Vacuum cleaners with nozzle height adjusting mechanisms

• US 4,083,079 A
• Filed: 09/01/1976
• Issued: 04/11/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ryobi Motor Products Incorporated (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Singer PLC (Hayleys Plc)
• Inventors: Vermillion, Don William
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Christopher K.
• Application Number:
  US05/719,543
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 15/354, 15/361, 280/43.2
• US Class Current: 15/354
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/34 with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools

Abstract

An upright vacuum cleaner having a suction nozzle at the front of the bottom of the chassis is provided with a nozzle height adjusting mechanism for varying the elevation of the rear wheels relative to the chassis to provide a multiplicity of nozzle height positions. The rear axle is journaled on the chassis and includes a pair of off-set legs on which a respective rear wheel is mounted. A wheel bracket is journaled on one end of one off-set crank leg and supports a guide member and a helical end cam track. A follower member having a conjugate helical surface rides on the cam track and supports a locking member on its upper surface. The locking member is secured to the chassis and includes a plurality of detent teeth between each two of which at least one tooth on the follower member is received to lock the follower in a selected position. Turning of the knob allows the follower tooth to slide over the detent teeth to allow rotation of the follower which effects a vertical movement thereof on the cam track surface.

Claims

1. A nozzle height adjusting mechanism for a suction cleaner having a chassis including a suction nozzle inlet at the bottom thereof and first and second sets of wheels for supporting said chassis for movement on a floor surface, said mechanism comprising:

first axle means including a central portion journaled on said chassis and having offset legs formed on opposite ends of said central portion for journaling said first set of wheels, second axle means longitudinally spaced from the first axle for journaling said second set of wheels on said chassis, means including a substantially cylindrical guide member and a first slide member concentric therewith journaled on an off-set leg, said first slide member including a helical end cam track disposed about the axis of the guide member, a hollow cylindrical locking member secured to said chassis and including a substantially central axial opening for receiving said guide member and said first slide member, said locking member including a plurality of detent teeth disposed circumferentially within said central axial opening, a second slide member positioned within said locking member having a cam follower positioned on said cam track and an annular ledge for supporting the locking member, said ledge including at least one tooth positionable between each two adjacent detent teeth of said locking member, and operator influenced means for turning said second slide member so as to reposition said tooth between other detent teeth and reposition the follower on said track thereby to change the elevation of the chassis relative to said wheels.

2. A nozzle height adjusting mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein said cam follower comprises a helical surface at the bottom end of said second slide member, said helical surface being the conjugate of said helical cam track.

3. A nozzle height adjusting mechanism as recited in claim 1 wherein said detent teeth extend radially inwardly from said central axial opening.

4. A nozzle height adjusting mechanism as recited in claim 2 wherein said first and second slide members are substantially cylindrical in shape having the helical surfaces spaced at a constant radius from the axes of the respective slide members.