SWEEPABLE ELECTRIC VACUUM CLEANER

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present disclosure relates an electric vacuum cleaner with a sweepable feel for a more broom-like use in households. Electric brooms are known in the art. One such broom is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,638,572, and another is described at U.S. 5,839,158. The broomish looking devices of '572 and '158 include a handle in the form of an elongated stick and a broom body or head fixed to the handle. Cleaning means are provided on the broom body. The cleaning means in the '572 device include a pad of elastic material provided with at least one rectilinear cleaning lip. A vacuum cleaner unit is housed in the broom body and a suction opening is located in a position adjacent the cleaning pad. As disclosed in the '158 patent the batteries can be housed in the elongated handle of the direct current vacuum cleaner which has a head with a nozzle having two lines of bristles outside of the elongated pads that partly close off the dust passage in the nozzle. This unit also has a centrally longitudinally located motor above a centrally located dirt or dust cup. A similar device is shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,850,669. This device, however, uses cleaning bristles in addition to a foam material adjacent the nozzle opening.

[0002] There have been difficulties, however, with the known electric broom-like vacuum cleaners in that although having an approximate shape of a broom, they do not provide a smoothly gliding sweepable feel over the floor which is meant to be cleaned. In addition, the known electric brooms have an undesirable weight distribution with the vast majority of the weight being located in the cleaning head. Also existing electric brooms with dirt cups are not facile emptying dirt cups. These matters can make the known electric brooms somewhat cumbersome to use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0003] The present disclosure in one embodiment pertains to an improved floor care cleaner with a suction source having a more sweepable broom-like feel or action in use to provide clear advantages to the use of a broom or brush with a dust pan. [0004] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the sweepable electric floor care cleaner provides a less cumbersome cleaning experience over the use of a broom or brush and dust pan and over harder to handle prior electric broom vacuum cleaners as the above-mentioned devices. In one aspect the disclosed floor care cleaner can operate in the direct current ("dc") mode providing increased mobility of use. Also the disclosed floor care cleaner can provide an enhanced cleaning performance even without the use of brushes in or near the intake nozzle that is close to the surface to be cleaned. Also the cleaner can have a dust or dirt collection container or cup that is more facilely removed, emptied and reinstalled into the cleaner. One or more of these afford the user a better overall cleaning experience. Also, the weight distribution of the unit has been improved and the controls are easy to reach and use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] With reference now to the drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments of the present disclosure but are not to be deemed limiting in regards to the scope of the disclosure:

[0006] FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a broom according to the present disclosure;

[0007] FIGURE 2 is a right side elevational view of the broom of FIGURE 1 ; [0008] FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of the broom of FIGURE 1 ; [0009] FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the broom of FIGURE 1 taken from a left side thereof;

[0010] FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of the broom of FIGURE 1 ; [0011] FIGURE 6 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the broom of FIGURE 1 ; [0012] FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a bottom portion of the broom of FIGURE 1 with a dirt cup thereof shown in a detached condition;

[0013] FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the dirt cup of FIGURE 7 with a filter assembly thereof shown as being pivoted away from the dirt cup;

[0014] FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the dirt cup of FIGURE 8 with the filter assembly being rotated into an operative position;

[0015] FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of the dirt cup of FIGURE 9 in a different orientation; and

[0016] FIGURE 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a lower portion of the electric broom of FIGURE 1 showing a path for air flow through the broom.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In the description unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of dimensions, physical characteristics, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about". Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical values set forth in the following specification and claims may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained in the present disclosure. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical value should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Moreover, all ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass the beginning and ending range values and any and all sub-ranges subsumed therein. For example, a stated range of "1 to 10" should be considered to include any and all sub-ranges-between (and inclusive of) the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, all subranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less, e.g., 5.5 to 10. Also as used herein, spatial or directional terms in regards to the position such as "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "above", "below", "top", "bottom" "over", "on", "side", "front", "back" and the like have their standard dictionary meanings. [0018] With reference now to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only, FIGURE 1 shows a vacuum cleaner assembly 10 including a head 12 and an elongated handle 14. The handle can include several hollow sections 20, 22 and 24 and a top portion comprising a hook 26. Such hook can enable the broom assembly to be hung

on a closet hook or the like, for storage purposes. The handle 14 and head 12 can be made from aluminum or another suitable conventional material, such as plastic or another metal.

