US3665540A - Sweeper - Google Patents

Abstract

A carpet sweeper has a housing which includes a frame-shaped lower portion of readily formable and deformable material and having an upper and a lower open side. An upper cover portion of less readily deformable shape-retaining material overlies the upper open side and is connected with the lower portion in shaperetaining relationship. Wheels are provided in the lower portion and project partly through the lower open side to support the sweeper for movement on the surface and one or more brush holders are similarly mounted. Journal means is carried by the lower portion for rotatably journalling the wheels and the brush holder or rollers.

Description

United States Patent Leifheit et al. 1 May 30, 1972 [541 SWEEPER FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Invenlofsi Gunter ifh lt; Johannes Liebscher, both 1,013,085 12/1965 Great Britain ..l5/4l R of Nassau/Lahn, Germany [73] Assisnee; Primary Examiner-Leon G. Machlin Nassau/Lahn, Germany [22] Filed: Nov. 12, 1970 [2 1] App]. No.: 88,765

Leifheit International Gunter Leifheit KG,

Attorney-Michael S. Striker [5 7] ABSTRACT Journal means is carried by the lower portion for rotatably journalling the wheels and the brush holder or rollers.

27 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEnmao I972 3.665.540

sum 10F 3 INVENTOR PATENTEDMAY 30 I972 SHEET 20F 3 INVENTOR 524mm fill rue/r PATENTEDMAY 30 1972 SHEET 3 OF 3 mQE INVENTOR Gib/7'60 46 4 1:4 J'cnfl Town/0r; 4, -m/f fk-b SWEEPER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a sweeper, and more particularly to a carpet sweeper.

It is known to provide carpet sweepers where in a housing which is completely or substantially open in downward direction, wheels and one or more brush holders are mounted for rotation. Conventionally, the housing is made of sheet steel which can be formedito the generally box-shaped configuration desired for the housing. However, to permit such forming it is necessary to use high-quality and therefore expensive deep-drawing materials, aside from the fact that the deepdrawing operation itself is quite expensive. In addition to this,

there is the necessity to provide journals or the like for the brush holders, the wheels and other components. All of this makes the manufacture of the type of housing conventionally used in such carpet sweepers quite expensive.

To overcome the problem of expense, and also to make the housing, lighter, it has been proposed to make the housingof more readily forrnable synthetic plastic material and to make it out of one piece. In this contest, however, it was found that the shape retention and resistance to deformation and damage which can be obtained with the use of such materials, is not sufficient to make the sweeper capable of withstanding the various stresses whichit may encounter. In particular, if any significant weight or load rests upon the sweeper, a deformation of the housing may occur -aided frequently due to circumstances having to do with the storage of the sweeper and the ambient conditions it encounters, and also to the, ageing of the plasticand this may result in a clamping or jamming of the brush holders and/or the wheels or even in a complete separation of the rollers or wheels from their journals. The

same may also occur with reference to other components of the-sweeper so that the latter becomes marginally usable or not at all usable. A further advantage of sweepers wherein the housing consists of highly synthetic plastic materials, is the fact that particularly the fine particles which are swept up into the housing by the brush roller or rollers, will not pass into the receptacle provided for this purpose in theinterior of the housing, but will instead adhere to other portions of the housing due to electrostatic charging thereof. This makes the removal of dust and dirt more difficult, and also makes it difficult, if not impossible, to keep'the sweeper clean, particularly because these finedust particles have a tendency to settle in the upper region of the housing where they are not readily accessible because access is blocked by the wheels, the rollers and other components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION tion to provide an improved sweeper in which the housing is simple, light and inexpensive to produce, and will notbe possessed of the disadvantages identified above.

