SPOT SWEEPER WITH POWERED SUCTION UNIT

The present invention relates, in a general sense, to powered,

portable sweepers, and, more particularly, to a sweeper which is especially

effective in cleaning small areas where small remnants of debris have been

left by more conventional cleaning devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

Since the memory of man runneth not to the contrary, the

venerable broom has been man's tool for moving dirt and debris away from

chosen areas to other places, At some time it became prudent to remove

the fugitive material completely from the area. Enter the dust pan.

Since the industrial revolution, several devices have been

devised to make the chore of cleaning less so. The vacuum cleaner has

evolved in several recognizable forms and all claim to be the end and all of

cleaning appliances. Inherent in such devices is the inability to reach, and

extract, debris from a variety of places, e.g., corners and under and behind

furniture.

In response to this apparent deficiency, manufacturers add

attachments. Thus, after wielding an eight pound vacuum cleaner about the

premises, the dutiful user must drag out a six foot hose and a host of

attachments and, while pulling the vacuum behind, attempt to reach those

otherwise unreachable places.

Overview of the Prior Art

It is clear from a review of the prior art that the present

invention is not the first to see a need for a dust pan like device which is

capable of picking up dirt and debris with the use of a vacuum device.

Reference is made to Rood patent 6,671,924, which is interesting only to the

extent that it is a box which is plugged into a conventional socket and has

an opening which receives dirt and debris from a broom and deposits it in a

collection chamber. It is in no sense portable, nor it is capable of achieving

the objectives of the present invention.

Douglas patent 5,953,788 is, for all intents and purposes, an

upright vacuum cleaner which, again, uses conventional AC power to suck

up dirt from a room.

Naul patent 1,898,887 envisions a mop cleaner and dust pan

which is an accessory to the upright vacuum cleaner of the day. Naul has a

slanted lid 19 upon which he puts a soiled mop and the vacuum cleaner then

creates a vacuum in the accessory, presumably pulling dirt and debris from

the mop.

The Courcelles patent, 5,437,078 envisions a broom which is

usable with a central vacuum system to retrieve dirt and debris. In a similar

vein, Crochett patent 5,560,077, envisions a rechargeable vacuum on

wheels for retrieving dirt and debris beneath it. This appears to be the

forerunner to the self-propelled vacuum.

Murray patent 6,895,632 is just one of several different hand-

held portables, and Yau, publication number US 2005/0132528, is yet

another example of such a device.

Finally, DeCosa et al. patent 4,360,947 is an example of a shop

vac with a dust pan type attachment.

It is apparent that none of these devices are structurally similar

to the present invention, nor can they perform in the same or similar

manner to achieve the same results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the simplest possible terms, it is the function and the

objective of the spot sweeper of the present invention to provide the user

with the capacity to retrieve dirt and debris from otherwise inaccessible

spots.

It is another objective of the present invention to capture dirt

and debris, once retrieved, in order to carry it away for disposal. Yet

another objective of the present invention is to provide an appliance, as

described, that is light weight, exceptionally easy to manipulate, and a

versatile adjunct to cleaning chores, at a cost which makes the appliance

accessible to all.

Related to the foregoing, is the provision of a hand-held,

portable power sweeper which fills a void in sweeper technology by

retrieving dirt and debris which conventional upright or cannister sweepers

either can not, or will not, reach and it do its work with exceptional efficiency

and alacrity, without need for hoses and attachments.

The foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages of the

present invention, will be evident to those skilled in the art from a reading of

the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, in conjunction

with the drawings, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the spot sweeper of the present

invention as viewed from above;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, but viewed from

beneath the sweeper; and,

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the sweeper of the present

invention, cut away to show the inner mechanism thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, a

spot sweeper 10, which is fully portable and instantly operable to extract

debris left behind by more conventional cleaning devices, is shown.

The sweeper 10 is formed with a housing, or casing, 12 which

includes an ergonomically shaped handle 14 and a power source 16.

Electrically connected with, and forward of, the power source in the housing

is a powered suction/pickup assembly 21.

