GB2406264A - Vacuum cleaner hose connection; replacing vacuum cleaner hoses - Google Patents

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner 1 with a conventional hose 3 is modified by cutting off the hose close to the cleaner's suction inlet 30. A replacement hose assembly 20 has a compressible collar 28 at one end with a worm drive strap 29 extending around it and engaged by a removable key 37. The hose assembly 20 includes a retractable hose 21 that can be retracted by suction pressure generated by the vacuum cleaner and retained by an outer storage hose 22. The compressible collar 28 is fitted over the suction inlet 30 and the remaining part of the hose 3 and tightened to produce a secure and leak-proof connection. Also claimed is a hose attached to a tubular portion adjacent the inlet of the cleaner, by means of clamping means arranged to compress a compressible collar fitted over the hose and the tubular portion.

Description

l ' 2406264

VACUUM CLEANER APPARATUS AND HOSES

This invention relates to vacuum cleaner apparatus and hoses.

Vacuum cleaners may be of the upright kind where cleaning suction is applied by means of a pump having an inlet directly below the machine. Cylinder vacuum cleaners, by contrast, have an inlet connected to one end of a flexible hose, the other end of which connects to a suction cleaning head. Upright cleaners also usually have provision by which an accessory hose can be connected to the inlet so that a hand-held suction head can be used to clean regions that would otherwise be inaccessible to the machine. The hoses used with vacuum cleaners tend to be bulky so that they have to be stored separately from the cleaner.

An alternative hose available on some vacuum cleaners as sold by the major manufacturers has stretch characteristics with a natural, retracted length (when not in use) less than its extended length (when in use). The extended length may be about five times the redacted length. Although this hose has the advantage of being much easier to store than conventional hoses, its resilience may make it more difficult to use in some situations, especially with cylinder vacuum cleaners, which are lighter than upright cleaners.

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WO 03/024294 describes a vacuum cleaner hose that can be rekacted in length by the application of a vacuum and that can be retained in its retracted length on the vacuum cleaner or in a separate outer container. Other retractable hoses are described in WO 99/35954, EP 1011408 and US 4050113.

Although these retractable hoses can be readily fitted to new vacuum cleaners by the manufacturer, it would be difficult for the owner to retrofit to existing cleaners because hoses are often difficult to remove from the cleaner. Also, it would be expensive for the hose manufacturer to provide a range of hoses with different fittings to suit all existing machines.

It is also often desirable to fit conventional hoses to vacuum cleaners such as to replace damaged hoses or to replace existing hoses with superior hoses.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative hose and vacuum cleaner apparatus including such a hose, and an alternative method of providing a vacuum cleaner with a hose.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a hose assembly for vacuum cleaner apparatus, the assembly having a first end arrange to connect with a cleaning head and a second end arranged to connect with the vacuum cleaner, the second end having a compressible collar shaped to fit over a tubular portion adjacent the inlet of the cleaner and clamping means arranged to compress the collar about the tubular portion to secure the hose with the cleaner.

The assembly preferably includes a hose that is retractable in length by the application of suction from the cleaner apparatus. The assembly may include an outer, flexible storage hose within which the retractable hose extends, the hose being capable of being retained in a retracted condition by connecting the outer storage hose at both ends. The clamping means preferably includes a strap embracing the collar, and the strap may be a worm drive strap.

The clamping means may include a removable key engaging the strap and that is rotated to tighten the strap.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided vacuum cleaner apparatus including a vacuum cleaner with a suction inlet and a part of a hose fitted at the inlet, a replacement hose having a first end arrange to connect with a cleaning head and a second end having a compressible collar fitted over the part of the hose at the inlet, and clamping means compressing the collar about the part of the hose and securing the replacement hose with the cleaner.