In pursuance of the above objects, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the invention resides in a sweeper, particularly a carpet sweeper, which briefly stated comprises a housing including a frame-shaped lower portion of readily deformable material having an upper anda lower open side, and an upper portion of shape-retaining The material of the frame-shaped lower portion is preferably synthetic plastic material, and that of the shaperetaining upper portion is preferably sheet steel or the like. In this manner, it is. possible on the one hand to utilize the advantages -relative to the production and shaping of the frame portion and the journal means provided thereinwhich are obtained by the use of a readily formable material, while on the other hand, the advantages are obtained which result from the use of a shape-retaining material. Thus, the entire housing can be shape-retaining and sufficiently strong, while it can get lighter than heretofore possible and can be more inexpensively produced. The frame-shaped lower portion of readily deformable material is supported and reinforced by the upper cover portion of shape-retaining material in such a manner that even under significant forces acting upon the housing, the latter will not become deformed to the extent that would adversely influence the functional operation of the device. The upper cover portion can readily be made of inexpensive sheet metals, because it is of such shape that it can be produced without requiring the use of high-quality and expensive deepdrawing metal sheets. Also, no deep-drawing machinery is required for this purpose as was heretofore necessary where the entire housing was made of sheet metal.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, journal elements are provided which can be secured to the frameshaped lower portion and which provide journals for the various components. They can also be so constructed that they provide for securing of the upper cover portion to the lower portion, thus eliminating the need for separate securing components for effecting such a connection. This in turn eliminates any additional manufacturing steps which would otherwise be necessary particularly on the upper cover portion. it further facilitates the assembly of the various components, making it simple and quick.

It is advantageous for the upper cover portion to be provided with an outwardly projecting bead at its free edge which interengages with an inwardly projecting bead surrounding the free edge of the frame-shaped lower portion at the lower open side thereof. Portions of the journal elements, having limited deformability, engage the beads and retain the one on the -cover portion in engagement with the one on the lower porshould be insertable into the confines of the frame-shaped lower portion from below, that is from the lower open side of the lower portion, and then be connectable therewith by the aforementioned snap action. The configuration of the interengaging projections and recesses should be such that when the journal elements are inserted in the aforementioned -manner, a connection can be readily established and that it will provide for such reliable retention that undesired separation of the journal elements from the lower portion by movement of the journal elements in the direction towards the lower open side of the latter, is reliably precluded unless this is specifically desired. Journal elements could, however,also be formed of one piece with parts of the lower portion which naturally wouldfurther facilitate the assembly of the various components to the housing, and would reduce the expense in- -volved in producing the various components and assembling them.,ln this case, if no portions of limited formability on the journal elements are provided which could engage the beads on the lower portion and on the upper portion and retain them in engagement, it is advantageous if the bead on the upper portion engages with a groove provided in the region of the upper open side of the frame-shaped lower portion, so that it will be connected therewith in this manner. Here, again, the

'need for separate connecting components is avoided.

If the configuration of the bead and groove are such that the former can be engaged in the latter with a snap action, an undesired separation of the two is reliably avoided. Of course, other possibilities exist also.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a sweeper according to the present invention in one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line lI-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows, partly in section and partly in elevation, a view of a sidewall portion of the lower portion of the housing in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear view a journal element for connection with the lower portion of the illustrated embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view, partly broken away, of a lower frame-shaped portion of the illustrated embodiment, with a journal element secured thereto;

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line VIVI ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional detailed view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating a further embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, and illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail, and firstly the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-6 thereof, it will be seen that in FIG 1 we have shown a sweeper which is identified in tote with reference numeral 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the sweeper is a carpet sweeper but it could be configurated and intended for other purposes, for instance as a table crumber or the like. It is also pointed out that all such components of the illustrated sweeper which are not shown, may have an entirely conventional configuration and construction well known from the art. They are not considered part of the present invention.

