U.S. patent application number 17/089575 was filed with the patent office on 2021-02-18 for cleaning device.
The applicant listed for this patent is SharkNinja Operating LLC. Invention is credited to Michael James DOUGLAS, Richard MATHIAS.
Application Number | 20210045601 17/089575 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005197184 |
Filed Date | 2021-02-18 |
View All Diagrams
United States Patent
Application |
20210045601 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DOUGLAS; Michael James ; et
al. |
February 18, 2021 |
CLEANING DEVICE
Abstract
Apparatus and method for receiving and holding debris in a
collection chamber of a vacuum cleaner. The collection chamber has
an inlet opening through which debris-entrained air enters the
collection chamber. When the vacuum cleaner is off, the cover
prevents debris from leaving the collection chamber through the
inlet opening. The wall of the collection chamber moves when
negative pressure is applied to the collection chamber, and the
wall movement moves the cover from the inlet opening, allowing the
debris-entrained air to enter the collection chamber. In some
embodiments, the moving part of the wall is an air filter.
Inventors: |
DOUGLAS; Michael James;
(London, GB) ; MATHIAS; Richard; (Brighton,
MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SharkNinja Operating LLC |
Needham |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005197184 |
Appl. No.: |
17/089575 |
Filed: |
November 4, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16671220 |
Nov 1, 2019 |
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17089575 |
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62754453 |
Nov 1, 2018 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 9/066 20130101;
A47L 9/1409 20130101; A47L 9/12 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47L 9/14 20060101
A47L009/14; A47L 9/06 20060101 A47L009/06; A47L 9/12 20060101
A47L009/12 |
Claims
1. A replacement head for use with a cleaning device, comprising: a
housing having a suction inlet for allowing debris to flow
therethrough, and a dirt collection chamber configured to receive
debris from the suction inlet, at least a portion of at least one
wall of the dirt collection chamber being movable in response to a
vacuum force applied to the dirt collection chamber; and a cleaning
sheet coupled to the housing and having a surface configured to
contact a surface to be cleaned; wherein the housing is configured
to couple to a cleaning device such that a vacuum source can apply
a vacuum force to the dirt collection chamber to draw debris
through the suction inlet into the dirt collection chamber.
2. The replacement head of claim 1, wherein the dirt collection
chamber comprises a flexible bag.
3. The replacement head of claim 2, wherein a portion of the
flexible bag covers the suction inlet and is configured to move
away from the suction inlet when a vacuum force is applied to the
dirt collection chamber.
4. The replacement head of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of
the dirt collection chamber is air permeable to allow a vacuum
force to be applied to the dirt collection chamber while retaining
debris therein.
5. The replacement head of claim 1, wherein the housing includes at
least one engagement element configured to mate with an engagement
element on a cleaning device for removably attaching the
replacement head to a cleaning device.
6. The replacement head of claim 1, wherein the cleaning sheet is
planar.
7. A replacement head for use with a cleaning device, comprising: a
cleaning sheet having a surface configured to contact a surface to
be cleaned; a housing mounted on the cleaning sheet and having a
bag therein defining a dirt collection chamber, at least a portion
of the bag being flexible, and the bag being coupled to an inlet in
the housing for allowing debris to flow into the dirt collection
chamber.
8. The replacement head of claim 7, wherein the housing is directly
attached to the cleaning sheet.
9. The replacement head of claim 7, wherein the housing is
permanently attached to the cleaning sheet.
10. The replacement head of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of
the bag is air permeable to allow a vacuum force to be applied to
the dirt collection chamber while retaining debris therein.
11. The replacement head of claim 7, wherein a portion of the bag
covers a suction inlet in the housing and is configured to move
away from the suction inlet when a vacuum force is applied to the
dirt collection chamber.
12. The replacement head of claim 7, wherein the housing includes a
suction inlet adjacent to an edge of the cleaning sheet.
13. The replacement head of claim 7, wherein the housing includes
at least one engagement element configured to mate with an
engagement element on a cleaning device for removably attaching the
replacement head to a cleaning device.
