MXPA97000280A - Vacuum with all the components in the head that moves on the p - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having a head that moves on the floor and an elongated handle connecting to the head that moves on the floor, the head that moves on the floor comprises: a housing that has the handle connected pivotable to the same, a vacuum and collection system placed in the housing, the system includes a motor, an impeller and a collection unit, a rotating brush mounted inside the housing, the vacuum and collection system and the rotating brush comprise components of work of the vacuum cleaner, the working components of the vacuum cleaner are mounted on the head that moves on the floor and the handle have no working components of the vacuum cleaner supported on it, and the housing has two housing members in the form of clam shell general that are connected together to form substantially the entire housing

Description

VACUUM WITH ALL THE COMPONENTS IN THE HEAD THAT MOVES ON THE FLOOR DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to a head that moves on the floor with all the working components of the vacuum cleaner located therein. U.S. Patent No. 2,618,007 discloses a vacuum cleaner with a retractable brush, a motor and a ventilation unit and a dust collection bag, all located in a nozzle that traverses the floor and a handle pivotably connected to the nozzle. U.S. Patent 2,592,710 describes a vacuum with two electric motors; one for the fan and one for the brush, the use of a rechargeable battery in a manual vacuum cleaner was also known. The following patents also relate to vacuum cleaner heads: U.S. Patent 2,272,814 U.S. Patent 2,375,331 U.S. Patent 2,416,417 U.S. Patent 2,475,808 U.S. Patent 2,648,396 U.S. Patent 2,330,621 U.S. Pat. United States 2,416,418 U.S. Patent 2,416,419 U.S. Patent 2,482,166 U.S. Patent 3,040,366 It is an object of this invention to manufacture a high performance, battery operated vacuum having a motor, impeller, and a rotating brush mounted on the the head that moves on the floor. A removable filter is also mounted on the displacement head. The rotating brush is positioned forward of and separate from the suction inlet of the vacuum formed in the head. The above aspects and other features of the present invention are explained in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum incorporating the features of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the unit moving on the floor of the vacuum cleaner shown in Figure 1 taken along line 2-2; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the unit shown in Figure 2 taken along line 3-3; Figure 3A is a bottom plan view of the vacuum shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the unit shown in Figure 3 taken along line 4-4; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the collection unit used in the vacuum shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the collection unit shown in Figure 5 taken along line 6-6; Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the area 7 shown in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a rear elevation view of the harvesting unit shown in Figure 5; and Figure 9 is a partial side and rear perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner 10 incorporating the features of the present invention is shown. Although the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention can be incorporated into several different types of alternate embodiments. In addition, any suitable size with shape or type of elements or materials can be used. The vacuum cleaner 10 generally comprises a handle 12 and a head or unit 14 that moves on the floor. It should be noted, however, that the features of the present invention can be incorporated into any suitably shaped or shaped vacuum cleaner. In the embodiment shown, the handle 12 is preferably made of plastic or a polymer material and is pivotably connected to the head 14 at the pivot location 16. With reference also to Figures 2 and 3, the head 14 generally comprises a housing 18, a main fan motor 20, a secondary brush motor 22, batteries 24, an impeller or fan 26 and a collection or assembly unit 28. The housing 18 is preferably made of plastic and has wheels or rollers 30 connected in its lower part (see Figure 3A). The housing 18 preferably consists of two housing members in the form of a general clam shell; a upper member 18b and a lower housing member 18a. The two housing members are joined together to enclose the motors, batteries and the impeller between them and form substantially all of the housing 18. The main motor 20 is fixedly connected to the housing 18 and has a motor shaft 32 extending from its front.

