KHUBANI ASHOK (US)
| US20050005377A1 | ||||
| US20050011536A1 |
| V. CLAIMS
1. A floor sweeper comprising: . an elongated handle having an elongated axis and opposite top and bottom ends; a substantially rectangular sweeper head with a top and bottom and further comprising a front side, a back side, and opposite first and second sides, pivotal mounting means for attaching the bottom end of the elongated handle to the top of the sweeper head, a plurality of rollers having sweeping bristles thereon mounted to the bottom of the rectangular head a first magnetic means mounted to the top of the sweeper head, a second magnetic means mounted to the elongated handle, the first and second magnetic means engaging each other in a latching relationship when the sweeper head is pivoted about the pivotal mounting means to a position wherein the plane of the sweeper head is substantially parallel to the elongated axis of the elongated handle.
2. The floor sweeper of claim 1 wherein the pivotal mounting means is a universal joint allowing the elongated handle to pivot 360° about the universal joint.
3. The floor sweeper of claim 1 wherein the first magnetic means is a magnet and the second magnetic means is a magnetically attracted metal.
4. The floor sweeper of claim 1 wherein the first magnetic means is a magnetically attracted metal and the second magnetic means is a magnet.
5. The floor sweeper of claim 1 wherein the first magnetic means is mounted on the sweeper head adjacent to one of the opposite first and second sides.
6. A floor sweeper for sweeping a surface comprising: a sweeper head of substantially rectangular configuration having a top and bottom, a front side, a rear side, and first and second opposite sides, the first and second sides intersecting the front side and defining two front corners at the line of intersection, the first and second sides further intersecting the rear side and defining two rear corners at the line of intersection; a plurality of rollers having sweeping bristles thereon mounted on the bottom of the sweeper head; an elongated handle having an elongated axis and further having opposite top and bottom ends, pivotal mounting means for attaching the bottom end of the elongated handle to the sweeper head, and latching means on the sweeper head, the latching means engaging the elongated handle when the sweeper head is pivoted about the pivotal mounting means to a position wherein the plane of the sweeper head is substantially parallel to the elongated axis of the elongated handle.
7. The floor sweeper of claim 6 wherein the pivotal mounting means is a universal joint allowing the elongated handle to pivot 360° about the universal joint.
8. The floor sweeper of claim 6 wherein the latching means comprises a u-shaped clamp that receives in latching engagement the elongated handle when the sweeper head is pivoted about the pivotal mounting means to a position wherein the plane of the sweeper head is substantially parallel to the elongated axis of the elongated handle.
9. The floor sweeper of claim 6 wherein the latching means comprises a pin protruding from the top of the sweeper head and a receiving hole on the elongated handle that receives in latching relationship the pin.
10. The floor sweeper of claim 6 wherein the latching means comprises a pin protruding from the elongated handle and a receiving hole on the top of the sweeper head that receives in latching relationship the pin.
11. A floor sweeper adapted to be moved horizontally in any direction over a surface and clean said surface by brushing, the sweeper comprising a head having a top and bottom, an elongated handle having an elongated axis and connected to the head by a universal joint, a first magnetic means mounted to the top of the sweeper head, a second magnetic means mounted to the elongated handle, the first and second magnetic means engaging each other in a latching relationship when the sweeper head is pivoted about the pivotal mounting means to a position wherein the plane of the sweeper head is substantially parallel to the elongated axis of the elongated handle, a plurality of glides mounted on the bottom of the sweeper head, the glides permitting the head to engage the surface in a manner permitting relatively free movement of the head over the surface in any horizontal direction and the universal joint permitting the sweeper head relatively free movement with respect to the handle as the head freely moves over the surface, and a plurality of brushes moveably mounted on the head and extending therebelow so as to engage the surface, and moving means operatively connected to the brushes to cause them to move relative to the head.
12. A floor sweeper adapted to be moved over a surface and clean that surface by brushing, the sweeper comprising a head having a top, a periphery, and an under surface, an elongated handle extending from the top of the head and connected to the head by a universal joint, a first magnetic means mounted to the top of the head, a second magnetic means mounted to the elongated handle, the first and second magnetic means engaging each other in a latching relationship when the sweeper head is pivoted about the universal joint to a position wherein the plane of the sweeper head is substantially parallel to the axis of the elongated handle, a plurality of glides mounted on the under surface of the sweeper head, the glides permitting the head to engage the surface by permitting relatively free movement of the head over the surface in a plurality of directions other than forward and back and the universal j oint permitting the sweeper head relatively free movement with respect to the handle as the head freely moves over the surface in the plurality of directions, a plurality of brushes moveably mounted on the head to extend therebelow so as to engage the surface, the brushes being rotatable about non-parallel axes angularly related to one another, and moving means operatively connected to the brushes to cause them to rotate about their axes.
13. The floor sweeper of claim 12 wherein the first magnetic means is a magnet and the second magnetic means is a magnetically attracted metal.
