Agitator for vacuum cleaner/extractor

• US 20040010875A1
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Muhlenkamp, Eric E., Roney, Jeffrey T.
• Granted Patent: US 6,859,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/141.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls

Abstract

An agitator includes an axle, a pulley having a hub mounted to the axle and a belt receiving face having at least one lengthwise channel and a sleeve of molded material received over the axle and in the at least one lengthwise channel. A method of constructing an agitator from an axle and pulley includes the fitting of the axle into the pulley, the injecting of plastic resin into one end of the agitator forming mold on a first side of the pulley and the directing of plastic through at least one channel in the pulley to a second side of the pulley.

Claims

1. An agitator comprising:

an axle;

a pulley including (a) a hub mounted to said axle and (b) a belt receiving face having at least one lengthwise channel; and

a sleeve of molded material received over said axle and in said at least one lengthwise channel.

2. The agitator of claim 1 wherein said sleeve carries a cleaning structure.

3. The agitator of claim 2, wherein said cleaning structure i'"'"'s selected from a group consisting of a beater bar, a brush, tufted bristles, a wiper and combinations thereof.

4. The agitator of claim 1, wherein said sleeve is generally cylindrical in shape having a diameter of no greater than 22.00 mm.

5. The agitator of claim 4, wherein said axle has a diameter between about 4.00 mm to about 8.00 mm.

6. The agitator of claim 1, wherein said pulley includes an end flange and two opposed lengthwise channels passing through said end flange.

7. The agitator of claim 1, wherein said pulley includes a metal D-nut.

8. The agitator of claim 1, wherein said sleeve further includes spaced slots and spaced axially extending grooves.

9. An agitator, comprising;

a continuous metal axle;

a metal pulley secured to a first end of said continuous metal axle, said pulley including a belt receiving face having at least one lengthwise channel; and

a sleeve of molded plastic material received over said axle and in said at least one lengthwise channel.

10. The agitator of claim 9, wherein said sleeve carries a cleaning structure.

11. The agitator of claim 10, wherein said cleaning structure is selected from a group consisting of a beater bar, a brush, tufted bristles, a wiper and combinations thereof.

12. The agitator of claim 9, wherein said sleeve is generally cylindrical in shape having a diameter of no greater than 22.00 mm.

13. The agitator of claim 12, wherein said axle has a diameter between about 4.00 mm to about 8.00 mm.

14. The agitator of claim 9, wherein said pulley includes an end flange and two opposed lengthwise channels passing through said end flange.

15. The agitator of claim 9, wherein said pulley includes a metal D-nut.

16. The agitator of claim 9, wherein said sleeve further includes spaced slots and spaced axially extending grooves.

17. A method for constructing an agitator from an axle and a pulley in a mold, comprising:

fitting the axle into the pulley;

injecting plastic resin into one end of said mold on a first side of said pulley; and

directing plastic through at least one channel in said pulley to a second side of said pulley.

18. The method of claim 17 further including cooling said plastic resin to a setting temperature and removing said agitator from said mold.

19. The method of claim 18, further including securing a cleaning structure to said agitator.