U.S. patent application number 12/808813 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-16 for vacuum cleaner brush with self-powered uvc lamp.
This patent application is currently assigned to Euroflex S.r.l.. Invention is credited to Pierantonio Milanese.
Application Number | 20100313379 12/808813 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40315950 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100313379 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Milanese; Pierantonio |
December 16, 2010 |
Vacuum cleaner brush with self-powered UVC lamp
Abstract
A Nozzle (1) for a vacuum cleaner, with an integrated UVC
germicide lamp (3) that works without being connected to an
external electric power supply because the current generator (8)
necessary for its powering is part of the nozzle itself.
Inventors: |
Milanese; Pierantonio;
(Susegana, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Themis Law
7979 Ivanhoe Ave Ste 400
La Jolla
CA
92037
US
|
Assignee: |
Euroflex S.r.l.
Susegana (TV)
IT
|
Family ID: |
40315950 |
Appl. No.: |
12/808813 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
December 4, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IT2008/000741 |
371 Date: |
July 23, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/339 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/0416 20130101;
A47L 9/0411 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/339 |
International
Class: |
A47L 9/00 20060101
A47L009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 19, 2007 |
IT |
TV2007A000200 |
Claims
1. Brush for vacuum cleaner with a germicide lamp UVC (3), which is
characterized by the fact of being self-powered by a dynamo
operated by the sucked air flow.
2. Brush for vacuum cleaner as per claim 1, characterized by the
fact that the current generator can be either a dynamo or a
synchronous motor.
3. Brush for vacuum cleaner as per claim 1, characterized by the
fact that the current generator is used to power a UVC lamp.
Description
[0001] Object of the present patent is a brush for vacuum cleaner
with integrated UV-C (germicide) lamp, that can work without being
connected to an external electric power supply, because the current
generator, necessary for its powering, is part of the product
itself.
[0002] The present patent is applied to the field of vacuum
cleaners and relevant accessories. Due to its construction
peculiarities, which will be described afterwards, it can be also
applied to steam cleaners and cleaning appliance fields.
[0003] Several kinds of brushes are known among vacuum cleaners
accessories, used for different purposes: floor and parquet
brushes; carpet and sofas brushes; this patent refers to this kind
of accessories.
[0004] Constructive methods of brushes present in the market,
divided into floor and/or parquet brushes, intended to vacuum on
hard and regular surfaces, and, brushes for soft and irregular
surfaces, such as carpets, sofas and fitted carpets.
[0005] This last kind of brushes has additionally a roller, with
some bristles shrunk-on. This roller, when rotating, moves the dirt
which is nested into the fabric, and facilitates its suction
through the slit which is under the brush.
[0006] The roller can operate through an electric ratio-motor or an
air operating motor.
[0007] Brushes that are present in the market can suck the dirt
from a surface but cannot "disinfect" it. For this reason, in the
last years, we have seen new appliances in the market that have
this "disinfection" function; this kind of appliances utilize
detergents or water steam at high temperature.
[0008] Recently new products, named "sweeper", have been put in the
market; they combine UVC lamps with rotating carpet brushes (see
patent applications JP2005124861 A2--EP1714601 A2--WO2006/015390
A2) The germicide lamps (UVC) give out a light with a wave length
of 253.70 nm named "germicide" for its capability to neutralize
bacteria. As a matter of fact the exposure of these bacteria
colonies to the ultra violet UVC radiation neutralizes their
effect. These new products overcome the limit of normal vacuum
cleaners brushes and thus they "disinfect" as well. These
"sweepers" anyway show some limits, first of all the powering of
lamps by using rechargeable batteries. This kind of powering
presents some inconvenience for the final user who has to remember
to charge the battery, electricity consumption due to everlasting
charges and not last the chemical limit of rechargeable batteries,
in fact, continual charges and discharges damage these batteries
mat need then to be substituted with all ecological problems linked
to their disposal and their high cost. Electrical powering of the
lamp can be done also through the electrical power supply of the
vacuum cleaner, and this can solve the problems created by
batteries. This requires a more complicated construction, in fact
the power supply must pass through the flexible suction hoses, and
to do this a particular and expensive execution of these hoses is
needed: they have to be co-extruded and cables have to pass well
separated from the suction channel, in particular, for wet &
dry appliances or steam generators, the execution of these brushes
needs a high grade of protection from humidity thus requiring
considerable and complicated project for its construction.
[0009] The aim of this patent is to solve the described problems,
i.e. to create a kind of brushes equipped with this "disinfection"
system through UVC lamps, combined to a self-powering system with
ho need of batteries or external electrical power supply.
[0010] The product is then universal and suitable for any vacuum
cleaner on the market because it does not need any adaptation or
interface of the appliance.
[0011] This result is entirely and fully performed by the invention
which is the object of the present patent, and realized as
follows.
[0012] The air sucked by the motor fan inside the vacuum cleaner,
connected to the brush through the pipe union (4), enters the brush
through the suction inlet (5). Through the internal structure of
the brush the air is conveyed to the fan (2) that, due to this
forced air flow rotates at high speed, and then goes out of the
pipe union towards the appliance. Approximate but not mandatory
rotation speed of this fan (2) is about 2000-2500 rounds per
minute. The fan (2) is connected, through a timing belt (7), to a
synchronous motor or a dynamo (8), that, rotating, creates electric
current at a certain voltage. This current is than transformed by
an electronic board (6) and thus used to switch on the UVC lamp (3)
and keep it lighted. A switch (9) is connected in series between
the motor/dynamo (8) and the electronic board (6), that is used to
interrupt the load generated by the motor (8) and allow, in
particular applications if needed, the connection of the fan (2),
through another belt (10), also to a rotating brush (1) for the
carpet cleaner function.
* * * * *