[0019] With reference now to FIGURE 3, located in the handle can be a plurality of batteries 30. It should be appreciated that the batteries can be rechargeable or replaceable as such batteries are well known in the art. The batteries are electrically connected to a switch 32, which selectively activates a motor 34 that drives a fan 36. There can be provided between any number of batteries or between the batteries and other electrical components of the cleaner at least one fusible disconnect device 38. Such a device can be a primary fuse element constructed, sized, and dimensioned to melt, disintegrate, vaporize, or otherwise structurally open or interrupt upon the occurrence of a predetermined overcurrent condition, such as an overload, overcurrent or short circuit condition, to break or open the conductive current path and electrical connection through the fuse by preventing current flow between terminal elements. Opening of a primary fuse element in such a manner isolates one portion of an electrical system from another portion of an electrical system and protects electrical components and equipment associated with the fuse from damage which may otherwise result. This can provide battery protection and a control of battery failure in a safe, predictable manner. Various types of fuse elements, fusible links, and assemblies can be used that are capable of providing such overcurrent protection, and the present disclosure is not limited to any particular type or configuration of such primary fuse element. [0020] As shown in FIGURE 4, the motor and fan are preferably located in an upper portion of the housing 12. More particularly, the housing 12 can comprise a head upper portion 40 and a head lower portion 42. These two sections of the head are separated by an air outlet 44 for the fan. In this embodiment, the motor 36 is positioned along the axial center line of the electric broom. It is arranged to cause a swirling air stream as shown by the air stream arrows in FIGURE 11.

[0021] With reference now to FIGURE 5, the fan draws in dirt laden air through a nozzle 50, located at a lower end of the head 12. As shown in FIGURE 6, the nozzle can be quite elongated, thus taking the shape of the broom head itself. This is advantageous to allow dirt to be picked up along the width of the broom head.

Surrounding the nozzle are a plurality of bristles 52 mounted to a bristle holder 53. With reference again to FIGURE 4, the nozzle includes a nozzle inlet opening 54 and a nozzle rear wall 56. Provided preferably in the rear wali is an exit opening 57. The nozzle can be made from a resilient material such as any plastic material such as poly(vinylchloride) PVC and the like plastic or elastomeric materials to enhance the suction provided by a suction source such as a motor and fan. Since the nozzle can be made from a thin material generally less than a centimeter thick and in one preferred embodiment up to a few millimeters thick, it is flexible which can assist in providing an improved sweeping or sweepable feel in using the cleaner, while also improving the suction delivered to the floor.

[0022] As noted, the nozzle 50 is flexible, thereby allowing the electric broom-like cleaner to retain the favorable flexible bristle quality of an ordinary broom. The nozzle design enables an improved air flow to allow for more effective pick up of dirt and debris. It is also noted that the air flow is biased to one side of the nozzle to allow for improved edge cleaning with use on that designated side. That is why the exit opening 57 is located toward one side edge of the nozzle 50. This can be best seen in FIGURE 6. Moreover, as is evident from a comparison of FIGURES 2 and 4, the bristles can be variable in height. For instance the bristles on one long side of the electric broom-like cleaner can be generally longer and the bristles on the other long side can be generally shorter. As shown in FIGURE 2 the row of bristles indicated at side 69 is longer than the row of bristles indicated at side 71. This difference provides for an angular shift of the longitudinal axis of the broom-like cleaner from the vertical when substantially all or most of the bristles from both rows contact a horizontal surface to be cleaned. This angular shift can vary from 15 to 40°, where in one preferred embodiment the angular shift is around 30°. Moreover, as is evident from FIGURE 3, the bristles are not of the same length, even on one side of the electric broom-like cleaner. More particularly, the bristles on the side edges of the broom-like cleaner can be longer and the ones in the middle of the broom-like cleaner can be shorter so as to give a concave appearance in side view. Such a construction allows the electric broom-like cleaner to have more effective pick-up of dirt and debris and it can be used effectively when sweeping, while the vacuum cleaner is on. Also as shown in FIGURES 1 and 5 for bristles 52, the

length can also vary from one side edge 67 to the other side edge 73 depending on the shape of the bristle holder 53, shown in FIGURE 5. For instance for a substantially flat horizontal holder most of the bristles in a first row of the long width of the head 12 can have approximately the same length, while most of the bristles in the other row can have approximately the same shorter length from the bristles in the first row. Of course, the shorter length of bristles in the one row provides for the above-discussed angular shift. If the holder 53 slopes from one side edge to the other side edge, the length of the bristles in both rows from one side edge to the other can match the degree of slope or concave or convex curve from the horizontal for the holder. So when the holder slopes up the bristles can be longer and where the holder slopes down the bristles can be shorter. Having the one side of the holder sloping upwards from the horizontal with longer length bristles at that edge of the holder allows the broom-like cleaner with such a holder and bristles to reach under outcroppings of cabinets and furniture with that side edge of the cleaner.

[0023] As with the bristles, the nozzle 50 can be cut at an angle ranging from 15-40°. One preferred embodiment has the angle at 30°. This is possible since the nozzle can be made from a resilient plastic material, such as PVC. With the arrangement of the bristle rows and the resilient material of the nozzle, flexibility is provided for the nozzle and cleaning area so that the broom-like cleaner of the disclosure is improved to have the sweeping feel or action more like a normal broom.

