GB2134777A

GB2134777A - Floor sweeper

Info

Publication number: GB2134777A
Application number: GB08304695A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Geoffrey Robinson
Original assignee: Prestige Group UK PLC
Current assignee: Prestige Group UK PLC
Priority date: 1983-02-19
Filing date: 1983-02-19
Publication date: 1984-08-22
Also published as: GB8304695D0

Abstract

A floor sweeper having a roller brush (14) and dustpan (16) is provided with a mechanism for varying the clearance between brush and dustpan. The mechanism may comprise a lever 21 pivotable about axis 22, a cam 23 attached to shaft 24, and follower 26 which engages in a slot 25 in the cam and which is connected to sliding frame 15, on which the dustpan is mounted. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Floor sweeper This invention relates to floor sweepers.

Floor sweepers, sometimes known as carpet sweepers, have been in use for many years and usually include at least one brush rotatable about a horizontal axis at right angles to the direction of movement of the sweeper, to sweep debris into a dustpan of the sweeper. The brush is usually driven by wheels of the sweeper and is geared up to rotate several times faster than the sweeper wheels.

It is known to adjust the height of the brush with respect to the sweeper wheels to obtain effective sweeping on smooth floors and on carpets.

One problem with prior art sweepers is that the size of the debris with which they can cope is in a limited range and is governed, for example, by the clearance between the brush hub and the lip of the dustpan and by the flexibility and spacing of the brush bristles. Debris size may, for example, range from dust particles to items the size of a thimble. It is usual for the tips of the brush bristles to have only a small clearance from the lip of the dustpan.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved sweeper which can collect debris of a much larger size range than hitherto possible and which is economical to manufacture.

According to the present invention there is provided a floor sweeper comprising a body, wheels to support the body for reciprocal movement, a debris container and a brush rotatable to sweep debris into the debris container characterised thereby that means are provided to vary the clearance between the brush and the debris container.

This variation of dustpan clearance allows the user to adjust the floor sweeper to suit the size of debris to be collected. The sweeper will operate satisfactorily in a domestic environment but is adaptable for use in public areas such as airport waiting lounges etc., where larger items of debris are to be found, for example cigarette packets and paper cups. Clearly the largest debris collectable will depend on the proportions of the sweeper and the flexibility of the brush bristles.

Preferably the debris container is slidable towards and away from the brush.

In one embodiment the debris container comprises a frame member slidable with respect to the sweeper body and a dustpan pivoted to the frame member.

Preferably the dustpan is pivoted at one end to the frame member about an axis parallel to the brush axis, attachment means being provided at the other end of the dustpan to receive and guide the dustpan on the sweeper body.

The attachment means may be disengageable from the sweeper body at the position of maximum clearance between the brush and the dustpan to allow the dustpan to pivot downward for emptying.

Other features of the invention are included in the following description of a preferred embodiment shown, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings in which:~ Figure 1 is a plan view of a sweeper according to the invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section through the sweeper of Figure 1 on line A-A and showing the dustpan at one extreme position; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the sweeper and partly cut away to show the dustpan at the other extreme position; Figure 4 is a side elevation of the sweeper and showing the dust container in the open position; and Figure 5 is a vertical part-section through the sweeper and showing one arrangement for securing the dustpan.

With reference to the drawings there is shown a floor sweeper comprising a body 1 1 supported for reciprocal movement on wheel pair 12 and single wheel 13 situated at respective corners of the sweeper body.

A roller brush 14 is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis ahead of the axes of wheels 12, the bristles of the brush 14 protruding in front of and below the body of the sweeper as best shown in Figure 4. The roller brush 14 is driven by the wheel pair 12 and is geared up so that the brush rotates at several times the speed of wheel pair 12 on reciprocal movement of the sweeper. The roller brush 14 is preferably driven by meshing gear teeth located on an inner face of a peripheral flange of the wheel pair 12 and external teeth located on the core of the roller brush in a known manner. Other means such as belt drive or friction drive may be readily envisaged.

The sweeper includes a sliding frame 15 which is movable fore and aft of the sweeper body by means to be described hereinafter and is located on guide tracks formed in the sweeper body.

