WO2011015830A1

WO2011015830A1 - Floor treatment machine with cable store

Info

Publication number: WO2011015830A1
Application number: PCT/GB2010/001493
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christopher Robert Duncan
Original assignee: Numatic International Limited
Priority date: 2009-08-07
Filing date: 2010-08-06
Publication date: 2011-02-10
Also published as: GB2484636B; GB2484636A; GB201202132D0; GB0913817D0

Abstract

The present invention concerns the field of floor treatment machines and in particular concerns vacuum cleaners. The invention provides a novel cable store (17) for electrically driven mains powered floor treatment machines. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile electrical floor treatment machine comprising a housing (11, 16) which receives an external electric power cable (13) which is adapted to be connected to a mains power supply, wherein the housing is provided with a cable store (17) for storing the power cable, the cable store comprising an enclosure (18), the enclosure being formed in an upper region of the housing, the enclosure being provided with an openable lid (21) portion, which lid is openable (18) and wherein, with the lid in place, an aperture (31) is provided around the lid through which cable may be admitted into the enclosure while the lid is in place.

Description

Floor treatment machine with cable store

The present invention concerns the field of floor

treatment machines and in particular concerns vacuum cleaners. Floor treatment includes carpet treatment such as by vacuuming and brushing, but also covers polishing and scrubbing of uncarpeted or hard floors. The invention provides a novel cable store for electrically driven mains powered floor treatment machines.

Vacuum cleaners having retractable power cables are well known in the art. These are complex and add expense to the machine. They are also prone to failure if not handled carefully and correctly.

A simpler cable solution is the provision of a cable looping arrangement in which cable is wound around two spaced apart hook features. Another arrangement, used for example in the NVP200 and NVP370 vacuum cleaners of Numatic International Limited, is to provide an annular open recess in an upper end region of the cleaner. This serves as a bay in which looped cable can be stored when the cleaner is not in use. This has certain disadvantages, for example in that the cable may spill-out of the machine and be snagged during storage or use.

JP-A-04012718 discloses a canister vacuum cleaner in which a power cable may be coiled on a reeler within an upper end of a body portion. GB 682,137 (published 1952) discloses a similar cable reeler arrangement. JP-A-

63058955U discloses a canister vacuum cleaner which has an annular internal space for coiling of a power cable, and a detachable upper lid which covers the cable when coiled. WO2006/093806 discloses a steamer which has generally circular configuration and a circular flange on one side which retains a coiled power cable. GB-A-2251179 discloses an upright vacuum cleaner which is provided with a cable reeler disposed on a rear side of an

upstanding body portion. The reeler is hidden within a cover .

The present invention seeks to provide a cable storage arrangement which provides secure cable storage and allows the cable storage space to be used as an ancillary storage area when the cable has been fully or partially deployed during use.

Thus, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile electrical floor treatment machine comprising a housing which receives an external electric power cable which is adapted to be connected to a mains power supply, wherein the housing is provided with a cable store for storing the power cable when the machine is not in use, the cable store comprising an enclosure in which the majority of the length of cable may be accommodated, the enclosure being provided with a lid portion and an aperture through which cable may be admitted into the enclosure while the lid is in place, the lid portion being openable so as to allow access to an interior space in the enclosure so that the stored cable may be manually unloaded from the enclosure.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a mobile electrical floor treatment machine comprising a housing which receives an external electric power cable which is adapted to be connected to a mains power supply, wherein the housing is provided with a cable store for storing the power cable when the machine is not in use, the cable store comprising an enclosure in which all or at least the majority of the length of cable may be accommodated, the enclosure being formed in an upper region of the housing and provided with a base portion and a generally upstanding sidewall portion with an upstanding hub feature in the enclosure around which the cable may be wound, the enclosure being provided with an openable lid portion disposed above an upper end region of the hub so as to form a flange for retaining the cable on the hub and to facilitate cable winding, which lid is openable so as permit access to an interior space in the enclosure so that the stored cable may be manually lifted upwards off the hub and wherein, with the lid in place, an aperture is provided around the lid through which cable may be admitted into the enclosure while the lid is in place.

The space vacated by the cable may by virtue of the lid be used for the storage of ancillary accessories such as wand tubes, brush attachments and cloths useful during cleaning. The lid prevents such accessories falling out during cleaning, whereas the aperture allows the cable to be fed in or out of the enclosure. The aperture preferably comprises an elongate slot which runs along a perimeter of the lid. The aperture may be an elongate continuous slot formed, for example, between a lid outer perimeter and the enclosure sidewall .

Preferably the slot is circular. The enclosure is in a preferred configuration generally cylindrical or annular in shape .

The lid may be generally annular or circular and may have a dished form so as to taper upwards from the hub. The hub is preferably fixed against rotation, and may be integrally formed with a base portion of the enclosure. Thus the cost and complexity of a cable winding mechanism is avoided.

The lid may open by hinging, but preferably by detachment thereof. In a preferred arrangement the lid is detachably engaged at an inner circumferential region thereof to an upper region of the hub. The lid may have a snap fit or a friction fit so that it may be opened by manual lifting thereof above a threshold resistance. Preferably the lid is a snap fit on the hub.

The snap fit may be provided by co-operating re-entrant features on the hub and lid respectively.

The re-entrant features respectively may comprise one or more circumferentially extending groove and ridge pairs. When the lid is annular (or another shape which provided a through aperture) a handle may be provided on an upper surface region of the hub, which handle projects through the centre region of the lid so as to permit lifting of the machine without inadvertent detachment of the lid.

