Agitator with disks

• US 10,143,344 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bissell Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc. (Bissell Inc.)
• Inventors: Krebs, Alan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US14/972,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20160183746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 15 211, 15 23, 15 28, 15 503, 15 521, 15383, 15393
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0066 adapted for removing nail dust, hair or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls

Abstract

An agitator provided for a surface cleaning apparatus includes a dowel defining an axis of rotation and multiple disks extending radially from the dowel to a peripheral edge.

Claims

1. An agitator for a surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a dowel defining an axis of rotation; and

a plurality of disks extending radially from the dowel to a scalloped peripheral edge and where the plurality of disks include a pair of opposing disk surfaces bridged by the scalloped peripheral edge, and further comprising a plurality of nubs projecting from at least one disk surface;

wherein the plurality of disks lie in oblique planes with respect to the axis of rotation.

2. The agitator of claim 1, wherein the distance between the opposing disk surfaces defines a thickness T1 and the distance the nubs project from the at least one disk surface defines a thickness T2, and wherein the ratio of T1 to T2 ranges from 0.66:

1 to 2;

1.

3. The agitator of claim 1 wherein the scalloped peripheral edge includes a series of spaced apart, curved recesses extending inwardly toward the dowel.

4. The agitator of claim 1 wherein the scalloped peripheral edge includes a plurality of scallops.

5. The agitator of claim 4 wherein the scallops have a radius of curvature that ranges from ¼

to ¾

of the diameter of the dowel.

6. The agitator of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the diameter of the disks to the diameter of the dowel ranges from 1.5:

1 to 2.5;

1.

7. The agitator of claim 1 wherein the oblique planes of the disks are parallel to each other.

8. The agitator of claim 7, wherein the oblique planes form angle α

with respect to the axis of rotation that ranges from 95°

to 125°

, wherein the angle α

is the maximum angle formed between the oblique planes of the disks and the axis of rotation.

9. The agitator of claim 1 wherein the disks are spaced apart on the dowel along the axis of rotation by the width W1 and the opposing ends of the scalloped peripheral edge are spaced apart along axis of rotation by a width W2, and wherein the ratio of W1 to W2 ranges from 0.5:

1 to 1.5;

1.

10. The agitator of claim 1 wherein the oblique planes of at least two adjacent disks are not parallel to each other.

11. The agitator of claim 10 wherein the oblique planes of the at least two adjacent disks form an acute angle therebetween.

12. An agitator for a surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a dowel defining an axis of rotation;

a plurality of disks extending radially from the dowel in oblique planes with respect to the axis of rotation, and defining at least one disk surface transverse to the axis of rotation; and

a plurality of nubs projecting from the at least one disk surface.

13. The agitator of claim 12, wherein the nubs are hemispherical-shaped.

14. The agitator of claim 12, wherein the nubs are spaced apart around the diameter of the at least one disk surface.

15. The agitator of claim 12, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the disks to the diameter of the nubs ranges from 10:

1 to 16;

1.

16. The agitator of claim 12, wherein the plurality of nubs cover 4% to 20% of the surface area of the at least one disk surface.

17. An agitator for a surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a dowel defining an axis of rotation;

a plurality of disks spaced axially along and projecting radially outwardly from the dowel to a scalloped peripheral edge, and defining at least one disk surface transverse to the axis of rotation; and

a plurality of nubs projecting from the plurality of disk surfaces.

18. The agitator of claim 17, wherein the disks lie in transverse planes which are perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

19. An agitator for a surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:

a dowel defining an axis of rotation; and

a plurality of disks extending radially from the dowel to a scalloped peripheral edge;

wherein the plurality of disks lie in oblique planes with respect to the axis of rotation and wherein the disks have a higher coefficient of friction than the dowel.

20. The agitator of claim 19 wherein the disks are molded out of a thermoplastic material having a coefficient of friction between 0.6 to 4.5 and the dowel is molded out of a material having a coefficient of friction between 0.08 and 0.5.