EP1832214A1

EP1832214A1 - Accessory brush for vaccuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: EP1832214A1
Application number: EP06024418A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hyun-Ju Lee; Hiroyuki Uratani; Dong-Houn Yang
Original assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-03-07
Filing date: 2006-11-24
Publication date: 2007-09-12
Also published as: CN101032385A; JP2007236919A; KR100730233B1

Abstract

Disclosed is an accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner. The accessory brush comprises: a brush body (110) formed in an elongated shape, the brush body (110) having one or more suction ports; a connection tube (120) rotatably connected to the brush body; and a lateral cleaning means (130) installed on the brush body (110). According to the present invention, a user can conveniently perform cleaning because it is possible to performing cleaning of a recessed area as well as a bare floor without needing to change a basically provided suction brush.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and in particular to an accessory brush, which can be conveniently used for cleaning a narrow gap or a corner.

Description of the Related Art

In general, a vacuum cleaner is provided with a suction brush for cleaning a bare floor, and various accessory brushes, each being suited for a place to be cleaned. Such accessory brushes include a crevice tool for cleaning a gap, a comforter brush for cleaning a bed, bedclothes, etc., which are provided integrally or as separated components.
Among such accessory brushes, the crevice tool is convenient for cleaning a gap, into which a suction brush for cleaning a bare floor cannot be introduced. However, in order to clean a bare floor, the crevice tool should be replaced with a suction brush. Therefore, when cleaning a narrow space such as a small room, there is inconvenience in that a suction brush and a crevice tool should be frequently changed with each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an accessory brush, which is improved in such a manner as to be capable of being used for cleaning a bare floor such as a floor of a room as well as a narrow gap such as a recessed corner.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, there is provided an accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner comprising: a brush body formed in an elongated shape, the brush body having one or more suction ports; a connection tube rotatably connected to the brush body; and a lateral cleaning means installed around the brush body.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the accessory brush may further comprise a bottom cleaning means installed on the bottom of the brush body.
The brush body may comprise a first body section, to which the connection tube is rotatably connected, and a second body section, around which the lateral cleaning means is installed, the one or more suction ports being formed in the second body section.
The suction ports may comprise: a front suction port formed through a front wall of the second body section, one or more lateral suction ports formed to communicate with bottom and lateral sides of the second body section, and one or more bottom suction ports formed through the bottom wall of the second body section.
The bottom suction ports may comprise a first bottom suction port, and a second bottom suction port, which is narrower but longer than the first bottom suction port.
The second body section may be provided with a heel, which extends to the outside of the first body section.
The accessory brush may further comprise a heel cleaning means, which is provided to enclose the opposite lateral and bottom surfaces of the heel, the heel cleaning means being formed of the same material as the lateral cleaning means and the bottom cleaning means.
The lateral cleaning means and the bottom cleaning means may be formed of a wool member with a plurality of furs.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner comprising: a brush body formed in an elongated shape, the brush body having one or more suction ports formed through a bottom wall thereof, which confronts with a surface to be cleaned; and a connection tube rotatably connected to the brush body.
The brush body may have a lateral cleaning means, which is installed around the brush body.
The brush body may comprise a first body section, to which the connection tube is rotatably connected, and a second body section, on which the lateral cleaning means is installed, the one or more suction ports being formed in the second body section.
The suction ports may comprise a front suction port formed through a front wall of the second body section, one or more lateral suction ports formed to communicate with the bottom and lateral sides of the second body section, and one or more bottom suction ports formed through the bottom wall of the second body section.
The accessory brush may further comprise a bottom cleaning means installed on the bottom of the second body section, wherein a heel extends to the outside of the first body section.
The accessory brush may further comprise a heel cleaning means, which is provided on the opposite lateral and bottom surfaces on the heel in such a manner as to enclose the opposite lateral and bottom surfaces of the heel, the heel cleaning means being formed of the same material as the lateral cleaning means and the bottom cleaning means.
The lateral cleaning means and the bottom cleaning means are formed of a wool member with a plurality of furs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above aspects and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the description for certain embodiments of the present invention taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the accessory brush of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the accessory brush of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the accessory brush of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinbelow, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown, the accessory brush comprises a brush body 110, a connection tube 120, and a lateral cleaning means 130.
The brush body 110 preferably comprises a first body section 111 and a second body section 112 as shown in FIG. 2.
