Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reissue Patent
1998-12-28
2001-03-06
Moore, Chris K. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C015S352000
Reissue Patent
active
RE037081
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a backpack vacuum cleaner comprising a housing enclosing a motor and an impeller to provide the suction effect and with a compartment for a filter bag, a connection branch for a suction hose, a hip strap to be applied around the hips of the bearer and a pair of shoulder straps.
Portable vacuum cleaners adapted to be carried on the back of the operator are well known, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 1,099,560, in which a vacuum cleaner with two shoulder straps is disclosed. It has also been suggested to fasten a traditional household vacuum cleaner on wheels or runners to a frame belonging to a rucksack. Such frames often in addition to the shoulder straps comprise a hip strap holding the frame in a position close to the back of the operator. Other examples of portable vacuum cleaners to be carried on the back of the operator and in which the weight of the device is transferred mainly to the shoulders of the operator by a pair of straps are disclosed in FR-A-1 451 167 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,162.
These devices comprising a rigid frame to which the vacuum cleaner is connected as a unit have proven to restrict the operator in his freedom of movement, for example to impede his ability to bend forward or twist his body. This is uncomfortable if the operator is to clean for example the seats in a bus, in a cinema or in an aeroplane. To eliminate this drawback portable vacuum cleaners carried solely by means of a hip strap have been proposed, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 1,255,622. A drawback of this known device is that the weight of the motor, which is the heaviest component of the device, is not placed symmetrically with respect to the back of the operator, and the collecting bag is suspended freely from the outlet of the fan house. The depending dust bag will restrict the freedom of movement of the operator in narrow passages, for example between the rows of seats in a bus.
The object of the invention is to provide a portable vacuum cleaner of the type mentioned by way of introduction and which provides an improved comfort to the operator carrying the vacuum cleaner enabling him to use it for extended periods. It is also an object of the invention to provide a high degree of freedom of movement for the operator so that the vacuum cleaner will not substantially restrict the operator from bending forward or to the sides, from twisting his body or lifting one of his arms.
This object is met according to the invention in that the backpack vacuum cleaner is characteristic in that the housing is divided in two, the two parts being connected with a flexible connection allowing a tilting movement between the two parts, in that the hip strap is fastened to the lower part and in that the shoulder straps are mutually interconnected with an equalizing device for equalizing differences in tension between the two straps.
The two-part housing allows the bearer to
band
bend
forwards and sideways, because the housing can give way in the flexible connection. The major part of the weight of the vacuum cleaner may be carried by the hip strap which is connected with the lower part of the housing, which provides for a comfortable weight distribution enabling the operator to use the vacuum cleaner for extended periods. The upper part of the housing rests, through the flexible connection, on the lower part and in practice only has to be prevented from tilting backwards by the shoulder straps which on account of the equalizing device allow a practically unhindered movement of the bearer's shoulders. The equalizing device thus makes it possible for the bearer to freely lift one shoulder or stretch out an arm and at the same time to twist his body.
In view of the freedom of movement of the bearer it is according to the invention further advantageous that the upper part of the housing holds the filter bag, that the lower part holds the motor, impellers for conveying air through the vacuum cleaner, and means for power supply comprising one or more of the following parts: batteries, battery charger, a coupling for the charging adapter, a mains cable connection, cable spooling, and cable clamp.
The design with filter bag in one part and motor and other heavy components in the other logically leads to a symmetrical construction of the mechanical parts of the vacuum cleaner within the housing. The arrangement of the heaviest parts in the lower part of the housing besides contributes to increasing the bearer's freedom of movement of the upper part of his body.
In order to facilitate as much as possible the adaptation to bearers of different height and stature and to prevent the hip strap from being uncomfortably tight, and hip strap comprises according to the invention at least at one of its connections to the lower part of the housing at least one biasing means adapted to allow the pulling out of a predetermined length of the hip strap under resilient tension.
In a preferred embodiment according to the invention
,
the biasing means is a self-winding, spring-driven storing coil.
According to the invention
,
it is preferable that the hip strap at its connections to the lower part of the housing forms an angle (v) with the centre plane of the vacuum cleaner of 60°-75°. In this embodiment
,
the hip strap will, without being too tight against the hipbone of the bearer and without being suspectible of sliding down, be able to carry the weight of the components normally used in a vacuum cleaner.
Tests have shown that in respect of the shoulders
,
the biggest freedom of movement for the bearer is attained
,
when the shoulder straps have substantially the same tension and consequently during the movements of the bearer have to be of different
length
lengths
. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention
,
the equalizing device of the shoulder straps comprises a connection for tensional transfer between the two shoulder straps at their connection to the lower part of the housing, preferably in
the
form of a duct extending through the housing, through which duct a band connecting or uniting the two shoulder straps is displaceable. This equalizing device substantially equalizes the difference in tension between the shoulder straps by changing the relation between the length of those parts of the straps which are positioned on the front of the bearer, whereby the straps only to a limited degree have to rub against the clothing of the bearer. This form of equalizing is in practice very comfortable.
To facilitate the adaptation of the vacuum cleaner to bearers of different size and also to increase the freedom of movement of the bearer, the shoulder straps comprise according to the invention at least one biasing means adapted to allow the pulling out of a predetermined length of the shoulder straps under resilient tension.
To prevent the shoulder straps from carrying the major part of the weight of the vacuum cleaner, when the bearer stretches upwards, the sum of the resilient pressure on the two shoulder straps is less than the weight of the vacuum cleaner. As the pressure on the two shoulder straps influences the vacuum cleaner at four points, this causes a comparatively slight tightening of the shoulder straps which will therefore not impede the freedom of movement of the bearer.
In connection therewith
,
a preferred embodiment according to the invention is characteristic in that the biasing means for the shoulder straps comprise self-winding, spring-driven storing coils mounted on a common shaft. By this embodiment
, it
is ensured that at any time the same length of the shoulder straps will be pulled out or wound up and that the upper part of the housing therefore only to a slight extent will be susceptible of displacing itself in relation to the middle of the bearer's back, when he bends to the side.
According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention
,
the flexible connection of the housing comprises a torsionally rigid tubular bushing of an elastomeric material and with an interior clear, through which the compartment for the
Kamrath Alan
Moore Chris K.
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
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