The impeller 26 is connected to the motor shaft 32. The housing 18 has air outlet slots 34 on its upper surface, as seen in Figure 1, to allow the air, which is moved by the impeller 26, to exit the air. housing 18. The vacuum cleaner 10 has a diffuser or air direction cover 36 that is connected to the housing 18. The air direction cover 36 surrounds the impeller 26. In a preferred embodiment, the air direction cover 36 is integrally molded with the upper and lower housing members 18a, 18b forming the housing 18. The air steering cover could be a separate member that is mounted within the housing. The cover 36 has a general shape that spirally expands and includes an inlet portion 38. The venturi or inlet portion 38 has a general funnel shape. The impeller 26 is a centrifuge of fan blades. The air entering through the inlet portion 38 is pushed outwardly into the air direction cover 36 and out of the air outlet slots 34. The second motor 22 is connected to the housing 18 in a front part of the housing. The second motor 22 is connected to a brush 40 rotatable on the front of the housing by a drive belt (not shown). The drive belt (not shown) operably connects the motor 22 to the brush 40 when mounted on two pulley sections or pulleys 42, 44. When the second motor rotates the pulse section 42, the drive belt is moved. The drive belt rotates the driving section 44 which in turn rotates the brush 40. However, any suitable type of brush drive system may be provided. Alternatively, a rotating brush need not be provided. The brush 40 is rotatably connected to the housing 18 in a cavity 46. The cavity 46 is completely enclosed except for an opening 48 in the lower part of the cavity 46. One end of the brush 40 extends through an opening in a side side of the cavity 46. The bristles of the brush 40 extend out of the lower opening 48 and pass the lower part of the housing 18. The batteries 24 comprise six rechargeable batteries. However, the features of the present invention could also be used in a vacuum cleaner that is not battery operated. The batteries 24 are fixedly connected to the housing 18 below and on opposite sides of the first motor 20. Because the batteries are rechargeable, the vacuum also has an electric plug 58, for connection to a recharger and a printed circuit board 60 which connects the plug 58 to the batteries 24. The batteries 24 are electrically connected to the two motors 20, 22 by a switch 50 of 3 positions. Switch 50 has a first OFF position and two ON positions. The two ON positions include a first ON position, in which only the first motor 20 is supplied with electricity and a second ON position, in which both motors 20, 22 are supplied with electricity. The switch 50 has a drive piston 52. Mounted pivotably at the rear of the housing 18 is a pedal 54 for the foot, deflected by a spring. The pedal 54 for the foot is mounted by the pivot section 55 to the housing. The foot pedal 54 has a section 56, which is located to press the drive piston 52, when the foot pedal 54 is depressed. However, any suitable type of control mechanism could be provided. Referring also to Figure 4, located behind the cavity 46 there is a suction inlet 62. The inlet 62 is separated from the cavity 46 by a wall 64 as seen in the bottom plan view of Figure 3A. The inlet 62 has a first lower section 66 and a second upper section 68. The two sections 66, 68 have a relatively narrow length A from the front to the back as seen in Figure 2. The lower section 66 has a wide lower opening 70 that extends through almost the entire width of the housing 18. As seen in FIG. Figure 4, the upper walls 67 of the lower section 66 are inclined downward as they extend laterally outwardly from the upper section 68. As seen in Figure 3A, the front wall 74 of the lower section 66 is straight. However, the rear wall of the lower section 66 has sections 76 that are inclined toward the front wall 74 as they approach the side sides of the unit 14. The upper section 68 has an opening 72 on its upper portion for the air and debris travels within the collection unit 28. The housing 18 has a hole 78 that extends within its upper surface to removably receive the collection unit 28. The hole 78 has a generally rectangular block shape. As seen in Figure 3, the hole 78 has two front corners 80 and two rear corners 82. The front corners 80 have a greater radius of curvature than the rear corners 82 for keying purposes as described in the following. The opening 72 of the suction inlet 62 opens in front of the hole 78. As best seen in Figure 2, the rear wall 86 of the hole 78 also has an opening 84, which has the front of the inlet portion 38. in her. Referring also to Figures 5-8, the collection unit 28 is shown. The collection unit 28 generally consists of a frame 88, a filter element 89 and a cover 90. In the embodiment shown, the frame 88 is a molded polymer or plastic member in one piece. The frame 88 has a front