Vacuum assisted broom
First Claim
1. A vacuum assisted broom for sweeping a sweepable surface, said broom comprising:
- a housing member having interconnected front, rear and side wails defining a hollow interior and being shaped and dimensioned to generally surround at least the top portion of a sweeping member;
a handle member securely attached to said housing member and extending upwardly therefrom;
a selectively actuatable suction means operatively connected to said housing member by way of a second opening in said housing member such that said hollow interior is in fluid communication with said suction means so as to thereby create a partial vacuum at said first opening; and
a sweeping member movably mounted within said housing member so as to depend therefrom through a first opening in said housing member, for selective movement between a first extended position whereat said sweeping member extends outwardly from said first opening in said housing member to thereby permit the sweeping of said sweepable surface using a broom-like sweeping action, and a second retracted position whereat said sweeping member is substantially reacted into said housing member so as to allow said first opening in said housing member to be in close proximity to said sweepable surface, to thereby permit vacuuming of debris frown said sweepable surface, upon actuation of said suction means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vacuum assisted broom for sweeping floors having a sweeping member, preferably in the form of a plurality of stiff bristles, for bi-directional sweeping of the floor. The sweeping member is operatively mounted within a housing member, which housing member partially encloses the sweeping member within its hollow interior such that the bristles depend from the housing member through a first opening. A handle member is securely attached to the housing member and extends upwardly therefrom. The sweeping member is moveable between a first extended position the bristles are extended sufficiently that the broom may be used as a conventional broom, and a second retracted position where the sweeping member is substantially retracted into the housing member, with only a short end portion of the bristles extending outwardly from the housing member. The housing member narrows at its first opening so as to generally surround and confine the bristles so as to preclude lateral movement thereof, thus providing a broom with very short stiff relatively movable bristles. The sweeping member automatically latches in its second retracted position. When the sweeping member is in its second retracted position, an electrical switch is actuated so as to turn on a suction means that is operatively connected to the interior of the housing member, thus to create a partial vacuum at the first opening of the housing member. In this manner, the vacuum assisted broom of the present invention can be used as conventional sweeping broom and also can be used to subsequently vacuum up any dust or dirt swept to a central location by the broom.
39 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A vacuum assisted broom for sweeping a sweepable surface, said broom comprising:
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a housing member having interconnected front, rear and side wails defining a hollow interior and being shaped and dimensioned to generally surround at least the top portion of a sweeping member; a handle member securely attached to said housing member and extending upwardly therefrom; a selectively actuatable suction means operatively connected to said housing member by way of a second opening in said housing member such that said hollow interior is in fluid communication with said suction means so as to thereby create a partial vacuum at said first opening; and a sweeping member movably mounted within said housing member so as to depend therefrom through a first opening in said housing member, for selective movement between a first extended position whereat said sweeping member extends outwardly from said first opening in said housing member to thereby permit the sweeping of said sweepable surface using a broom-like sweeping action, and a second retracted position whereat said sweeping member is substantially reacted into said housing member so as to allow said first opening in said housing member to be in close proximity to said sweepable surface, to thereby permit vacuuming of debris frown said sweepable surface, upon actuation of said suction means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17)
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16. A broom for sweeping a sweepable surface, said broom comprising:
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a housing member having interconnected front, rear and side walls defining a hollow interior and being shaped and dimensioned to generally surround at least a top portion of a sweeping member; a handle member securely attached to said housing member and extending upwardly therefrom; and a sweeping member movably mounted within said housing member so as to extend outwardly therefrom through a first opening in said housing member and movable between a first extended position whereat said sweeping member extends outwardly from said first opening in said housing member to thereby permit the sweeping of said sweepable surface using a broom-like sweeping action and a second retracted position whereat said sweeping member is substantially retracted into said housing member such that only a small end portion of said sweeping member extends outwardly therefrom through said first opening, and further such that said front and rear walls of said housing member closely surround said sweeping member to thereby restrict the relative lateral movement of said sweeping member with respect to said housing member, thus permitting a substantially more stiff sweeping action.
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Specification