According to the invention, the housing of the sweeper 10 is of two parts, namely a frame-shaped lower portion 11 which is made of one piece of a readily forrnable and deformable material, such as synthetic plastic. The other part is an upper cover portion 12 of a shape-retaining material such as sheet metal or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the sweeper, according to the present invention, is further provided with a handle 13 by means of which it can be moved with reference to a surface which it is to treat, that is to sweep. A portion of the handle 13 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and will be seen to be connected to a bifurcated member 14 which is substantially of U-shaped configuration and the free ends of whose arms extend into openings 15 provided on the narrow sides of the frame-shaped lower portion 1 1. Such sweepers, if they are intended for carpet-sweeping purposes, are usually operated in the manner that the operator stands still and simply moves the sweeper back and forth over a portion of the surface to be treated until the desired extent of sweeping-up has been achieved. In so doing, the handle 13 and the member 14 are pivoted with reference to the housing of the sweeper and in accordance with the invention, it is advantageous to provide on the outer sides of the lower portion 11, radiating approximately in V- shaped configuration from the openings 15, depressions 16 into which the arms 17 of the member 14 may become located if it is desired to utilize the sweeper in such a way that it is simply pushed and pulled and pivoting of the member 14 with reference to the housing is not desired.

Of course, the distance between the arms 17 must then be such that they engage the outer sides of the frame-shaped lower portion 11 with some spring pressure. As also shown in FIG. I, the arms 17 are slightly bent or angled in conformance with the angle between the depressions 16 and the upper edge of the lower portion 11, so that when the arms 17 are located in one of the depressions 16 as shown in FIG. 1, they will abut against the upper edge of the portion 11.

In the embodiment of FIGS. l-6, the sweeper is provided with only a single brush roller 18. It is tumable in rotation by means of wheels 19 which cooperate with it to to turn it, and it turns in a sense opposite to the direction of advancement of the sweeper. There are further provided auxiliary brush rollers 20 whose main purpose is to prevent the dirt picked up by the main brush roller 18, from being flung outside of the housing, and which have the auxiliary purpose of loosening, for instance the nap of the carpet or the like which is to be swept. Of course, although only a single brush roller 18 is shown, more than one such brush roller can be provided.

As the drawing shows, particularly FIG. 2, the main brush roller 18 is mounted in a carrying element 22 whose arms are guided between vertically oriented guide portions 23 of journal members 24. The latter are separate from the lower frameshaped portion 11 and are secured to transversely spaced opposite walls of the latter on the inside thereof.

A pair of guide portions 25 is provided for connecting the journal elements 24 to the lower frame-shaped portion 11, as shown in FIG. 5, and they are essentially vertically oriented and, as FIG. 5 shows most clearly, they are of angular or substantially L-shaped cross section, with their free arms facing towards one another. Intermediate these pairs 25 of guide elements, the frame-shaped lower portion 11 is further provided with a recess 27 which defines a substantially wedge-shaped opening which becomes wider in downward direction, that is in the direction towards the lower open side of the housing, as is clearly evident from FIG. 6. Eash of the journal elements 24 is provided on its rear side, that is the one in assembled condition will face the inside of the respective wall of the lower portion 11, with correspondingly approximately vertically oriented pairs of guide portions 28 which are so configurated as to their spacing and cross section, that their free arm portions interengage with the pair 25 of guide elements, as shown in FIG. 5. Further, each of the journal elements 24 is provided intermediate its guide elements 28 with a projection 30 which is so configurated as to matingly engage with the associated recess 27. The guide elements of each pair 25 are downwardly open, that is they are not connected in downward direction, and similarly the guide elements of each pair 28 are upwardly open, meaning that they are not connected in upward direction, to make it possible to insert the journal elements 24 from below through the lower open side of the lower portion 11 into the latter to thereby establish coupling between the projection 30 and the recess 27, and between the guide elements 25 and the guide elements 28.

FIGS. 5 and 6 also show clearly that the walls of the lower portion 11 are provided inwardly of the respective recess 27 with a hollow or void 29 which in the illustrated embodiment is open in downward direction, that is towards the lower open side of the lower portion 11, and which serves to make the material of these walls more readily deformable in the region of the recesses 27. This facilitates snap-action insertion of the projections 30 into the recesses 27 It also makes it possible to disengage them by the utilization of suitable tools for deforming the walls of the lower portion 1 l in a sense disengaging the projections 30 from their recesses 27 On the other hand, the wedge-shaped mating configuration of the recesses 27 and projections 30 makes an undesired separation thereof impossible, particularly as the areas provided with these recesses 27 and projections 30 are protected against undesired deformation in a sense releasing this connection, by the fact that the journal elements 24 overlie them.

