US20120110770A1

US20120110770A1 - Vacuum cleaner crevice attachment

Info

Publication number: US20120110770A1
Application number: US13/291,953
Authority: US
Inventors: Peter Hirashima
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-11-09
Filing date: 2011-11-08
Publication date: 2012-05-10

Abstract

A crevice attachment for vacuum machines includes a first leg of tubing and a second leg of tubing. The first leg of tubing may have a first end and a second end. The second leg of tubing may be connected to the second end on the first leg of tubing at an angle. The first end on the first leg of tubing may be operable to fit into a claw nozzle opening. A first end on the second leg of tubing may be operable to fit into the claw nozzle opening.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/411558 filed on Nov. 9, 2010, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a vacuum machine accessory, and more specifically relates to a crevice attachment for use to clean tight and narrow areas of the interior of cars or other vehicles, such as the areas between the front seats and the middle storage console of a vehicle, with common commercial vacuum machines, such as typical coin-operated vacuum machines located at gas stations and car washes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a crevice attachment for vacuum machines comprises a first leg of tubing having a first end and a second end; and a second leg of tubing connected to the second end of the first leg of tubing at an angle; wherein the first end of the first leg of tubing is operable to fit into a claw nozzle opening.
In another aspect of the present invention, a crevice attachment comprises an elongated hollow body portion extending longitudinally between a first end for attachment to a claw nozzle opening and a second distal end providing an opening into the body portion; and a bar within the second distal end of the elongated hollow body portion.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a crevice attachment in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in use;

FIG. 2 is a detailed cross sectional view of a crevice attachment in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a crevice attachment in accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention illustrating the short end opening; and

FIG. 5 is a detailed sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention generally provides a crevice cleaning tool for a vacuum cleaner apparatus. More specifically, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a crevice attachment for use with common commercial vacuum machines, such as coin-operated vacuum machines located at gas stations or car washes.
As shown in FIG. 1, in an exemplary embodiment of a present invention 10, a crevice attachment 12 may be designed to fit into the open end of a claw nozzle 18 of a vacuum machine, or any other nozzles that may commonly fit onto a typical commercial vacuum machine found at gas stations and car washes.
Referring to FIG. 2, once the crevice attachment 12 is fit into the claw nozzle 18 of the vacuum machine, the vacuum machine may be powered on, and the crevice attachment 12 may be able to channel the suction airflow from the nozzle to suck up debris in tight and narrow spaces where a typical claw nozzle may not fit.
Referring to FIG. 3, the crevice attachment 12 may be a long flat tube that is angled to form a first leg 13 that forms an obtuse angle with a second leg 17. The first and second legs 13 and 17 may be asymmetrical, so that the first leg 13 and the second leg 17 may both be trapezoidal in shape and may have differing dimensions.
In one exemplary embodiment, the first leg 13 may have an outer edge 15 that measures 7 inches in length, for example, and an inner edge 30 that measures 6.2 inches in length, for example. The second leg 17 may have an outer edge 19 that measures 10.5 inches in length, for example, and an inner edge 32 that measures 9.7 inches in length, for example.
The first and second end opening 14 and 16 may be shaped to fit into at least a portion of an open end of a claw nozzle 18. Typically, claw nozzle openings may vary from about 3.5 to 5.25 inches wide, and about ½ inches high. Thus, the first and second end openings 14 and 16 may be designed to fit those dimensions, so that, depending on use, either the first end opening 14 or the second end opening 16 may fit into a claw nozzle opening, providing multiple options for the positioning of the crevice attachment 12.
For example, the first and second end openings 14 and 16 may be 1.3 inches wide and 0.4 inch high, for example. The first and second end openings 14 and 16 may include an indentation 40 (shown in FIG. 4) that may facilitate air movement should one of the ends 14 and 16 be in flush contact with a surface.
Referring now to FIG. 5, the crevice attachment 12 may also include, in its interior, near the first and second ends 14 and 16, bars 22, such as a cylindrical bar that may be 3/16 inch in diameter, that may be set perpendicular to the entering air flow. The bars 22 may help to prevent coins or other undesirable objects from being completely sucked into the crevice attachment 12.
The bars 22 may need to be close enough to the ends 14 and 16, such as by being situated about ⅞ inch from the nearest edge of the indentations 40 and 34, so that a coin may be held near the ends 14 and 16 of the crevice attachment 12 for easy retrieval.
The crevice attachment 12 may have a height of about 0.4 inches at the ends 14 and 16 that gradually increase to a height of about 0.7 inches where the first and second legs 13 and 17 meet.
Because the crevice attachment 12 may take up only a portion of the open end of a claw nozzle 18, a user may use his or her hand or a rag to block the portions of the open end of the claw nozzle 18 not covered by the crevice attachment 12, in order to maximize the airflow through the crevice attachment 12.
The crevice attachment 12 may be made of molded plastic, or may be made of any other suitable materials.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A crevice attachment for vacuum machines, comprising:

a first leg of tubing having a first end and a second end; and

a second leg of tubing connected to the second end of the first leg of tubing at an angle; wherein

the first end of the first leg of tubing is operable to fit into a claw nozzle opening.

2. The crevice attachment of claim 1, wherein a first end on the second leg of tubing is operable to fit into a claw nozzle opening.

3. The crevice attachment of claim 1, wherein the first end of the first leg of tubing has a first bar within the first leg of tubing.

4. The crevice attachment of claim 2, wherein the first end of the second leg of tubing has a bar within the second leg of tubing.

5. The crevice attachment of claim 1, wherein the angle between the first leg of tubing and the second leg of tubing is obtuse.

6. The crevice attachment of claim 1, wherein the first end on the first leg of tubing has a flat tip with an indentation.

7. A crevice attachment for vacuum machines, comprising:

an elongated hollow body portion extending longitudinally between a first end for attachment to a claw nozzle opening and a second distal end providing an opening into the body portion; and

a bar within the second distal end of the elongated hollow body portion.

8. The crevice attachment of claim 7, wherein the second distal end of the elongated hollow body has a flat tip with an indentation.

9. The crevice attachment of claim 7, further comprising a bar within the first end of the elongated hollow body portion.

10. The crevice attachment of claim 7, wherein the second distal end is adapted for attachment to a claw nozzle opening.