Low-profile and highly-maneuverable vacuum cleaner having side brushes

• US 6,497,002 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Issued: 12/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Oreck Holdings LLC (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: Verdura, Javier, Bourgeois, Owen T., Moshenrose, Paul A., Paterson, Chris M., Millard, Jeffrey A., Teitzman, Mel
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US09/992,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20020038490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 153/93, 153/97, 154/02, 154/16, 154/20
• US Class Current: 15/393
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0009 with means mounted on the nozzle; nozzles specially adapted for the recovery of liquid
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/04 for using the exhaust air for other purposes, e.g. for distribution of chemicals in a room, for sterilisation of the air spraying or atomising in general B05
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/04 with driven brushes or agitators
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/06 with fixed, e.g. adjustably fixed brushes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0613 with means specially adapted for picking up threads, hair or the like, e.g. brushes, combs, lint pickers or bristles pads
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/062 Rigidly anchored edge brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0666 with tilting, floating or similarly arranged brushes, combs, lips or pads
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0673 with removable brushes, combs, lips or pads
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices

Abstract

A low-profile and highly-maneuverable vacuum cleaner having improved functionality including, alone or in combination, a headlight, a sidelight, anti-ingestion bars, side brushes, a squeegee, and a scent cartridge for use in cleaning floors, floor coverings, carpets, upholstery, and other surfaces. One embodiment includes a tortuous air flow path created by baffles that divert air flow. The tortuous path creates quieter air flow through the vacuum housing. The tortuous air flow arrangement is for cooling the internal parts of a vacuum cleaner. Another embodiment includes an indicator light assembly for the vacuum cleaner visually providing the user with the vacuum'"'"'s current operation status. In another embodiment, the rear wheels are recessed within the head housing and slightly offset rearwardly of the rear wall of the head housing to provide enhanced maneuverability.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner side brush for directing floor surface debris toward a suction inlet of a vacuum cleaner in motion, said side brush comprising

(a) a connection surface having a substantially flat top side and a bottom side;

and

(b) at least one blade, wherein each blade of said at least one blade is joined at a blade top to said bottom side of said connection surface and extends downwardly from said blade top to a blade bottom, wherein each blade of said at least one blade has an outwardly facing edge, an inwardly facing edge, and a blade longitudinal axis extending through said blade top and said blade bottom amid said outwardly and inwardly facing edges, and wherein each blade of said at least one blade is configured to have an angle of axial rotation about said blade longitudinal axis such that said outwardly facing edge is forward of said inwardly facing edge along a direction of motion of the vacuum cleaner.

2. The side brush of claim 1, wherein said blade bottom defines a horizontal blade bottom surface, and wherein said outwardly facing edge of each blade of said at least one blade is longer than said inwardly facing edge, whereby a plane of said substantially flat top side of said connection surface is angled with respect to a plane of said blade bottom surface.

3. The side brush of claim 1, wherein each blade of said at least one blade is a dual-angled blade having a blade lateral axis extending through said outwardly and inwardly facing edges amid said blade top and said blade bottom, and wherein each dual-angled blade of said at one least dual-angled blade is configured to have a tilt angle about said blade lateral axis such that said blade bottom is forward of said blade top along the direction of motion of the vacuum cleaner.

4. The side brush of claim 1, said side brush further comprising a connection aperture extending through said connection surface from said top side to said bottom side of said connection surface, said connection aperture being adapted to receive a connection means, wherein said at least one blade comprises a forward blade pair and a rearward blade pair, each of said forward and rearward blade pairs comprising an inside blade and a substantially parallel outside blade, wherein said connection aperture is located between said forward and rearward blade pairs, wherein each blade of said forward blade pair is configured to have a first angle of axial rotation such that said outwardly facing edge of each blade of said forward blade pair is forward of its inwardly facing edge along a first direction of motion of the vacuum cleaner, and wherein each blade of said rearward blade pair is configured to have a second angle of axial rotation such that said outwardly facing edge of each blade of said rearward blade pair is forward of its inwardly facing edge along a second direction of motion of the vacuum cleaner opposite to the first direction of motion.