The heart of the present invention rests in its versatility and

ease of use. Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, the casing 12 is compact and

easy to manipulate, bears a resemblance to the venerable dust pan, and is

as easy to handle. The casing includes a relatively flat platen 23, covered by

a shroud 25. The platen 23 is capable of being positioned essentially flush

with the surface to be cleaned and provided with a forward edge, or blade,

27 which is beveled to an edge 29.

The platen 23 and shroud 25 together define a chamber, or

trap, 32 into which dirt and debris are received and confined. A trap door 34

is provided in the platen beneath the trap and is removable to empty the

trap.

Utility is enhanced by the provision of the powered

suction/pickup system 21. Suction is created in the spot sweeper by means

of a DC motor 36, powered by batteries 38 which are conveniently housed in

the handle 14. The motor 36 drives a fan 41 which pulls air through the filter

43 creating a vacuum up stream of the filter so as to pull dirt and debris into

the trap 32. Filtered air drawn through the filter is exhausted through ports

45. The trap door 34 is sufficiently elongated to permit changing of the filter

as needed.

One of the key features of the sweeper of the present invention

is its unique capability of serving the function of a dust pan and retrieving

dirt and debris in seemingly inaccessible places, both with considerable ease.

More particularly, its versatility is evident from its ability to accomplish these

functions under power, where appropriate, thereby removing, as

distinguished from simply relocating, debris.

In achieving these features, the nose 45 of the shroud slopes

toward the platen. A riser 46 is formed in the shroud before the nose which

is sloped, or ramped, upwardly from its terminus at the point of intersection

with a downwardly sloping wall 47 of the shroud. The riser 46, together with

the wall 47, defines a shallow, yet discernable, pocket, or depression,

similar in size and depth to one might expect in a receptacle such as a

conventional dust pan. A significant advance, however, is found in the

provision of an elongated slot 49 at the intersection of the wall 47 and riser

46. The slot runs transverse to the longitudinal axis of the shroud at its

deepest point in the depression. Thus, if the dirt is swept into the

depression by, for example, a broom B, such debris may be caused to fall,

in one embodiment, gravitationally into the trap 32.

The present spot sweeper in its dust pan mode will, in all

likelihood, leave a line of dirt which is not uncommon for dust pans. By

switching to its power vac mode, this device is capable of capturing and

confining that line of dirt, referred to above, as well as debris and dirt from

other relatively inaccessible areas quickly and with minimum effort. A switch

between modes in accomplished without changing hands or doing anything

other than depressing a trigger and holding the device to the area to be

swept.

Once in the power vac mode, the forward end of the casing is

especially constructed to function as a power sweeper. It will be seen in the

present device that the nose 45 of the shroud 25 overlaps the forward edge

of the platen 23, leaving a slot, or gap, 54, which is parallel to the slot 49,

but substantially flush with the surface to be swept. Sweeping is

accomplished by simply squeezing the trigger 52, thereby actuating the

motor 36 and the suction fan 41 to create a vacuum at the slot 54, which

draws dirt and debris at the slot into the trap 32.

In the power vac mode, it is possible to employ a vacuum in

accomplishing removal of dirt and debris, not only from a surface, but from

the pocket formed in the shroud. A flapper valve 56 is provided, one end of

which is anchored to the rear of the slot 54 with a free end, normally spring

loaded to a position immediately to the low point in the slot 49. A material

such as spring steel may be used to effect the positioning of the free end

against the inside wall of the shroud behind the slot therein. When the

motor 36 is actuated, the flapper valve 56 is drawn down into engagement

with the platen 23 and both slots are then effected by the suction created in

the trap, causing the dirt and debris in proximity to each slot to be drawn

into, and confined, in the trap. The filter 43, of course, prevents the dirt and

debris from passing through it, and the accumulated dirt and debris is then

manually extracted from beneath the trap by removing the trap door 34.

Accordingly, such residual dirt and debris as may remain, e.g., the line of

dirt commonly left by the use of broom and dust pan, may be readily picked

up, trapped, and disposed of.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that some

structural and other modifications may be made without sacrifice to the

objectives of the invention. Such modifications are within the contemplation

of the invention which is defined by the claims, wherein: