Electrified telescoping wand for vacuum cleaner

• US 20020020541A1
• Filed: 08/09/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stein & Co GmbH
• Original Assignee: Stein & Co GmbH
• Inventors: Stein, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 6,486,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/47
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/244 for telescopic or extensible hoses or pipes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/246 with electrical connectors

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner wand includes inner and outer relatively telescopable pipes, a cord magazine chamber on the outer pipe, a sheath tube connected to the inner pipe and slidably extending into the chamber, a slider guided slidably parallel to the sheath tube in the chamber, and a flexible electrical cord. The cord extends along inside the sheath tube, bends 180° as a fixed loop at an end of the sheath tube, extends back between the sheath tube and the slider, bends 180° as a movable loop through an opening in the slider, and extends between the slider and a sidewall of the chamber. Thereby the cord has an adjustable extended length corresponding to the selected telescoped length of the wand. The sliding sheath tube slides the cord, which in turn moves the slider, so that the cord remains kink-free.

Claims

1. A telescoping vacuum wand for a vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a telescoping wand body including an inner vacuum pipe variably slidably received at least partly within an outer vacuum pipe coaxially along a longitudinal axis;

a cord magazine chamber provided on said outer vacuum pipe;

a slider with a cord guide opening, arranged slidable parallel to said longitudinal axis in said magazine chamber;

cord receiver element that is fixed relative to said inner vacuum pipe and extends variably slidably into said magazine chamber parallel to said longitudinal axis on a first side of said slider; and

an electrical cord with a first cord end fixed relative to said inner vacuum pipe, a second cord end fixed relative to said outer vacuum pipe, a first loop bend fixed to a free end of said cord receiver element in said magazine chamber, a second loop bend passing through said cord guide opening of said slider, a first cord portion extending from said first cord end along said cord receiver element to said first loop bend, a second cord portion extending from said first loop bend to said second loop bend between said cord receiver element and said slider, and a third cord portion extending from said second loop bend toward said second cord end on a second side of said slider opposite said cord receiver element.

2. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said first loop bend and said second loop bend are each respectively a bend of 180°

, and wherein said first cord portion, said second cord portion and said third cord portion are all parallel to each other and to said longitudinal axis, so that said electrical cord has an overall generally S- or Z-shaped meandering shape.

3. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein a first cord guide channel is formed and bounded between said cord receiver element and said first side of said slider, a second cord guide channel is formed and bounded between said second side of said slider and a wall portion of said magazine chamber, said second cord portion extends along in said first cord guide channel constrained with sliding free play therein in a kink-free manner, and said third cord portion extends along in said second cord guide channel constrained with free play therein in a kink-free manner.

4. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 3, wherein each one of said cord guide channels is further bounded respectively between a bottom bounding wall and a top bounding wall so that each one of said cord guide channels is enclosed on all sides.

5. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 4, wherein said magazine chamber comprises side walls and a cover arranged on said side walls, said bottom bounding wall is formed by an outer wall of said outer vacuum pipe, said top bounding wall is formed by said cover, and said wall portion bounding said second cord guide channel is formed by one of said side walls.

6. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 3, wherein said first cord guide channel is dimensioned relative to said second cord portion so as to constrain said second cord portion with sliding free play in said first cord guide channel in such a manner that said second cord portion can transmit pulling tension forces and pushing thrust forces therealong without kinking while sliding respectively in opposite directions therein.

7. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said first cord portion is fixed relative to and along said cord receiver element.

8. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said cord receiver element comprises a hollow sheath tube within which said first cord portion extends along.

9. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said cord receiver element comprises an elongate sectional profile member that is open along at least one side thereof and that has an open hollow center sectional area within which said first cord portion extends along.

10. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said cord receiver element is a linear elongate element having a length equal to at least 85% of a length of said magazine chamber parallel to said longitudinal axis.

11. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 10, wherein said length of said magazine chamber corresponds to and extends along at least 85% of a length of said outer vacuum pipe parallel to said longitudinal axis.

12. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said cord guide opening is dimensioned with sliding free play clearance relative to said second loop bend and allows said second loop bend to slidingly shift through said cord guide opening.

13. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said slider is an elongated flat plate-shaped member, and said cord guide opening is formed by a hole in said plate-shaped member.

14. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 13, wherein said hole is located adjacent to an end of said slider oriented opposite and away from said free end of said cord receiver element in said magazine chamber.

15. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 13, wherein said slider has a length corresponding to 35 to 55% of a length of said magazine chamber parallel to said longitudinal axis.

16. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said magazine chamber includes slide guides therein extending parallel to said longitudinal axis, said slider is a flat plate-shaped slider and is slidingly supported and guided by said slide guides, and a slider plane on which said flat plate-shaped slider extends is oriented coplanar with or parallel to a plane on which said longitudinal axis lies and which passes through a center of said magazine chamber.

17. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 16, wherein said electrical cord is a flat cord, with a major axis of a cross-section respectively of said second cord portion and said third cord portion of said flat cord being oriented parallel to said slider plane.

18. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, further comprising a spring that is connected to said slider and biases said slider parallel to said longitudinal axis in a direction toward said first cord end fixed relative to said inner vacuum pipe.

19. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, excluding any spring member and any coupling member connected to said slider, wherein said slider is freely slidable in said magazine chamber except for said second loop bend passing through said cord guide opening.

20. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein a telescoping sliding of said inner vacuum pipe relative to said outer vacuum pipe correspondingly causes a sliding of said cord receiver element relative to said magazine chamber, which in turn slidingly moves said second cord portion along with said cord receiver element and exerts a sliding force onto said slider via at least said second loop bend, which in turn causes said slider to slide and said second loop bend to shift through said cord guide opening, which causes a change in an extension length of said electrical cord measured linearly between said first cord end and said second cord end.

21. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, further comprising a first electrical coupler arranged on said inner vacuum pipe and a second electrical coupler arranged on said outer vacuum pipe, wherein said first cord end is mechanically and electrically connected to said first electrical coupler and said second cord end is mechanically and electrically connected to said second electrical coupler.

22. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, further comprising a cord retaining and fixing element that is arranged at said free end of said cord receiver element in said magazine chamber, and that fixes said first loop bend to said free end of said cord receiver element and retains and constrains a bent shape of said first loop bend.

23. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, wherein said magazine chamber includes at least chamber side walls that are integrally formed with a pipe wall of said outer vacuum pipe as a one-piece integral component.

24. The telescoping vacuum wand according to claim 1, further comprising releasable fasteners, wherein said magazine chamber is removably mounted on said outer vacuum pipe by said releasable fasteners.

25. A telescoping vacuum wand for a vacuum cleaner, comprising:

an outer vacuum pipe extending along a longitudinal axis;

an inner vacuum pipe that is telescopingly slidably arranged at least partially in said outer vacuum pipe, coaxially along said longitudinal axis;

a cord magazine chamber that is provided on said outer vacuum pipe and that has respective opposite first and second chamber ends spaced apart from each other along said longitudinal axis;

a slider that is arranged slidably in said magazine chamber so as to be slidable back-and-forth parallel to said longitudinal axis, and that has a cord guide opening therein;

a cord receiver element having a fixed end that is fixed to said inner vacuum pipe and a free end that is located in said magazine chamber, wherein said cord receiver element extends into said magazine chamber at said first chamber end thereof with said free end of said cord receiver element extending toward said second chamber end, and wherein said cord receiver element is slidably arranged relative to said magazine chamber to be selectively slidable farther out of and farther into said magazine chamber parallel to said longitudinal axis on a first side of said slider; and

an electrical cord having a first cord end fixed to said inner vacuum pipe and a second cord end fixed to said outer vacuum pipe, wherein said electrical cord includes a first cord portion extending along said cord receiver element from said fixed end to said free end of said cord receiver element, a fixed cord loop fixed to said free end of said cord receiver element, a movable cord loop passing through said cord guide opening in said slider, a second cord portion extending from said fixed cord loop to said movable cord loop in a first guide channel between said slider and said cord receiver element on said first side of said slider, and a third cord portion extending from said movable cord loop to said second cord end in a second guide channel on a second side of said slider opposite said first side of said slider.