GB2425248A

GB2425248A - Hose locating means for a vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: GB2425248A
Application number: GB0606354A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Diane Gibson; Philip Peter Battle; Derek Robert Harkness Mcgaw
Original assignee: Smiths Group PLC
Current assignee: Smiths Group PLC
Priority date: 2005-04-19
Filing date: 2006-03-29
Publication date: 2006-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-29
Also published as: GB2425248B; GB0507813D0; GB0606354D0

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner arrangement includes a locating device 21 mounted with the hose 20 between its ends 22, 23, which can be secured to a staircase 40 or the like to anchor the hose and enable its free end to be used more freely. The locating device 21, could have a hook (25, fig 4) which engages a baluster 26, or a suction pad (25', fig 5) secured to a smooth surface such as a skirting board. Instead of being mounted on the hose, locating device (60, fig 6) could be secured permanently to various locations in a building so that the hose (53, fig 6) can be fastened to the appropriate locating device as it is moved around.

Description

I

VACUUM CLEANER ARRANGEMENTS

This invention relates to vacuum cleaner arrangements.

Cleaning stairs with a vacuum cleaner is often difficult. It is not usually possible to clean stairs with an upright cleaner, so the accessory hose and cleaning tool has to be attached to the cleaner and this is used to clean the stairs in the same way as with a conventional cylinder cleaner. For safety, the cleaner should be positioned at the bottom of the stairs and the hose must be lifted up as each stair is cleaned. The user may also need to pull the hose to keep it extended, against a resilience in the hose and against suction pressure exerted by the cleaner. This can make stair cleaning very tiring and may not be possible for less able people.

Users are often tempted to move the cleaner to the top of the stairs and clean downwards.

This, however, often causes the cleaner to be pulled down the stairs accidentally. This can cause injury or damage to the cleaner and decor. There are other situations where it can be difficult to use a hose in an extended state, such as, for example, with a central vacuum cleaner installation where the hose has a relatively long length and where manipulating the hose can cause damage as it moves against furniture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative vacuum cleaner arrangement.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner arrangement including a vacuum cleaner, a hose attachable with the vacuum cleaner and a locating device adapted to be attached with the hose at a location between its ends and to be attached with a fixed structure whereby movement of the hose can be restrained.

The locating device may have a collar adapted to attach removably around the hose and may have a hook by which it can be attached removably with the fixed structure.

Alternatively, the locating device may include a suction device by which it can be attached with a flat, smooth structure. In another arrangement the locating device may be adapted to be permanently attached with the fixed structure and be removable from the hose. The hose may be a stretch hose having a natural short length that can be increased by pulling. The vacuum cleaner may be a portable vacuum cleaner or it may be a part of a central vacuum cleaner installation.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a locating device for an arrangement according to the above one aspect of the present invention.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a hose and a locating device attached with the hose at a location between opposite ends of the hose, the locating device having a locating member by which movement of the hose can be limited.

The locating device may have a collar adapted to attach removably around the hose.

The locating member may be a hook by which the locating device can be removably attached with the fixed structure. Alternatively, the locating member may be a suction pad by which the locating device can be attached with a flat, smooth structure.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a hose and a locating device, the locating device being permanently attachable with a fixed structure and being removably attachable with the hose at a location between the ends of the hose whereby movement of the hose can be limited.

The hose may be a stretch hose having a natural short length that can be increased by pulling.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of vacuum cleaning including the steps of extending a hose from a vacuum cleaner unit, securing the hose at a location between its ends to a fixed structure and using the free end of the hose to clean.

The hose may be secured with the fixed structure using a device mounted on the hose or a device mounted on the fixed structure. The fixed structure may be a part of a staircase.

The vacuum cleaner unit may be a portable vacuum cleaner or a part of a fixed central vacuum cleaner installation.

A vacuum cleaner arrangement and method of cleaning, according to the present invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows one form of the locating device before attachment to a hose; Figure 2 is an elevation view of the hose assembly with the locating device attached; Figure 3 is a plan view of the vacuum cleaner arrangement in use cleaning a flight of stairs; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the locating device attached with a baluster; Figure 5 shows an alternative locating device; and Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of a building interior showing how multiple locating devices could be fixed at several locations for use with a hose attached to a central vacuum cleaner system.

With reference first to Figures 1 to 4, the vacuum cleaner arrangement includes a conventional vacuum cleaner unit 1 and a hose assembly 2 connected with the cleaner unit.

The cleaner I is shown here as an upright cleaner although it could be a cylinder cleaner.

The hose assembly 2 includes a flexible, corrugated hose 20 and a locating device 21 attached to the hose at some point between its ends 22 and 23, typically around midway. The hose 20 is of the stretch kind having a natural short length but which can be extended to a greater length by pulling the free end 23. Alternatively, however, it could be of the conventional kind having a relatively fixed length, or it could be of the retractable kind where it has a natural long length but can be retracted to a shorter length for storage by applying a compressive, axial force. This compressive force could be produced by reduced pressure within the hose caused by restricting air flow into the hose while the cleaner is running, such as described in W003/024294.

The locating device 21 has a first part 24 that attaches removably to the hose 20 and a second part 25 that can be attached removably to a baluster 26 or similar fixed structure. The first part 24 takes the form of a unitary plastics moulding comprising two semicircular arms 27 and 28 linked by a thin web or living hinge 29 so that they can be folded together to make a complete circle, which closely embraces the hose 20. Each arm 27 and 28 has a locking formation 30 and 31 at opposite ends arranged to engage with one another to retain the arms closed together. In this way, the locating device 21 can be clamped around the hose 20 at any desired position and released when not needed. The second part 25 takes the form of a hook such as moulded of a plastics or rubber, or it could be made of a wire. Preferably the form of the hook 25 is such as to minimize damage to paintwork and the like.