14. The replacement head of claim 7, wherein the cleaning sheet is
planar.
15. A replacement head for use with a cleaning device, comprising:
a housing having a suction inlet configured to receive debris and a
portion configured to couple to a vacuum source; a flexible bag
disposed within the housing and coupled to the suction inlet, the
flexible bag including an air-permeable portion configured to allow
a vacuum source coupled to the housing to apply a vacuum force to
the dirt collection chamber to draw debris through the suction
inlet for collection within a dirt collection chamber; and a
cleaning sheet coupled to the housing and configured to contact a
surface to be cleaned.
16. The replacement head of claim 15, further wherein the bag is
configured to expand in response to a vacuum force applied to the
dirt collection chamber.
17. The replacement head of claim 15, wherein the cleaning sheet is
removably attached to the housing.
18. The replacement head of claim 15, wherein the housing includes
at least one engagement element configured to mate with a
corresponding engagement element on a cleaning device to mate the
replacement head to the cleaning device.
19. The replacement head of claim 15, wherein the cleaning sheet is
planar.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 120 and is
a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/671,220,
entitled "CLEANING DEVICE" and filed Nov. 1, 2019. U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 16/671,220 claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/754,453,
entitled "CLEANING DEVICE" and filed Nov. 1, 2018. The entirety of
each referenced application is incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD
[0002] Embodiments disclosed herein related generally to cleaning
devices, and more specifically to vacuums and cleaning heads for
vacuums.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0003] Cleaning devices are used in the home and office to clean
floors and other surfaces. Various types of cleaning devices are
known, such as vacuums with disposable bags, and vacuums with dirt
bins that can be emptied and re-used.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a debris
collection chamber, an air filter configured to allow air to pass
through the air filter while inhibiting debris from passing through
the air filter, and a collection chamber inlet opening configured
to allow debris-entrained air to flow into the collection chamber.
The air filter is movable from a first position, in which the air
filter covers the chamber inlet opening, to a second position in
which the air filter does not cover the chamber inlet opening.
[0005] According to another embodiment, an apparatus adapted to be
attached to a vacuum cleaner includes a debris collection chamber
and a collection chamber inlet opening configured to allow
debris-entrained air to flow into the debris collection chamber.
The apparatus also includes an air filter configured to allow air
to pass through the air filter while inhibiting debris from passing
through the air filter. A cover is provided which is movable from a
first position in which the cover covers the chamber inlet opening,
to a second position in which the cover does not cover the chamber
inlet opening. The cover is attached to the air filter, and the air
filter is arranged such that when the air filter is under no
negative pressure, the cover is in the first position. The air
filter is also arranged such that when negative pressure is applied
to the air filter to draw air through the chamber inlet opening,
the air filter moves the cover to the second position.
[0006] According to yet another embodiment, an apparatus adapted to
be attached to a cleaning device having a suction source is
provided. The apparatus includes a debris collection chamber having
a chamber wall that moves when negative pressure is applied to the
collection chamber, and a collection chamber inlet opening
configured to allow air to flow into the debris collection chamber
when negative pressure is applied to the debris collection chamber.
The apparatus also includes a cover movable from a first position,
in which the cover covers the chamber inlet opening, to a second
position in which the cover does not cover the chamber inlet
opening. The cover is attached to the chamber wall and arranged
such that when the chamber wall moves due to the negative pressure
being applied the collection chamber, the chamber wall moves the
cover from the first position to the second position in which the
cover does not cover the chamber inlet opening, and a flow path is
opened for debris-entrained to be drawn into the collection chamber
through the chamber inlet opening.
[0007] According to another embodiment, a method includes attaching
a debris collection chamber to a vacuum cleaner, the collection
chamber including a movable wall, a collection chamber inlet
opening, and an inlet opening cover operatively connected to the
movable wall. The method further includes activating a suction
source that applies a negative pressure to the debris collection
chamber and moves the movable wall, wherein the movement of the
wall in response to the application of the negative pressure moves
the inlet opening cover from a first position in which the inlet
opening cover covers the inlet opening, to a second position in
which the inlet opening cover does not cover the inlet opening.
