Surface cleaning head with removable non-driven agitator having cleaning pad

• US 9,955,832 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SharkNinja Operating LLC (JS Global Lifestyle Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SharkNinja Operating LLC (JS Global Lifestyle Company Limited)
• Inventors: Thorne, Jason B., Xu, Kai, Xu, AiMing, Brown, Andre David, Burke, Brian, D'Amico, Michael, Hutchinson, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): REDDING, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US14/867,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20160220082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/02 Nozzles suction nozzles for fluid transport B65G51/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0444 for conveying motion by endless flexible members, e.g. belts
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0455 Bearing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls

Abstract

A surface cleaning head may be configured to receive a removable rotatable driven agitator, such as a brush roll, or a non-driven agitator. Either of these agitators may be located in an openable agitator chamber for purposes of removing debris and/or removing the agitator. The openable agitator chamber may be covered by an external cover that is movable between an open position and a closed position. The non-driven agitator may include an agitator body including a bottom portion supporting one or more cleaning pads. The non-driven agitator body may also define one or more air inlets, an air outlet and an air passageway extending therebetween to facilitate air passage through the surface cleaning head. Different removable agitators with different characteristics may be used interchangeably in the surface cleaning head.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning head for a vacuum, the surface cleaning head comprising:

a cleaning head housing having a front end portion, a rear end portion, laterally disposed sides, an upper portion and a bottom portion;

an agitator chamber located in the front end portion of the cleaning head housing, the agitator chamber having a top opening through the upper portion of the cleaning head housing and a bottom opening through the bottom portion of the cleaning head housing, and wherein the agitator chamber includes at least one driven side;

an agitator drive mechanism including a drive member at the driven side of the agitator chamber and an agitator drive motor drivingly coupled to the drive member, wherein the drive member is configured to engage and drive a rotatable driven agitator when received in the agitator chamber;

an external cover mounted to the cleaning head housing for covering the top opening of the agitator chamber, the external cover being movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein the agitator chamber is covered when the external cover is in the closed position and accessible through the top opening when the external cover is in the open position; and

a non-driven agitator removably mounted within the agitator chamber without engaging the drive member such that the non-driven agitator is configured to contact a surface through the bottom opening, wherein the non-driven agitator is accessible and removable through the top opening when the external cover is in the open position.

2. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the non-driven agitator includes an agitator body and at least one cleaning pad supported on a pad support member on a bottom portion of the agitator body, wherein the at least one cleaning pad is configured to contact the surface through the bottom opening.

3. The surface cleaning head of claim 2 wherein the at least one cleaning pad includes at least one fabric pad.

4. The surface cleaning head of claim 2 wherein the at least one cleaning pad includes at least one felt pad.

5. The surface cleaning head of claim 2 wherein the at least one cleaning pad includes at least one brush pad.

6. The surface cleaning head of claim 2 wherein the at least one cleaning pad is removably attached to the pad support member.

7. The surface cleaning head of claim 2 wherein the agitator body of the non-driven agitator defines at least one air inlet adjacent the at least one cleaning pad, at least one air outlet and an air path between the at least one air inlet and the air outlet, wherein the air outlet is fluidly coupled to a dirty air inlet in the agitator chamber of the surface cleaning head.

8. The surface cleaning head of claim 7 wherein the at least one air inlet includes first and second elongated air inlets and the at least one air outlet includes a single air outlet, wherein the first and second elongated air inlets extend along at least a portion of the bottom portion of the agitator body.

9. The surface cleaning head of claim 7 wherein the at least one air outlet includes a seal around a periphery thereof.

10. The surface cleaning head of claim 2 wherein the bottom portion of the agitator body includes a plurality of projections on a side opposite the pad support member, the projections being configured to engage associated slots on a side of the bottom opening of the agitator chamber.

11. The surface cleaning head of claim 1 wherein the bottom portion of the agitator body includes at least one space for receiving bars extending across the bottom opening of the agitator chamber.

