TITLE OF INVENTION : LOCKING DUSTPAN FOR FLOOR SWEEPER

I. BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improvement in hand held floor sweepers and more

particularly to an improvement in the hand held sweeper illustrated in U.S. Application

Serial Number 10/861,705 filed on June 3, 2004. This application is directed to a

removable, lockable dustpan, to be used in the previously referenced floor sweeper. Handheld sweepers have been used in the past to pick up dust and small items

from hard surfaces, such as wood or tile floors, and carpets having piles of various height. One type of handheld floor sweeper that has been used extensively in the past is

a manually pushed floor sweeper that is not powered by a motor. The handheld

sweeper has brushes mounted on a shaft located in the sweeper head that contact the surface to be cleaned. The brushes rotate as the sweeper is pushed and pulled across the floor surface. The brushes rotate and the bristles sweep the loose material up into a dust

canister or similar dust-receiving portion in the sweeper head. A problem with this type

of floor sweeper is that it only picks up material in the forward or rearward direction as

the user pushes or pulls the sweeper across the floor as the sweeper is designed for

PAGE: 2 movement in just the forward or reward directions. The sweeper head does not rotate

about its handle for movement in the left or right directions, nor does it easily change

directions for cleaning under low overhanging objects such as under cabinets or

furniture.

The invention disclosed herein is a floor sweeper, which is extremely light and

has a very low profile sweeper head. The floor sweeper head is mounted to an

elongated handle by means of a universal pivot or universal joint. This allows the floor

sweeper head to easily pivot about the handle in any direction for easily picking up loose

materials under over hanging cabinets or under furniture. There are brushes mounted

around all four sides and at the edges of the sweeper head. This provides cleaning

action in any direction, not just in the forward or reverse direction. All of the brushes

are powered by a small electric motor that seep the dust or loose material into the dust

pan or tray in the sweeper head. The improvement disclosed herein is a dustpan used in

the floor sweeper that has locking tabs that securely, yet releasably holds the dustpan in

the sweeper head.

II. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a handheld sweeper that has a

removable dustpan that is securely mounted to the sweeper head yet can be easily removed for disposing of collected debris.

PAGE: 3 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the handheld sweeper.

Fig. IA is an enlarged perspective view of the battery pack shown in the encircled portion on Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation view with portions removed of the hand sweeper.

Fig. 3 is a left side view of the sweeper with portions removed.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the sweeper.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing the

sweeper head.

Fig. 6 is a partially exploded view of the sweeper head.

Fig. 7 is a top view of the sweeper head.

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the sweeper head with the elongated handle removed.

Fig. 9 is a fully exploded view of the sweeper head.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the inventive dustpan.

Fig. 11 is a front elevation view of the dustpan.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view with portions removed of the sweeper head

showing how the removable dustpan is released from its locked position.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the sweeper head showing the removed dustpan

after it is released from the locked position and dropped out of engagement with the

sweeper head.

PAGE: 4 IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning first to Fig 1 a sweeper 10 of the present invention is disclosed. There is

a sweeper head 12 connected to an elongated handle 14 by means of a universal pivot

16. Mounted on the elongated handle 14 is a battery box 18 that contains a rechargeable

battery 20. At a top end of the elongated handle 14 is a grasping portion 22 which the user holds to push, pull or otherwise move the sweeper 10.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate the outer design of the sweeper head 12. The sweeper

head 12 has a housing comprised of a rectangular top 24, short sides 26 and long sides

28. The universal pivot 16 is attached to the top 24.

Fig 4 illustrates the underside of the sweeper head 12. Mounted along one of the

long sides 28 at the front of the sweeper head 12 is a long brush 30. Mounted along the

other long side 28 at the rear of the sweeper head 12, are a pair of rear brushes 32, 34.

Along one of the short sides 26 is a first side brush 36 and along the opposite short side

is a second side brush 38. Mounted to or integrally formed in the brushes 30, 32, 34,

36and 38 are radially extending bristles 39 that are designed to contact the surface to be

cleaned and sweep the debris up from the surface.

Comer brushes 40 are mounted with the plane of the bristles substantially parallel

to the sides 26 at each of the four corners. However, the bristles of the corner brushes

40 are spread out in the plane parallel to the short side 26 so that the bristles actually

extend out beyond the short sides 26. This enables the bristles of the corner brushes 40

to contact and clean a corner formed between the floor and a wall or other upstanding

PAGE: 5 surface. If the bristles do not extend at least under the short sides 26, the short sides 26

contact the wall or other upstanding surface and will not allow the corners to be swept.

All of the brushes are mounted on shafts so that the brushes can freely rotate.