FIG. 2 also shows that the cover portion 12 is provided with an outwardly projecting edge or bead 31 which engages below an inwardly projecting edge or bead 32 at the upper open side of the lower portion 1 1. In this embodiment, the respective en gaging surfaces of the beads 31 and 32 are curved, with the surface of the bead 32 being convexly curved and that of the bead 31 being concavely curved to essentially in a mating configuration. The bead 31 is pressed against and maintained in contact with the bead 32 by portions 33 on the journal elements 24 which, when the latter are secured to the walls of the lower portion 11, engage under limited deformation the bead 31 from below and press the same against the bead 32. The fact that by making the portions 33 of limited deformability or flexibility, manufacturing tolerances can be compensated so that, without having to adhere to strict tolerances, a firm contact of the beads 31 and 32 -and thereby a firmer and reliable connection of the portions 11 and 12 is always assured.

At opposite sides of the guide portions 23 for the element 22 carrying the main brush roller 18, the journal elements 24 are further provided with journals 35 for the wheels 19. The latter may, in known manner, be arranged on shafts which extend transversely to the elongation of the housing, that is in axial parallelism with the axis of rotation of the roller 18. It is also known to mount on the shafts 36 dust or dirt collecting receptacles 37 in such a manner that they are pivotable, with the outer edges 38 thereof abutting against the underside of the lower frame portion 11 in normal operating position, but with the receptacles 37 being capable of pivoting about the axles 36 in such a manner as permit access to the interior and removal of dust and dirt therefrom.

Of course, in order to assure that the receptacles 37 will always be in their normal operating position, and will not move from this position unless it is specifically desired that they do so, suitable springs or the like may be used which urge them to the position illustrated in FIG. 2. Such springs, which are not shown, may also be connected with the element 22 and urge the latter -together with the brush roller 18-- to an uppermost position which is illustrated in FIG. 2.

The journals 35 are provided in such a manner as to be configurated in slot-like shape essentially horizontally, and their interior is accessible through inlet openings 39 which converge and which have at their narrowest portion a width smaller than the diameter of the axles 36, it subsequently to diverge again as illustrated for instance in FIG. 2. Thus, the axles 36 can be snapped through the inlet openings 39 into the slot-like journals 35 and are thus retained against undesired separation. The portions 40 which bound the inlet openings 39 may be provided on a resiliently deflectable arm 41 to permit a more ready insertion of theaxles 36 past the narrowest portion of the inlet openings 39. The portions 40 also -together with the arm 41 close off one end of the respective journal openings 35. a

The element 22 carrying the brush roller 18 is strattled by an adjusting bracket 43 whose end portions are joumalled in known manner in arcuately curved journals 42 of the journal elements 24 (see FIG. 2) and which in part abuts against a cam 44 of a setting member 45 which can be turned from the exterior of the housing by means of a gripping portion 46. The member 45 is mounted turnably in a recess provided for this purpose in the upper cover portion 12 and overlies with its annular part 48 a corresponding portion of the material of the upper cover portion 12 in the depression or recess 47 as illustrated in FIG. 2. A cylindrical part of the member 45 extends I through an aperture provided at the center of the depression 47 and is provided on the side facing the interior of the housing with several offset projections 50 having different configurations and engaging below the material of the upper cover portion 12 at the marginal portion of the aperture provided in the depression 47, as illustrated, to prevent undesired withdrawal of the member 45. The marginal portion is of course provided with corresponding cutouts so that when the projections 50 are aligned with these cutouts, the member 45 can be inserted or removed from the depression 47. The cam 44 prevents turning of the member 45 to a position in which it could be withdrawn from the depression 47 by virtue of a locking portion which engages with the bracket 43 when the member 45 has been inserted and has been turned to a position where such engagement takes place. When the member 45 is turned, the cam acts upon the bracket 43 and thus displaces the element 22 and the main brush roller 18 in a sense displacing the latter downwardly to a desired extent, and in the illustrated embodiment, the springs acting upon the receptacles 37 at the same time act upon the roller 18 in a sense tending to displace to its uppermost position so that, when the member 45 is subsequently turned in a direction oppositely the one just discussed, the springs will urge the brush roller 18 upwardly to the possible extent which. is controlled by the position of the member 45 and the cam 44.