14. The floor sweeper of claim 12 wherein the first magnetic means is a magnetically attracted metal and the second magnetic means is a magnet.
15. The floor sweeper of claim 12 wherein the first magnetic means is mounted adjacent to the periphery of the sweeper head. |
TITLE OF INVENTION : STORAGE MECHANISM FOR FLOOR SWEEPER
I. BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to handheld floor sweepers and more particularly to a hand held floor sweeper having a plurality of sweeping brushes powered by an electric motor. The floor sweeper has an elongated handle that has a battery pack to supply power to the electric motor. This invention is directed to a storage mechanism used to hold the sweeper head in a vertically disposed orientation to reduce the storage area taken by the floor sweeper when hung in its stored position.
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 varying piles of various heights. 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 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 used with a new type of 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 that allows the handle to rotate 360° about the universal pivot that is mounted on the sweeper head. 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 is an electric motor mounted in the sweeper head that drives the brushes mounted around all four sides of the sweeper head. There is a rechargeable battery pack mounted on the elongated handle to provide power to the electric motor. Through unique wiring channels, power is provided to the motor from the battery pack through the elongated handle and the universal pivot or universal joint. The brushes provide cleaning action in any direction, not just in the forward or reverse direction. The motor drives the brushes to direct the dust or loose material into the dust-receiving canister in the sweeper head. Furthermore there are brushes extending out from the sides of the sweeper head that reach into corners to sweep debris into the main brushes. All of the brushes are powered by a small electric motor.
The sweeper head generally lies in a horizontal plane with the elongated handle extending upward from the sweeper head. To store the sweeper, the top of the handle is generally hung from a hook or other hanging means with the sweeper head held above the floor. While horizontally disposed, the side of the sweeper head contacts the wall from which the sweeper is hung. This results in the sweeper head extending out from the
wall and increasing the storage area that the sweeper occupies when stored.
This invention allows the sweeper head to be reoriented and held in a vertical position for storage. The plane of the sweeper head is now oriented parallel to the length of the elongated handle of the sweeper. The result is that when the sweeper is hung from its handle for storing, the sides of the sweeper head do not contact the wall and the sweeper head does not protrude out from the wall. This results in less storage area for the sweeper when hung on a wall for storage. If the sweeper is not being hung from its handle, but merely rested on the sweeper head against the floor, it still takes up less storage space as the sweeper head is not extending horizontally outward into the storage area, but rather is oriented in a vertical plane parallel to the shaft of the sweeper handle.
II. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a handheld sweeper that has a pivotal sweeper head that can be pivoted so that the plane of the sweeper head is disposed in a vertical position for storage. It is a related object to provide a locking device for holding the sweeper head in this vertical position when the sweeper is mounted on a wall for storage or when the sweeper is placed against the floor with an edge of the sweeper head contacting the floor. It is another object to provide a handheld sweeper that has an elongated .handle connected to the sweeper head by means of a universal pivot or universal joint so that the sweeper head can be pivoted to a vertical position and held in that position for storage. Another object is to provide a sweeper head and elongated sweeper handle that cooperate with each other to provide latching means for holding the sweeper head in parallel alignment with the elongated shaft.
III. DESCRIPTION QF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the sweeper of the prior art.
Fig IA is an enlarged view of the area shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 illustrating the battery pack used to drive the motor to turn the brushes in the sweeper.
Fig. 2 is a front view of the sweeper of the prior art when it is hung on a wall for storage.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the sweeper head showing the inventive clip.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the inventive sweeper head using a magnetic catch.
Fig. 5 is a top view with portions removed of an alternate embodiment in which a pin on the elongated shaft of the sweeper engages a hole in the sweeper head to store the sweeper head in an upright position.
Fig.6 is a top view with portions removed of another alternative embodiment in which a pin on the shaft engages a hole on the sweeper head to store the sweeper head in an upright position.
Fig. 7 is a side view with portions removed of the inventive sweeper head stored in a vertical upright position when the elongated shaft of the sweeper is hung from a hook on a wall.
IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Fig. 1 illustrates a handheld sweeper 10 having an elongated handle or shaft 14. The handle 14 has an upper end attached to a grasping portion 22 and a lower end attached by means of a universal pivot or universal joint 16 to a sweeper head 12. The sweeper head has an opposite pair of short sides 13 and an opposite pair of long sides 15. The handle has an elongated axis extending along its length. The sweeper head 12 contains the brushes, motor, and drive mechanism to rotate the brushes to pick up debris on the floor. The sweeper head 12 normally assumes the position illustrated in Fig. 1, with the sweeper head 12 in a substantially horizontal plane, when sweeping a floor or similar surface. The top of the grasping portion 22 generally has a hole through which a hook or peg 23 (Fig. 2) passes to mount the sweeper on the hook or peg 23 mounted on a wall. As seen in Fig. 2, when the hook 23 passes through the opening in the grasping portion 22, the sweeper is hung above the floor. However, the sweeper head 12 strikes the wall so that the elongated handle 14 extends from the wall towards the head 12 at an angle, A. As can be seen in Fig.2, the sweeper head 12 extends a distance X from the wall. Depending upon the direction in which the sweeper head 12 is pivoted around the universal pivot 16, the sweeper head 12 extends out from the wall either the width "W" or the length "L" of the sweeper head. In either instance, the sweeper head 12 strikes the wall in such a way so that at a minimum, the width "W" of the sweeper head 12 extends out from the wall the distance X. This reduces the storage area surrounding the location where the sweeper 10 is stored. In order to provide a more
convenient and flush means to store the sweeper 10, applicant has devised a mechanism by which the sweeper head 12 can be raised and latched in a vertical plane orientation against the elongated shaft 14.
