Vacuum cleaner height adjustment mechanism

• US 6,076,230 A
• Filed: 04/21/1999
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Healthy Gain Investments Limited
• Original Assignee: Hoover Company (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Inventors: Harsh, Kurt D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Snider, Theresa T.
• Application Number:
  US09/295,886
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 15/354, 15/355, 15/368, 15/373, 74/527
• US Class Current: 15/354
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/34 with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20636 Detents

Abstract

A height adjustment mechanism for a vacuum cleaner includes a wheel carriage pivotally mounted to a foot of the vacuum cleaner, a height adjustment cam which engages the wheel carriage, and a cam actuator which attaches to the height adjustment cam for camming the height adjustment cam against the wheel carriage. The height adjustment cam is formed with a stepped bottom camming surface. The camming surface is formed with a plurality of spaced parallel ribs having a rounded outer surface which minimizes the surface-to-surface contact between the height adjustment cam and the wheel carriage. This reduced surface-to-surface contact reduces the frictional resistance between the height adjustment cam and the wheel carriage allowing the cam actuator to be easily slid for height adjustment of the vacuum cleaner foot.

Claims

1. An improved height adjustment mechanism for a vacuum cleaner, said vacuum cleaner including a foot formed with a nozzle opening, a height of said foot being adjustable relative to a surface being cleaned, said height adjustment mechanism including a wheel carriage which engages the surface and supports a front of the foot thereon, said wheel carriage being movable to adjust the height of the foot, a height adjustment cam movably mounted on the foot and having a camming surface for engaging the wheel carriage, and a cam actuator connected to the height adjustment cam for moving said height adjustment cam, the improvement comprising:

a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs formed on the camming surface for reducing the surface-to-surface contact between the height adjustment cam and the wheel carriage.

2. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 1 in which the height adjustment cam is formed of acetal.

3. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 1 in which certain of the ribs are formed with a curved outer surface which contacts the wheel carriage.

4. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 1 in which grooves are formed in the camming surface for separating adjacent ribs.

5. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 1 in which the height adjustment cam includes a front, a rear, a top, a bottom and a pair of opposed ends, the camming surface being formed on said bottom.

6. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 5 in which the camming surface is sloped outwardly from the front to the rear of the height adjustment cam.

7. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 5 in which the camming surface is stepped upwardly from a lower of the opposed ends to a higher of the opposed ends.

8. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 7 in which the stepped camming surface is formed with first and second height adjustment surfaces with a first raised step being formed therebetween.

9. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 7 in which the raised step is rounded;

and in which the second height adjustment surface is formed with a concavity for receiving a portion of the wheel carriage therein.

10. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 8 in which the stepped camming surface is formed with a third height adjustment surface with a second raised step being formed between the second and third height adjustment surfaces.

11. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 10 in which the second raised step is rounded;

and in which the third height adjustment surface is formed with a concavity for receiving a portion of the wheel carriage therein.

12. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 10 in which the stepped camming surface is formed with a fourth height adjustment surface with a third raised step formed between the third and fourth height adjustment surfaces.

13. The improved height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 12 in which the third raised step is rounded.

14. A height adjustment mechanism for a suction nozzle of a vacuum cleaner, said height adjustment mechanism including:

a wheel carriage pivotally mounted to the suction nozzle for supporting said suction nozzle on a floor surface;

a height adjustment cam movable along said suction nozzle, said height adjustment cam having a camming surface to engage the wheel carriage and cammingly pivot the wheel carriage relative to the nozzle when said height adjusting cam is displaced, to thereby adjust the height of said nozzle above a floor surface;

an actuator for selectively displacing the height adjustment cam; and

wherein the camming surface of the height adjustment cam is formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs for reducing the surface-to-surface contact between said camming surface and the wheel carriage.

15. The height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 14 in which the height adjustment cam is formed of a low friction plastic material.

16. The height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 15 in which the low friction plastic material is acetal.

17. The height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 14 in which certain of the ribs are formed with a curved outer surface which contacts the wheel carriage.

18. The height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 14 in which the camming surface is stepped upwardly from a lower end of the height adjustment cam to a higher end of the height adjustment cam.

19. The height adjustment mechanism defined in claim 14 in which the camming surface is sloped outwardly from a front to a rear of the height adjustment cam.