As shown in FIG. 2 also, the lower frame portion 11 is provided with an outer projecting bead 51 in the region of its lower part, constituting a bumper to prevent damage to furniture and the like with which the device may come in contact. The journal elements 24 are provided with recesses 52 which, when the journal elements 24 are in the position in which they are connected with the lower frame portion 11, are aligned with the openings 15 so that the inwardly bent portion of the bracket 14 can be received therein. This, also, serves to further assure proper retention and connection of the journal elements 24 on or in the lower frame portion 1 1.

Because of the particular configuration of the various components of the sweeper according to the present invention, the assembly of these components is very simple. First, the element 45 is connected with the upper cover portion 12 and the latter is then inserted from below into the lower frame portion 11. It is displaced upwardly therein until the beads 31 and 32 engage. Now, the journal elements 24 are connected with the walls of the lower frame portion 1 1 by interengagement of the guide elements 25 and 28, as well as the projections 30 in the recesses 27. At this point, of the assembly, the portions 33 abut from below against the bead 31 urging it into tight engagement with the bead 32. Now the element 43 and subsequently the element 22 with the main brush roller 18 are mounted and finally the wheels with their axles are connected with the journal elements 24 with the receptacles 37 already mounted on the axles 36, together with the wheels 19. Subsequently, it is only necessary for the end portions of the arms 17 of the bracket 14 to be inserted into the openings 15 with these end portions also projecting into the corresponding apertures or recesses in the journal elements 24.

In FIG. 7, we have illustrated a further embodiment for connecting the upper cover portion with the lower frame portion. In FIG. 7, the lower frame portion is identified with reference numeral 54 and provided in the region of the upper open side with an inner radially outwardly recessed groove 55 which is upwardly limited by an inwardly projecting marginal portion 56 and downwardly by a bead 59 which diverges inwardly and upwardly in a substantially sawtooth-shaped cross section. The upper cover portion is identified with reference numeral 57 and again provided with an outwardly projecting bead or flange 58, as in the preceding embodiment, and which is received in the groove 55. In this embodiment, it is very simple to make the journal elements of one piece with the inner sides of the lower frame portion 54, although this has not been illustrated in order to not make the drawing too confusing.

FIG. 8 shows a view analogous to that of FIG. 7, but of another embodiment. Here, the lower frame portion is identified with reference numeral 64 and has an upper bead encircling its upper opening or upper open side, and provided with an upwardly open circumferential groove 63, with the upper cover portion 61 being provided with a downward flange 62 which is received in frictional engagement in the groove 63. Also, the journal elements 24 may be found directly on the inner sides of the lower frame portions 64. Of course, both in FIGS. 7 and 8, the journal elements may be provided separately and may be connected to the respective lower frame portion in the manner described with reference to FIGS. 1-6, or they may be partially embedded in the lower frame portion when it is desired to make them unitary therewith but not to actually form them thereon.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the connection between the upper portion 61 and the lower portion 64 may also be somewhat different, for instance there may be a snap action connection or the like with requisite recesses and snap-projections being provided.