Also included are acts of deactivating the suction source, and
removing the debris collection chamber from the vacuum cleaner.
[0008] It should be appreciated that the foregoing concepts, and
additional concepts discussed below, may be arranged in any
suitable combination, as the present disclosure is not limited in
this respect.
[0009] The foregoing and other aspects, embodiments, and features
of the present teachings can be more fully understood from the
following description in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to
scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical
component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by
a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be
labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device according
to embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a top, front perspective view of a cleaning head
according to some embodiments;
[0013] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the cleaning head of FIG.
2;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a top, rear perspective view of the cleaning head
of FIG. 2 with the filter removed;
[0015] FIG. 5 shows the cleaning head of FIG. 2 in a state where
negative pressure is being applied to the collection chamber;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a cutaway view of the cleaning head of FIG. 2;
[0017] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the cleaning head and sheet
assembly;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional front view of a cleaning head
and a partially lifted top chamber wall according to some
embodiments;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional front view of a cleaning head
and a partially lifted top chamber wall according to alternative
embodiments;
[0020] FIG. 10 shows a cover stabilizer according to some
embodiments;
[0021] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view of a cleaning head
with a chamber inlet cover arrangement according to some
embodiments; and
[0022] FIG. 12 shows eight stacked cleaning heads according to some
embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Conventional bag vacuums typically require the user to
remove a bag from a housing interior, dispose of the bag, and
insert a new bag. Removing the bag can put dust in the air and/or
result in spilled debris. Cyclonic vacuum cleaners often have a
debris collection chamber that can be removed from the body of the
vacuum, emptied, and reused.
[0024] For cleanup jobs that do not require a full size vacuum
cleaner, the inventors have appreciated that a debris collection
container which remains closed upon removal from the vacuum can be
helpful. Disclosed herein are debris collection chamber
arrangements which allow debris-entrained air to enter a collection
chamber through an inlet opening when the vacuum cleaner is turned
on. The collection chamber arrangements cover the inlet opening
when the vacuum cleaner is turned off, which limits undesirable
release of debris from the collection chamber. In some embodiments,
the collection chamber is disposable, and in some embodiments, the
collection chamber is attached to a cleaning head, and the entire
cleaning head is disposable.
[0025] To facilitate covering the collection chamber inlet opening,
a cover for the inlet opening may be arranged to move in response
to the presence of negative pressure in the vacuum cleaner. For
example, a planar piece of filter material may cover the inlet
opening when the vacuum cleaner is off. When the vacuum cleaner is
turned on and negative pressure is applied to the filter material,
the filter material pulls away from the inlet opening, thereby
allowing air and debris to enter the collection chamber. The inflow
of air substantially prevents dirt from exiting the collection
chamber through the inlet opening. When the vacuum cleaners turned
off, the filter material returns to its position covering the inlet
opening. Such an arrangement provides for covering the inlet
opening without user intervention.
[0026] In some embodiments, the filter material is attached to the
debris collection chamber with an elastic connector. The elastic
connector allows the filter material to be pulled away from the
inlet opening when the filter material is subjected to a negative
pressure by a suction source. In other embodiments, no elastic
connection is provided, and the inherent flexibility of the filter
material allows the filter material to move away from the inlet
opening.
[0027] In some embodiments, the cover for the inlet opening is not
filter material. For example, a piece of filter material may form
substantially the entire top wall of a collection chamber, but
include an air impermeable portion which covers and uncovers the
inlet opening. In still other embodiments, an entire top wall of
the collection chamber may be formed of a flexible material other
than an air filter. The top wall may move to cover and uncover the
inlet opening, while a separate portion of the collection chamber
has an air outlet that applies a negative pressure to the
collection chamber.