[0024] In order to ensure that the nozzle does not deform too much upon use of the disclosed cleaner, there are provided nozzle supports or mounting elements 58 and 60 located on the nozzle rear wall 56. These also serve to mount the nozzle to the head 12. Fluidiy connected to the nozzle is an air conduit or tube 62. More particularly, and with reference again to FIGURE 4, the tube includes an inlet end 64 which communicates with the nozzle exit opening 57 and an outlet end 66 which communicates with a dirt collector such as a dirt cup 70.

[0025] More particularly, the tube outlet end communicates with a dirt cup inlet 72, as best shown in FIGURE 9. As shown in FIGURE 8, the dirt cup also includes an outlet 74 spaced from the inlet. Located adjacent the dirt cup outlet is a filter assembly 80. The filter assembly includes a housing 82 which supports a filter cage 84 in which a

mesh filter or pre-filter 86 is disposed. The filter cage includes a closed lower end 88 so that air flow through the filter cage is only via the side walls thereof, and through the mesh filter. With reference again to FIGURE 5, the filter assembly also includes an upper housing section 90. Formed in the upper housing section is a cavity 91 for accommodating a pleated filter 92. The filter assembly 80 is mounted via a hinge 94 to the dirt cup 70. Also provided on the filter assembly is an actuation surface or tab 96 for selectively moving the filter from a dosed position, as illustrated in FIGURE 9, to an open position, as shown in FIGURE 8.

[0026] With reference now to FIGURE 10, the dirt cup includes first and second clam shell halves 102 and 104, which are secured together by conventional means. The dirt cup also includes a latch 106. With reference again to FIGURE 5, the latch 106 actuates a locking assembly 108. This includes a saddle-like element 110 comprising a pair of upper tips 112 and a downwardly extending pin 114. The pin 114 is mounted in a track 116 defined along an edge of the dirt cup 70. When the latch is depressed, it moves the tips 112 of the saddle-like element out of engagement with the head lower portion 42. At the same time, the pin 114 is moved downwardly and pushes a button 118 (which is normally biased upwardly by a spring 120) out of engagement with a lower end of the dirt cup 70. Thus, the dirt cup 70 can be selectively attached to or detached from the remainder of the broom-like cleaner assembly 10. It should be apparent from FIGURE 7 that the dirt cup 70 is removed from one side of the broom-like cleaner head 12. In one embodiment of the present disclosure this side is opposite the side of the head 12 where air conduit 62 rises from the nozzle exit 57. [0027] Improvement to the user interaction of the dirt cup and filter is achieved by providing the dirt cup with a side entry to the main housing of the unit. Also, the release button 106 is conveniently located and is readily accessible, as shown in FIGURE 2. The dirt cup filter assembly, serving as a lid of the dirt cup, is pivotally mounted to the dirt cup and can be conveniently opened by pushing on the actuation surface or tab 96. This allows for one handed operation for ease of use and emptying of the dirt cup. In addition, the pleated filter 92 is washable. The mesh screen 86 allows for improved cleaning by allowing the filter to be used longer before it needs to be cleaned.

[0028] Positioning the on/off switch 32 at the top of a handle allows for an easier more intuitive operation of the electric broom-like cleaner 10. It should be apparent from FIGURE 5 that the switch 32 is connected with the motor 34 via suitable wiring 126 connected to the motor.

[0029] The combination of the bristles 52 with the nozzle 50, can act somewhat like a squeegee that give the electric broom-like cleaner of the instant disclosure a broom- like sweeping feel. Thus, the consumer has a better, more realistic broom-ϋke action when using the electric broom-like cleaner of the instant disclosure than with prior art designs. It should be appreciated, however, that the bristles 52 could be replaced with foam or the like, as has been used in prior designs.

[0030] With reference now to FIGURE 11 , an air flow path through the head of the electric broom-like cleaner is there illustrated. As can be seen, dirt laden air is picked up at the nozzle inlet opening 54. Dirt is swept into this area by the bristles 52, as well as by any contact between the nozzle and the floor surface, since the nozzle can act somewhat like a squeegee, as it is flexible. The air laden dirt exits the nozzle at exit opening 57 and flows through air conduit 62. The positioning of the exit 57 and air conduit 62 in a position other than along the axial center line of the cleaner can aid in edge cleaning and in providing an entrance to the dirt cup to enhance the swirling action of the air flow especially for the dirt cup that can have at feast one non-rectilinear side. It exits the air conduit and flows into the inlet opening 72 of the dirt cup. There, dirt accumulates at the lower portion of the dirt cup as is illustrated at 132. The dirt can settle out simply due to gravity. Air, and to some extent entrained dirt, then flows upwardly toward the filter assembly. There, the mesh filter 86 and the pleated filter 92 will remove dirt and only allow twice cleaned air to flow towards the motor fan assembly. The air is then urged to flow out of the broom head 12 via air outlet or exhaust opening 44.