US3800359A

US3800359A - Vacuum cleaner nozzle

Info

Publication number: US3800359A
Application number: US00250018A
Authority: US
Inventors: S Howard; R Schaaf
Original assignee: Air Filters Inc
Current assignee: Air Filters Inc
Priority date: 1972-05-03
Filing date: 1972-05-03
Publication date: 1974-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1991-04-02

Abstract

A carpeting tool for a vacuum cleaner comprising a hollow rake. The hollow rake includes a plurality of spaced hollow open-ended teeth and a plurality of spaced air passage openings interposed respectively between certain of the teeth. The hollow rake further has a pair of oppositely extending lateral hollow flange portions and a nozzle integral with and intermediary of the flange portions. The flange portions have a lowermost lateral surface from which extend the hollow teeth, and in which are formed the air passage openings.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Rosewall 15/345 X Howard et al. Apr. 2, 1974 1 VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE 1.053665 2/1913 Spencer 15/415 1,431,943 10/1922 Gee 15/415 X [75] lnvemors- Ward, when Schaal both 3,708,824 1/1973 Holubinka 15/397 Brooklyn. 0223,173 3/1972 Howard 21 al.... 15/397 x 2,866,22] 12/1958 Warva 15/397 [73] Ass'gnee' 2,276,886 3 1942 Smith 15/397 x [22] Filed: May 3, 1972 21 Appl. 190.; 250,018 'ffim l 'fg i i R I U S l D Attorney, Agent, or F irm-Friedman & Goodman e ated App ication ata [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 104,583, Jan. 7, [57] ABSTRACT 1971, abandoned.

A carpeting tool for a vacuum cleaner comprising a hollow rake. The hollow rake includes a plurality of zz i jgi spaced hollow open-ended teeth and a plurality of Spaced air p g p g interposed respectively [58] Fleld of Search 15/397, 402, 415 between certain of the teeth. The hollowvrakc further [56] Reerences Cited has a pair of oppositely extending lateral hollow flange portions and a nozzle integral with and intermediary UNITED STATES PATENTS of the flange portions. The flange portions have a low- 963,049 7/1910 Kenney 15/397 X ermost lateral surface from which extend the hollow teeth, and in which are formed the air passage openo u in a. 3,61 1,473 10/1971 Johnson 15/397 mgs. 2,818,595 H1958 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending US. Pat. application Ser. No. 104,583, filed on Jan. 7, I971, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many vacuum cleaner tools are conventionally well known for cleaning carpeting and for cleaning specifically, carpeting of the shag variety. However, the presently known carpeting tools do not efficiently cleanse and groom the shag carpeting since, in fact, these tools cannot effectively remove fine particles from the innermost portions at the very depth of the shag carpeting and simultaneously therewith the heavy or enlarged particles from the uppermost surface of the shag carpeting. As a result, therefore, the user of the vacuum cleaner must resort 'to a plurality of tools in order to more adequatelygroom the carpetrln this respect, the user will normally attach a tool having'hollow teeth to the vacuum cleaner'to groom the lowermost portions at the very depth of the carpet and then remove that tool and replace it with a second tool for grooming the uppermost portions of the carpet. It is clear, therefore, that this is a time consuming and undesirable procedur'e for cleaning the shag carpet and, therefore, unacceptable from the standpoint of the user.

Many attempts have been made at providing a singular tool which will efficiently accomplish both of these needs, i.e., grooming simultaneously both the uppermost and innermost portions of the shag carpet. However, these attempts have not been fully effective, this because of the configuration of the teeth, the relationship of the openings at the end of the teeth, and the spacing of variousopenings between the teeth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner carpeting tool for grooming shag carpeting.

his a further object of the present invention to provide a singular tool that is capable of simultaneously grooming both the outermost and innermost portions of the shag carpeting.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a carpeting tool for shag carpeting that will through its entire lateral extent exert a 'substantially uniform suction against the shag carpeting in contact therewith.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a carpeting tool that is economical, efficient and readily attachable to conventional vacuum cleaners.

These objects are achieved by providing a carpeting tool for a vacuum cleaner comprising a hollow rake. The hollow rake includes a plurality of spaced hollow open-ended uniformly tapered teeth and a plurality of spaced air passage openings interposed respectively between certain of the teeth, each of the teeth terminating in an enlarged oval opening extending in a plane inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of each of the teeth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With the above-and additional objects and advantages in view as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings ofa preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. I is a general perspective view of the carpeting tool according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially fragmentary side elevational view, partly in cross-section, illustrating the relationship of the enlarged inclined oval opening with that of the hollow tooth of the carpeting rake in which it is formed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view, along a line parallel to the longitudinal axes of the teeth;

FIG. 4 is an-enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating the upper and rear portions of the carpeting rake according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the underside of the rake; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the oval appearance of the opening formed at the end of each tooth'taken in a direction of arrow A in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As illustrated generally in the drawings, the carpeting tool or hollow rake 10 comprises a plurality of downward, generally uniformly, tapering open-ended hollow teeth 11 which are co-extensive and parallel to one another. The rake 10 further includes two oppositely extending lateral hollow flanges 12 and an open-ended nozzle connection 13 intermediate the flanges 12. The lateral flanges 12 have an upper surface 14 and the nozzle connection 13 has a rounded surface 15 extending into the upper surface 14 of the flanges 12. Furthermore, the nozzle connection 13 has a flat inclined surface 16 terminating in a circular edge 16 abutting the rounded surface 15 of the nozzle connection 13.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the flanges 12 have a mutual lower surface 17 at the underside thereof from which extend the hollow teeth 11 in uniformly lateral spaced relation, and in which are provided a plurality of air passage openings 18 respectively separated from one another preferably by two of the teeth 11 in each instance. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the air passage openings 18 have respective successively increasing lateral dimensions or diameters, the purpose of which will be further discussed below.