5. The side brush of claim 4, wherein each blade of said forward blade pair and of said rearward blade pair is a dual-angled blade having a blade lateral axis extending through said outwardly and inwardly facing edges amid said blade top and said blade bottom, and wherein each blade of said forward blade pair is configured to have a first tilt angle about its lateral axis such that said blade bottom of each blade of said forward blade pair is forward of its blade top along the first direction of motion of the vacuum cleaner, and wherein each blade of said rearward blade pair is configured to have a second tilt angle about its lateral axis such that said blade bottom of each blade of said rearward blade pair is forward of its blade top along the second direction of motion of the vacuum cleaner.

6. A side brush for attachment to a vacuum cleaner to direct debris from lateral sides of the vacuum cleaner towards an intake nozzle of the vacuum cleaner, the side brush comprising

a top portion including a connection surface;

and

at least one blade member, wherein each blade of said at least one blade member extends from a blade proximal end adjacent to said top portion generally downwardly to a blade distal end remote from said top portion, wherein each blade member further comprises a blade outwardly facing edge, a blade inwardly facing edge, and a blade front surface bordered by said blade proximal end, said blade distal end, said blade outwardly facing edge, and said blade inwardly facing edge, and wherein each blade member is configured such that said blade front surface generally faces in a direction of travel of the vacuum cleaner when attached thereto.

7. The side brush of claim 6, wherein each blade member has a blade longitudinal length between said blade proximal end and said blade distal end, a blade lateral width between said blade outwardly facing edge and said blade inwardly facing edge, and a blade thickness between said blade front surface and a blade back surface displaced from and generally parallel to said blade front surface, said blade thickness being significantly less than said blade lateral width.

8. The side brush of claim 7, wherein said at least one blade member comprises a first blade member and a second blade member, wherein a back surface of said first blade member is spaced from and generally parallel to a front surface of said second blade member.

9. The side brush of claim 6, wherein the side brush is comprised of an elastomeric material.

10. The side brush of claim 6, wherein an aperture for receiving a fastener extends through said top portion.

11. The side brush of claim 6, wherein said front surface of each blade member is laterally curvilinear.

12. The side brush of claim 6, wherein a plane containing said blade outwardly facing edge and said blade inwardly facing edge forms an acute angle with a vertical plane when the side brush is attached to the vacuum cleaner.

13. The side brush of claim 6, wherein said at least one blade member comprises a first blade member, and wherein said front surface of said first blade member extends generally outwardly in a lateral direction and in a first longitudinal direction from its inwardly facing edge.

14. The side brush of claim 13, wherein said at least one blade member comprises a second blade member, and wherein said front surface of said second blade member extends generally outwardly in said lateral direction and in a second longitudinal direction from its inwardly facing edge, said second longitudinal direction being opposite from said first longitudinal direction.

15. The side brush of claim 6, wherein said at least one blade member comprises a first blade member, wherein said first blade member further comprising a bottom surface located at its blade distal end, and wherein a plane containing said connection surface forms an acute angle with a plane containing said bottom surface of said first blade member.

16. The side brush of claim 6, wherein said at least one blade member comprises a first blade member and a second blade member, wherein said first blade member extends forwardly along a first direction of travel of the vacuum cleaner and downwardly from its proximal end to its distal end, and wherein said second blade member extends rearwardly along a second direction of travel of the vacuum cleaner opposite said first direction of travel and downwardly from its proximal end to its distal end.

17. A side brush of a vacuum cleaner for directing debris from lateral sides of the vacuum cleaner towards an intake nozzle when the vacuum cleaner is moved in a forward direction of travel and when the vacuum cleaner is moved in a rearward direction of travel opposite to the forward direction of travel, the side brush comprising

a top portion comprising a connection surface adapted to mate with the vacuum cleaner and an aperture passing through said connection surface and adapted to receive a fastener;

a plurality of resilient blade members, each blade member comprising a proximal end connected with said top portion and a distal end remote from said top portion, and each blade member extending generally downwardly from said proximal end to said distal end, each blade member further comprising a generally convex front surface and a generally concave back surface displaced from and generally parallel to said front surface, said plurality of resilient blade members including