A dustpan 16 is pivoted to the frame 1 5 about axis 17 and includes upstanding projections 18 to snap into further guide tracks formed in the sweeper body 1 The dustpan has a barrier 19 formed at the leading edge to retain debris in the dustpan. The dustpan 16 is movable fore and aft with the sliding frame 15 by virtue of its pivotal connection.

An adjusting lever 21 is pivoted on the upper surface of the body 11 about a vertical axis 22. An arcuate cam segment 23 is attached to a shaft 24 of the lever 21 for movement with the lever and has a slot 25 engaged by an upstanding follower 26 of the sliding frame 1 5.

The slot 25 has an increasing radius from one side of the segment 23 to the other such that angular movement of the lever 21 moves the dustpan fore and aft in its tracks.

Thus the clearance between the roller brush and the dustpan barrier 19 may be varied. Figure 2 shows the dustpan at one extreme of movement and Figure 3 at the other extreme of movement.

Further movement of lever 21 beyond the position corresponding to Figure 3 will cause the dustpan to move away from the roller brush, the upstanding projections 18 moving off the ends of the corresponding tracks to allow the dustpan to pivot downwards as shown in Figure 4. The debris may thereby be emptied into a dustbin.

It is intended that such further movement of the lever 21 will be against a return bias, release of the lever returning it to the position corresponding to Figure 3. As the sweeper is lowered onto the floor the dustpan will pivot upwards into the sweeper body and the projections snap into their guide tracks. Figure 5 shows one possible configuration for a projection 18 and guide track 20 of the body 11.

The usual bail 28 is pivoted to the sweeper body and has a screw threaded projection 29 to which a pushing handle may be attached.

In use, the position of the dustpan may be adjusted to suit the size of debris to be collected.

In the position corresponding to Figure 2 the sweeper will collect very small particles, whilst in the position corresponding to Figure 3 the sweeper will collect pieces of debris the size of, for example, cigarette packets. Clearly the largest debris collectable will depend on the proportions of the sweeper and it is anticipated that different sizes of sweeper will be available, for domestic use and commercial use. Collection of large pieces of debris is accompanied by deformation of the brush bristles as the debris is swept into the dustpan.

Debris from the sweeper can be easily emptied and the dustpan returned to the operative position without the user contacting the dirty parts of the sweeper. The lever 21 may be foot operated or operated by a linkage to a trigger on the pushing handle. Other means for attachment of the handle such as a bayonet fitting can be readily envisaged.

The projections 18 may be part of the body and the tracks formed on the debris container. Other means for releasably mounting the debris container for sliding movement relative to the body may be employed.

Claims

1. A floor sweeper comprising a body, wheels to support the body for reciprocal movement, a debris container and a brush rotatable to sweep debris into the debris container characterised thereby that means are provided to vary the clearance between the brush and the debris container.

2. A floor sweeper according to Claim 1, characterised thereby that the debris container is slidable perpendicularly to the brush axis.

3. A floor sweeper according to Claim 2, characterised thereby that the debris container comprises a frame member slidable with respect to the sweeper body and a dustpan pivoted to the frame member.

4. A floor sweeper according to Claim 3, characterised thereby that said dustpan is pivoted at one end to the frame member about an axis parallel to the brush axis, attachment means being provided at the other end of the dustpan to secure and guide the dustpan on the sweeper body.

5. A floor sweeper according to Claim 4, characterised thereby that said attachment means are disengageable from the sweeper body at the position of maximum clearance between the brush and the dustpan.

6. A floor sweeper according to Claim 5, characterised thereby that an adjusting handle is pivoted about a vertical axis of the body for limited arcuate movement, said frame member being slidable in response to cam means attached to said handle.

7. A floor sweeper according to Claim 6, characterised thereby that said frame member includes an upstanding peg for engagement in a slot of said cam means.

8. A floor sweeper according to any one of Claims 5, 6 or 7, characterised thereby that said attachment means comprise resiliently deformable upstanding hooks for engagement with tracks formed on the sweeper body.

9. A floor sweeper according to any one of Claims 6, 7 or 8 characterised thereby that said adjusting handle is operable against a return bias to disengage said attachment means.

10. A floor sweeper substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.