Interlocked Or Simultaneous Adjustment Patents (Class 15/356)
  • Patent number: 9702102
    Abstract: A cleaning device for cleaning artificial floor coverings provided with floor covering particles, such as artificial turf, comprising a sweeping device for gathering dirt particles from the floor covering, a separation device for separating the dirt particles from floor covering particles, a floor covering particle feedback device for gathering the floor covering particles separated from the dirt particles and feeding back the floor covering particles to the floor, a filter device for filtering dust particles, and a suction device which draws air from the area of the separation device through the filter device. First and second negative-pressure chambers in which negative pressure can be formed by the suction device suction are formed above and below the separation device, respectively, in fluid communication through the separation device. The first negative-pressure chamber is in fluid communication with the suction device only via the second negative-pressure chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: WIEDENMANN GMBH
    Inventors: Schmid Reinhold, Vrbanic Andre
  • Patent number: 8756756
    Abstract: A tool assembly for a vacuum appliance, such as a wet/dry vacuum cleaner, is described, wherein the tool assembly may include a frame, a mount configured to couple the frame to the appliance, a pivot, an actuator configured to support the frame in one or more positions, and a tool coupled to the frame. The assembly may also include a biasing device between the pivot and an end of the frame, and may be disposed in one or more positions relative to a vacuum surface. Also described is a vacuum appliance system that can include a debris collector, a power head assembly, a base, and a tool assembly. Such a vacuum appliance system can also include a main wheel assembly and a plurality of optional main wheel assembly mounting locations. The system may further include a quick-release filter cage coupled to the power head assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Emerson Electric Co.
    Inventors: John L. Theising, Douglas K. Ritterling, Shane Glasgow
  • Patent number: 8479357
    Abstract: A moquette carpet cleaning machine (10) having a machine body (11) with main rear wheels (12) and a suction mouth (14) placed at the front of the machine body. A support (19) with an auxiliary wheel is attached to the machine body (11). At least one of the main wheels (12), the suction mouth (14), the auxiliary wheel (16) and the support (19) being movable with respect to the machine body (11) between at least a first position (A) and a second (B) position such that, the auxiliary wheel (16) is in the first position (A), the suction mouth (14) is maintained against the ground (20). When the auxiliary wheel is in the second relative position (B), the suction mouth (14) is maintained in a position that is substantially raised from the ground (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Santoemma S.R.L.
    Inventors: Nicola Santoemma, Massimiliano Santoemma
  • Patent number: 8365347
    Abstract: A floor cleaning device including a base assembly for movement along a surface, a handle, a nozzle, a nozzle lifting mechanism, a brush, a brush lifting mechanism, a recovery tank, and a liquid distribution system. The nozzle lifting mechanism moving the nozzle relative to the base assembly and the surface and the brush lifting mechanism moving the brush relative to the base assembly and the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited
    Inventors: Jeffery A. Morgan, David A. Bradshaw, Douglas E. Gerber, Charles A. Lang, Adam C. Sclafani, Kevin L. Thomas, Vincent L. Weber, Robert S. Wilson, Siu Wai Hui, Wing Leung Ng
  • Patent number: 8250704
    Abstract: A suction nozzle assembly for a vacuum cleaner is provided. The suction nozzle assembly includes a suction nozzle assembly body, a hair collecting unit that is disposed on the suction nozzle assembly body, and an elevating unit for raising and lowering the hair collecting unit, wherein if the front of the suction nozzle assembly body contacts a wall, the elevating unit raises the hair collecting unit, and if the suction nozzle assembly body is separated from the wall, the elevating unit lowers down the hair collecting unit to a previous position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dong-hun Yoo
  • Patent number: 8230549
    Abstract: An upright extractor for delivering cleaning fluid to a cleaning member, removing the cleaning fluid and entrained soil from the cleaning member, and damp wiping dirt and debris off of a surface to be cleaned. A roller assembly for wiping dirt and debris off a cleaning surface is reversible. The roller assembly and a centrifugal pump are driven simultaneously and at independent speeds necessary for preferred operation with a common motor. A vented spray tip assembly delivers cleaning fluid to the cleaning member. An improved accessory tool delivers a variety of metered cleaning chemicals while also extracting the soiled fluid and debris from a surface to be cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: BISSELL Homecare, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth M. Lenkiewicz, Phong H. Tran
  • Patent number: 7987552
    Abstract: A floor care appliance is provided for cleaning bare surfaces such as tile, marble, linoleum and wood. The floor care appliance is comprised of a base portion having a suction nozzle and a brush block having a plurality of vertical axis rotary agitators for cleaning bare floors. The rotary agitators are driven by an independent motor for agitating the floor surface. With the addition of an accessory hose and tools, the cleaning utility can be expanded to areas wherein the suction nozzle cannot normally reach such as behind the toilet, shower walls, and the grout between tile. While used in the capacity for cleaning bare floors, the floor care appliance can be moved between three modes by a rotating a member located on the upper housing. The first mode is dry mode, the second mode is wet scrub mode and the third mode is wet pickup mode. The accessory tools are stored in an accessory caddy that is placed freestanding over the suction nozzle and in front of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited
    Inventors: Evan A. Gordon, Jeffery S. Louis, Kevin E. Scheifele, Jeffery A. Morgan, Brent L. Burchfield
  • Patent number: 7895707
    Abstract: A height adjusting apparatus of a suction body for use in an upright vacuum cleaner is disclosed. The apparatus adjusts a distance between a rotary brush and a surface to be cleaned, and includes a lifting unit pivotably disposed to the suction body, and an actuating unit disposed in a modularized state at the rear of the suction body, so that a portion thereof is exposed to the outside from the suction body, and lifting or lowering the lifting unit as the portion thereof is repeatedly pushed by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Joo-sung Moon
  • Patent number: 7870638
    Abstract: A bare floor cleaner for wet and dry bare floor surfaces comprises a base with wet and dry suction nozzles and a handle pivotally connected to the base. A diverter mounted in the working air conduit between each of the dry suction nozzle and the wet suction nozzle to a recovery tank is movable by movement of the handle between a dry suction position and a wet suction position for selectively at least partially blocking working air flow from the wet suction nozzle and the dry suction nozzle, respectively, to the recovery tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: BISSELL Homecare, Inc.
    Inventor: John L. Jansen
  • Patent number: 7841046
    Abstract: The invention discloses a height adjusting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner nozzle, comprising: a barrel with a vertical passage, a groove module is formed on the inner surface of the barrel, said groove module comprises an upper groove, a lower groove, which has at least a first positioning point, a second positioning point differing from first positioning point in height and a intermediate point between the two positioning points; a resilient member, a lifting member, a driven member and a driving member are arranged in the passage of barrel from down to up. The height adjusting apparatus could be adjusted by applying a pressure force downwardly in vertical direction (for example, press by foot) and that takes less labor and time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Electrolux Home Care Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Fowler, Zu Gen Ni
  • Patent number: 7448113
    Abstract: An autonomous floor-cleaning robot comprising a housing, a powered wheel drive, a command and control subsystem; and a cleaning head including a deck mounted to pivot with respect to the housing, a brush assembly mounted in the deck and powered to sweep, a vacuum assembly mounted in the deck separate from the brush assembly and behind the brush assembly in a cleaning direction of the robot and powered to ingest particulates during cleaning operations, and a deck adjusting assembly mounted in combination with the deck and the housing that provides lift to the deck, the lift balanced to respond to an increase in brush torque to lift the deck with respect to the housing or floor. The robot also includes a side brush assembly mounted with the housing to entrain particulates outside the periphery of the housing and to direct such particulates towards the cleaning head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: IRobert
    Inventors: Joseph L. Jones, Newton E. Mack, David M. Nugent, Paul E. Sandin
  • Patent number: 7353563
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner height adjustment mechanism including a cleaning head having a pair of laterally spaced front wheels and a pair of laterally spaced rear wheels mounted for rotation within the cleaning head for supporting the cleaning head on a floor during vacuum cleaning operations, the front wheels being mounted to a common axle mounted in the cleaning head for pivotal movement around a fixed axis, the wheels being mounted to the axle offset from the pivotal axis of the axle, an arm extending from the axle, a shaft mounted substantially horizontally in the cleaning head for rotation about a central axis disposed in a plane perpendicular to a plane containing the axis of the axle, one end of the shaft having spiral threads thereon and an opposite end having an adjustment knob fixed thereto for manually rotating the shaft, and a guide member having internal threads matching and engaged with the spiral threads on the shaft for movement along the shaft, the guide member being coupled to the arm extending from
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Tacony Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas L. Blocker, Keith R. Green, Richard J. Reis
  • Patent number: 7213298
    Abstract: A clutchless, direct drive, self-propelled vacuum cleaner includes a nozzle base having a suction inlet and a housing pivotally mounted on the nozzle base. A suction source is mounted to one of the nozzle base and the housing. A filter chamber is located in one of the nozzle base and the housing. A drive motor is mounted to one of the nozzle base and the housing, the drive motor having an output shaft. A transmission is directly coupled to the output shaft of the motor. A driven wheel is directly coupled to the transmission. Also disclosed is a height adjustment mechanism for the vacuum cleaner, the height adjustment mechanism employing the drive assembly of the vacuum cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: Royal Appliance Mfg. Co.