The connection tube 120 is rotatably connected to the first body section 111. For this purpose, a shaft receiving hole 113 is formed in the first body section 111, wherein a hinge shaft 121 of the connection tube 120 (see FIG. 4) is received in the shaft receiving hole 113. As shown in FIG. 1, there are provided a pair of shaft receiving holes, i.e., left and right shaft receiving holes, so that one-axis rotation is enabled. Of course, it is also possible to provide another construction, such as a universal joint, which allows free rotation in three or more directions.
The second body section 112 is assembled to the bottom part of the first body section 111 and has an array of suction ports 1 formed through a bottom wall thereof, which confronts with a surface to be cleaned, so that dirt-contained air is introduced through the suction ports 1. The suction ports 1 include a front suction port 10 formed through a front wall of the second body section 112, one or more lateral suction ports 20 formed to communicate with the bottom and lateral sides of the second body section 112, and one or more bottom suction ports 30 formed through the bottom wall of the second body section 112.
The first and second body sections 111 and 112 may be joined by screws or the like or snapped with each other. Although not shown, the body 110 may be formed in a one-piece component. The front suction port 10 is formed through the front wall of the second body section 120 so as to suction dust from a recessed area. The lateral suction ports 20 are formed to communicate with the lateral sides of the second body so that dirt, such as dust shaken off by the lateral cleaning means 130, can be easily captured by the lateral suction ports 20. The bottom suction ports 30 consist of first bottom suction ports 31 and second bottom suction ports 32, which are narrower but longer than the first bottom suction ports 31. The first bottom suction ports 31 can capture narrow and elongated dirt, such as hairs, and the second bottom suction ports 31 can capture large-sized dirt because they are broad.
Meanwhile, the second body section 120 is provided with a heel 112a, which extends to the outside of the first body section 111. The heel 112a serves to keep the balance in such a manner that the second body section 112 is capable of coming into contact with a floor to be cleaned as close as possible.
The connection tube 120 is connected with an extension tube (not shown in the drawings) so as to transfer dirt-contained air, which is suctioned through the suction ports 1, to a main body of the vacuum cleaner. As shown in FIG. 4, cylindrical hinge shafts 121 are formed on and extend from opposite sides of the connection tube 120, wherein the hinge shafts 121 are hingedly fitted in the shaft receiving holes 113.
The lateral cleaning means 130 is installed on the second body section 112 to enclose the second body section 112. As shown, the lateral cleaning means 130 may consist of two parts, which are installed on the opposite lateral surfaces of the second body section 112, respectively. Although not shown in the drawings, the lateral cleaning means 130 may be formed as a one-piece component, which encloses the peripheral surface of the second body section 112.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lateral cleaning means 130 may be preferably formed of a wool member with a plurality of furs. However, if it is more desired that the lateral cleaning means 130 serves as a bumper for absorbing impact, the lateral cleaning means 130 may be formed from urethane or silicon.
As shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to additionally mount a bottom cleaning means 140 on the bottom of the second body section 112.
As shown, the bottom cleaning means 140 comprises a first bottom cleaning member 140a installed to extend across the centers of the lateral suction ports 20 and the bottom suction ports 30, and a second bottom cleaning member 140b installed on the bottom of the heel 112a. The second bottom cleaning member 140b is installed to enclose the opposite lateral surfaces as well as the bottom surface of the heel 112a, as shown in FIG. 1.
Now, the action of the inventive accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner will be described with reference to drawings.
Because the accessory brush body 110 is formed in an elongated shape as shown in FIG. 1, it can be conveniently used for cleaning a narrow area such as a gap between two or more pieces of furniture. In addition, the accessory brush body 110 has one or more bottom suction ports 30 formed through the bottom wall thereof so that a user can conveniently and easily clean an area which is not so broad, e.g., an area below a desk using the accessory brush body 110.
Meanwhile, an accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner frequently collides with a wall or furniture because it is mainly used for cleaning a recessed area. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, if the lateral cleaning means 130 and the bottom cleaning means 140 formed from a wool member are installed on the lateral surfaces and the bottom surface of the brush body 110, which collide with a wall or a floor to be cleaned, so that they serve as a bumper, an impact occurring when the lateral cleaning means 130 and the bottom cleaning means 140 come into contact/collide with a surface to be cleaned can be absorbed by these cleaning means 130 and 140. Therefore, both of the surface to be cleaned and the brush body 110 can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, because the cleaning members 130 and 140 can shake off dust from a floor or a wall, which comes into contact with the brush body 110, the cleaning operation can be more efficiently performed.
In addition, the inventive accessory brush is convenient to use, because the suction ports 1 are formed through the front wall, the bottom wall and the lateral walls of the brush body 110, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, so that dirt can be easily suctioned from a recessed area such as a corner of a room.
According to the present invention described above, a user can conveniently perform cleaning because it is possible to perform cleaning of a recessed area as well as a bare floor without needing to change a basically provided suction brush.
Although representative embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in order to exemplify the principle of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments. It will be understood that various modifications and changes can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, it shall be considered that such modifications, changes and equivalents thereof are all included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

An accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner comprising:
a brush body (110) in an elongated shape, the brush body (110) comprising one or more suction ports (1);

a connection tube (120) rotatably connected to the brush body (110); and

a lateral cleaning means (130) installed on the brush body (110).
An accessory brush as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a bottom cleaning means (140) installed on the bottom of the brush body (110).
An accessory brush as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the brush body (110) comprises:
a first body section (111) to which the connection tube (120) is rotatably connected; and

a second body section (112) around which the lateral cleaning means (130) is installed, the one or more suction ports (1) being formed in the second body section (112).
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suction ports (1) comprise:
a front suction port (10) formed through a front wall of the second body section (112);

one or more lateral suction ports (20) formed to communicate with the bottom and lateral sides of the second body section (112); and

one or more bottom suction ports (30) formed through the bottom wall of the second body section (112).
An accessory brush as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bottom suction ports (30) comprises:
a first bottom suction port (31); and

a second bottom suction port (32) which is narrower but longer than the first bottom suction port (31).
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5, wherein the second body section (112) has a heel (112a) which extends to the outside of the first body section (111).
An accessory brush as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a heel cleaning means (140b) which is provided in such a manner as to enclose the opposite lateral and bottom surfaces of the heel (112a), the heel cleaning means being formed of the same material as the lateral and bottom cleaning means.
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lateral cleaning means (130) is formed of a wool member with a plurality of furs.
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 2 to 8, wherein the bottom cleaning means (140) is formed of a wool member with a plurality of furs.
An accessory brush for a vacuum cleaner comprising:
a brush body (110) formed in an elongated shape, the brush body (110) having one or more suction ports (1) on a bottom side thereof confronting with a surface to be cleaned; and

a connection tube (120) rotatably connected to the brush body (120).
An accessory brush as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a lateral cleaning means (130) installed around the brush body (110).
An accessory brush as claimed in claim 10 or 11, wherein the brush body comprises:
a first body section (111) to which the connection tube (120) is rotatably connected; and

a second body section (112) on which the lateral cleaning means is installed, the one or more suction ports (1) being formed in the second body section (112).
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the suction ports (1) comprise:
a front suction port (10) formed through a front wall of the second body (112);

one or more lateral suction ports (20) formed to communicate with bottom and lateral sides of the second body section (112); and

one or more bottom suction port (30) formed through the bottom wall of the second body section (112).
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 11 to 13, further comprising a bottom cleaning means (140) installed on the bottom of the second body section (112).
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14 wherein the second body section (112) has a heel (112a) which extends to the outside of the first body section (111).
An accessory brush as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a heel cleaning means (140b) which is provided in such a manner as to enclose the opposite lateral and bottom surfaces of the heel (112a), the heel cleaning means being formed of the same material as the lateral and bottom cleaning means (130, 140).
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the lateral cleaning means (130) is formed of a wool member with a plurality of furs.
An accessory brush as claimed in any of claims 14 to 17, wherein the bottom cleaning means (140) is formed of a wool member with a plurality of furs.