wall 92 with an entrance or entry opening 9, a generally open rear end 96, two side walls 98 with notches 100, a bottom wall 101 and an upper wall 102. The frame 88 forms a conformation similar to a cup with an area 104 that receives the waste in it. Attached to the frame 88, within the reception area 104 there is a movable flap 106. The flap 106 is connected to the front wall 92 above the inlet 94. The flap 106 hangs down over the inlet 94 to retain debris in the receiving area 104. The top wall 102 has an integral handle 108 molded in she. The upper wall 102 is inclined to engage the angle of the upper surface of the housing 18 and forms a portion of the upper surface of the unit 14 as seen in Figure 1. The notches 100 in the side walls 98 are provided to interact with cantilevered, snap-fastening pins 110 (see Figure 2) (only one of which is shown) located in the side walls of the hole 78 of the housing 18. The pins 110 hold the unit 28 in the hole 78. However , the pins 110 can be deflected outwardly when sufficient force is exerted upwardly on the handle 108 by the user, thereby allowing the unit 28 to be removed from the housing 18. The front corners 114 of the frame 88 are sized and shaped adequately to coupling with the front corners 80 of the hole 78. Similar to the hole 78, the rear corners 116 of the unit 28 have a smaller radius of curvature than the Front corners 114. Rear corners 116 are suitably sized and shaped to engage with rear corners 82 of hole 78. The different corners function as a keying system to prevent the generally block-shaped unit 28 from being inserted into the orifice in the center. an inverted position. The trailing end 96 of the frame 88 has a mounting projection 112. The projection 112 surrounds the entire back end 96. The projection 112 is provided to allow the cover 90 to be mounted to the frame 88. The cover 90 is made of a material of elastic polymer and has a generally flat shape. The cover has a perimeter support 113 with an installation projection receiving slot 118, which receives the projection 112 therein and frictionally connects the cover 90 to the frame 88. The projection 112 has a generally rectangular shape and the slot 118 has a rectangular coupling shape. The cover 90 has a flat back wall 112 with a single opening 120 therethrough. The cover also has four separation flanges 124 extending from the rear wall 122 a short distance. In an alternate mode, more or less than four separation flanges could be provided. The separation flanges 124 extend radially from the opening 120. When the cover 90 is mounted to the frame 88, it forms an air-tight seal between the mounting projection 112 and the perimeter support 113. In this form, the opening 120 is the single conduit from the interior of the unit 28 through the cover 90. The filter element 89 is a single sheet of material that allows air to pass through it, but blocks the dust and debris passing through it. she. The filter element 89 is permanently connected to the cover 90, such as by an adhesive or by welding. More specifically, the perimeter of the filter element 89 is attached to the edge of the perimeter support 113 and is also attached to the ends of the separation rims 124. In this way, an open space or space 126 is established between the filter element and the rear wall 122 of the cover. The air can be moved through the filter element 89 at any location (apart from the cover connection points) within the space 126. Once the air is in the space 126, it can be moved through the space to the opening 120 and outside the collection unit 28. This provides a wide area for filtration. When the cover 90 is removed from the frame 88, the filter 89 is removed with it for ease of cleaning. Because the entire rear end of the frame is open when the cover 90 is removed, discharging the dust, the dirt and debris from the collection unit is simple and the interior of the frame is easy to clean. When the collection unit 28 is suitably positioned in the hole 78 of the housing 18, the opening 120 is aligned with the inlet portion 38 of the cover or diffuser 36 surrounding the impeller 26. The opening 120 is displaced from the center of the cover 90 to align suitably with the inlet portion 38. To prevent the cover 90 from being attached to the frame 88 in a deviated position, in which the opening 120 could not be aligned with the inlet portion 38, the upper corners 128 of the projection 112 and slot 118 have a sharp turn or radius of curvature and lower corners 130 have a less sharp turn or radius of curvature. If the cover 90 is attempted to be connected to the frame 88 in a biased orientation, the uncoupled shapes of the intended coupling corners will prevent connection in this wrong orientation. In this way, the shapes of the corners 128, 130 function as a keying means for the proper connection. In an alternate mode, any suitable type of system could be used to connect the frame cover.