[0028] By automatically closing the chamber inlet opening when the
vacuum cleaner is turned off, the collection chamber may be
completely enclosed to limit release of debris. The arrangement can
also be helpful to limit spillage or egress of collected debris
from the collection chamber when the user removes and/or transports
the collection chamber for debris disposal. In some embodiments,
the collection chamber may be adapted for reuse and include an
aperture which is selectively openable to discard debris from the
chamber. In other embodiments, the collection chamber may be
adapted to be disposed of once the chamber is full. For example, in
some embodiments the collection chamber may have no openings other
than the inlet opening. In some embodiments, the collection chamber
is not openable by a user to dispose of debris from the debris
collection chamber without damaging the debris collection chamber.
The collection chamber may be permanently attached to, and form at
least a portion of, a disposable cleaning head in some embodiments,
such that the entire head is disposed of after use.
[0029] For purposes herein, debris being suctioned into the debris
collection chamber may include dry and/or wet media. For example,
in some embodiments, a liquid applied to the surface may be
absorbed by a cleaning sheet and/or suctioned by the vacuum into
the debris collection chamber. In some embodiments, the wet media
may be absorbed by at least a portion of the material used to form
the debris collection chamber. In some embodiments, the debris
collection chamber may be formed of a material which allows for
fluid absorption into the material but does not allow for liquid
transfer through the material. In such embodiments, liquid may not
travel through the debris collection chamber. For example, the
material used to form the debris collection chamber may be
absorptive on an inner side of the debris collection chamber, but
liquid impermeable.
[0030] Advantages also may be realized if the user does not have to
handle the wet or dirty cleaning head after operation of the
cleaning device. For example, the cleaning device may be arranged
to release the cleaning head after using the cleaning device such
that the user does not have to grasp the cleaning head to discard
it. With a permanently attached debris collection chamber, and a
release arrangement that does not require the user to touch the
cleaning head, the cleaning head can be disposed of with limited or
no user contact.
[0031] In some embodiments, the cleaning head includes a support
structure to which the debris collection chamber is attached. In
such embodiments, the user may simply attach the cleaning head to
the cleaning device, operate the cleaning device to move dirt from
the surface and into the debris collection chamber, remove the
cleaning head, and dispose of the cleaning head in a trash
receptacle.
[0032] In some embodiments, the cleaning heads are arranged for
space-efficient stacking for ease of storage and transport. In some
embodiments, the dirt collection chambers are arranged to be
collapsible. For example, the dirt collection chamber may include a
bag.
[0033] FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device 100 according to some
embodiments of the present disclosure. The cleaning device 100
includes a body 102 with a handle 104, a connector 106, and a
cleaning head 108 which is removably attachable to the body, such
as via the connector. In some embodiments, the handle may have a
length that is adjustable to allow a user to adjust the height of
the cleaning device.
[0034] As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the cleaning head 108 may include a
suction nozzle 107 to remove debris from a surface, and a debris
collection chamber 112 to collect the debris removed from the
surface. As will be appreciated, the debris collection chamber may
be any suitable type of container for collecting debris such as
dirt, dust, food, or wet media. In some embodiments, the debris
collection chamber 112 may be permanently or removably attached to
a cleaning sheet 114. For example, the collection chamber 112 may
be glued, heat sealed, or otherwise permanently affixed to cleaning
sheet 114.
[0035] In some embodiments, an additional support structure may be
provided. For example, a substantially planar support frame may be
provided between the collection chamber and the sheet, although the
support structure may have other suitable arrangements.
[0036] In some embodiments, the collection chamber 112 protrudes
upwardly from the cleaning sheet or support structure. For purposes
herein, the term "protruding upwardly" means that the collection
chamber protrudes away from the support structure in a direction
away from the surface being cleaned.
[0037] The collection chamber 112 includes an inlet 115 having an
inlet opening 116, which in the illustrated embodiment, is located
at a top portion of the collection chamber 112. The inlet opening
116 is formed by a top rim 118 of an upwardly extending wall 120.
The inlet 115 may have a ramp 122 extending from a suction inlet
124 into the collection chamber to aid in moving debris from the
suction inlet into collection areas 126a, 126b of the collection
chamber. Though in some embodiments the area below the inlet
opening may have a floor that is coplanar with a bottom 127 of the
collection portions of the collection chamber 112.
