides of the suction port 121. Accordingly, when the brush body 100 is moved forward and backward during cleaning and the first and second brush members 241 and 243 are in contact with the floor, the interface between the matching uneven surfaces of the holding grooves 214a and 214b of the support frame 210 and the elevated parts 126a and 126b respectively of the suction port 121 firmly fixes the support frame 210 to the drum casing unit 120 so that the support frame 210 is not displaced from the suction port 121 by frictional forces generated between the first and second brush members 241 and 243 and the floor being cleaned.

[0024] To more firmly fix the support frame 210 to the drum casing unit 120, elevated parts 126c and 126d are disposed on the rib support 128a and the rotation brush support 128b respectively, and the first and second ribs 213a and 213b have corresponding holding grooves 214c and 214d respectively to receive the elevated parts 126c and 126d respectively. The interface between the matching uneven surfaces of the holding grooves 214c and 214d of the rib support 128a and the rotation brush support 128b respectively and the elevated parts 126a and 126b of the suction port 121 fix the support frame 210 to the drum casing unit 120 in the same manner discussed above.

[0025] The first and second hooks 221 and 223 protrude from the front of the support frame 210 at certain intervals to fix the front of the support frame 210 to the front of the drum casing unit 120. The front ends 221a and 223a of the first and second hooks 221 and 223 respectively are inserted into the first and second holding holes 123a and 123b respectively of the drum casing unit 120.

[0026] The first and second connection units 231 and 233 protrude from the back of the support frame 210 at certain intervals to fix the back of the support frame 210 to the drum casing unit 120. The first and second hanging units 231a and 233a are disposed on the first and second connection units 231 and 233 respectively so as to be snap-engaged with the first and second connection holes 125a and 125b respectively of the drum casing unit 120. The first and second connection units 231 and 233 also have lever protrusions 231b and 233b respectively to separate the first and second hanging units 231a and 233a from the first and second connection holes 125a and 125b respectively when the hair removal unit 200 is separated from the drum casing unit 120.

[0027] In order for the first and second connection units 231 and 233 to be elastically connected to the support frame 120, the support frame 120 and the first and second connection units 231 and 233 may be made of elastic material such as synthetic rubber or plastic.

[0028] In addition to fixing the support frame 210 to the drum casing unit 120, the interface of the first and second hooks 221 and 223 and first and second connection units 231 and 233 of the support frame 210 inserted into the first and second holding holes 123a, 123b, 125a and 125b respectively of the drum casing unit 120 also supplements the interface between the matching uneven surfaces of the holding grooves 214a and 214b of the support frame 210 and the elevated parts 126a and 126b respectively of the suction port 121. This interface supplements the interface between the matching uneven surfaces of the holding grooves 214a and 214b of the support frame 210 and the elevated parts 126a and 126b respectively of the suction port 121 by further fixing the support frame 210 to the drum casing unit 120 so that the support frame 210 is not displaced from the suction port 121 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.

[0029] In this exemplary embodiment, the support frame 210 is described as having a pair of the first second hooks 221 and 223 and a pair of first and second connection units 231 and 233, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of first and second hooks 221 and 223 and first and second connection units 231 and 233 may vary.

[0030] The first and second brush members 241 and 243 may be detachably connected at the front and the back of the support frame 210 and may be made of a material having a certain solidity that will not damage blankets or carpets during cleaning.

[0031] The operation of the suction brush according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, when the support frame 210 of the hair removal unit 200 is connected to the suction port 121 as shown in FIG. 2, the front ends 221a and 223a of the first and second hooks 221 and 223 are inserted into and fixed to the first and second holding holes 123a and 123b of the drum casing unit 120. In this configuration, when the back of the support frame 210 is connected to the back of the drum casing unit 120 by compressing the back of the support frame 210 using a certain force, the hanging units 231a and 233a of the first and second connection units 231 and 233 are snap-engaged with the first and second connection holes 125a and 125b respectively as shown in FIG. 5.

[0033] When the hair removal unit 200 is separated from the brush body 100, the lever protrusions 231b and 233b are drawn out of the first and second connection holes 125a and 125b respectively by elastically pulling the lever protrusions 231b and 233b of the first and second connection units 231 and 233 respectively in the reverse direction to that in which the brush body 100 was pushed into place. In this configuration, the front ends 221a and 223a of the first and second hooks 221 and 223 arc unhooked from the first and second holding holes 123a and 123b respectively so that the hair removal unit 200 can be easily and conveniently separated from the brush body 100.

[0034] As described in the above exemplary embodiment, the user can easily and conveniently mount and remove the hair removal unit 200 on the brush body 100. The lever protrusions 231b and 233b enable the user to mount and remove the hair removal unit 200 on the brush body 100 without contacting the first and second brush members 241 and 243, thereby avoiding fouling the user with dirt and debris collected thereon. The user may, for example, take each lever protrusion 231b and 233b between their thumb and forefinger to mount or remove the hair removal unit 200 on the brush body 100.

[0035] 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.

[0036] Accordingly, the present invention provides a hair removal unit 200 that is mounted on a brush body 100 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.

[0037] 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

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 of claim 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 of claim 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 of claim 2, wherein the connection unit extends elastically from the support frame.

5. The suction brush of claim 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 of claim 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 of claim 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.