The sweeper head 12 slides on high gloss, high polished plastic slides or glides

42 as seen in Figs 2-4. These are positioned in each of the four corners of the sweeper

head 12 and allow the sweeper head 12 to easily glide over both a hard surface and

carpet. Rollers may replace these glides. Furthermore the sweeper head can be easily

moved in any direction along the surface to be cleaned, and the arrangement of the

rollers along the front, rear and sides result in the sweeping of debris from the surface

I regardless of the direction of movement.

The sweeper head 12 has a top casing 44 as seen in Fig. 6.The brushes are

mounted on a chassis 46. The universal pivot 16 is also mounted to the chassis 46. A

dust receiving tray 48 is positioned below the chassis 46. Locating and locking tabs 50

extend upwardly from the dust receiving tray 48. These tabs 50 extend through

receiving slots 52 in the chassis 46. The tabs 50 have a lower end 50a securely attached

to a bottom 48a of the dust receiving tray 48. The tabs 50 have an upper end 50b,

opposite the lower end 50a, that is free to flex or pivot about the lower end 50a. There

are barbs or locking protrusions 51 extending at an angle from the tabs 50. The angle is

preferably about 90. The barbs or locking protrusions 51 engage the slots 52 to latch

the tabs 50 into locking engagement with the chassis 46.

PAGE: 6 Sliding tabs 54 on the chassis 46 can slide outward to engage indentations 55 in

the top casing 44. In this manner the chassis 46 is placed in locking engagement with

the top casing 44. When the dust receiving tray 48 is to be emptied, the user pinches the

upper ends 50b of the tabs 50, which pushes them toward each other (see Fig. 12). This

unlocks the barbs 51 from the slots 52 and the dust receiving tray 48 is released for

emptying (see Fig. 13). Two plastic windows 56 mounted in the top of the chassis 46

allow the user to observe the inside of the dust receiving tray 48 so that it can be

emptied when it is full of debris. Fig. 7 illustrates the dust receiving tray 48 and chassis

46 attached to the casing 44.

As seen in Figs. 6 and 9, each of the brushes 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 is mounted on

shafts for rotation. The ends of the brushes are mounted in gear housings 58 comprised

of a top housing 60 and a bottom housing 62. The shafts 34, 36, 30, 38 and 32 are

mechanically interconnected as described herein. One end 64 of shaft 34 is mounted in

a motor housing 65. Gear 66 is mounted on the one end 64 of shaft 34 and is driven by

pinion 68 which, in turn, is mounted on drive shaft 70 of a motor 72. The motor 72 is

mounted in motor housing 65 and supported by a motor bracket 73. Other end 74 of

shaft 34 is mounted in the gear housing 58. Bevel gear 76 mounted on shaft 78 is

mounted to other end 74 of shaft 34 within the gear housing 58. Shaft 78 extends out

from the gear housing 58 and has a corner brush 40 mounted at its end opposite the

other end 74. A complementary bevel gear 80 is mounted on the shaft of first side brush

36, which is an adjacent 90-degree shaft. Similarly bevel gear 82 is mounted at the other

end of the shaft. Complementary bevel gear 84 mounted on shaft 86 engages bevel gear

PAGE: 7 82. These gears are located in a second gear housing 58. Shaft 86 is connected to one

end of long brush 30. In a similar arrangement the other end of long brush 30 has shaft

88 connected to it with bevel gear 90 mounted on it. Complementary bevel gear 92

engages bevel gear 90. These gears are located in a third gear housing. Gear 92 in turn

is mounted on one end of the second side brush 38. Bevel gear 94 is mounted on the

other end of the second side brush 38. Complementary bevel gear 96 is mounted on

shaft 98, which in turn is connected to one end of the rear brush 32. These gears are

located in a fourth gear housing. The other end of the rear brush 32 is retained within

the motor housing 65. This gear arrangement drivingly interconnects brushes 34, 36,

30, 38 and 32 respectively such that all of the brushes rotate in unison.

Shafts 78, 86, 90 and 98 have an end that extends out from its respective gear

housing 58. Securely mounted on the end of the shaft extending out from the gear

housing is a corner brush 40. Thus the corner brushes 40 rotate with the respective

rotating long brush or rear brush to which it is connected. The corner brushes spread

outward at their tips such that their bristles are under the bottom of the short side 26 of

the sweeper head 12. This is seen in Figs. 2, 4 and 5.