[0038] An air filter 128 forms a top wall of the collection chamber
in some embodiments. The filter material may be attached to the
collection chamber such that in a first position, as shown in FIG.
2, the air filter covers inlet opening 116. In this position, the
air filter inhibits debris that has already been collected in
collection areas 126a, 126b from moving over wall 120 and through
the inlet opening 116. The air filter and the collection chamber
are arranged such that the air filter is in this first position
when negative pressure is not being applied to the air filter.
[0039] When negative pressure is applied to the air filter, the air
filter moves upwardly (see FIG. 5) and separate from the inlet
opening. In this second position, debris-entrained air can flow
through suction inlet 124, up and over wall 120, and into the
debris collection areas 126a, 126b.
[0040] As mentioned above, the air filter may be attached to the
collection chamber with an elastic connection. For example, as
shown in FIG. 5, an elongated strip 136 of elastic material
connects the air filter to a top portion of the collection chamber
along a front wall of the collection chamber. A similar elongated
elastic strip (not visible in FIG. 5) connects the air filter to
the top portion of the collection chamber along the rear wall of
the collection chamber. The stretchability of the elongated strips
allows the air filter to move away from the inlet opening. In some
embodiments, elastic connectors may be used on one or both of the
walls at the lateral sides of the collection chamber.
[0041] In some embodiments, only a portion of the air filter 128
may rise from the collection chamber when negative pressure is
applied to the cleaning head. For example, elastic connectors may
be provided along only certain portions of the air filter. The
elastic portions may be provided in an area of the air inlet
opening such that the air filter lifts only in the area at or near
the air inlet opening, while the remaining areas of the air filter
are not substantially lifted.
[0042] In still further embodiments, the air filter may be
connected to the collection chamber without any elastic connectors
such that the air filter does not move at the connection points. In
such an embodiment, the air filter may have a size and shape which
allows the air filter to sufficiently lift away from the air inlet
opening when under negative pressure such that the cover lifts away
from the air inlet opening. For example, adhesive strips 123 may be
provided on the filter material 128, to secure the filter material
to the collection chamber, as shown by way of example in FIG.
3.
[0043] Materials other than an air filter may be used to cover the
inlet opening in some embodiments. For example, as shown in FIG. 7,
a section of air impermeable material may be used in the area of
the top wall of the collection chamber as a cover 134 for the inlet
opening. Cover 134 may have the same shape as a perimeter of the
chamber inlet opening, or it may have a different shape. In some
embodiments, an underside of cover 134 may be provided with an
additional material layer. For example, a layer of material which
conforms easily to rim 118 may be adhered to an underside of the
air filter. Such a layer may act to seal the inlet opening against
passage of debris.
[0044] The portions of the top wall outside of the cover 134 are
shown as air filter 128 in the embodiment of FIG. 7, but other
materials may be used to form the top wall of the collection
chamber. In some embodiments, the entire top wall may be air
impermeable, and one or more air filters may be provided elsewhere
in the arrangement, as discuss below with reference to FIG. 11.
[0045] The collection chamber may include stiffening ridges 137
along a bottom of the collection chamber. The stiffening ridges may
allow for less material to be used in forming the collection
chamber. The stiffening ridges are shown traveling from front to
back in the collection chamber, however, stiffening ridges may be
positioned and sized in any suitable manner. Stiffening grooves may
be used instead of, or in addition to, stiffening ridges. In some
embodiments, the collection chamber is formed with a plastic
thermoforming process. The collection chamber may be manufactured
using any suitable process. For example, the collection chamber may
be injection molded. In some embodiments, the collection chamber,
the suction nozzle, and the suction inlet may be a unitary piece.
In some embodiments, the collection chamber, the suction nozzle,
and the inlet may be integrally formed, such as by thermoforming.
In other embodiments, one more of the collection chamber, the
suction nozzle, and the suction inlet may be separately formed and
attached.