The replacement hose is preferably retractable in length by the application of suction within the cleaner apparatus. The apparatus preferably includes an outer, flexible storage hose within which the retractable hose extends, and the replacement hose is preferably capable of being retained in a retracted condition by connecting the outer storage hose at both ends. The clamping means may include a strap embracing the collar. The strap may be a worm drive strap and the clamping means may include a removable key engaging the strap and that may be rotated to tighten the strap.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of providing a retractable hose on a vacuum cleaner including the steps of providing a vacuum cleaner, removing at least a major part of the length of a hose attached with the cleaner, providing a replacement hose having a compressible member at one end of the hose, pushing the compressible member over the tubular portion and squeezing the compressible member about the suction inlet to secure the replacement hose with the cleaner.

Preferably a short portion of the hose is left coupled with the inlet. The major part of the length of the hose is preferably removed by cutting the hose. The compressible member may be squeezed by tightening a clamp about the compressible member. The replacement hose is preferably a retractable hose that can be shortened in length by applying suction from the vacuum cleaner.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a hose for use in a method according to the above third aspect of the invention.

Vacuum cleaner apparatus, a retractable hose and a method of providing the hose on the cleaner according to the present invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a conventional vacuum cleaner apparatus; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the vacuum cleaner apparatus at a preliminary step in the method; Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the retractable hose; and Figure 4 is a side elevation view of a part of the hose attached with the vacuum cleaner. s

With reference first to Figure 1 there is shown a conventional cylinder vacuum cleaner 1 having a main body 2 containing a pump, dust collection bag, controls and the like (not shown). The cleaner 1 also includes a hose assembly 3 connected to the outside of an end fitting 30 at the suction inlet 4 on the main body 2. The hose assembly 3 is flexible but of conventional form, that is, it cannot be retracted by suction pressure applied within the hose.

The cleaner 1 is modified to fit a replacement, retractable hose assembly 20 of the kind shown in Figure 3. The hose assembly 20 includes an inner retractable hose 21 with an extended length of about 3 metres and a shorter outer flexible extensible storage hose 22 attached with the inner hose at a coupling 23 at the rear end of the assembly. Preferably the inner hose 21 is of the kind described in WO 03/024294 having a helical support wire and a flexible outer sleeve, which folds outwardly between turns of the wire when the hose is retracted in length. The coupling 23 includes a rigid outer sleeve 24 with an inwardly- projecting flange 25 at its rear end and two locking apertures 26. A collar 28 of a soft, compressible rubber material is bonded to the outside of the sleeve 24 and extends along about half its length at its rear end to project from the rear end of the sleeve by about 20mm.

The collar 28 is about 7mm thick and has an internal diameter of about 52mm. A clamp 29 includes a wing nut 37 and a worm drive strap 38 embracing the collar 28 close to its rear end, that is, overlying that part of the collar not supported internally by the sleeve 24.

Internally, the sleeve 24 receives a ring-shape connector 32 at the rear end of the inner retractable hose 21. The connector 32 abuts the flange 25 in the sleeve 24 and can be rotated relative to the sleeve. The connector 32 is retained in the sleeve 24 by a second connector 33 attached at the rear end of the storage hose 22. The storage hose connector 33 has a neck 34 at its rear end fitted within the forward end of the sleeve 24, the neck having two locking lugs engaging in the locking apertures 26 so that this connector cannot rotate relative to the sleeve 24.

At the forward end of the hose assembly 20 the inner hose 21 is attached to the rear end of a handle assembly 40 having a valve 41 by which flow of air through the hose assembly can be prevented. The valve 41 is preferably of the kind described in GB 0412324.6. The forward end of the handle assembly 40 has a male tapered coupling 42 shaped to receive the rear end of a conventional rigid cleaning wand and a cleaning head (not shown). The hose assembly 20 is retracted in length using the suction power of the vacuum cleaner 1 when the valve 41 is closed to block flow of material through the hose and create a reduced pressure within it. The inner hose 21 is held in its retracted state by connecting a coupling 44 at the forward end of the outer storage hose 21 to the rear end of the handle assembly 40 so that the extended length of the outer hose limits the total length of the hose assembly 20.