In this respect, the air passage openings 18 are formed in the lower portion of the flanges 12, whereas, the teeth llhave open-ended portions respectively remote from the air passage openings 18. As a result, therefore, the user of the carpeting rake, according to the present invention, need merely stroke the shag carpeting and the teeth 11 will groom the Iowemiost depth of the shag carpeting to remove fine particles from the latter, and the air passage openings 18 which slide along the uppermost portions of the shag carpeting will, thus, simultaneously groom the upper surface of the carpeting to remove larger particles from the latter.

As pointed out above, the air passage openings have successively increasing respective lateral dimensions or diameters which act to uniformly provide a suction of uniform pressure throughout the entire lateral extent of the flanges l2 and, thus, uniformly groom the shag carpeting in contact therewith. In this respect, the pressure drop or friction drop exerted against the air flow by the openings 18 is such that the quantity of air passing through an endmost air passage opening 18 is substantially the equivalent of the quantity of air passing through the centralmost opening 18 and, thus, there is effected substantially uniform suction throughout the rake 10.

The nature of the teeth 11 form an important aspect of the present invention in that each of the teeth ll are both externally and internally tapered and terminate in a free end portion in which is provided or formed an enlarged opening 20 of generally elliptical or oval configuration. The enlarged nature of the oval opening 20 stems from the fact that it lies in a plane defined by line 8-8 which extends transversely of the plane of FIG. 2, the plane denoted by line B-B being upwardly inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of each of the teeth 11 in a lateral direction forwardly of the teeth.

The inclination of the plane in which the oval opening 20 is formed serves to not only provide a greater open area through which particles or debris at the very depth of the shag carpeting can be passed through and into the teeth 11, which in each instance taper to a minimal extent so as to deeply gouge the very depths of the shag carpeting, but also permits the rake 10 to be alternately stroked forwardly and rearwardly of the teeth 11 in a manner which reduces the probability of tooth fracture.

In this respect, the rake 10 may be maintained such that, in a manner illustrated in FIG. 2, the teeth 11 are substantially vertically disposed with the nozzle 13 extending upwardly and rearwardly with teeth 11, in inclined relation with the latter, this permitting the inclined open free end of each of the teeth 11 to ride forwardly smoothly along the depth of the shag carpeting without abruptly snaging the carpeting, which may otherwise cause tooth fracture, the inclined open free end 20 of each of the teeth 11 acting as a camming surface for riding smoothly along the depth of the shag carpet.

It is clear from the above, that the present invention provides a singular carpeting tool which simultaneously grooms both the uppermost and the lowermost surfaces of the shag carpeting quickly, efficiently and easily, thus, filling a void in the art. I

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes ofillustration only and is not to be construed as a limitation of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A carpeting tool for a vacuum cleaner, said tool comprising two oppositely extending lateral hollow flanges, an open ended connecting tube secured intermediately between said flanges to upper surfaces of said flanges, said connecting tube extending rearwardly and upwardly from said flanges, said flanges including a mutual lower surface opposite each of said upper surfaces of said flanges, a plurality ofspaced hollow teeth extending vertically downwardly from said lower surface on each side of said connecting tube to define a hollow rake, each of said teeth being externally and internally tapered from a maximum cross-section adjacent said lower surface to a minimum cross-section adjacent a free end portion of each of said teeth, an opening provided in an end of each free end portion for communicating through each of said teeth into said flanges to said connecting tube, surface means for providing a greater open area at each free end portion opening and for permitting said tool to be alternately stroked forwardly and rearwardly with said teeth in contact with carpeting in a manner which reduces probability of tooth fracture, said surface means consisting of an inclined surface on said end of each free end portion, each inclined surface extending downwardly in a front-to-rear direction to provide each free end portion opening with a generally oval-shaped configuration, a plurality of spaced air passage openings being provided in said lower surface of said flanges on each side of said connecting tube and communicating with said connecting tube, said air passage openings being interposed between selected ones of said teeth, said air passage openings successively increasing in open area respectively in a direction laterally away from center of said lower surface disposed between said flanges to uniformly provide a suction of uniform pressure throughout entire lateral extent of said flanges.

2. A carpeting tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air passage openings are generally circular.

3. A carpeting tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said air passage openings are separated from one another by two of said teeth.

Claims

1. A carpeting tool for a vacuum cleaner, said tool comprising two oppositely extending lateral hollow flanges, an open ended connecting tube secured intermediately between said flanges to upper surfaces of said flanges, said connecting tube extending rearwardly and upwardly from said flanges, said flanges including a mutual lower surface opposite each of said upper surfaces of said flanges, a plurality of spaced hollow teeth extending vertically downwardly from said lower surface on each side of said connecting tube to define a hollow rake, each of said teeth being externally and internally tapered from a maximum crosssection adjacent said lower surface to a minimum cross-section adjacent a free end portion of each of said teeth, an opening provided in an end of each free end portion for communicating through each of said teeth into said flanges to said connecting tube, surface means for providing a greater open area at each free end portion opening and for permitting said tool to be alternately stroked forwardly and rearwardly with said teeth in contact with carpeting in a manner which reduces probability of tooth fracture, said surface means consisting of an inclined surface on said end of each free end portion, each inclined surface extending downwardly in a front-to-rear direction to provide each free end portion opening with a generally ovalshaped configuration, a plurality of spaced air passage openings being provided in said lower surface of said flanges on each side of said connecting tube and communicating with said connecting tube, said air passage openings being interposed between selected ones of said teeth, said air passage openings successively increasing in open area respectively in a dIrection laterally away from center of said lower surface disposed between said flanges to uniformly provide a suction of uniform pressure throughout entire lateral extent of said flanges.