[0046] As mentioned above, a cleaning sheet may be attached to the
collection chamber. The cleaning sheet may be formed of any
suitable material, and may be made of a single layer or multiple
layers. In the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning sheet includes
multiple layers including a multifunctional strip 138, a face layer
139, and first and second absorbent layers 140 and 141. The face
layer and absorbent layers may be made from various non-woven
materials, woven materials, and/or plastics, or any other suitable
materials. The absorbent layers may be configured to wick moisture
away from the face layer. The multifunctional strip 138 may be used
for scrubbing in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the
multifunctional strip may provide friction to help prevent the
cleaning device from slipping when propped against a wall.
[0047] In some embodiments, the air filter material may be limited
to specific sections of the collection chamber. For example, a top
chamber wall similarly arranged to the air filter 128 shown in FIG.
7 may have air permeable sections only at or near lateral ends of
the top chamber wall, and have air impermeable material in the
remaining section. In other embodiments, air permeable sections may
be positioned close to a centered inlet opening on both sides of
the inlet opening. In still other embodiments, a collection chamber
may include more than one inlet opening and a cover for each of the
openings.
[0048] A cover may include portions which extended downwardly into
the inlet opening and/or around the outside of the chamber inlet
opening. For example, a collar may be attached to an underside of
the air filter such that when the vacuum cleaner is turned off and
the air filter returns to a home position, the collar cover some or
all of the perimeter of the inlet opening.
[0049] One example of such an embodiment is shown in FIG. 8. A
collar 142 is connected to an underside of air filter 124. When the
air filter is moved to a home position, the collar is positioned
next to, or in contact with, an outside of wall 120. The air filter
and is shown slightly higher than the home position in FIG. 8. The
collar may be made of a rigid material or may be made of a flexible
material.
[0050] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment where a downwardly extending
member is positioned inside the inlet opening when the air filter
is in the home position. A collar 144 is adapted to be positioned
next or in contact with an inside of wall 120. As with the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the collar may be made of a rigid
material or a flexible material. The downwardly extending cover
structures shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be used in addition to or
instead of a substantially horizontal cover portion of the air
filter.
[0051] A cover stabilizer may be implemented to help maintain
contact between the cover and the rim of the inlet opening. For
example, as shown in FIG. 10, a cover stabilizer 150 has a similar
shape to the rim of the outlet opening shown in FIGS. 3-4.
Stabilizer 150 is pivotally attached to the air filter at a pivot
joint 152, and is biased downwardly by a torsion spring 154. The
force applied by the stabilizer 150 may press the underside of air
filter 128 in to secure contact with the rim of the air inlet
opening. The weight of the stabilizer and the strength of the
torsion spring may be configured such that when the air filter is
lifted from the collection chamber, the stabilizer does not overly
deforms the shape of the air filter. In some embodiments, a
mechanical limit to the rotation of the stabilizer may be
implemented, for example at the pivot joint 152.
[0052] A conduit end does not have to be fully exposed to be
considered to be an inlet opening that is not covered by a cover.
For example, if the air inlet opening for a debris collection
chamber is formed by an upright cylindrical column with a top
circular rim, and an air filter is removed from a sufficient
portion of the circular rim during vacuuming to permit flow of air
and debris into the collection chamber, the air inlet opening may
be considered to be not covered by the air inlet opening cover.
[0053] As mentioned above, the air filter (or other collection
chamber wall) may be connected to the collection chamber without
any elastic connectors. FIG. 11 shows one embodiment where the air
filter 128 is attached to the collection chamber with a pleated
material 129. The air filter 128 is shown slightly lifted from the
collection chamber in FIG. 11. When negative pressure is applied to
the air filter, the air filter pulls on and unfolds the pleats.
When the negative pressure is released, the pleats may be biased to
return toward their folded position such that the air filter covers
the chamber inlet opening. In some embodiments, a cover stabilizer,
such as the stabilizer shown in FIG. 10, may be used in conjunction
with a pleated arrangement or other non-elastic arrangement.
[0054] Instead of, or in addition to, using air filter 128 as the
top wall of the collection chamber, the pleated material may be
formed of an air filter material. For example, the top wall may be
formed with an air impermeable material, and the vacuum cleaner may
be configured to encompass at least the top wall and the pleated
sides. When negative pressure is applied, the top wall is lifted
upwardly, exposing the air filter material of the pleated sides.
Air is then withdrawn from the collection chamber via the pleated
sides.
[0055] While the embodiments illustrated herein show the air filter
positioned such that the filter acts as a top wall of the
collection chamber, the air filter may be positioned elsewhere on
the collection chamber and still function as a removable cover for
the chamber inlet opening. For example, instead of facing upwardly
as shown in FIGS. 3-4, the chamber inlet opening may face
rearwardly, and the air filter may be positioned at the back of the
collection chamber. In the home position, the air filter may be
held against the chamber inlet opening, for example with elastic
connectors, to cover the inlet opening. When negative pressure is
applied, the air filter be moved away from the chamber inlet
opening.
[0056] In still other embodiments, more than one wall of the
collection chamber may move in response to negative pressure. A
movable wall may be a flexible bag structure. A wall is not
necessarily required to be planar or rigid. For example, an entire
debris collection chamber may be formed as a flexible bag attached
to the chamber inlet opening. A portion of the bag may be
positioned against the chamber inlet opening when no negative
pressure is applied, and then as the bag expands from the
application of negative pressure, the portion of the bag covering
the chamber inlet opening moves away to allow debris-entrained air
to enter the bag. As described herein, walls may be planar and/or
rigid, and collection chambers may have a combination of rigid and
flexible walls.
[0057] Applying a negative pressure to a collection chamber
includes applying a negative pressure to the outside of an air
permeable portion of the chamber and/or applying a negative
pressure to an opening in the collection chamber.
[0058] In some embodiments, when the cleaning head is attached to
the cleaning device, at least a portion of the debris collection
chamber may be covered by the cleaning device. For example, in some
embodiments, the debris collection chamber may be covered by the
connector 106 used to connect the cleaning head to the cleaning
device.
[0059] A divider 160 (see FIG. 4) may be provided to stiffen the
collection chamber, though some embodiments include no such
divider. Additional walls similar to divider 160 may be positioned
in the collection chamber to guide air flow within the collection
chamber.
[0060] Suction nozzle 107 may extend laterally along a front
portion of the cleaning head. The suction nozzle may have any
suitable shape and size. The suction nozzle may extend along an
entire width of the cleaning head in some embodiments. Instead of
being attached to the debris collection chamber, the suction nozzle
may be formed on part of the vacuum cleaner device. In such an
embodiment, once the collection chamber is attached to the vacuum
cleaner, the suction nozzle forms a flow path to the collection
chamber inlet opening.
[0061] The vacuum cleaner may include one or more actuators for
actuating the suction source, and one or more actuators for
actuating liquid application. The suction source may be an electric
motor in some embodiments.
[0062] Cleaning heads described herein may be constructed and
arranged to permit efficient packing in some embodiments. For
example, the debris collection chamber and suction nozzle may be
sized and positioned on a cleaning sheet and/or support structure
such that an inverted cleaning head is stackable on an upright
cleaning in such a manner that the upwardly-facing surface is
substantially level. As can be seen in FIG. 11, eight cleaning
heads 108 are stacked, and the cleaning heads alternate between
being upright and being inverted. The suction nozzles 107 are sized
and position to not interfere with the adjacently stacked cleaning
heads.
[0063] While the present teachings have been described in
conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not
intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments
or examples. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass
various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be
appreciated by those of skill in the art. Accordingly, the
foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.
[0064] Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone,
in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically
discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and is
therefore not limited in its application to the details and
arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or
illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one
embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in
other embodiments.
[0065] Also, embodiments of the invention may be embodied as a
method, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed
as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way.
Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are
performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include
performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as
sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.
[0066] Use of ordinal terms such as "first," "second," "third,"
etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself
connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element
over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are
performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim
element having a certain name from another element having a same
name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim
elements.
[0067] Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the
purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The
use of "including," "comprising," or "having," "containing,"
"involving," and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass
the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as
additional items.
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