12. A surface cleaning head for a vacuum, the surface cleaning head comprising:

a cleaning head housing having a front end portion, a rear end portion, laterally disposed sides, an upper portion and a bottom portion;

an agitator chamber located in the front end portion of the cleaning head housing, the agitator chamber having a top opening through the upper portion of the cleaning head housing and a bottom opening through the bottom portion of the cleaning head housing, and wherein the agitator chamber includes at least one driven side;

an agitator drive mechanism including a drive member at the driven side of the agitator chamber and an agitator drive motor drivingly coupled to the drive member;

at least one rotatable driven agitator configured to be removably mounted within the agitator chamber and configured to engage the drive member of the agitator drive mechanism such that the drive member causes the rotatable driven agitator to rotate; and

at least one non-driven agitator configured to be removably mounted within the agitator chamber without engaging the drive member and such that the non-driven agitator is configured to contact a surface through the bottom opening.

13. The surface cleaning head of claim 12 wherein the rotatable driven agitator includes a brush roll.

14. The surface cleaning head of claim 12 wherein the rotatable driven agitator includes:

an agitator body having a driven end and a non-driven end;

at least one agitating element located on at least a portion of the agitator body between the driven end and the non-driven end;

a driven member located at the driven end of the agitator body, the driven member being configured to mate axially and engage with a drive member on a drive mechanism in the surface cleaning head; and

an end cap mounted on at the non-driven end of the agitator body and configured to be mounted without rotation in the agitator chamber of the surface cleaning head.

15. The surface cleaning head of claim 14 wherein the end cap includes a tab extending radially and configured to be gripped by a user to facilitate removing and inserting the non-driven end into the agitator chamber.

16. The surface cleaning head of claim 12 wherein the non-driven agitator includes an agitator body and at least one cleaning pad supported on a pad support member on a bottom portion of the agitator body, wherein the at least one cleaning pad is configured to contact the surface through the bottom opening.

17. The surface cleaning head of claim 16 wherein the at least one cleaning pad includes at least one of a fabric pad, a felt pad or a brush pad.

18. The surface cleaning head of claim 16 wherein the at least one cleaning pad is removably attached to the pad support member.

19. The surface cleaning head of claim 16 wherein the body of the non-driven agitator defines at least one air inlet adjacent the at least one cleaning pad, at least one air outlet and an air path between the at least one air inlet and the air outlet, wherein the air outlet is configured to be fluidly coupled to a dirty air inlet in the agitator chamber of the surface cleaning head.

20. The surface cleaning head of claim 19 wherein the at least one air inlet includes first and second elongated air inlets and the at least one air outlet includes a single air outlet, wherein the first and second elongated air inlets extend along at least a portion of the bottom portion of the agitator body.

21. The surface cleaning head of claim 19 wherein the at least one air outlet includes a seal around a periphery thereof.

22. A removable non-driven agitator for use in an agitator chamber of a surface cleaning head, the removable non-driven agitator comprising:

an agitator body defining first and second elongated air inlets, an air outlet, and an air path between at least one of the air inlets and the air outlet, the elongated air inlets being located along at least a portion of a bottom portion of the agitator body, the air outlet being located on the agitator body at a position to provide engagement with a dirty air inlet in the agitator chamber of the surface cleaning head, the bottom portion of the agitator body having a width corresponding to a width of a bottom opening of the agitator chamber, wherein first and second ends of the agitator body are configured to engage the agitator chamber without engaging a drive member in the agitator chamber;

at least one cleaning pad supported on a pad support member on at least one side of the bottom portion of the agitator body; and

a seal around the air outlet.

24. The removable non-driven agitator of claim 22 wherein the agitator body further includes at least one wing extending from at least one of the first and second ends of the agitator body, wherein the wing is configured to fit under the drive member in the agitator chamber.

25. The removable non-driven agitator of claim 22 wherein the cleaning pad includes a felt pad.

23. The removable non-driven agitator 22 further comprising a plurality of projections on an opposite side of the bottom portion, the projections being configured to engage associated slots on one side of the agitator chamber.

26. The removable non-driven agitator 22 wherein the cleaning pad includes a felt pad.

27. The removable non-driven agitator 22 wherein the cleaning pad includes a brush pad.

28. The removable non-driven agitator 22 wherein the bottom portion of the agitator body includes at least one space for receiving bars extending across the bottom opening of the agitator chamber.

29. The removable non-driven agitator 22 wherein the at least one cleaning pad is removably attached to the cleaning pad support.