Vacuum dustpan apparatus

• US 5,560,077 A
• Filed: 11/25/1994
• Issued: 10/01/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diane L. Crotchett
• Original Assignee: Diane L. Crotchett
• Inventors: Crotchett, Diane L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stinson, Frankie L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E.
• Application Number:
  US08/344,870
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 15/340.1, 15/347, 15/350, 15/351, 15/415.1, 15/319, 15/339, 15/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 15/339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/52 Dust pans; Crumb trays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence

Abstract

A vacuum dustpan, including a vacuum unit with interior ducting terminating in marginal nozzles extending along the bottom periphery of a housing, with multidirectional rollers supporting the vacuum unit, and a separate charging nest for charging operations.

Claims

1. Vacuum dustpan apparatus for collecting dirt from a supporting floor surface and comprising:

a housing formed with downwardly projected peripheral walls terminating in respective bottom edges to define a bottom side, said housing including downwardly opening marginal nozzles co-extensive with said edges and extending around the periphery of said bottom side, said housing including a motor mount;

ducting formed with a vacuum impeller inlet and leading from said nozzles toward said motor mount;

a dust collection bowl;

a vacuum impeller interposed between said inlet and said bowl;

a motor mounted on said motor mount and connected with said impeller;

a rechargeable battery pack mounted on said housing and connected with said motor;

a charger for connection with said battery; and

multidirectional rollers mounted under said housing for supporting said nozzles in close spaced relation with respect to said floor surface to be cleaned whereby said housing may be rolled in any direction on said floor supported on said rollers to different selected locations and said motor energized to draw a partial vacuum in said nozzles so that dirt may be swept across said floor from any direction to be disposed proximate one of said nozzles to be drawn thereto.

2. Vacuum dustpan apparatus according to claim 1 that includes:

charger contacts mounted on said housing and connected with said battery; and

said charger including a nest configured to complementarily receive said housing and including charging terminals disposed for, when said portion of said housing is nested in said nest, contacting said charger contacts on said housing.

3. Vacuum dustpan apparatus according to claim 1 wherein:

said housing is formed rectangularly in plan view and includes a top wall having an underside and having said motor mount formed centrally on said underside thereof and a bottom wall having said nozzles arranged in a substantially square pattern;

said ducting is formed with a wall projecting downwardly from said inlet and flaring laterally outwardly and downwardly to join said bottom wall laterally outwardly of the respective said nozzles; and

said impeller is interposed between said motor and said inlet to draw a partial vacuum in said ducting to draw dirt swept toward any of said nozzles into the respective said nozzles to be directed through said ducting to said bowl.

4. Vacuum dustpan apparatus for collecting dirt from a supporting floor surface and comprising:

a housing formed with downwardly projected peripheral walls terminating in respective bottom edges to define a bottom side, said housing including downwardly opening marginal nozzles co-extensive with said edges and extending around the entire periphery of said bottom side, said housing including a motor mount;

ducting formed with a vacuum impeller inlet and leading from the respective nozzle toward said motor mount;

a dust collection bowl;

a vacuum impeller interposed between said inlet and said bowl;

a motor mounted on said motor mount and connected with said impeller;

multidirectional rollers mounted under said housing for supporting said nozzles in close spaced relation with respect to said floor surface to be cleaned whereby said housing may be rolled in any direction on said floor supported on said rollers to different selected locations and said motor energized to draw a partial vacuum in said nozzles so that dirt may be swept across said floor from any direction to be disposed proximate one of said nozzles to be drawn thereto;

at least one servomotor; and

a transmission for connecting said servomotor with one of said rollers for driving said roller.

5. Vacuum dustpan apparatus according to claim 4 for use with a broom and including:

a remote RF transmitter mounted to said broom and operative to transmit an RF homing signal;

a controller on said housing for actuating said transmission and including an RF receiver connected in circuit to said controller and responsive to said RF signal to activate said controller.