AUTOMATIC SUCTION CLEANER

• US 3,739,421 A
• Filed: 01/13/1971
• Issued: 06/19/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hiroshi Fukuba
• Original Assignee: Hiroshi Fukuba
• Inventors: Fukuba, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Petrakes, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, C. K.
• Application Number:
  US05/106,094
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 15/312,319,1.7,415,301
• US Class Current: 15/319
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/00 Structural features of suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/02 Nozzles suction nozzles for fluid transport B65G51/00

Abstract

An automatic suction cleaner is provided with a suction aircurrent producer and a suction nozzle connected to said suction air-current producer, said suction nozzle being so devised as to automatically reciprocate to the extent of a specified distance from said suction air-current producer by virtue of the working of a coiler in order to rub the floor surface, the reversal in the reciprocating motion of said suction nozzle is effected by the switchover of the motion of said coiler which takes place whenever said coiler is overloaded.

Claims

1. An automatic suction cleaner, particularly for cleaning a work surface such as a carpet or floor, comprising:

housing means;

a suction cleaning device supported on said housing means and including nozzle means movable relative to said housing means and capable of being automatically moved through a predetermined distance for permitting cleaning of said work surface as said nozzle means moves through said distance;

said suction cleaning device further including telescopic tube means supported on said housing means, said nozzle means being mounted on one end of said telescopic tube means, and motor means drivingly connected to said telescopic tube means for extending and contracting said telescopic tube means through said predetermined distance; and

control means coacting with said suction cleaning device for angularly shifting the direction of working of said nozzle means to enable a prescribed area of surface centered around a selected point on said work surface to be cleaned.

2. A suction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said control means includes means for automatically reversing the direction of travel of said nozzle means when said nozzle means encounters an obstacle which prevents said nozzle means from completing its movement in one direction through said predetermined distance.

3. A suction cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said housing means is provided with first means theron disposed for engaging said surface for supporting said housing means thereon, and a veering wheel mounted on the bottom of said housing means and positioned For rotation about an axis which extends generally in a direction toward said first means, whereby said housing means is thus supported on said surface for rotation substantially about said first means, and said control means including rotary solenoid means coacting with said veering wheel for selectively causing rotation thereof to cause said housing means to be pivoted substantially about said first means to cause the working direction of said nozzle means to be angularly shifted.

4. An automatic suction cleaner, particularly for cleaning a work surface such as a carpet or a floor, comprising:

housing means;

a suction cleaning device supported on said housing means and including movable nozzle means capable of being automatically moved through a predetermined distance for permitting cleaning of said work surface as said nozzle means moves through said distance;

said suction cleaning device including telescopic tube means supported on said housing means, said nozzle means being mounted on one end of said telescopic tube means, and motor means drivingly connected to said telescopic tube means for extending and contracting said telescopic tube means through said predetermined distance; and

control means coacting with said suction cleaning device for angularly shifting the direction of working of said nozzle means relative to said work surface to enable a prescribed area of surface centered around a selected point on said work surface to be cleaned;

said control means including the motor means for linearly moving said nozzle means in opposite directions through said predetermined distance and means then shifting said nozzle means angularly relative to the previous direction of movement;

said control means further including means for automatically reversing the direction of travel of said nozzle means when said nozzle means encounters an obstacle which prevents said nozzle means from completing its movement in one direction through said predetermined distance.

5. An automatic suction cleaner, particularly for cleaning a work surface such as a carpet or a floor, comprising:

housing means;

a suction cleaning device supported on said housing means;

nozzle means movable relative to said housing means and capable of being automatically moved through a predetermined distance for permitting cleaning of a work surface as said nozzle means moves through said distance;

telescopic tube means supported on said housing means and including a plurality of telescopic sections, one of said sections being fixedly connected to said housing means and interconnected to said suction device, another of said sections being movable relative to said housing means and having said nozzle means mounted on the free end thereof;

motor means mounted on said housing means to supply the power for expanding and contracting said telescopic tube means;

a drive mechanism connected to said telescopic tube means for expanding and contracting same;

disengagable coupling means connected between said motor means and said drive mechanism for expanding and contracting said telescopic tube means while permitting disengagement of said motor means from said drive mechanism to prevent overloading of said motor means due to stoppage of said nozzle means; and

control means coacting with said suction cleaning device for angularly shifting the direction of working of said nozzle means to enable a prescribed area of surface centered around a selected point on said work surface to be cleaned, said control means causing said housing means to be pivotally moved relative to the work surface in response to disengagement of said coupling means to cause the direction of working of the nozzle means to be angularly shifted.

6. An automatic suction cleaner, particularly for cleaning a work surface such as a carpet or floor, comprising:

housing means movable relative to said work surface;

a suction cleaning device supported on said housing means;

a suction nozzle movable relative to said housing means and suction conduit means connected between said suction nozzle and said suction cleaning device;

drive means coacting between said housing means and said suction nozzle for causing said nozzle to be automatically moved through a predetermined distance relative to said housing means for permitting cleaning of said work surface; and

control means for causing said suction nozzle to be moved through said predetermined distance along a first linear path and for causing the linear path of movement of said suction nozzle to be angularly shifted relative to said first path after said nozzle has moved through said predetermined distance.

7. A suction cleaner according to claim 4, wherein said control means includes, a drive mechanism connected to said telescopic tube means, and releasable clutch means drivingly connected between said motor means and said drive mechanism, said clutch means being automatically released in response to stopping of said telescopic tube means.

8. A suction cleaner according to claim 7 wherein said drive mechanism includes an elongated flexible band connected between said clutch means and said tube means.

9. A suction cleaner according to claim 5, wherein said control means includes switch means disposed for actuation by said coupling means when same is disengaged to cause stoppage of said motor means, and secondary drive means operatively connected to said switch means and energized thereby for causing pivoting of said housing means when said coupling means is disengaged.