The elongated handle 14 is connected to the sweeper head 12 by means of the

universal pivot 16, which is more clearly shown in Fig 6. The universal pivot connection

allows the handle 14 to swivel from the front to the back and from side to side with

respect to the sweeper head. This allows the sweeper head to easily rotate in any

direction to easily move under furniture, ledges, shelves, etc. The universal pivot 16 is

comprised of several components as seen in Fig 9. There is a pivot ball top 100 and a

PAGE: 8 pivot ball bottom 102 supported by a pivot ball support 104. There are two cross arm

yokes 106, which receive the pivot ball top 100 and bottom 102 between the two yokes

106. The pivot ball top and bottom allow the cross arm yokes 106 to rotate on the pivot

ball support 104 from one long side 28 to the opposite long side 28. This allows the

elongated handle 14 to pivot about the sweeper head 12 as seen by the arrow A-A in

Fig. 3.

The yokes 106 have pins 108 at their bottom ends that are rotatably received in

the pivot ball top 100 and bottom 102. This provides a pivot point about which the

handle 14 can rotate about the sweeper head 12 from one short side 26 to the other

short side 26 as illustrated by the arrow B-B of Fig. 2. Other types of universal pivot

connections can be utilized as will be apparent to those skilled in the art of mechanical

pivot connections. The important point is to allow the handle 14 to freely rotate in all

directions about the sweeper head 12.

The elongated handle 12 is assembled from a series of interlocking pipes or tubes

110, 112, 114 and 116. Spring loaded pins or locks 118 are placed in one end of each of

the tubes 110, 112, and 114, which interlock with receiving holes in the next adjacent

tube. One end of each of tubes 110, 112, and 114 has a reduced diameter to receive the

end of the next tube above it so that the tube slides over the reduced diameter end.

The rechargeable battery 20 is also mounted on the elongated handle 14 in the

battery box 20. The battery box 18 has a removable base 120, which allows access to a

switch 122. The switch 122 turns the motor 72 on and off. Electrical wires 124 connect

the motor 72 to the battery 20.

PAGE: 9 The motor 72 and gear drive mechanism cause each of the brushes to rotate in a

direction such that the dust or loose material is swept into the sweeper head 52 where it

is received in the dust receiving tray 48. For example, as seen in Fig. 9, rear brushes 32

and 34 rotate in the direction of arrow C. Long brush 30 rotates in the opposite

direction as illustrated by arrow D. This enables the sweeper 10 to pick up dust or

debris when pushed or pulled in either a forward or backward direction.

The first side brush 36 rotates in direction of arrow E and the second side brush

38 rotates in the opposite direction of arrow F. Each of the corner brushes 40 are

connected to and driven in the same direction as brushes 30, 32, and 34. As the brushes

40 are mounted at the outer perimeter of the gear housing 58 and under the short sides

26 of the sweeper head top 24, the corner brushes 40 can reach into tight corners and

sweep the debris or dust out of the comers where it is directed into one of the first or

second side brush 36 or 38. Then the debris is swept by one of the side brushes into the

dust-receiving tray 64. In this manner the corner brushes always sweep the debris

toward the center of the side brushes where it is swept into the receiving tray 64.

The overall height of the sweeper head 12 including the brushes and glides 42 is

maintained as a very low profile sweeper to allow the sweeper to get under cabinets,

chairs and low overhangs. The universal pivot 16 allows the sweeper head to easily

rotate in any direction for ease in reaching tight spots and permits cleaning the entire

floor surface. The battery 23 can be a conventional rechargeable battery that is

recharged by plugging into a battery charger. The motor and battery are selected to

provide adequate power to the brushes for enough time to perform a normal cleaning

PAGE: 10 operation. AU of the components can be easily and inexpensively manufactured from

plastic or metal. Thus the weight of the sweeper 10 can thus be kept at a minimum for

ease of maneuvering.

In an alternative embodiment, the sweeper head is triangular is shape. There are

side brushes mounted along each of the sides, which replace the brushes 30, 32, 34, 36

and 38. The side brushes extend substantially the entire length of the sides and are

mounted for rotation just as the brushes 30-38 are mounted for rotation. Similarly the

side brushes are driven by a motor and gear arrangement as in the preferred

embodiment. There are also corner brushes places at each of the corners. There are two

corner brushes on each side that sweep debris from the corners toward the center of

their respective side brush. The corner brushes rotate in opposite directions so that they

both direct debris toward the cent of the side roller. This allows the sweeper to pick up

corner debris regardless if it moves in the forward or backward direction. In this

configuration there are a total of six corner brushes, two for each side. The corner

brushes are mechanically connected to the motor so that they are driven in unison with

the side rollers.

Thus there has been provided a floor sweeper that fully satisfies the objects set

forth above. While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific

embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be

apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it

is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within

the spirit and scope of the appended claims.