Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-08
2001-04-03
Till, Terrence R. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C015S390000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209169
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a brush nozzle for a vacuum cleaner. More particularly this invention concerns a turbine-powered brush nozzle for such a cleaner.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known from German patent document 4,036,634 of Fleischer, 4,229,030 of Worwag, 196 14 624 of Dilger, and 197 06 166 of Worwag as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,776,059, 5,249,333, 5,293,665, and 5,920,939 to provide a power nozzle for a vacuum cleaner that has a driven brush serving to raise dirt and dust out of the object being vacuumed. Such a nozzle has a housing forming a turbine compartment and a brush compartment and having opening into the turbine compartment an outlet adapted for connection to a fan input and a slot opening into the brush compartment. The brush is rotatable in the brush compartment and has bristles projecting from the slot. A turbine in the turbine compartment is oriented such that air flow from the slot to the outlet rotates the turbine and some sort of transmission or link is provided for coupling the turbine to the brush for rotating the brush.
Rather than just having the brush rotating full time, whenever suction is applied to the outlet connection, it is known to provide some sort of element which is actuated to arrest rotation of the brush on displacement of the button into the inner position. This element normally protrudes from the bottom of the nozzle adjacent the slot so that, when the nozzle is pressed against a surface to be power vacuumed, the brush is automatically set in rotation.
The disadvantage of this system is that the brush will operate whenever the nozzle is set down right side up, potentially wearing itself out or wearing a hole in whatever it is left sitting on. Since these nozzles are mainly intended for cleaning floors, such operation is fairly logical, but if the nozzle is to be used on upholstery or drapes this type of operation can cause a problem. In addition if the user does not want to use the power-brushing feature, there is no way to disable it, for instance when vacuuming something delicate like drapes.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved vacuum-cleaner nozzle particularly usable for upholstery and drapes.
Another object is the provision of such an improved vacuum-cleaner nozzle which overcomes the above-given disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A vacuum-cleaner nozzle has according to the invention a housing forming a turbine compartment and a brush compartment and having an outlet opening into the turbine compartment and adapted for connection to a fan input and a slot opening into the brush compartment. A brush rotatable in the brush compartment has bristles projecting from the slot. A turbine in the turbine compartment is oriented such that air flow from the slot to the outlet rotates the turbine. A drive or transmission couples the turbine to the brush for rotating the brush when the turbine rotates. According to the invention a button is displaceable on the housing between an outer position and an inner position and a spring urges the button into the outer position. A link between the button and the drive arrests rotation of the brush on displacement of the button into the outer position. This button is remote from the slot and the housing is formed with a handle adapted to be held by a hand of a user. The link enables rotation of the brush on displacement of the button into the inner position. The button is positioned immediately adjacent the handle for actuation by a finger of the hand on the handle.
Thus with the system of this invention the user of the nozzle has control of the power-brush feature. Only when he or she actuates the button does the brush rotate. Thus the brush will not rotate when the nozzle is out of use and can even be left off when the nozzle is being used to vacuum something delicate.
The link in accordance with the invention includes a brake engageable with the turbine to arrest same in the inner position of the button. Alternately it includes means for decoupling the turbine from the brush in the inner position of the button.
It is also within the scope of this invention to provide means operated by the link that displace the turbine out of the path of the stream of air being sucked through the housing so that when thus displaced it stops. To this end the turbine is rotationally fixed but axially slidable on a shaft and movable by the button along the shaft between a working position in the stream and a standby position offset therefrom.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1651585 (1927-12-01), Clair
patent: 4776059 (1988-10-01), Worwag
patent: 5293665 (1994-03-01), Worwag
patent: 5331716 (1994-07-01), Hemmann et al.
patent: 6098243 (2000-08-01), Kim
patent: 3414862 (1985-11-01), None
patent: 40 36 634 (1992-05-01), None
patent: 42 29 030 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 196 14 624 (1997-10-01), None
patent: 197 06 166 (1998-08-01), None
Dilger Horst
Steudtner Hans-Joachim
Dubno Herbert
Till Terrence R.
Wessel-Werk GmbH
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