a first set of blade members adapted to have their front surfaces generally forward of their back surfaces along the forward direction of travel of the vacuum cleaner when the side brush is attached thereto, each blade member of said first set also (i) being adapted to extend in the forward direction of travel from said proximal to distal ends when the side brush is attached to the vacuum cleaner and (ii) being spaced from other blade members of said first set of blade members thereby forming at least one collection channel between said back surface of one blade member of said first set of blade members and said front surface of another blade member of said first set of blade members; and

a second set of blade members adapted to have their front surfaces generally forward of their back surfaces along the rearward direction of travel of the vacuum cleaner when the side brush is attached thereto, each blade member of the second set also (i) being adapted to extend in the rearward direction of travel from said proximal to distal ends when the side brush is attached to the vacuum cleaner and (ii) being spaced from other blade members of said second set of blade members thereby forming at least one collection channel between said back surface of one blade member of said second set of blade members and said front surface of another blade member of said second set of blade members; and

wherein said aperture is located between said first set of blade members and said second set of blade members, said first set of blade members being located in front of said aperture along the forward direction of travel of the vacuum cleaner.

18. The side brush of claim 17, wherein each blade member of said plurality of resilient blade members further includes an inwardly facing edge and an outwardly facing edge, said inwardly facing edge being configured to be located laterally closer to the lateral side of the vacuum cleaner than said outwardly facing edge when the side brush is mounted to the vacuum cleaner, the outwardly facing edge of each blade member of said first set of blade members being located generally forwardly of the corresponding inwardly facing edge along the forward direction of travel, and said outwardly facing edge of each blade member of said second set of blade members being located generally forwardly of the corresponding inwardly facing edge along the rearward direction of travel.

19. A vacuum cleaner for cleaning a flooring surface or covering, the vacuum cleaner comprising:

a head housing, the head housing having a bottom side wherein an intake nozzle passes through the bottom side, left and right sides, and front and rear ends, the left and right sides being opposite each other and extending between the front and rear ends, the bottom side being located opposite and generally parallel to the flooring surface;

a particulate collector;

a airflow propulsion device configured to draw air through the intake nozzle and direct the air towards the particulate collector; and

a side brush, the side brush including (i) a top portion, the top portion including a first surface coupled with the head housing proximate one of the left or right side, (ii) at least one blade member depending from the top portion at a proximal end, the blade member further having a front face and a blade bottom surface, the blade bottom surface generally facing the flooring surface or covering during operation of the vacuum cleaner.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the at least one blade member is made of a resilient material.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the blade bottom surface has a width and a thickness, the width being significantly greater than the thickness.

22. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the bottom surface is substantially parallel to the flooring surface during operation of the vacuum cleaner.

23. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the top portion is coupled to the head by one or more screws.

24. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the side brush is fabricated from a rubber or rubber-like polymeric material.

25. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the front face comprises an inner longitudinal edge and an outer longitudinal edge, the inner longitudinal edge being located closer to the front end of the head housing than the outer edge.

26. The vacuum cleaner of claim 25, wherein the front face is concave.

27. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the front face comprises an inner longitudinal edge and an outer longitudinal edge, the inner longitudinal edge being located closer to the rear end of the head housing than the outer edge.

28. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the front face of the at least one blade member extends downwardly from the proximal end of the blade member to the bottom surface of the blade member at an acute angle relative to a vertical axis.

29. The vacuum cleaner of claim 28, wherein the front face of the at least one blade member extends downwardly and rearwardly from the proximal end of the blade member to the bottom surface of the blade member.

30. The vacuum cleaner of claim 29, wherein the front face comprises an inner longitudinal edge and an outer longitudinal edge, the inner longitudinal edge being located closer to the rear end of the head housing than the outer edge.

31. The vacuum cleaner of claim 30, wherein the front face is concave.

32. The vacuum cleaner of claim 28, wherein the front face is concave.

33. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the front face is laterally curvilinear.

34. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the first surface of the top portion is acutely angled relative to a plane contiguous with the bottom surface of the at least one blade member.

35. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the bottom side of the head housing further has at least one upwardly recessed slot disposed therein, the slot extending from the intake nozzle at a first end to an edge of the bottom side proximate one of the left or right side of the head housing at a second end, the second end being located adjacent the side brush.

36. The vacuum cleaner of claim 35, wherein the second end of the recessed slot is located in front of the side brush.

37. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the side brush extends laterally outwardly from a proximal portion of one of the left or right side to which it is attached, whereby the side brush protects the proximal portion from impact with foreign objects.

38. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein at least one blade member comprises a front blade member and a rear blade member.

39. The vacuum cleaner of claim 38, wherein the blade bottom surface of the front blade member is located laterally closer to the front end of the head housing than the proximal end of the front blade member, and wherein the blade bottom surface of the rear blade member is located laterally closer to the rear end of the head housing than the proximal end of the rear blade member.

40. The vacuum cleaner of claim 38, wherein the front face of the front blade member is laterally concave, and the front face of the rear blade member is laterally convex.

41. The vacuum cleaner of claim 38, wherein the front face of each blade member comprises an inner longitudinal edge and an outer longitudinal edge, and wherein (i) the inner longitudinal edge of the front blade member is located closer to the rear end of the head housing than the outer edge of the front blade member, and (ii) the inner longitudinal edge of the rear blade member is located closer to the front end of the head housing than the outer edge of the rear blade member.

42. The vacuum cleaner of claim 41, wherein the blade bottom surface of the front blade member is located laterally closer to the front end of the head housing than the proximal end of the front blade member, and wherein the blade bottom surface of the rear blade member is located laterally closer to the rear end of the head housing than the proximal end of the rear blade member.

43. The vacuum cleaner of claim 42, wherein the front face of the front blade member is laterally concave, and the front face of the rear blade member is laterally convex.

44. The vacuum cleaner of claim 38, wherein the side brush is attached to the head housing by a screw passing through an aperture in the top portion located between the front and rear brush members.

45. The vacuum cleaner of claim 38, wherein the bottom side of the head housing further has first and second upwardly recessed slots disposed therein, each of the slots extending from the intake nozzle at a first end to an edge of the bottom side proximate one of the left or right side of the head housing at a second end, the second end of the first slot being located adjacent and in front of the side brush, and the second end of the second slot being located adjacent and behind the side brush.

46. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the at least one blade member comprises a front blade member, first and second inside blade members, and a rear blade member, the first inside blade member being located adjacent to the front blade member and the second inside blade member being located adjacent the rear blade member.

47. The vacuum cleaner of claim 46, wherein the longitudinal lengths of the front blade member and the first inside blade member extend downwardly and towards the front end of the housing head from the proximal ends of the front and first inside blade members respectively and the longitudinal lengths of the rear blade member and the second inside blade member extend downwardly and towards the rear end of the housing head from the proximal ends of the rear and second inside blade members respectively.

48. The vacuum cleaner of claim 46, wherein the front faces of the front blade member and the first inside blade member are laterally concave, and the rear blade member and the second inside blade member are laterally convex.

49. The vacuum cleaner of claim 46, wherein the front face of each blade member comprises an inner longitudinal edge and an outer longitudinal edge, and wherein (i) the inner longitudinal edges of the front blade member and the first inside blade member are located closer to the rear end of the head housing than the outer edges of the front blade member and the first inside blade member, and (ii) the inner longitudinal edges of the rear blade member and the second inside blade member are located closer to the front end of the head housing than the outer edges of the rear blade member and the second inside blade member.

50. The vacuum cleaner of claim 46, wherein the front blade member has a rear face that is spaced from the front face of the first inside blade member to form a first channel.

51. The vacuum cleaner of claim 50, wherein the second inside blade member has a rear face that is spaced from the front face of the rear blade member to form a second channel.

52. The vacuum cleaner of claim 46, wherein the front blade member and the first inside blade member each have concave front faces, and the rear blade member and the second inside blade member each have convex front faces.

53. The vacuum cleaner of claim 46, wherein the side brush is affixed to the head housing by a screw passing through an aperture in the top portion between the proximal ends of the first and second inside blades.

54. The vacuum cleaner of claim 46, wherein the first surface of the top portion is acutely angled relative to a plane contiguous with the bottom surface of one or more of the blade members.

55. The vacuum cleaner of claim 46, wherein the bottom side of the head housing further has first and second upwardly recessed slots disposed therein, each of the slots extending from the intake nozzle at a first end to an edge of the bottom side proximate either the left or right sides of the head housing at a second end, the second end of the first slot being located adjacent and in front of the side brush, and the second end of the second slot being located adjacent and behind the side brush.