Replaceable reciprocating work head and an electric tool assembly comprising a reciprocating work head
A reciprocating work head for use with an electric tool assembly, such as an electric brush, comprises a movable section and a fixed section. The movable section carries a retaining pin. The movable section is arranged to move along the retaining pin in a reciprocating motion along the longitudinal axis of the fixed section. There is also disclosed an electric tool assembly, such as an electric brush, comprising such a work head.
The present invention relates to a replaceable reciprocating work head, for example a brush head for use in an electric tool assembly such as an electric brush assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIt is often desirable to remove small dirt patches and spots from fabrics such as carpets and this is often conventionally carried out manually using a scrubbing brush or using a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment. Manual scrubbing may be labour intensive and once the bristles on the brush have worn down the brush must be discarded. The use of a conventional vacuum cleaner may be difficult in some circumstances as the vacuum cleaner is a generally cumbersome device and not suitable for use in all locations.
Thus there is a need for a low cost modular replaceable reciprocating work head such as a brush head for use in an electric tool, such as a brush, of small size.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a reciprocating work head for use with an electric tool assembly comprising:
a movable section; and
a fixed section having a longitudinal axis, the movable section carrying a retaining pin;
wherein the movable section is arranged to move along the retaining pin in a reciprocating motion along the longitudinal axis of the fixed section.
According to a further aspect there is provided an electric brush assembly comprising the reciprocating work head defined above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSPreferred features of the invention will now be described, for the sake of illustration only, with reference to the following figures in which:
The head of the brush assembly is mountable in use on a body (not shown) and is retained by flanges on the body engaging with the undercut surfaces 13 of the projections 12 on the second face 11 of the stationary bristle block section 4.
The reciprocating bristle block section 2 and/or the stationary bristle block section 4 may formed of polyoxymethylene (POM) plastic which is advantageous as it does not require lubrication which could stain the fabric to be cleaned using the brush assembly.
The brush head may preferably be used as part of an electrically driven brush, for example for cleaning fabrics such as carpets and may be used for cleaning other fabrics. In such a configuration, it comprises the two bristle block sections 2, 4 each containing a plurality of bristles 10, an outer set 10 projecting through the stationary bristle block section 4 which does not move in use with respect to the drive assembly and an inner set extending through the reciprocating bristle block section 2 which is arranged to reciprocate along the axis of the device. The stationary bristles 10 may preferably be slightly longer than the moving ones and would thus tend to take the higher loading when the brush head 1 is pressed against the fabric/surface to be cleaned thereby reducing motor loading and increasing battery life.
The outer bristles 10 brush against the fabric due to the natural hand motion of the user and thus combine with the reciprocating bristles to assist in the cleaning process.
The brush head 1 is a complete module in itself and may be clipped on and off the brush body 20 manually and without tools.
When replacing the brush head 1, it is not necessary to align the drive lug 14 with the drive mechanism as this will align automatically as it is pressed home.
Various modifications to the embodiments of the present invention described above may be made. For example, whilst embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated herein in the context of an electric brush assembly and a brush head therefor, the present invention is not to be considered limited thereto as it is applicable for use in the context of other forms of electric tool assemblies. Also, other components, materials and method steps may be added or substituted for those described above. Thus, although the invention has been described using particular embodiments, many variations are possible within the scope of the claims, as will be clear to the skilled reader, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A reciprocating work head for use with an electric tool assembly comprising:
- a movable section; and
- a fixed section having a longitudinal axis, the movable section carrying a retaining pin;
- wherein the movable section is arranged to move along the retaining pin in a reciprocating motion along the longitudinal axis of the fixed section.
2. A reciprocating work head according to claim 1, wherein the movable section has a plurality of bristles extending through a plurality of apertures therein, and the fixed section has a plurality of bristles extending through a plurality of apertures therein, wherein the plurality of bristles of the fixed section are longer than the plurality of bristles of the movable section.
3. A reciprocating work head according to claim 1, further comprising a drive lug mounted on the movable section through which motion may be applied to cause the movable section to reciprocate.
4. A reciprocating work head according to claim 3, wherein said retaining pin passes through said drive lug to guide the reciprocating motion of the movable section.
5. A reciprocating work head according to claim 3, wherein the drive lug is arranged to project through a corresponding slot in the fixed section.
6. A reciprocating work head according to claim 1, wherein the movable section reciprocates along a first face of the fixed section.
7. A reciprocating head according to claim 2, wherein said movable section and/or said fixed section each have a body portion, and wherein said body portion of said fixed brush section and/or said movable brush section is/are formed of polyoxymethylene (POM) plastic material.
8. A reciprocating head according to claim 1 wherein said fixed section comprises a brush head.
9. A reciprocating head according to claim 1 wherein said movable section comprises a brush head.
10. An electric brush assembly comprising a reciprocating work head according to claim 1.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 16, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 17, 2006
Inventor: Gregory Spooner (Causeway Bay)
Application Number: 11/058,970
International Classification: A47L 11/284 (20060101);