Obviously, the external configuration of the housing, that is of the upper and lower portions thereof, can differ from what has been illustrated. At the same time, or alternatively, differently configurated brush rollers and wheels may be provided, or different numbers of such brush rollers and wheels, just as they may be located in positions different from those illustrated. In the illustrated embodiment, only the main brush roller 18 is shown to be driven although more than one brush roller may be provided and two or all of them may be driven if desired. Similarly, the joumalling and height-adjustability of the main brush roller, and any or all brush rollers, may be made possible in a different manner from what has been illustrated, such manner being already known in the art. Finally, the journal elements may be connnected with the lower frame portion in a manner other than what has been described by way of example herein.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions difi'ering from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a sweeper, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended l. A sweeper, particularly a carpet sweeper, comprising a housing including a frame-shaped lower portion of readily deformable material having an upper and a lower open side, and an upper cover portion of substantially rigid material overlying said upper open side and connected with said lower portion in shape-retaining relationship therewith; wheel means mounted in said lower portion and projecting in part through said lower open side so as to support said housing for movement on a surface; brush roller means also mounted in said lower portion and in part projecting through said lower open side thereof; journal means comprising a plurality of journal elements carried by said lower portion for rotatably journalling said wheel means and brush roller means in said housing; journal carriers provided with said journal elements; and cooperating coupling portions on said journal carriers and on said lower portion for coupling the former to the latter.

2. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, wherein said lower portion is composed of synthetic plastic material.

3. A sweeper as defined in claim 2, wherein said upper portion is made of sheet metal.

4. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said lower portion having a pair of transversely spaced side wall portions each having an inwardly directed surface; and wherein said coupling portions on said lower portion are provided on said inwardly directed surfaces of said side wall portions.

5. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said lower portions having an upper circumferential edge bounding said open side and provided with an inwardly projecting bead, and said journal carriers comprising abutment portions of limited deflectability downwardly adjacent said bead; and wherein said upper cover portion has a circumferential margin provided with an outwardly projecting flange receivable between and retained by said bead and said abutment portions.

6. A sweeper as defined in claim 5, said bead and said flange having respective cooperating abutment surfaces, and wherein said abutment surfaces are of arcuate contour.

7. A sweeper as defined in claim 6, wherein said abutment surface of said bead is concave, and wherein said abutment surface of said flange is convex.

8. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, wherein said coupling portions are unitary with said lower portion and with said journal carriers, respectively.

9. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said coupling portions comprising interengaging undercut guide sections on said lower portion and said journal carriers, respectively, and being elongated in direction from one towards the other of said open sides, and snap-action couplings having coupling sections on said lower portion and said journal carriers, respectively, and engageable with a snap action upon interengagement of said guide sections.

10. A sweeper as defined in claim 9, wherein said guide sections are respectively of substantially L-shaped cross-section and each have an open end facing said lower open side.

1 l. A sweeper as defined in claim 9, said coupling sections each including a recess in an inner surface of said lower portion, and a snap-in projection receivable in said recess.

12. A sweeper as defined in claim 11, said recess having a depth which increases inwardly from said inner surface in direction towards said lower open side, and said snap-in projection having a mating configuration.

13. A sweeper as defined in claim 11; and further comprising a void in the material of said lower portion outwardly of said recess to thereby enhance flexibility of said material in the region of said recess.

14. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said journal means comprising a plurality of journal portions unitary with said lower portion.

15. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said upper cover portion having a circumferential margin, and said lower portion having a channel surrounding said upper open side and adapted to receive said margin in locking relationship.

16. A sweeper as defined in claim 15, said margin being an outwardly projecting flange; and wherein said lower portion has an inner peripheral surface provided with said channel.

17. A sweeper as defined in claim 15, said lower portion having an upwardly directed edge face bounding said upper open side and provided with said channel, and wherein said margin of said upper cover portion projects downwardly towards said edge face and is received in said channel.

18. A sweeper as defined in claim 17, said channel having a width and said margin having a thickness so correlated that said margin is frictionally retained in said channel.

19. A sweeper as defined in claim 4, said journal carriers each having a concealed side facing the respective inwardly directed surface, and an inner exposed side; wherein said journal elements are provided on said inner exposed side unitary therewith; and wherein said journal carriers each further have on the respective inner exposed side unitary therewith upright mounting portions for mounting a carrier for said brush roller means in positionally adjustable relationship.