The enclosure may be formed in an upper region of the housing, and the enclosure is provided with a base portion and a generally upstanding sidewall portion, with the openable lid forming a roof portion.

An upper rim edge surface of the hub may be tapered or curved to provide for gradual expansion of the lid during snap fitting. Similarly, a lower rim surface of the lid may be tapered and/or curved to ease entry of the hub upper edge into the lid.

The machine typically has wheels and/or rollers or castors for travel.

In a preferred embodiment the machine is a vacuum

cleaner. Preferably the machine is a vacuum cleaner which has a body portion including a vacuumed waste collection receptacle and an elongate wand portion which is used to draw waste into the machine. Such machines are typically called drum (or cylinder) and wand cleaners. The

invention could however also be used for an upright cleaner .

Following is a description by way of example only and with reference to the drawings of one way of putting the present invention into effect. In the drawings :- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view through an upper region of the vacuum cleaner body.

Figure 3 is a view from the side of an upper region of the cleaner with a lid portion detached.

Figure 4 is shows the re-entrant snap fit features of the lid and hub.

In figure 1 a vacuum cleaner is shown generally as 10. The cleaner has a generally cylindrical body portion 11. The body portion is supported by from castor wheels 12 and rear wheels 9 (one of two visible) . An electric cable 13 extends from the machine to a mains plug 7. A wand 14 is used to collect detritus from a floor or other

surface. The wand feeds into an elongate flexible tubular conduit 15 which is attached at a base end 8 to the cleaner body portion.

An upper region 16 of the machine is provided with a cable store 17. The cable store is shown in more detail in the sectional view figure 2. The store is an annular chamber 18 formed in the upper region of the machine. The chamber is defined by an annular base portion 28 and upstanding cylindrical sidewall 29. A central upstanding cylindrical feature provides a hub 19 around which cable 13 may be wound. An upper edge region of the hub is formed with a protruding circumferential lip feature 20. A lid 21 is a generally annular dish-shaped member. The lid has a central underside region formed with a

depending collar 22. This collar has a re-entrant lip portion 23. The engagement of the hub and lid rim

features is sown in detail in figure 4.

A rim of the lid flares upwardly as shown in figures 2 and 3 so that an upper side 24 of the lid is generally concave in configuration.

A central portion of the hub is formed with an upstanding rigid handle loop 25, shown in figures 1 and 2. A circular slot 31 is defined between the lid rim 26 and the upper circumferential edge 30 of the sidewall 29. The slot has a spacing "d" which is somewhat larger than the cable thickness . A cable may be fed into the cable store by winding the cable around the hub 19. The lid may be attached by press fitting of the lid collar onto the upper side of the hub (in the direction of the arrows A in figure 3) so that the respective hub and lid collar rims snap home. The lid is made of resilient plastics material so that it may flex sufficiently under hoop stress without failing. The hub outer upper rim surface 32 has a curved taper (or bevel) which helps gradually flex the lid rim 26 and collar as it mounts the hub.

When it is desired to use the machine, the lid rim 26 may be lifted at one side to detach the lid. The wound, stored cable loop may be lifted from the cable store. Accessories used in vacuuming such as wand extensions, tube bends or brush attachments may be stored in the space vacated by the cable. The lid may then be reattached to keep the accessories in place until they are required. The circumferential slot 31 allows excess cable to be easily re-wound by feeding through the slot.

Claims

1. A mobile electrical floor treatment machine comprising a housing which receives an external electric power cable which is adapted to be connected to a mains power supply, wherein the housing is provided with a cable store for storing the power cable when the machine is not in use, the cable store comprising an enclosure in which all or at least the majority of the length of cable may be accommodated, the enclosure being formed in an upper region of the housing and provided with a base portion and a generally upstanding sidewall portion with an upstanding hub feature in the enclosure around which the cable may be wound, the enclosure being provided with a lid portion disposed above an upper end region of the hub so as to form a flange for retaining the cable on the hub and to facilitate cable winding, which lid is openable so as permit access to an interior space in the enclosure so that the stored cable may be manually lifted upwards off the hub and wherein, with the lid in place, an aperture is provided around the lid through which cable may be admitted into the enclosure while the lid is in place.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the aperture comprises an elongate slot which runs along a perimeter of the lid.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein aperture is an elongate continuous slot formed between a lid outer perimeter and the enclosure sidewall.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the slot is circular.

5. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the enclosure is generally cylindrical or annular in shape .

6. A machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the lid is generally annular or circular.

7. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lid has a dished form so as to taper upwards from the hub .

8. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lid opens by detachment thereof.

9. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lid is detachably engaged at an inner circumferential region thereof to an upper region of the hub.

10. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lid has a snap fit or a friction fit so that it may be opened by manual lifting thereof above a threshold resistance.

11. A machine as claimed in claim 9 and claim 10 wherein the lid is a snap fit on the hub.

12. A machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein the snap fit is provided by co-operating re-entrant features on the hub and lid respectively.

13. A machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein the reentrant features respectively comprise a

circumferentially extending groove and ridge.

14. A machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the hub is fixed against rotation in the

enclosure.

15. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lid is annular and a handle is provided on an upper surface region of the hub, which handle projects through the centre region of the lid so as to permit lifting of the machine without inadvertent detachment of the lid.

16. A machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the machine is a vacuum cleaner.

17. A machine as claimed in claim 16 wherein the vacuum cleaner has a body portion including a vacuumed waste collection receptacle and an elongate wand portion which is used to draw waste into the machine.