GB2439621A

GB2439621A - Vacuum cleaner with side suction

Info

Publication number: GB2439621A
Application number: GB0612714A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Francon-Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-06-27
Filing date: 2006-06-27
Publication date: 2008-01-02
Also published as: GB0612714D0

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner comprises a main body portion 2 supported on wheels, rollers or runners 2 which includes a suction chamber 3 which extends downwardly and has a lower opening to receive material to be collected. There is provided a suction fan for creating an air pressure lower than atmosphere in said suction chamber 3 and means to receive materials collected through said suction chamber 3. An additional suction chamber 10 extends downwardly on one side of the main body outside any supporting wheel, roller or runner 2 at that side of the body. This allows for the cleaner to achieve better cleaning at the interface between floor and wall than would a conventional cleaner without side suction.

Description

VACUUM CLEANER

This invention ref ates to a vacuum cleaner.

Domestic, and many industrial vacuum cleaners are supported on wheels, rollers or runners so that they can be easily moved about. The basic construction of most vacuum cleaners include a main body portion supported on the wheels, rollers or runners, and include a suction chamber which extends downwardly and has a lower opening to receive material to be collected. Means for creating an air pressure lower than atmospheric are provided in the suction chamber usually by means of electrically driven vacuum pump which is arranged to draw air through the suction chamber, through the pump and into some form of collector, for example a bag, which can be emptied at regular intervals.

Many such cleaners have wheels outside the suction chamber and sometimes even outside the side wall of the main body portion. Even if the wheels, rollers or runners are arranged within the side walls the construction of most suction chambers is such that it is difficult to move the cleaner along a wall so that it cleans closely into the junction between the wall and the floor.

Some cleaners have a separate suction nozzle carried on a hose by means of which such close corners can be cleaned.

The present invention is intended to provide a construction which overcomes the difficulty of cleaning into the close corners and does not require an additional or separate vacuum nozzle.

According to the present invention a vacuum cleaner comprises a main body portion supported on wheels, rollers or runners which includes a suction chamber which extends downwardly and has a lower opening to receive material to be collected, means for creating an air pressure lower than atmosphere in said suction chamber and means to receive materials collected through the suction chamber, and which includes an additional suction chamber which extends downwardly on one side of the main body outside any supporting wheel, roller or runner at that side of the body.

Thus, the additional suction chamber enables the device to be employed close into the corner between a wall and the floor.

Preferably there is an additional suction chamber on both sides of the body.

The additional suction chamber can be arranged to extend into the main suction chamber so that it employs the same means for creating an air pressure lower than atmosphere in the main suction chamber.

In an alternative construction the lower air pressure in the additional chamber or chambers can be provided by connecting them directly so that they extend from the means for creating an air pressure lower than atmosphere.

If the means for creating the lower pressure is a vacuum pump then in this construction the additional chambers can be directed directly to it rather than to the main suction chamber.

The invention can be performed in many ways but two embodiments will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic cross-section through the operative part of a vacuum cleaner, taken on the line I-I of Figure 2; Figure 2 is a plan view, from below, of the construction shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a part-cross-sectional side elevation, similar to Figure 1, but showing an alternative construction.

As shown in Figure 1 a vacuum cleaner comprises a main body portion 1 supported on wheels, rollers or runners. In this construction two small wheels 2 are employed. The body includes a suction chamber 3 which extends downwardly and which has a lower opening 4 to receive material to be collected. Means for creating an air pressure lower than atmosphere in the suction chamber 3 are provided by an electrically driven vacuum pump 5 which has an inlet 6 which opens into the chamber 3 and an outlet 7 which delivers material collected into a suitable retainer such as an airbag (not shown).

The upper end of the main body 1 is provided by a cover 8 and an operating handle (not shown) can also be included.

The general construction described above is well known.

According to the present invention an additional suction chamber 10 is provided on each side of the body 1 and extends downwardly outside any supporting wheel, roller or runner. The lower end 11 of each additional suction chamber 1 is aligned with the lower end of the main suction chamber 3.

The additional chambers 10 extend along the length of the sides of the maIn body 1 as will be seen from Figure 2.

Each of the suction chambers 10 has one or more openings 12 which are provided in the side walls of the main body portion land which enables the reduced air pressure in the main suction chamber 3 to also be employed to suck material through the openings 11.

With this construction therefore the main body 1, on its wheels 2, can be moved close alongside a vertical wall to clean the surface of the floor immediately against it, any material collected passing through the appropriate additional suction chamber 10, the opening 12 and into the main suction chamber 3 and hence to the pump and discharge pipe 7.

The main body portion can be made of any suitable material, for example a synthetic plastics material, metal or wood.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 of an alternative construction employing the invention and in which the same reference numerals are used to indicate similar parts to those in Figures 1 and 2.

In this construction, however, the additional suction chambers 15 provided on each side of the main body 1 extend upwardly to a position where they are connected directly to passages 16 directed directly to the vacuum pump 5 which ensures that the same strength of vacuum is employed across the main suction chamber 3 and both the additional suction chambers 15. Any materials collected by the additional suction chambers 15 pass through the passages 16, the vacuum pump 5 and discharge pipe 7.

In the construction shown the additional suction chambers extend along the full side of the main body portion 1 but, if desired, they could only extend for part of the length and be arranged, for example, only at the forward end adjacent the leading edge of the main body.

In an additional construction, not shown, the additional suction chambers could be in the form of pipes connected to the vacuum pump 5 in the manner shown in Figure 3 but which project downwardly beyond the lowermost surface of the main body portion so that they are very close to the floor. For normal use the guide pipes should be arranged to be pivoted upwardly and automatically disengaged by a suitable valve system so that they were not connected to the vacuum pump 5. The pipe-shaped additional suction chambers would therefore only be turned downwardly to the very low position when the corner between the wall and the floor Is to be cleaned.

Claims

Claims 1. A vacuum cleaner comprises a main body portion supported on

wheels, rollers or runners which includes a suction chamber which extends downwardly and has a lower opening to receive material to be collected, means for creating an air pressure lower than atmosphere in said suction chamber and means to receive materials collected through said suction chamber, and which includes an additional suction chamber which extends downwardly on one side of the main body outside any supporting wheel, roller or runner at that side of the body.

2. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1 which includes an additional suction chamber on both sides of the main body.

3. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the additional suction chamber or chambers extend into the main suction chamber.

4. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the additional suction chamber or chambers extend from the means for creating an air pressure lower than atmosphere.

: *** 5 A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 4 in which the means creating the low I..

pressure is a vacuum pump to which the additional chambers are directly connected. * .* * * . I...

* 6. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 in which the additional S..

suction chamber or chambers are formed as a pipe or pipes which project r downwardly beyond the lowermost surface of the main body portion.

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7. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 6 including means to pivot the pipe or pipes upwardly and automatically discharge them by a valve system.

8. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the additional suction chamber or chambers are arranged at the forward end of the main body portion adjacent the leading edge thereof.

9. A vacuum cleaner substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 3. * S * *** S.., * . *5*I * *. * . * *... * * S. ** * S S * .

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