Convertible blower and vacuum

• US 6,640,384 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2001
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Husqvarna AB (HUSQVARNA)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Wiseman, David, Sanders, Daniel, Pribanic, Tomas, Jewell, Terry, Verges, Sieglinde J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Till, Terrence R.
• Application Number:
  US09/974,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20030066159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 153/30, 153/44, 154/05, 439/456, 439/457, 439/459
• US Class Current: 15/330
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 20/47 Vacuum or blower devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/14 cleaning by blowing-off, also combined with suction cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/26 Incorporation of winding devices for electric cables devices specially adapted for repeatedly paying-out or re-storing cables B65H75/34; arrangements of electrical cables or lines between relatively-movable parts H02G11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/322 for hand-supported suction cleaners

Abstract

A portable blower-vacuum includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet. A motor is disposed within the housing for rotatably driving an impeller to transfer an airflow from the inlet to the outlet. The blower-vacuum also includes an elongated air outlet structure over which an elongated blower tube may be slid for attachment in a blower mode and removed in a vacuum mode. The outlet structure possesses a configuration that improves the ease with which the blower tube may be fitted to the air outlet. The blower-vacuum also includes a cover disposed over the inlet in a blower mode and a skirt adapted to cooperate with the cover and the inlet to substantially reduce or eliminate lateral airflow from entering the inlet from between the cover and the housing.

Claims

1. A portable blower-vacuum, comprising:

a housing having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet disposed along a first axis;

a discharge tube adapted to cooperate with the outlet, the outlet and the discharge tube having complementary engagement faces, the engagement faces nonorthogonally disposed relative to the first axis;

a motor disposed within the housing; and

an impeller adapted to be rotatably driven by the motor to provide an airflow from the inlet to the outlet.

2. The blower-vacuum of claim 1, wherein the engagement faces are each disposed in a plane substantially nonorthogonal to the first axis.

3. The blower-vacuum of claim 1, wherein the engagement face of the outlet is disposed upwardly relative to the first axis.

4. The blower-vacuum of claim 1, wherein the motor comprises an electric motor, and further comprising a strain reliever adapted to substantially prevent inadvertent disengagement of an electrical power supply from the electric motor.

5. The blower-vacuum of claim 1, wherein the outlet comprises a plurality of substantially parallel engagement faces adapted to cooperate with a corresponding plurality of substantially parallel engagement faces of the discharge tube.

8. The blower-vacuum of claim 1, wherein the insert comprises an annular wall disposed proximate to the cover, and wherein the skirt comprises an annular ring adapted to overlap a portion of the annular wall of the insert.

6. A portable blower-vacuum, comprising:

a housing having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being defined by an annular wall;

a motor disposed within the housing;

an impeller rotatably driven by the motor to transfer an airflow from the inlet to the outlet;

a cover adapted to cooperate with the inlet, the cover comprising a plurality of apertures disposed relative to the inlet to provide an airflow to the inlet; and

a skirt adapted to cooperate with the annular wall defining the inlet and the cover to substantially reduce or eliminate a latent air-flow from entering the inlet from between the cover and the housing.

7. The blower-vacuum of claim 6, further comprising an insert adapted to cooperate with the inlet to decrease a diameter of the inlet proximate to the impeller, and wherein the skirt is adapted to cooperate with a central opening of the insert to substantially reduce or eliminate the lateral airflow from entering the central opening.

9. The blower-vacuum of claim 6, wherein the skirt comprises an annular ring coupled to the cover and adapted to overlap a portion of the annular wall.

10. The blower-vacuum of claim 9, wherein the annular ring comprises an integrally formed wall of the cover.

11. The blower-vacuum of claim 6, wherein the cover further comprises:

a face adapted to support the blower-vacuum in an upright position; and

a grill disposed inwardly from the face, the apertures disposed in the grill.

12. The blower-vacuum of claim 11, wherein the grill is configured to provide an object clearance zone in the upright position between the grill and a supporting surface.

13. The vacuum-blower of claim 11, wherein the grill is configured having a substantially conical geometry.

14. The vacuum-blower of claim 6, wherein the motor comprises an electric motor, and further comprising a strain reliever adapted to substantially prevent inadvertent disengagement of an electrical supply from the electric motor.

15. A portable blower-vacuum, comprising:

a housing having an inlet and an outlet;

an electric motor disposed within the housing;

an impeller rotatably driven by the electric motor to provide an airflow from the inlet to the outlet;

a member extending rearwardly from the housing and defining an opening between the member and the housing adapted to receive a loop of an electrical supply line; and

a cleat disposed proximate to the opening and adapted to retain the loop to substantially prevent inadvertent disengagement of the electrical supply line from a receptacle associated with the electric motor.

16. The blower-vacuum of claim 15, wherein the member comprises an integrally formed member of the housing.

17. The blower-vacuum of claim 15, wherein the cleat comprises an angled clip disposed proximate to an outlet of the opening.

18. The blower-vacuum of claim 15, further comprising:

a first handle; and

a second handle, the member and the cleat disposed between the first and second handle.

19. The blower-vacuum of claim 18, wherein the second handle extends rearwardly from the housing.

20. The blower-vacuum of claim 18, wherein the cleat comprises an angled clip disposed proximate to an outlet of the opening.

21. The blower-vacuum of claim 15, wherein the member defines an elliptically configured opening.

22. The blower-vacuum of claim 15, wherein the cleat comprises an integrally formed member of the housing.

23. A portable blower-vacuum, comprising:

a housing having an inlet and an outlet;

a motor disposed within the housing;

an impeller rotatably driven by the motor to transfer an airflow from the inlet to the outlet; and

a covet adapted to cooperate with the inlet, the cover comprising an inwardly disposed conically-configured grill defining an object clearance zone, the object clearance zone providing a relief area for debris between the grill and a supporting surface.

24. The blower-vacuum of claim 23, wherein the grill comprises a plurality of apertures adapted to receive the airflow into the inlet.

25. The blower-vacuum of claim 23, wherein the motor comprises an electric motor, and further comprising a strain reliever adapted to substantially prevent inadvertent disengagement of an electrical supply line from the motor.

26. The blower-vacuum of claim 23, wherein the outlet is disposed along an axis, and further comprising a discharge tube adapted to cooperate with the outlet, the outlet and the discharge tube having complementary engagement faces, the engagement faces nonorthogonally disposed relative to the axis.

27. The blower-vacuum of claim 23, further comprising a skid adapted to cooperate with the cover and the inlet to substantially reduce or eliminate a lateral airflow from entering the inlet from between the cover and the housing.

28. A portable blower-vacuum comprising:

a housing having an inlet and an outlet;

a motor disposed within the housing;

an impeller rotatably driven by the motor to transfer an airflow from the inlet to the outlet;

a cover adapted to cooperate with the inlet, the cover comprising a plurality of apertures disposed relative to the inlet to provide an airflow to the inlet; and

a skirt depending from the cover and adapted to cooperate with the inlet and the cover to substantially reduce or eliminate a lateral airflow from entering the inlet from between thc covet and the housing.

29. The blower-vacuum of claim 28, wherein the skirt comprises an annular ring tat is adapted to overlap a portion of an annular wall defining the inlet opening.

30. The blower-vacuum of claim 28, further comprising an insert adapted to cooperate with the inlet to decrease a diameter of the inlet proximate to the impeller.

31. The blower-vacuum of claim 28, wherein the insert comprises an annular wall disposed proximate to the cover, and wherein the skirt comprises an annular ring adapted to overlap a portion of the annular wall of the insert.