Dual brush floor sweeper

• US 4,357,727 A
• Filed: 12/04/1980
• Issued: 11/09/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc. (Bissell Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bissell Inc.
• Inventors: McDowell, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS JR, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US06/212,866
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 15/41 R, 15/41 A, 15/41 B, 15/42-46, 15/48, 15/49 C, 15/383, 15/384, 15/79 R, 15/388
• US Class Current: 15/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/33 having means for storing dirt
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools

Abstract

A floor sweeper has a pair of brush rollers, each sweeping into its own dust pan. Each brush roller has different debris pickup characteristics, with one brush roller tending to be more efficient in picking up large debris and the other roller tending to be more efficient in picking up smaller debris. The illustrated embodiment discloses a front brush roller of the off-center tufted type which rotates continuously toward its respective pan during reciprocal sweeper translation, with a relatively high free-wheeling rotation in one direction of sweeper translation. The rear brush roller is of the wire twist type and also rotates continuously toward its pan during reciprocal sweeper translation, but with relatively low rolling rotation in one direction of sweeper movement.

Claims

1. In a floor sweeper, the combination comprising:

(a) front and rear dust pans forming debris receiving areas,

(b) front and rear rotary floor contacting brush rollers disposed between and adjacent the respective front and rear dust pans, said rollers mounted to continuously rotate in opposite directions with a floor cleaning action to sweep up and deliver debris from the floor directly to the corresponding debris receiving areas upon both fore and aft reciprocal translation of the sweeper over the floor,

(c) said front brush roller comprising a core having off center bristle tufts which are arranged in spiral fashion and staggered with the bristles mounted in said core to extend outwardly therefrom at an angle to a radial direction and at an angle to the circumferential core surface, said front brush roller mounted to contact and free wheelingly rotate on the floor in a direction to deliver debris to said front dust pan upon forward translation of the sweeper over the floor,

(d) said rear brush roller including a twisted wire axle having closely arrayed untufted bristles extending generally radially therefrom, said rear brush roller mounted to freely roll on the floor in a direction to deliver debris to said rear dust pan upon rearward translation of the sweeper over the floor,

(e) wherein the rate of said free wheeling rotation of said front brush roller is about 21/2 times the rate of said free rolling rotation of said rear brush roller,

(f) and means;

(1) to drive said front brush roller in the direction of its aforementioned free wheeling rotation to deliver debris to said front dust pan upon rearward translation of the sweeper over the floor,

(2) and to drive said rear brush roller in the direction of its aforementioned free rolling rotation to deliver debris to said rear dust pan upon forward translation of the sweeper over the floor.

2. The floor sweeper of claim 1 wherein said front brush roller tends to pick up larger size debris than said rear brush roller to thereby reduce clogging of said rear brush roller.