Air-powered vacuum cleaner floor tool

• US 4,300,262 A
• Filed: 11/28/1979
• Issued: 11/17/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rodowsky, Stanley J. Jr., Morgan, Donald B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Chris K.
• Application Number:
  US06/098,041
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 15/387, 15/377, 15/359, 415/92, 415/202, 415/203
• US Class Current: 15/387
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/204 having combined drive for brushes and for vacuum cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4094 Accessories to be used in combination with conventional vacuum-cleaning devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4097 Means for exhaust-air diffusion; Exhaust-air treatment, e.g. air purification; Means for sound or vibration damping
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0416 driven by fluid pressure, e.g. by means of an air turbine

Abstract

An air-powered vacuum cleaner floor tool and an air turbine therefor are provided. The floor tool comprises a housing with a rotary agitator mounted on the bottom thereof, and a wand connector means mounted on the rear thereof and aligned with the longitudinal center of the housing. The wand connector is used for connecting the floor tool to a vacuum cleaner wand. The air-powered turbine motor has a turbine chamber and a rotor mounted on the housing, with the turbine chamber having an air inlet and an air outlet. The air inlet is aligned with the longitudinal center of the rotary agitator, and the air outlet is aligned with the longitudinal center of the housing and with the wand connector. The air outlet includes an outlet opening in the turbine chamber. The angle which is formed by the center line of the air inlet of the air-powered motor, and the center line of the outlet opening of the turbine chamber, is less than 55°. Further, the turbine rotor is rotatably mounted in the turbine chamber so that the smallest area between the outer periphery of the rotor and the wall of the turbine chamber is equal to substantially one-half of the area of the outlet opening of the turbine chamber.

Claims

1. An air-powered floor tool for a vacuum cleaner, said floor tool comprising:

(a) a housing having wheels mounted on the bottom thereof;

(b) a rotary agitator means mounted on the bottom of said housing;

(c) wand connector means mounted on the rear of said housing; and

(d) an air-powered turbine motor having a turbine chamber and a rotor, mounted on said housing, said turbine chamber having an air inlet means and an air outlet means, wherein;

(i) said air inlet means comprises a nozzle having an inlet opening in the bottom of said housing and an outlet opening in the turbine chamber of said air-powered motor; and

(ii) said outlet means comprises a first portion including an outlet opening in said turbine chamber and a second portion aligned with said wand connector means, a first passage coupled to said outlet opening for carrying air therefrom in the direction of ejection from said turbine chamber and then turning the flow therethrough 90°

, said first passage including said first portion of said outlet means, a second passage continuous with, and perpendicular to, said first passage for carrying the flow of air from said first passage and turning the flow of air therethrough 90°

, said second passage including said second portion, the outlet of said second passage being coupled to said wand connector means, wherein the air from said turbine motor flows from said turbine motor in a first direction, is turned 90° and

flows in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction, and is then turned another 90°

such that it flows parallel to said first direction but is offset therefrom, into said wand coupling means.

2. An air-powered floor tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said turbine chamber is integrally formed on said housing.

3. An air-powered floor tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first passage is integral with said housing.

4. An air-powered floor tool as set forth in claim 1, wherein the axis of said second passage is positioned at or below the center of gravity of said floor tool.

5. An air-powered floor tool as set forth in any of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the area defined by the outer circumferential periphery of said rotor and the walls of said turbine chamber in radial planes at any two points along the periphery of said motor is less than or equal to the area of said outlet means.

8. An air-powered floor tool for a vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said wand connector means is aligned with the longitudinal center of said housing for connecting said floor tool to a vacuum cleaner wand such that a pushing force on the wand is applied to the longitudinal center of said housing thereby avoiding twisting of said floor tool on a surface being cleaned, and wherein said air inlet means of said turbine chamber is aligned with the longitudinal center of said rotary agitator such that air is drawn into said air inlet means symmetrically about the longitudinal center of said rotary agitator.

6. An air-powered floor tool for a vacuum cleaner, said floor tool comprising:

(a) a housing; and

(b) an air-powered turbine motor, having a turbine chamber and a rotor, mounted on said housing, said turbine chamber having air inlet means and air outlet means, wherein the area defined by the outer circumferential periphery of said rotor and the walls of said turbine chamber in radial planes at any two points along the periphery of said motor is less than or equal to the area of said outlet means whereby said outlet means does not constrict the flow of air therethrough.

7. An air-powered floor tool as set forth in claim 6 wherein at least a portion of said turbine chamber is integrally formed on said housing.