Nozzle integrating assembly for vacuum cleaners
First Claim
1. A nozzle assembly for connection to a vacuum source which supplies a flow of air, comprisingone or more nozzle means, each said nozzle means having a functional end and an attachment end;
- andmultiport valve means for directing air flow therethrough, said valve means including a manifold having an interior formed as a cylindrical cavity, said cavity having an open end and an opposed closed end, the interior wall of said cavity including spaced indentations along a peripheral portion proximate said open end which forms concave dimples therein at substantially regular intervals placed transversely about the inner circumference of the interior wall of the cavity, the interior wall of said closed cavity and formed with central resilient projections with outwardly extending barbs on the free ends thereof, said valve means including ports formed in the walls thereof adjacent said manifold cavity closed end, each said port having one end open to said cavity and an opposed end open to the exterior of said valve means, and union means formed at said exterior openings of said ports for rotationally displaceable connection of said attachment ends of said nozzle means to said exterior openings of said ports; and
tube means having an exterior substantially complementary to the interior of said manifold cylindrical cavity and rotationally displaceable therein, said tube means having an open end complementary to said open end of said manifold cavity and extending therebeyond for connection to said vacuum source, said vacuum source including connection means, and a closed end with a central opening therein, the wall of said tube means including resilient tabs formed therein at the approximate midpoint of said tube means, the exterior of said tabs having protuberances on the free ends thereof which form bumps positionally aligned with said manifold cavity dimples, said tube means positionally maintained within said cavity by said barbs of said cavity projections tensionally retaining the interior periphery of said central opening in said tube means closed end and said bumps being seated within said cavity dimples, said tube means including an air flow opening formed in the wall thereof adjacent said closed end which is aligned with each of said cavity port openings upon rotational positioning of said tube means;
wherebysaid tube means is forcibly appropriately rotated within said manifold to align said tube means air flow opening with one of said cavity port openings, thereby positioning solid portions of said tube means wall across any other said cavity port opening to substantially cover and close all other said port openings and said bumps seat in corresponding dimples to displaceably retain said tube means in said rotated position, whereby air flow occurs only through the respective nozzle means connected to said one cavity port opening aligned with said tube means air flow opening and all other cavity port openings are covered and closed by said solid tube means wall.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vacuum cleaner nozzle assembly which integrates various nozzle styles into one compact, lightweight unit, thus ameliorating problems associated with their storage and use. Tool selection entails orienting valve components so as to direct air flow through the chosen nozzle only, while the others remain folded out of the way. The arrangement, if used in conjunction with a telescoping wand, will obviate the need for removing/replacing nozzles or wand extensions in the great majority of cleaning situations, supersede separate tool storage, and thus ease and simplify vacuum cleaner use. If space restrictions require, as when cleaning a confined area, the integrated assembly of a preferred embodiment can be removed from the wand, and the brush or crevice tool removed from the assembly and placed on the wand, in the conventional manner.
26 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A nozzle assembly for connection to a vacuum source which supplies a flow of air, comprising
one or more nozzle means, each said nozzle means having a functional end and an attachment end; - and
multiport valve means for directing air flow therethrough, said valve means including a manifold having an interior formed as a cylindrical cavity, said cavity having an open end and an opposed closed end, the interior wall of said cavity including spaced indentations along a peripheral portion proximate said open end which forms concave dimples therein at substantially regular intervals placed transversely about the inner circumference of the interior wall of the cavity, the interior wall of said closed cavity and formed with central resilient projections with outwardly extending barbs on the free ends thereof, said valve means including ports formed in the walls thereof adjacent said manifold cavity closed end, each said port having one end open to said cavity and an opposed end open to the exterior of said valve means, and union means formed at said exterior openings of said ports for rotationally displaceable connection of said attachment ends of said nozzle means to said exterior openings of said ports; and tube means having an exterior substantially complementary to the interior of said manifold cylindrical cavity and rotationally displaceable therein, said tube means having an open end complementary to said open end of said manifold cavity and extending therebeyond for connection to said vacuum source, said vacuum source including connection means, and a closed end with a central opening therein, the wall of said tube means including resilient tabs formed therein at the approximate midpoint of said tube means, the exterior of said tabs having protuberances on the free ends thereof which form bumps positionally aligned with said manifold cavity dimples, said tube means positionally maintained within said cavity by said barbs of said cavity projections tensionally retaining the interior periphery of said central opening in said tube means closed end and said bumps being seated within said cavity dimples, said tube means including an air flow opening formed in the wall thereof adjacent said closed end which is aligned with each of said cavity port openings upon rotational positioning of said tube means;
wherebysaid tube means is forcibly appropriately rotated within said manifold to align said tube means air flow opening with one of said cavity port openings, thereby positioning solid portions of said tube means wall across any other said cavity port opening to substantially cover and close all other said port openings and said bumps seat in corresponding dimples to displaceably retain said tube means in said rotated position, whereby air flow occurs only through the respective nozzle means connected to said one cavity port opening aligned with said tube means air flow opening and all other cavity port openings are covered and closed by said solid tube means wall. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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- 15. A nozzle assembly for connection to a vacuum source which supplies a flow of air through a vacuum flow opening, comprising integral nozzle means including at least two nozzles, each said nozzle having a functional end, an interior for directing air flow therethrough and at least one wall distal from said functional end and common to at least two of said nozzles, each said nozzle interior having an air flow port formed therein adjacent said common wall, said integral nozzle means including attachment means formed on the exterior of said common wall for rotatable displacement and connection to said vacuum source, each said air flow port of said integral nozzle means and the vacuum flow opening of said vacuum source being substantially the same configuration, whereby rotation of said integral nozzle means upon said vacuum source aligns only one said integral nozzle air flow port with said vacuum flow through the respective nozzle of said only one aligned air flow port aligned with said vacuum flow opening.
Specification