In one embodiment, as seen in Fig. 3, a molded clip 20 is formed along the short edge 13 of the sweeper head 12. The molded clip 20 is semi -circular and the open top of the molded clip 20 is dimensioned to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the elongated shaft 14. The bottom circumference of the molded clip is approximately the same as the circumference of the elongated shaft 14. To orient the sweeper head 12 into the storage position with the plane of the sweeper head in substantially the same plane as the elongated axis of the handle 14, the sweeper head 12 is pivoted about the universal joint 16 until the molded clip 20 engages the elongated shaft 14. By applying a slight force against the sweeper head 12, the shaft 14 snaps into the molded clip 20 and is retained in a latched condition. It will stay in this position until an opposite force is applied against the sweeper head 20 forcing the clip to disengage from the elongated shaft 14. The sweeper head latched in the upright position is illustrated in Fig. 7. Here one can see that the sweeper head 12 has been pivoted to an upright position around the universal pivot 16 with the molded clip 20 at the top of the sweeper head 12. The plane of the sweeper head 12 lies substantially parallel to the elongated shaft 14. In this manner, the elongated shaft 14 will lie almost flush with the wall and take up a minimum amount of storage space protruding out from the wall. The distance from the wall to the brushes on the sweeper head 12 is illustrated as "Y" and is substantially less than
dimension X.
In an alternate embodiment as seen in Fig.4, a recessed area 21 is formed along the shorter edge 13 of the sweeper head 12. Mounted within the recessed area 21 is a magnetic metal insert 23. On the elongated shaft 14 is a magnet 22. When the sweeper head 12 is pivoted upright into a vertical position, the magnet 22 engages and holds the metal insert 23. Obviously, the metal insert 23 and magnet 22 can be reversed so that the magnet 22 is place in the recessed area 21 and the metal insert 23 is placed along the shaft 14. The magnet has to be strong enough to hold the sweeper head 12 in the upright position when the sweeper is lifted to be hung on the wall. However, it does not have to be an extremely strong magnet, only strong enough to hold the sweeper head in the vertical position against the shaft 14. When the sweeper head 12 is to be released from the vertical upright position, one would merely apply a force against the magnetic attractive force which releases the sweeper head from its latched condition, allowing it to drop back down into a horizontal position for sweeping. It is not necessary to provide the recessed area 21 on the shorter edge 13 but it provides a location to mount the magnetic metal insert 23. The magnetic metal insert 23 can be merely mounted on top of the sweeper head 12 along the edge 13. Alternatively, the metal insert 23 can be placed on the long side 15 with the magnet 22 appropriately located on the shaft 14 to engage the magnetic metal insert 21 when the head 12 is pivoted to a vertical position.
Turning to Fig. 5, another alternative embodiment is illustrated. Here a protruding knob or pin 24 is mounted on the elongated shaft 14. There is a receiving
hole 26 on the short side 13 of the sweeper head 12. When the sweeper head 12 is rotated to a vertical plane around the universal pivot 16, the pin 24 with a knob at its end, is closely received by and inserted into the receiving hole 26. To release the sweeper head 12, a force is applied to the sweeper head 12 to disengage the pin 24 from the receiving hole 26.
In Fig. 6, another alternative embodiment is illustrated. Here the receiving hole 26 is placed along the long side 15 of the sweeper head 12 instead of along the short side 13. The protruding pin 24 is again mounted on the elongated handle 14. However, in this alternative embodiment, the sweeper head 12 is pivoted around the long axis of the sweeper head instead of around the sweeper head's short axis. In all other aspects the sweeper head is stored with its plane vertically oriented such as seen in Fig. 7.
Other types of mounting clips could be placed on the elongated handle or the sweeper head. The only requirement is that the sweeper head be allowed to pivot about the universal pivot connection so that the plane of the sweeper head is oriented substantially parallel to the elongated shaft and is connected by means of the latching device to the elongated shaft. In this manner, the elongated shaft is generally stored in a substantially vertical plane. The distance between the wall and the bottom of the sweeper head is substantially less than the prior mounting means in which the sweeper head was stored in a substantially horizontal plane, extending out from the wall at least the width of the sweeper head. The result is with the new inventive device, the sweeper occupies less area for storage.