The hose assembly 20 is retrofitted on the vacuum cleaner 1 according to the following steps. First, as shown in Figure 2, the user cuts the existing hose 3 towards its rear end so that it is flush with the end of the end fitting 30. Next, as shown in Figure 4, he pushes the collar 28 at the rear end of the retractable hose assembly 20 over the tubular portion provided by the remaining length of hose 3 and the end fitting 30 until its end abuts the rear end of the sleeve 24. The user then tightens the clamp 29 so that it compresses the collar 28 inwardly about the hose 3 and the end fitting 30 and provides a connection that is both secure from detachment and that gives a good seal against leakage.

This arrangement enables existing vacuum cleaners to be provided with a retractable hose by a relatively simple modification that can be carried out by most users. The same retractable hose assembly can be fitted to a variety of different vacuum cleaner machines, thereby avoiding the need to manufacture and stock a wide variety of different assemblies.

The invention could be used with other forms of hose, not just retractable hoses. For example, it might be necessary to replace a damaged hose or to replace a heavy hose with one of lighter weight. Different forms of clamp could be used to tighten the compressible collar about the remaining part of the existing hose. Where a worm drive clamp is used this could have a removable wing nut in the form of a key that engages the strap and that is rotated to tighten the strap. Alternatively, the existing hose could be removed entirely and connection could be made directly to the end fitting.

Claims (22)

1. A hose assembly for vacuum cleaner apparatus, the assembly having a first end arrange to connect with a cleaning head and a second end arranged to connect with the vacuum cleaner, wherein the second end has a compressible collar shaped to fit over a tubular portion adjacent the inlet of the cleaner and clamping means arranged to compress the collar about the tubular portion to secure the hose with the cleaner.

2. An assembly according to Claim 1, wherein the assembly includes a hose that is retractable in length by the application of suction within the cleaner apparatus.

3. An assembly according to Claim 2, wherein the assembly includes an outer, flexible storage hose within which the retractable hose extends, and wherein the hose can be retained in a retracted condition by connecting the outer storage hose at both ends.

4. An assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the clamping means includes a strap embracing the collar.

5. An assembly according to Claim 4, wherein the strap is a worm drive strap.

6. An assembly according to Claim 5, wherein the clamping means includes a removable key engaging the strap and that is rotated to tighten the strap.

7. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. Vacuum cleaner apparatus including a vacuum cleaner with a suction inlet and a part of a hose fitted at the inlet, a replacement hose having a first end arrange to connect with a cleaning head and a second end having a compressible collar fitted over the part of the hose at the inlet, and clamping means compressing the collar about the part of the hose and securing the replacement hose with the cleaner.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein the replacement hose is retractable in length by the application of suction within the cleaner apparatus.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein the apparatus includes an outer, flexible storage hose within which the retractable hose extends, and wherein the replacement hose can be retained in a retracted condition by connecting the outer storage hose at both ends.

11. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 8 to 10, wherein the clamping means includes a strap embracing the collar.

12. Apparatus according to Claim 11, wherein the strap is a worm drive strap.

13. Apparatus according to Claim 12, wherein the clamping means includes a removable key engaging the strap and that is rotated to tighten the strap.

14. Vacuum cleaner apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of providing a retractable hose on a vacuum cleaner including the steps of providing a vacuum cleaner, removing at least a major part of the length of a hose attached with the cleaner, providing a replacement hose having a compressible member at one end of the hose, pushing the compressible member over the tubular portion and squeezing the compressible member about the suction inlet to secure the replacement hose with the cleaner.

16. A method according to Claim 15, wherein a short portion of the hose is left coupled with the inlet.

17. A method according to Claim 15 or 16, wherein the major part of the length of the hose is removed by cutting the hose.

18. A method according to any one of Claims 15 to 17, wherein the compressible member is squeezed by tightening a clamp about the compressible member.

19. A method according to any one of Claims 15 to 18, wherein the replacement hose is a retractable hose that can be shortened in length by applying suction from the vacuum cleaner.

20. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

21. A replacement hose for use in a method according to any one of Claims 15 to 20.

22. Any novel and inventive feature or combination of features as hereinbefore described.