CLEANING NOZZLE ATTACHMENT FOR A SUCTION CLEANER
First Claim
1. A cleaning nozzle attachment adapted to be connected to a source of vacuum and to be manipulated over a rug or carpet to be cleaned by at least one tubular wand which communicates vacuum to said attachment, said attachment comprising a nozzle body having a suction opening on the underside thereof and a hollow socket member having pivot axis means pivotally mounting said socket member in said body, said socket member communicating with said suction opening and having a tubular portion adapted to receive one end of said wand, the axis of said pivot axis means extending transversely to the axis of said tubular portion so as to be substantially intersected by the axis of said wand, means carried by said pivot axis means for engaging the surface of a rug or carpet being cleaned and for supporting said nozzle body on said surface, said last mentioned means also being operable to transmit any downward component of the thrust force applied to said socket member by said wand to said surface, and a lost motion connection between said pivot axis means and said nozzle body accommodating relative movement therebetween, whereby said nozzle body is substantially free of any downward component of the thrust force applied to said wand and said nozzle body is free to float bodily on the surface of a rug or carpet being cleaned while being manipulated over said surface by said wand.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cleaning nozzle attachment for a canister-type suction cleaner or built-in cleaning system, wherein an electric motor driven brush roll is rotatably mounted in a suction chamber in the body of the attachment so as to agitate a portion of the rug or carpet underlying the suction opening of the attachment when the latter is in operation. A socket member is pivotally mounted at the rear of the body and serves to communicate suction to the suction chamber through a plurality of connected tubular wands which are detachably connected to the socket member and which provide a handle for manipulating the attachment. A pair of wheels are carried by the wand socket member and the downward thrust component from the wands is transmitted to the wheels rather than to the socket member by mounting the wheels on the socket member so that the wheel axis is substantially intersected by the axis of the wands. A lost motion connection between the wand socket member and the nozzle body permits substantially vertical relative movement therebetween so that the nozzle body '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'floats'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' bodily on the surface of a rug or carpet being cleaned. A pair of ramps are provided on the nozzle body which coact with a pair of trunnion pins on the wand socket member to cause the wheels to be positively extended to a predetermined lowered position with respect to the underside of the nozzle body when the wands and socket member are pivoted to an upright position.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A cleaning nozzle attachment adapted to be connected to a source of vacuum and to be manipulated over a rug or carpet to be cleaned by at least one tubular wand which communicates vacuum to said attachment, said attachment comprising a nozzle body having a suction opening on the underside thereof and a hollow socket member having pivot axis means pivotally mounting said socket member in said body, said socket member communicating with said suction opening and having a tubular portion adapted to receive one end of said wand, the axis of said pivot axis means extending transversely to the axis of said tubular portion so as to be substantially intersected by the axis of said wand, means carried by said pivot axis means for engaging the surface of a rug or carpet being cleaned and for supporting said nozzle body on said surface, said last mentioned means also being operable to transmit any downward component of the thrust force applied to said socket member by said wand to said surface, and a lost motion connection between said pivot axis means and said nozzle body accommodating relative movement therebetween, whereby said nozzle body is substantially free of any downward component of the thrust force applied to said wand and said nozzle body is free to float bodily on the surface of a rug or carpet being cleaned while being manipulated over said surface by said wand.
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2. Th attachment of claim 1, further characterized in that said lost motion connection comprises at least one elongated, substantially vertically extending guideway in said nozzle body, said pivot axis means has a portion extending into said guideway, and bearing means is mounted on said portion and disposed in said guideway, whereby said bearing means is operable to transmit the horizontal component of the thrust force applied to said wand to said nozzle body through said guideway.
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3. The attachment of claim 2, further characterized in that said guideway is substantially circular in cross section, and said bearing means is substantially spherical and is mounted on said portion of said pivot axis means so as to be axially shiftable thereon, whereby said pivot axis means may rock in a plane passing through said guideway and extending transversely of said body.
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4. The attachment of claim 2, further characterized in that said guideway is non-circular in cross section, and said bearing means has substantially the same cross sectional shape as said guideway and closely fits said guideway, whereby rocking movement of said pivot axis means in a plane through said guideway and extending generally transversely to said body is substantially prevented.
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5. The attachment of claim 4, further characterized in that said guideway is generally rectangular in cross section, and said bearing means is disk-shaped and arranged with its axis extending transversely to the length of said guideway.
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6. The attachment of claim 2, further characterized in that a laterally spaced pair of said guideways are provided in said body and respectively disposed on opposite sIdes of said socket member, said pivot axis means has a pair of portions respectively extending into said guideways, bearing means is mounted on each of said portions, and said rug and carpet engaging means comprises a pair of wheels carried by said pivot axis means and respectively disposed on opposite sides of said socket member.
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7. The attachment of claim 6, further characterized in that said nozzle body has front and rear ends, said suction opening is located adjacent said front end, and said socket member is centrally mounted in said nozzle body adjacent said rear end.
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8. The attachment of claim 1, further characterized in that said pivot axis means comprises an axle mounted in said socket member.
Specification