Electric vacuum cleaner

• US 6,032,327 A
• Filed: 11/03/1998
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Umeda, Katsuhiko, Oka, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US09/184,879
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 15/346, 15/375, 15/376, 15/387
• US Class Current: 15/346
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/14 cleaning by blowing-off, also combined with suction cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/08 with means adapted for blowing

Abstract

A rotating brush including a hollow cylindrical rotor having through holes in its peripheral wall and bristles on its peripheral surface is provided in a nozzle of an upright electric vacuum cleaner. A reflux passage connecting a fan chamber in the cleaner body and an end of the rotor is provided so that a slip stream of an electric fan for producing a suction stream jets out into the nozzle from the rotor through the holes. A fan for sucking air outside the nozzle is provided at the other end of the rotor so that the sucked air also jets out into the nozzle through the holes. In another electric vacuum cleaner, the rotor of the rotating brush is not provided with through holes but the slip stream of the electric fan is caused to blow the peripheral surface of the rotating brush from its end.

Claims

1. An electric vacuum cleaner

comprising a body having an electric fan and a dust chamber, a nozzle having an opening at its bottom, a suction passage connecting an inside of said nozzle to said dust chamber, and a rotating brush including a rotor having bristles on a peripheral surface thereof and provided in said nozzle so as to rotate around an horizontal axis, and

so operating that dust is sucked with air through the opening of said nozzle by an air flow produced by said electric fan through said suction passage, that sucked dust is collected in a dust bag housed in said dust chamber, and that a surface to be cleaned facing said opening is brushed by said rotating brush so as to promote separation of dust from the surface,

characterized in that said rotor is a hollow cylinder having a through hole passing through a peripheral wall thereof, and that a reflux passage for guiding a slip stream of said electric fan to an inside of said rotor is provided so that the slip stream of said electric fan blows the surface to be cleaned through said through hole.

2. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a removable filter for capturing fine dust is provided in said reflux passage.

3. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a part of said reflux passage between said body and said nozzle comprises a flexible hose, and an end of the hose is attachable to and detachable from said nozzle.

4. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a part of said reflux passage within said nozzle is formed by partitioning the inside of said nozzle with a part of a nozzle case constituting said nozzle.

5. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said electric vacuum cleaner is of upright type with said nozzle being arranged at a bottom of said body.

6. An electric vacuum cleaner

comprising a body having an electric fan and a dust chamber, a nozzle having an opening at its bottom, a suction passage connecting an inside of said nozzle to said dust chamber, and a rotating brush including a rotor having bristles on a peripheral surface thereof and provided in said nozzle so as to rotate around an horizontal axis, and

so operating that dust is sucked with air through the opening of said nozzle by an air flow produced by said electric fan through said suction passage, that sucked dust is collected in a dust bag housed in said dust chamber, and that a surface to be cleaned facing said opening is brushed by said rotating brush so as to promote separation of dust from the surface,

characterized in that said rotor is a hollow cylinder having a through hole passing through a peripheral wall thereof, and that a suction fan for sucking air from outside said nozzle into said rotor is attached to said rotor so that the sucked air by said sucking fan blows the surface to be cleaned through said through hole.

7. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 6,

wherein said electric vacuum cleaner is of upright type with said nozzle being arranged at a bottom of said body.

8. An electric vacuum cleaner

comprising a body having an electric fan and a dust chamber, a nozzle having an opening at its bottom, a suction passage connecting an inside of said nozzle to said dust chamber, and a rotating brush including a rotor having bristles on a peripheral surface thereof and provided in said nozzle so as to rotate around an horizontal axis, and

so operating that dust is sucked with air through the opening of said nozzle by an air flow produced by said electric fan through said suction passage, that sucked dust is collected in a dust bag housed in said dust chamber, and that a surface to be cleaned facing said opening is brushed by said rotating brush so as to promote separation of dust from the surface,

characterized in that a reflux passage for guiding a slip stream of said electric fan to a vicinity of an end of said rotor is provided, and that an air passage for directing the guided slip stream of said electric fan to the peripheral surface of said rotor along said axis is provided at the end of said rotor so that the slip stream of said electric fan blows the surface to be cleaned through said air passage.

9. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8,

wherein a pulley for receiving a rotation force is attached to the end of said rotor, a through hole is provided in said pulley as said air passage, and a fan is provided in said through hole for sending air to the peripheral surface of said rotor.

10. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8,

wherein a fan for sending air to the peripheral surface of said rotor is attached to an end of said rotor opposite said air passage, and an air intake hole is provided to said nozzle at a position facing said fan.

11. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8,

wherein a removable filter for capturing fine dust is provided in said reflux passage.

12. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8,

wherein a part of said reflux passage between said body and said nozzle comprises a flexible hose, and an end of the hose is attachable to and detachable from said nozzle.

13. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8,

wherein a part of said reflux passage within said nozzle is formed by partitioning the inside of said nozzle with a part of a nozzle case constituting said nozzle.

14. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8,

wherein said electric vacuum cleaner is of upright type with said nozzle being arranged at a bottom of said body.

15. An electric vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 8,

wherein said rotor is a cylinder having a spiral ridge on a peripheral surface thereof, and said bristles are on said ridge.