The filter element 89 is washable. In this way, after a user removes the cover 90 to unload the material inside the unit 28, the user can wash the cover 90 to clean the filter element 89. The operation, when a user presses the pedal 54 standing switch 50 is operated to rotate the primary motor ON, but does not turn the brush motor 22 ON; such as for floors without carpet or to conserve the power of the battery of the batteries. If the foot pedal 54 is depressed again, the switch keeps the primary motor 20 ON and also turns the second motor 22 ON. Pressing the foot pedal 54 again revolves both motors OFF. The impeller 26 is rotated when the primary motor 20 is ON. This causes air and dust, dirt or debris to be sucked into the suction inlet 62 at the bottom of the unit. The air and entrained material travel through the inlet and into the collection unit 28. The air flow caused by the impeller 26 through the inlet 94 of the collection unit causes the flap 106 to move backward. The large size of the receiving area 104 of the collection unit causes the air velocity in the receiving area to be lower than in the entrance 94. This allows dirt, dust and entrained debris to fall into the receiving area 104. The space 126 between the filter element 89 and the rear wall 122 of the cover 90 helps to reduce the velocity of the air in the receiving area 104 by distributing the vacuum that pulls through substantially the entire surface area of the filter. The air moving through the opening 120 is urged by the impeller 26 out of the housing 18 into the grooves 34 in the upper surface. One of the problems in the past with vacuum cleaners powered by rechargeable batteries, is that the suction is limited because the motor that drives the impeller must be kept small so as not to discharge the rechargeable batteries too quickly. The vacuum cleaner 10 overcomes this problem by the unique configuration of the housing 18 in the suction inlet 62 and in the brush 40. More specifically, the brush 40 and its cavity 46 are separated from the inlet 62 by the wall 64. This helps maintain the entrance area in the lower section 70 small. In this way, the vacuum pressure created by the impeller is concentrated in a small area at the bottom of the unit 14. To further assist in obtaining the maximum vacuum effect across substantially the entire width of the unit 14, the back-and-forth tilting of the wall sections 76 (see Figure 3A) and the downward inclination of the walls 67 (see Figure 4) distributes the vacuum pressure. In this way, the vacuum cleaner 10 is capable of providing good suction in the lower part of the suction inlet 62 with a relatively small motor and the impeller and also provides a motor that drives the rotating brush that does not significantly suck at the inlet of the suction. suction. The brush 40 functions as an agitator. It does not drive dust, dirt or debris directly into the inlet 62. In contrast, the brush drives material into the area under the inlet 62. In known old vacuum cleaners, the rotating brush was located in or connected to the suction inlet , which greatly increased the size of the suction inlet area. This, in turn, distributed the traction vacuum over a large area and its effect was reduced. The small inlet 62 with the cavity 46 spaced apart and spaced for the brush 40 overcomes this problem. The head 14 moving on the floor, in the embodiment shown, contains all the working components of the vacuum cleaner 10 in a relatively compact area of approximately 21.59 centimeters by 27.94 centimeters (approximately 8.5 by 11 inches). This provides a lower center of gravity and allows the head 14 to be less difficult to use. It also provides a short distance for debris to move from the suction inlet into the collection unit 28. This results in less power consumption, greater operating time and a more efficient system in general in view of the power that is used in relation to the efficiency of vacuum formation. Now with reference to Figure 9, a partial back and side perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown. The vacuum cleaner 200 is similar to the vacuum cleaner 10. However, the vacuum cleaner 200 has two removable, reloadable 202 batteries. The handle 204 has an area 206 on its lower rear side with two holes 208 and a battery terminal 210. The holes 208 are suitably sized and shaped to slidably receive the batteries 202. The batteries can be inserted removably in engagement with the terminal 210 which acts as spring clips. The batteries can be removed from the vacuum 200 for recharging at a separate battery charging station (not shown). The terminal 210 is connected to the switch 50 by a wire 212. The switch 50, similar to that of the vacuum cleaner 10, is capable of supplying electricity to the primary motor 20 and the brush motor. In a preferred embodiment, batteries 202 are VERSAPAK batteries sold by Black &; Decker (US) Inc. VERSAPAK is a trademark of The Black & Decker Corporation of To son, Maryland. In addition, any suitable type of removable rechargeable battery can be used. This mode allows the new recharged batteries to easily replace the weak batteries very quickly in such a way that the user does not need to wait for the batteries to be recharged to use the vacuum cleaner, once the batteries in their place become weak.

