Vacuum cleaner with hair collection element

• US 8,925,146 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bissell Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc. (Bissell Inc.)
• Inventors: Kasper, Gary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US13/834,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20130219655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 15368-373, 153/93
• US Class Current: 15/368
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/006 formed by winding a strip tuft in a helix about the body
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 25/08 Pads or the like for cleaning clothes using adhesive surfaces A47L25/005
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0066 adapted for removing nail dust, hair or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/02 Nozzles suction nozzles for fluid transport B65G51/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0422 driven by the rotation of the supporting wheels on which the nozzle travels over the floor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0433 Toothed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0466 Rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools
• 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 9/0633 with retractable brushes, combs, lips or pads
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0653 with mechanical actuation, e.g. using a lever
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0666 with tilting, floating or similarly arranged brushes, combs, lips or pads

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner comprises a cleaning head having a suction nozzle adapted to be moved along a surface to be cleaned, and a hair collection assembly provided on the cleaning head and having a hair collection element adapted to collect hair from the surface to be cleaned as the cleaning head moves along the surface to be cleaned.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaning head having a suction nozzle adapted to be moved along a surface to be cleaned; and

a hair collection assembly provided on the cleaning head and adapted to collect hair from the surface to be cleaned as the cleaning head moves along the surface to be cleaned, the hair collection assembly comprising;

a hair collection element adapted to collect hair from the surface to be cleaned and comprising a support and a plurality of elastomeric projections comprising elongated ridges provided on the support;

a mounting assembly for mounting the hair collection element on the cleaning head; and

a spring mechanism biasing the hair collection element toward the surface to be cleaned;

wherein the spring mechanism maintains the hair collection assembly in contact with the surface to be cleaned when the cleaning head is moved along the surface to be cleaned and adjusts to the height and contour of the surface to be cleaned.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the hair collection element is positioned exteriorly of the cleaning head.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the hair collection element is positioned forwardly of the suction nozzle.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the projections are rubber.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein each of the projections comprises a face spaced from the support and extends from the support a distance that is less than a maximum dimension of the face.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the ridges comprise non-circular faces.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the projections are arranged in a plurality of parallel rows extending across the support.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the projections in each row are aligned and are axially spaced from each other.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein adjacent rows of projections are offset from each other, whereby axial spaces between adjacent projections in one row are offset to projections in an adjacent row.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein both the projections and the support are formed of an elastomeric material.

11. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaning head having a suction nozzle adapted to be moved along a surface to be cleaned; and

a hair collection assembly provided on the cleaning head and adapted to collect hair from the surface to be cleaned as the cleaning head moves along the surface to be cleaned, the hair collection assembly comprising;

a hair collection element adapted to collect hair from the surface to be cleaned;

a mounting assembly for mounting the hair collection element on the cleaning head; and

a spring mechanism biasing the hair collection element toward the surface to be cleaned;

wherein the spring mechanism maintains the hair collection assembly in contact with the surface to be cleaned when the cleaning head is moved along the surface to be cleaned and adjusts to the height and contour of the surface to be cleaned; and

wherein the mounting assembly comprises a pair of telescoping tube assemblies, each telescoping tube assembly having an outer tube coupled with the hair collection assembly and an inner tube coupled with the cleaning head.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the spring mechanism comprises a compression spring associated with each telescoping tube assembly, wherein the compression spring is positioned between the outer and inner tubes and biases the outer and inner tubes apart along a longitudinal axis of the telescoping tube assembly.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein each telescoping tube assembly comprises a slot provided in one of the inner and outer tubes, and a detent provided on the other of the inner and outer tubes, wherein the detent is received in the slot.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the hair collection element is positioned exteriorly of the cleaning head.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14, wherein the hair collection element is positioned forwardly of the suction nozzle.