20. A sweeper as defined in claim 19, said journal elements being respective depressions elongated substantially in horizontal direction and each having an inlet portion communicating with the respective depression transversely to the elongation thereof and configurated for admitting insertion of an element to be journalled with a snap action into the respective depression.

21. A sweeper as defined in claim 20, said inlet portions being positioned so as to be accessible through said lower open side of said lower portion.

22. A sweeper as defined in claim 20, said wheel means and said brush roller means each having an axle provided with end portions which are to be journalled in the respective depressions and which have a predetermined diameter; and wherein said inlet portions have inlet passages which converge in direction inwardly towards the respective depression from a dimension larger than said predetennined diameter to a dimension somewhat smaller than said predetermined diameter.

23. A sweeper as defined in claim 22, said inlet portions being bounded by lateral marginal sections at least one of which is elastically deflectable at least in the region of the smaller of said dimensions.

24. A sweeper as defined in claim 23, wherein said one marginal section is provided on an elastically deflectable stripshaped section of the respective journal element.

25. A sweeper as defined in claim 4, further comprising a substantially Uishaped bifurcated carrier member for a handle embracing said upper cover portion and having legs extending downwardly at opposite lateral sides of said upper cover portion and said lower frame portion, said legs having free end sections extending inwardly towards one another; and aligned apertures provided in said side wall portions and the respectively associated journal members for pivotably receiving said free end sections 26. A sweeper as defined in claim 25, said side wall portions having respective outer surfaces facing away from the associated inner surfaces and spaced from one another by a predetermined distance; said legs being spaced from another by a distance slightly smaller than said predetermined distance so that said legs abut the respective outer surfaces; and further comprising at least two notches in each of said outer surfaces radiating outwardly from the respective aperture in mutually inclined directions for retainingly receiving the respective leg so as to position said carrier member at predetermined angles to the vertical in dependence upon the accommodation of the legs in one or the other of said notches.

27. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said lower frame portion having an outer side and being provided at least in the region of said lower open side with a circumferentially extending outwardly projecting bead constituting a bumper.

Claims (27)

1. A sweeper, particularly a carpet sweeper, comprising a housing including a frame-shaped lower portion of readily deformable material having an upper and a lower open side, and an upper cover portion of substantially rigid material overlying said upper open side and connected with said lower portion in shape-retaining relationship therewith; wheel means mounted in said lower portion and projecting in part through said lower open side so as to support said housing for movement on a surface; brush roller means also mounted in said lower portion and in part projecting through said lower open side thereof; journal means comprising a plurality of journal elements carried by said lower portion for rotatably journalling said wheel means and brush roller means in said housing; journal carriers provided with said journal elements; and cooperating coupling portions on said journal carriers and on said lower portion for coupling the former to the latter.

2. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, wherein said lower portion is composed of synthetic plastic material.

3. A sweeper as defined in claim 2, wherein said upper portion is made of sheet metal.

4. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said lower portion having a pair of transversely spaced side wall portions each having an inwardly directed surface; and wherein said coupling portions on said lower portion are provided on said inwardly directed surfaces of said side wall portions.

5. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said lower portions having an upper circumferential edge bounding said open side and provided with an inwardly projecting bead, and said journal carriers comprising abutment portions of limited deflectability downwardly adjacent said bead; and wherein said upper cover portion has a circumferential margin provided with an outwardly projecting flange receivable between and retained by said bead and said abutment portions.

6. A sweeper as defined in claim 5, said bead and said flange having respective cooperating abutment surfaces, and wherein said abutment surfaces are of arcuate contour.

7. A sweeper as defined in claim 6, wherein said abutment surface of said bead is concave, and wherein said abutment surface of said flange is convex.

8. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, wherein said coupling portions are unitary with said lower portion and with said journal carriers, respectively.

9. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said coupling portions comprising interengaging undercut guide sections on said lower portion and said journal carriers, respectively, and being elongated in direction from one towards the other of said open sides, and snap-action couplings having coupling sections on said lower portion and said journal carriers, respectively, and engageable with a snap action upon interengagement of said guide sections.

10. A sweeper as defined in claim 9, wherein said guide sections are respectively of substantially L-shaped cross-section and each have an open end facing said lower open side.

11. A sweeper as defined in claim 9, said coupling sections each including a recess in an inner surface of said lower portion, and a snap-in projection receivable in said recess.

12. A sweeper as defined in claim 11, said recess having a depth which increases inwardly from said inner surface in direction towards Said lower open side, and said snap-in projection having a mating configuration.

13. A sweeper as defined in claim 11; and further comprising a void in the material of said lower portion outwardly of said recess to thereby enhance flexibility of said material in the region of said recess.

14. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said journal means comprising a plurality of journal portions unitary with said lower portion.

15. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said upper cover portion having a circumferential margin, and said lower portion having a channel surrounding said upper open side and adapted to receive said margin in locking relationship.

16. A sweeper as defined in claim 15, said margin being an outwardly projecting flange; and wherein said lower portion has an inner peripheral surface provided with said channel.

17. A sweeper as defined in claim 15, said lower portion having an upwardly directed edge face bounding said upper open side and provided with said channel, and wherein said margin of said upper cover portion projects downwardly towards said edge face and is received in said channel.

18. A sweeper as defined in claim 17, said channel having a width and said margin having a thickness so correlated that said margin is frictionally retained in said channel.

19. A sweeper as defined in claim 4, said journal carriers each having a concealed side facing the respective inwardly directed surface, and an inner exposed side; wherein said journal elements are provided on said inner exposed side unitary therewith; and wherein said journal carriers each further have on the respective inner exposed side unitary therewith upright mounting portions for mounting a carrier for said brush roller means in positionally adjustable relationship.

20. A sweeper as defined in claim 19, said journal elements being respective depressions elongated substantially in horizontal direction and each having an inlet portion communicating with the respective depression transversely to the elongation thereof and configurated for admitting insertion of an element to be journalled with a snap action into the respective depression.

21. A sweeper as defined in claim 20, said inlet portions being positioned so as to be accessible through said lower open side of said lower portion.

22. A sweeper as defined in claim 20, said wheel means and said brush roller means each having an axle provided with end portions which are to be journalled in the respective depressions and which have a predetermined diameter; and wherein said inlet portions have inlet passages which converge in direction inwardly towards the respective depression from a dimension larger than said predetermined diameter to a dimension somewhat smaller than said predetermined diameter.

23. A sweeper as defined in claim 22, said inlet portions being bounded by lateral marginal sections at least one of which is elastically deflectable at least in the region of the smaller of said dimensions.

24. A sweeper as defined in claim 23, wherein said one marginal section is provided on an elastically deflectable strip-shaped section of the respective journal element.

25. A sweeper as defined in claim 4, further comprising a substantially U-shaped bifurcated carrier member for a handle embracing said upper cover portion and having legs extending downwardly at opposite lateral sides of said upper cover portion and said lower frame portion, said legs having free end sections extending inwardly towards one another; and aligned apertures provided in said side wall portions and the respectively associated journal members for pivotably receiving said free end sections.

26. A sweeper as defined in claim 25, said side wall portions having respective outer surfaces facing away from the associated inner surfaces and spaced from one another by a predetermined distance; said legs being spaced from another by a distance slightly smaller than said predetermined distance so that said legs abut the rEspective outer surfaces; and further comprising at least two notches in each of said outer surfaces radiating outwardly from the respective aperture in mutually inclined directions for retainingly receiving the respective leg so as to position said carrier member at predetermined angles to the vertical in dependence upon the accommodation of the legs in one or the other of said notches.

27. A sweeper as defined in claim 1, said lower frame portion having an outer side and being provided at least in the region of said lower open side with a circumferentially extending outwardly projecting bead constituting a bumper.

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