Tipping force reducing apparatus

• US 3,996,641 A
• Filed: 04/28/1975
• Issued: 12/14/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Central Quality Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Central Quality Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Eichholz, Arthur H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Christopher K.
• Application Number:
  US05/572,612
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 15/327 R, 15/327 D, 15/339, 15/352, 15/353, 15/410
• US Class Current: 15/339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/365 of the vertical type, e.g. tank or bucket type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/248 Parts, details or accessories of hoses or pipes nozzles A47L9/02

Abstract

Apparatus for reducing tipping forces applied to an upright cannister-type vacuum cleaner when pulled by an elongate flexible intake hose connected thereto including an elongate strap, means for releasably connecting one end of the strap to a point on the appliance body to beneath the intake hose connector and means for adjustably attaching the other end of the strap to a portion of the hose spaced from the hose connector. When pulling forces from the user are applied to the vacuum cleaner body through the intake hose while vacuuming is being performed, the strap redirects at least a portion of the pulling forces away from the hose connecting means and to the vacuum cleaner body at the strap connection point. The redirection of the pulling forces both increases the upward directed component thereof to decrease friction opposing rolling motion of the vacuum cleaner body, and reduces the effective moment arm and thus the force moment of the horizontal component of the pulling force tending to tip the apparatus about its base.

Claims

1. In a work performing appliance having an upright body with a base and a top, a flexible elongate hose connected to, and used to perform the work of, the appliance, and means carried by the body adjacent the base for facilitating movement of the body along a floor surface when pulling forces through the hose are applied thereto, at least a portion of said pulling forces tending to tip the appliance about its base, apparatus for reducing said tipping force comprising:

means for connecting one end of the hose to the top for relative rotary motion therebetween;

a member having first and second parts for transmitting forces therebetween, said member being flexible for allowing lateral movement of the spaced portion of the hose relative to the hose connecting means and thereby allowing said rotary motion;

means for attaching said first part to a portion of the elongate hose spaced from the hose connecting means; and

means for positioning the second part of the member to redirect at least a portion of said pulling forces through the hose away from the hose connecting means and to a point below the level of the hose connecting means, said member being of a length so as to prevent the spaced hose portion from movement above said the level of said hose connecting means at all times.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the spacing between said first and second parts of said member is no greater than substantially the vertical spacing between said connecting means and said point.

3. In a work performing appliance having an upright body with a base and a top, a flexible elongate hose connected to, and used to perform the work of, the appliance, and means carried by the body adjacent the base for facilitating movement of the body along a floor surface when pulling forces through the hose are applied thereto, at least a portion of said pulling forces tending to tip the appliance about its base, apparatus for reducing said tipping force comprising:

means for connecting one end of the hose to the top for relative rotary motion therebetween;

a member having first and second parts for transmitting forces therebetween, said member being flexible for allowing lateral movement of the spaced portion of the hose relative to the hose connecting means and thereby allowing said rotary motion;

means for attaching said first part to a portion of the elongate hose spaced from the hose connecting means; and

means for positioning the second part of the member to redirect at least a portion of said pulling forces through the hose away from the hose connecting means and to a point below the level of the hose connecting means, the length of the flexible member being less than the vertical distance between the hose connecting means and the connection point on the appliance body whereby the spaced portion of the hose is prevented from movement above the hose connecting means at all times but is of sufficient length to allow substantial rotary movement of said one end of the hose.

4. In a work performing appliance having an upright body with a base, a flexible elongate hose used to perform the work of the appliance, means operatively connecting one end of the hose to the body above the base, and means carried by the body adjacent the base for facilitating movement of the body along a floor surface when pulling forces through the hose are applied thereto, at least a portion of said pulling forces tending to tip the appliance about its base, apparatus for reducing said tipping forces, comprising:

a member having first and second parts for transmitting forces therebetween;

means for attaching said first part to a portion of the elongate hose spaced from the hose connecting means; and

means for connecting the second part of the member to the appliance body, said member redirecting at least a portion of said pulling forces through the hose away from the hose connecting means and to the appliance body at a point beneath the hose connecting means;

said appliance body having a center of gravity spaced from its geometric center within a quadrant thereof, and said point on the appliance body to which the pulling forces are directed by said member being located without said quadrant.

5. The appliance of claim 4 including means for adjustably positioning said point relative to the center of gravity and the hose connecting means.

6. In a work performing appliance having an upright body with a base, a flexible elongate hose used to perform the work of the appliance, means operatively connecting one end of the hose to the body above the base, and means carried by the body adjacent the base for facilitating movement of the body along a floor surface when pulling forces through the hose are applied thereto, at least a portion of said pulling forces tending to tip the appliance about its base, apparatus for reducing said tipping forces, comprising:

an elongate flexible strap having opposite ends;

means for attaching one of said ends to a portion of the hose spaced from the hose connecting means including a closed loop at one of said ends of the strap and a portion of strap between the opposite ends thereof extending through the loop and around the spaced portion of the hose; and

means for connecting the other end of the strap to the appliance body including a hook member carried by the other end of the strap and means carried by the appliance body having an opening therethrough for releasably receiving said hook member, said strap redirecting at least a portion of said pulling forces through the hose away from the hose connecting means and to the appliance body at a point beneath the hose connecting means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said hose has a plurality of spaced ribs along its length, and the width of the loop and the portion of the strap extending around the hose and through the loop are of a dimension sufficiently small relative to the spacing between the ribs to allow the loop to nestle between a pair of adjacent ribs, said pair of ribs restraining the loop from moving along the length of the hose.

8. In a work performing appliance having an upright body with a base, a flexible elongate hose used to perform the work of the appliance, means operatively connecting one end of the hose to the body above the base, and means carried by the body adjacent the base for facilitating movement of the body along a floor surface when pulling forces through the hose are applied thereto, at least a portion of said pulling forces tending to tip the appliance about its base, apparatus for reducing said tipping forces, comprising:

an elongate flexible member having a pair of opposite ends;

means for attaching one of said ends to a portion of the hose spaced from the hose connecting means including a closed loop at said one end of the member and a section of the member intermediate the opposite ends extending through the loop and around said portion of the hose; and

means for releasably connecting the other end of the member to the appliance body beneath the hose connecting means, said member redirecting at least a portion of said pulling forces through the hose away from the hose connecting means and to the appliance body at a point beneath the hose connecting means.

9. The appliance of claim 8 in which said releasably connecting means includes a hook member carried by the other end of the elongate flexible member and means connected with the appliance body for releasable connection with the hook member.

10. The appliance of claim 8 in which said movement facilitating means includes a frame member on which said body is releasably mounted, and said releasably connecting means includes means for coupling said other end of the flexible member to said body through said frame member.

11. The appliance of claim 8 in which said hose has a plurality of spaced ribs along its length and the width of the loop and the section of the elongate flexible member extending around the hose and through the loop are of a dimension sufficiently small relative to the spacing between the ribs to allow the loop to nestle between a pair of adjacent ribs, said pair of ribs restraining the loop from moving along the length of the hose.