Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-20
2004-11-30
Till, Terrence R. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C015S385000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06823558
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a bushing seal in a vacuum cleaner brush having a floor cloth attached to a bottom surface thereof.
2. Background Art
The conventional vacuum cleaner has a structure that draws air in through a nozzle by a powerful suction force, collecting minute dust and dirt from the surface being cleaned, which becomes entrained in the air and which is then filtered through a dust-collecting bag or an exhaust filter. The then cleaned air is discharged through an exhaust port disposed in a cleaner body.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a conventional vacuum cleaner is provided with a dust-collecting chamber (not shown), in which an exhaust filter is mounted, disposed at a front portion of a cleaner body
1
, and a fan motor (not shown) disposed at a rear portion of the cleaner body
1
, for generating a suction force. Also, the dust-collecting chamber of the cleaner body
1
is consecutively connected to a hose
3
, a handle portion
5
, and an extension pipe
7
, which can be separated from each other. At a front end of the extension pipe
7
, a brush
100
is provided. The reference numeral
6
indicates a driving on-off switch.
Recently, vacuum cleaners have been developed having a floor cloth attached to a bottom surface of the brush
100
used to draw dust in and simultaneously to perform a wet cleaning.
FIG. 2
shows an example of the brush
100
to which such a floor cloth is attached.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the brush
100
comprises a case
10
having an upper case
11
and a lower case
12
, a connector
20
, joined to a rear portion of the case
10
, and to provide a connection to the extension pipe
7
, a pair of rotary elements
30
, rotatably disposed on a bottom surface of the lower case
12
, a rotation driving portion, disposed in the case
10
for rotatably driving the rotary elements
30
, and floor cloths
60
removably connected to the rotary elements
30
.
Each rotary element
30
has a driven shaft
31
protruding from the center thereof in the shape of a hollow cylinder.
The lower case
12
comprises a suction port
13
, which is disposed at a front portion of the lower case
12
, for drawing in dirt-laden air therethrough, and a pair of first bushings
14
protruding upwardly from a bottom surface of the lower case
12
that are in the shape of a cylinder, into each of which one of the driven shafts
31
is inserted.
The rotation driving portion comprises a housing
40
having an upper housing
41
and a lower housing
42
, a bi-directional rotation motor
43
, disposed in the housing
40
, and having a pair of rotary shafts rotating bi-directionally, a pair of worm gears
44
respectively connected to the rotary shafts of the bi-directional rotation motor
43
, a pair of worm wheels
45
, respectively engaged with the worm gears
44
, and a driving shaft
46
disposed at a lower portion of the each worm wheel
45
and connected to the driven shaft
31
of the rotary element
30
. The lower housing
42
comprises a pair of second bushings
47
protruding upwardly from a bottom surface of the lower housing
42
that are in the shape of a cylinder.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, each first bushing
14
of the lower case
12
and each second bushing
47
of the lower housing
42
are disposed adjacent to and align with each other. The driven shaft
31
of the rotary element
30
is inserted into the first bushing
14
and the second bushing
47
. Each driving shaft
46
of the worm wheels
45
is fitted in the driven shaft
31
of the rotary element
30
so that the driving shaft
46
rotates in association with the driven shafts
31
.
In the brush
100
, as constructed above, if the bi-directional rotation motor
43
is driven, the worm gears
44
and the worm wheels
45
rotate, resulting in rotation of the driving shaft
46
. Due to the rotation of the driving shaft
46
, the driven shafts
31
rotate resulting in rotation of the rotary elements
30
. The floor cloths
60
attached to the bottom surfaces of the rotary elements
30
rotate in association with the rotary elements
30
and wipe the dirt off a surface to be cleaned. Simultaneously, the dust-laden air is drawn in the brush
100
through the suction port
13
, and then flows into the dust-collecting chamber of the cleaner body
1
through the connector
20
.
As shown in
FIGS. 1-3
, in the aforementioned conventional brush
100
, since the bottom surface of the lower case
12
and the top surface of the rotary element
30
are spaced apart from each other, the dust and dirt may flow to the first and second bushings
14
and
47
through a space between the bottom surface of the lower case
12
and the top surface of the rotary element
30
. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in that the dirt and dust may collect on the bushings
14
and
47
, thereby causing the rotary element
30
to not rotate smoothly, and possibly causing the bi-directional rotation motor
43
to be subjected to an overload and become damaged.
The conventional brush
100
has another disadvantage in that the dust and dirt which flows into the first and second bushings
14
and
47
also may flow into the housing
40
through a space between a bottom surface of the worm wheel
45
and an upper end of the second bushing
47
, thereby damaging the teeth of the worm gears
44
and worm wheels
45
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner brush capable of preventing dust and dirt from flowing into the rotation driving portion that rotatably drives the floor cloths.
The above object of the present invention is achieved by providing a vacuum cleaner brush comprising a case, a floor cloth rotatably disposed on a bottom surface of the case, a rotation driving portion disposed in the case for rotatably driving the floor cloth, and blocking means for blocking the gap between the bottom surface of the case and the upper surface of the floor cloth to prevent dust from flowing into the rotation driving portion through the rotation center of the floor cloth.
Here, the blocking means protrudes from the bottom surface of the case in the shape of a cylinder along the circumference of the rotation center of the floor cloth.
Also, the above object of the present invention is achieved by providing a vacuum cleaner brush comprising a case, a rotary element being rotatably disposed at a lower portion of the case and having a rotary shaft, a floor cloth disposed on the bottom surface of the rotary element, a housing being disposed in the case and having a separate space from the case, a motor disposed in the housing for rotatably driving the rotary element, a first bushing protruding from an inner bottom surface of the case in the shape of a cylinder, into which the rotary shaft of the rotary element is inserted, a second bushing protruding from an inner bottom surface of the housing in the shape of a cylinder, the second bushing being communicated with the first bushing, and a blocking element protruding from the bottom surface of the case in the shape of a cylinder along a circumference of the first bushing, for preventing dust from flowing into the first bushing.
Here, the brush further comprises a bending element extended from an upper end of the first bushing, a cross section of the bending element showing a crank shape. It is preferable that on a bent portion of the bending element there is provided a chamfered surface such that the rotary shaft is easily inserted.
Also, the above object of the present invention is achieved by providing a vacuum cleaner brush comprising a case, a rotary element being rotatably disposed at a lower portion of the case and having a rotary shaft, a floor cloth disposed on the bottom surface of the rotary element, a housing being disposed in the case and having a separate space from the case, a motor disposed in the housing for rotatably driving the rotary element, a first bushing protruding from
Ladas & Parry
Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co. Ltd.
Till Terrence R.
LandOfFree
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