Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/02—Nozzles
  • A47L9/06—Nozzles with fixed, e.g. adjustably fixed brushes or the like
  • A47L9/0606—Nozzles with fixed, e.g. adjustably fixed brushes or the like rigidly anchored brushes, combs, lips or pads
  • A47L9/0613—Nozzles with fixed, e.g. adjustably fixed brushes or the like rigidly anchored brushes, combs, lips or pads with means specially adapted for picking up threads, hair or the like, e.g. brushes, combs, lint pickers or bristles pads
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L9/00—Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
  • A47L9/02—Nozzles
  • A47L9/06—Nozzles with fixed, e.g. adjustably fixed brushes or the like

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a housing capable of being connected, upwards and backwards, to a suction tube by means of a pivoting connection sleeve, a soleplate which is located under the housing and which has a suction channel, the bottom of which recesses in the sole, a suction opening located in the suction channel, a scraper member located under the housing and rear wheels, the pivot axis of the connecting sleeve being located behind the axis of rotation of said wheels or coinciding with this axis of rotation.
• the term “scraper member” is intended to denote any member such as a brush, for example of the type commonly referred to as “strips" by those skilled in the art, or such as a squeegee which, when the nozzle is passed over the ground, rubs on the floor to promote cleaning.
• Nozzles of this type are known, for which the scraper member, consisting of one or more brushes, is mounted on a plate housed in the housing.
• Manufacturers of vacuum cleaner nozzle generally consider that the scraper member must be able to be retracted into the housing for the passage of the nozzle on carpets or rugs, while it must protrude under the soleplate through a slot in this last for the passage of the squeegee on hard floors.
• the object of the invention is to propose a nozzle which is even simpler and less expensive to manufacture than the nozzle of the aforementioned prior art, which can be used on all types of soil, without excessive effort on the part of the user or the user, while giving results, as to the quality of the suction and the final cleaning of the floors, which are at least comparable to those of the nozzles of the prior art, or even better.
• the present invention by providing a scraper member which projects continuously under the sole, makes it possible to ensure that it is continuously active and effective. Following numerous tests, it has been found that the fact of providing a fixed scraper member, insofar as this equips a so-called "floating body" nozzle (that is to say a nozzle in which the pivot axis of the connecting sleeve is located behind the axis of rotation of the rear wheels or is at most coincident with the latter), and insofar as said scraper member is located in a zone of the nozzle which s extends in front of the rear edge of the suction opening, gives excellent results in terms of suction quality and does not force the user to make significant efforts to move the squeegee on the floor, whether it is a carpet or carpeted floor or hard floor.
• floating body that is to say a nozzle in which the pivot axis of the connecting sleeve is located behind the axis of rotation of the rear wheels or is at most coincident with the latter
• the force applied by the user simply serves to roll the rear wheels and allow the displacement of the nozzle, without pressing the latter against the ground, it is only under the effect of the depression generated by the aspiration that the floating body nozzle is pressed against the ground.
• the fact of using a fixed scraper member eliminates the need to provide means for controlling the movement of the scraper member, or even means for automatically urging the scraper member towards its active position or towards its inactive position. Whatever the direction of movement of the squeegee on the ground, the scraper member occupies the same position and its efficiency is constantly ensured.
• the scraper member extends in a region before the nozzle relative to the rear edge of the suction opening allows to give the nozzle maximum efficiency.
• the scraper member is sufficiently distant from the rear wheels so that effectively no vertical force is directly exerted on this scraper member when the user exerts a force on the rear wheels to move the nozzle on the floor.
• the nozzle is perfectly stabilized on the ground since it rests, in its rear region, on the rear wheels and, in its front region, on the lower end of the scraper member.
• the suction efficiency is entirely satisfactory insofar as, when the squeegee is pushed, the dust detached from the ground by the scraper member is then sucked into the suction opening.
• the scraper member is disposed in the suction channel and, over at least part of the length of said channel, separates the latter into a front channel portion and a rear channel portion.
• the scraper member is "self-cleaning", since the vacuum created by the suction is exerted in the suction channel, that is to say in the region in which the scraper member is disposed, and cleans it.
• the nozzle has wall elements which substantially close the rear channel portion on the sides of the sole.
• This arrangement increases the vacuum in the rear channel portion, which further presses the squeegee on the ground and confines the dust in the rear channel portion, before sucking them into the suction opening, without however Too much increase the efforts that the user must exert moving the nozzle on the floor.
• FIG. 1 shows, in perspective and in bottom view, a nozzle according to the invention
• - Figure 2 shows the nozzle of Figure 1 in section in an anteroposterior plane along the line ll-ll of the figure 3
• FIG. 3 shows the same nozzle in longitudinal section in the plane III-III of FIG. 2.
• the figures show a vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a housing 10, capable of being connected to a suction tube (not shown) by means of a connection sleeve 12 directed upwards and rearwards.
• the squeegee also includes a soleplate 14 located under the housing and provided with a suction opening 16.
• the front parts of the various elements which will be described will be those which are the furthest from the opening 12A of the sleeve 12 to which the suction tube is connected.