Claims (18)

1. A vacuum cleaner having a head that moves on the floor and an elongated handle connected to the head that moves on the floor, the head that moves on the floor is characterized in that it comprises: a housing that has the handle pivotably connected to it; a vacuum and collection system located in the housing, the system includes a motor, an impeller and a collection unit; and a rotating brush mounted inside the housing; in which all the working components of the vacuum cleaner are in the head that moves on the floor and the handle has no working components of the vacuum cleaner on it.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing has two shell-shaped housing members that are connected together to form substantially the entire housing.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises rechargeable batteries located in the housing and connected by a switch to the motor.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, characterized in that the switch comprises a three-position switch.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 4, further characterized in that it comprises a pedal for the foot, connected to the housing and properly positioned to operate the switch.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises a second motor connected to the brush for rotating the brush, the second motor is electrically connected to the batteries by the switch.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, further characterized in that it comprises an electrical plug connected to the batteries by a printed circuit board.

8. In a vacuum that has a head that moves on the floor and an elongated handle pivotably connected to the head, the head has wheels to move along a floor, a vacuum and collection system and a rotating brush, where the improvement is characterized in that it comprises: all the working components of the vacuum cleaner are located in the head that moves on the floor and the handle has no working components in it, in which the vacuum and collection system includes rechargeable batteries located in the head.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 8, further characterized in that it comprises a three-position switch that connects the batteries to a first driving motor of the impeller.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, characterized in that the head has a pedal for the foot, connected to a distance of the head and positioned to operate the switch.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, further characterized in that it comprises a second motor operably connected to the brush, to rotate the brush and electrically connectable to the batteries by the three-position switch.

12. The vacuum cleaner having a head that moves on the floor with wheels and an elongated handle connected to the head, the head that moves on the floor is characterized in that it comprises: a housing having the handle pivotably connected to it; a first motor located inside the housing; an impeller connected to the motor; a combined collection bag and filter assembly, removably mounted to the housing; rechargeable batteries connected to the housing; a switch that connects the batteries to the motor, the switch is connected to the housing; and a rotating brush connected to the housing.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, further characterized by comprising a second motor located inside the housing, the second motor is operably connected to the brush to rotate the brush and electrically connectable to the batteries by the switch.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, characterized in that the switch is a three-position switch.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, characterized in that the housing comprises two housing members in the form of a general clam shell, which are connected to each other to enclose the first motor, the batteries and the impeller between them, the two housing members. they form substantially the entire accommodation.

16. The vacuum cleaner has a head that moves on the floor with wheels and an elongated handle pivotably connected to the head, the vacuum cleaner is characterized because it comprises: a vacuum and collection system located on the head; and a rechargeable battery mounted removably on the handle and electrically connectable to a vacuum and collection system motor.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 16, further characterized by the handle has two holes in its rear part such that two of the batteries are received in a slidable manner.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, further characterized in that the handle has a terminal spring clip, into which the batteries are inserted.