In use, the cleaner us positioned at the bottom of the stairs 40 and the user pulls and extends the hose 20 to apply a tension to it. He then fixes the locating device 21 about the hose 20 at the desired location and hooks the hook 25 around a convenient baluster 26. He can then release the hose 20 so that the tension is applied to the locating device 21 and the hook 25, to hold it in position. The tension in the rear part of the hose 20 is now transferred to the staircase to limit movement of the hose and make it much easier for the user to use the free end 23 of the hose to clean the upper part of the stairs 40. This arrangement also enables the hose 20 to be kept over to one side of the stairs 40, thereby reducing the risk that anyone will be tripped up by the hose. This would be particular advantageous, for safety reasons, in areas of high traffic, such as in commercial premises.

In a similar way it would be possible to position the vacuum cleaner 1 at the top of the stairs 40 and to use the locating device 21 to retain the hose 20 in position to prevent any pulling force applied to the free end 23 of the hose being transferred to the cleaner. This should reduce the risk of the cleaner 1 being pulled down the stairs 40.

It will be appreciated that the locating device could take many different forms. For example, as shown in Figure 5, instead of a hook, the second part of the device could take the form of a suction pad 25' adapted to be secured to a smooth flat surface 26'such as a skirting board. The locating device could include various other arrangements for securing to fixed structures, such as, for example, including straps or magnets. Other examples of locating devices might include devices that are permanently fixed to the hose, such as by moulding, or that grip the hose elastically and can be stretched to reposition. Alternatively, the device could be arranged to be permanently secured to a fixed structure, such as by means of screws or adhesive or the like. Such a device would be fixed by the user, such as to a wall, at the most convenient location. Several locating devices could be fixed in different positions as necessary.

The invention is not limited to use with mobile vacuum cleaner units but could be used with central vacuum cleaner installations, such as of the kind shown in Figure 6. In this, the central cleaner installation has a vacuum cleaner in the form of a remote suction unit 50 opening at a port 51 fixed in a wall 52. A relatively long hose 53 is attached at one end to this port 51 and the other, free end 54 is extended to clean the rooms 55 to 59. Several locating devices 60 are fixed to the wall of the building at appropriate locations so that the hose 53 can be secured at one or more of these. This can be useful to keep the hose away from delicate objects.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner arrangement including a vacuum cleaner, a hose attachable with the vacuum cleaner and a locating device adapted to be attached with the hose at a location between its ends and to be attached with a fixed structure whereby movement of the hose can be restrained.

2. A vacuum cleaner arrangement according to Claim I, wherein the locating device has a collar adapted to attach removably around the hose.

3. A vacuum cleaner arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the locating device includes a hook by which it can be removably attached with the fixed structure.

4. A vacuum cleaner arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the locating device includes a suction device by which it can be attached with a flat, smooth structure.

5. A vacuum cleaner arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the locating device is adapted to be permanently attached with the fixed structure and is removable from the hose.

6. A vacuum cleaner arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hose is a stretch hose having a natural short length that can be increased by pulling.

7. A vacuum cleaner arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the vacuum cleaner is a portable vacuum cleaner.

8. A vacuum cleaner arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the vacuum cleaner is a part of a central vacuum cleaner installation.

9. A vacuum cleaner arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A locating device for an arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims.

11. A locating device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a hose and a locating device attached with the hose at a location between opposite ends of the hose, wherein the locating device has a locating member by which movement of the hose can be limited.

13. A hose assembly according to Claim 12, wherein the locating device has a collar adapted to attach removably around the hose.

14. A hose assembly according to Claim 12 or 13, wherein the locating member is a hook by which the locating device can be removably attached with the fixed structure.

15. A hose assembly according to Claim 12 or 13, wherein the locating member is a suction pad by which the locating device can be attached with a flat, smooth structure.

16. A vacuum cleaner hose assembly including a hose and a locating device, wherein the locating device is permanently attachable with a fixed structure and is removably attachable with the hose at a location between the ends of the hose whereby movement of the hose can be limited.

17. A hose assembly according to any one of Claims 12 to 16, wherein the hose is a stretch hose having a natural short length that can be increased by pulling.

18. A vacuum cleaner hose assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A method of vacuum cleaning including the steps of extending a hose from a vacuum cleaner unit, securing the hose at a location between its ends with a fixed structure and using the free end of the hose to clean.

20. A method according to Claim 19, wherein the hose is secured with the fixed structure using a device mounted on the hose.

21. A method according to Claim 19, wherein the hose is secured with the fixed structure using a device mounted on the fixed structure.

22. A method according to any one of Claims 19 to 21, wherein the fixed structure is a part of a staircase.

23. A method according to any one of Claims 19 to 22, wherein the hose is extended by pulling it against its resilience to increase its length.

24. A method of vacuum cleaning according to any one of Claims 19 to 23, wherein the vacuum cleaner unit is a portable vacuum cleaner.

25. A method of vacuum cleaning according to any one of Claims 19 to 23, wherein the vacuum cleaner unit is a part of a fixed central vacuum cleaner installation.

26. A method of vacuum cleaning substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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