• the direction towards the front (indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 2) naturally corresponds to the direction of thrust of the squeegee under the conditions of normal use of the latter, while the direction towards the rear (indicated by the arrow G) corresponds to the direction in which the nozzle is drawn.
• the longitudinal direction of the nozzle indicated by the double arrow L in FIG. 3, is perpendicular to the anteroposterior direction of this nozzle, indicated by the double arrow AP in FIG. 2.
• connection sleeve 12 is pivotally mounted relative to the housing 10. It pivots about a pivot axis which, in the example shown, is substantially coincident with the axis of rotation A of rear wheels 24 and 26. In general , the pivot axis of the connecting sleeve coincides with the axis of rotation A or is situated behind the latter, so that the nozzle is of the "floating body" type.
• the squeegee also comprises a scraper member 28 which projects under the sole 14, the lower end 28A of the scraper member extending a distance H downward beyond the lowest parts of the sole when the squeegee rests on the ground.
• these lowest parts are respectively arranged on the front and rear edges of the suction channel, respectively 18A and 18B.
• the distance H is advantageously between 1 and 4mm, preferably of the order of 3mm.
• the scraper member 28 is fixed and not retractable, so that the rest plane PR of the squeegee on the ground is defined by the contact zones of the rear wheels 24 and 26 with the ground and by the lower end 28A of the scraper member, also in contact with the ground.
• the entire sole is set back from this plane PR, that is to say that it is above the ground and without contact with the latter when the squeegee rests on the ground.
• the front part of the nozzle is slightly raised, the lower end 28A of the scraper member 28 thus being slightly above the plane of contact of the rear wheels with the ground.
• the scraper member 28 extends only in a longitudinal zone of the squeegee which, considered with respect to the rear edge 16A of the suction opening, is located at the before the squeegee.
• the scraper member 28 is disposed in the suction channel 18. More specifically, it comprises two sections 29A and 29B aligned in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle and arranged on either side of the suction opening 16. In the example shown, the scraper member is therefore interrupted in the region of the suction opening, but one could also use a continuous scraper member extending across the suction opening. It can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 that, in front and behind each of the sections 29A and 29B, the suction channel 18 is thus separated into a front channel portion 18C and a rear channel portion 18D.
• the scraper member 28 (more precisely its sections 29A and 29B) is disposed substantially in the middle of the width of the channel 18 measured in the anteroposterior direction of the nozzle.
• Wall elements substantially close the rear channel portion 18D on the sides of the sole. More precisely, as can be seen in FIG. 2, these wall elements extend downwards when the nozzle is placed on the ground substantially up to the same level as the front and rear edges 18A and 18B of the suction channel 18. They extend over the entire width of the rear channel portion 18D measured in the anteroposterior direction of the squeegee, substantially up to the front face of the scraper member 28.
• the scraper member 28 may consist of a brush or "strips" known per se. More specifically, in the example shown, it comprises two sections of such a brush. Given the nature of the bristles used and their density, this brush is rigid enough not to bend and "butter" the floor when the nozzle is moved over the floor.
• the scraper member can be formed by a plastic strip, also suitably chosen so as not to fold on itself when the nozzle is moved. If necessary, it is possible to choose to provide the scraper member with transverse slots in order to create small suction passages for dust, which will be particularly advantageous if, according to a variant not shown, the scraper member is located front of the suction channel 18.
• the two sections 29A and 29B of the scraper member can be arranged so as to form the branches of a very open V, the tip of which is interrupted in the region of the suction opening , would face the rear of the squeegee.
• the soleplate of the vacuum cleaner nozzle according to the invention has a simple geometry and, as can be understood in FIG. 2, can optionally be molded in one piece with the upper wall 30 of the housing (the lower face of which delimits the suction opening and the guide for pivoting the part 32 which carries the sleeve 12).
• a simple decorative casing 34 indicated in broken dashed lines in FIG. 2 can be added to perfect the appearance of the nozzle.
• the axes 24A and 26A of rotation of the wheels can also be made in one piece with the sole, the wheels being able to be force fitted on these axes.
• the housing is free of means for controlling the retraction of this scraper member.
• the scraper member can be mounted on a simple profiled mount snapped or force fitted into a corresponding longitudinal opening that has the underside of the sole.
• a second hollow suction channel (not shown) can be arranged, located behind the channel 18, the two channels being separated by a longitudinal wall.
• this secondary scraper member is preferably provided with great flexibility and / or is arranged so that its free end s' extends back from the PR plane (clearance j).
• the secondary scraper member is for example a very flexible plastic squeegee.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Nozzles For Electric Vacuum Cleaners (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9521601

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (12)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1998
  • 1998-01-08 FR FR9800127A patent/FR2773317B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1999
  • 1999-01-08 WO PCT/FR1999/000024 patent/WO1999034721A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1999-01-08 ES ES99900912T patent/ES2196756T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-01-08 TR TR2000/01912T patent/TR200001912T2/xx unknown
  • 1999-01-08 DE DE69906683T patent/DE69906683T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-01-08 EP EP99900912A patent/EP1045660B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-01-08 PL PL99341567A patent/PL190259B1/pl not_active IP Right Cessation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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