    Inventors: Mark E. Cipolla, Steven J. Paliobeis
  • Patent number: 5951780
    Abstract: Surface treatment apparatus having impact elements for impacting a surface to be treated, a brush element for brushing the surface, a drive device for operating the impact element and the brush elements, and a carriage device enabling the surface treatment apparatus to be moved across the surface to be treated. The brush elements include a composite rotary brush assembly having circumferentially spaced rows of bristles mounted on a rotatable shaft in alternate circumferential sequence with the impact elements and further rotary assembly mounted on a contra-rotation relative to the composite rotary brush assembly and/or the impact elements, each rotatable so their bristles move upwardly intermediate the respective shafts. The impact elements include a plurality of longitudinal spaced hammers each pivotable about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of the rotatable shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Inventor: Rodney Mackenzie Pettigrew
  • Patent number: 5477587
    Abstract: A vacuum power head is provided which has a bare floor feature. A vacuum cleaner head assembly defines a vacuum chamber which contains a power driven rotary brush. Located outside of the vacuum chamber adjacent the rotary brush is a generally U-shaped trailing brush. The trailing brush cooperates with a height adjustment mechanism which is movable between a deep carpet position and a bare floor position. As the height adjustment mechanism of the head assembly is moved toward the bare floor position, the trailing brush is automatically moved to an extended position into engagement with the floor. When the height adjustment mechanism is moved from the bare floor position, a biasing means biases the trailing brush toward a retracted position within the head assembly. An actuator cooperates with the height adjustment mechanism to automatically move the trailing brush between the retracted position and the extended position in response to movement of the height adjustment mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Assignee: Ryobi Motor Products Corp.
    Inventors: William K. Glenn, III, Donald W. Carnes, James F. Barnes, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5317784
    Abstract: A vacuum power head is provided which has a bare floor feature. A vacuum cleaner head assembly defines a vacuum chamber which contains a power driven rotary brush. Located outside of the vacuum chamber adjacent the rotary brush is a generally U-shaped trailing brush. The trailing brush cooperates with a height adjustment mechanism which is movable between a deep carpet position and a bare floor position. As the height adjustment mechanism of the head assembly is moved toward the bare floor position, the trailing brush is automatically moved to an extended position into engagement with the floor. When the height adjustment mechanism is moved from the bare floor position, a spring biases the trailing brush toward a retracted position within the head assembly. An actuator cooperates with the height adjustment mechanism to automatically move the trailing brush between the retracted position and the extended position in response to movement of the height adjustment mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1994
    Assignee: Ryobi Motor Products Corp.
    Inventors: William K. Glenn, III, Donald W. Carnes, James F. Barnes, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5269042
    Abstract: A height adjustment system for an upright vacuum cleaner comprises a cam member with a cam surface. The cam member is mounted within a base and includes rollers which facilitate the sliding lateral movement of the cam member within the base. The rollers roll within a channel within the base. Notches are formed in the side walls of the channel and receive a resiliently deformable indexing member which locates and fixes a cam follower at discrete points along the cam surface. A secondary height adjustment system comprises a ledge located on a housing which is attached to a handle. When the handle of the vacuum cleaner is rotated from a use position to an upright locked position, the ledge on the housing displaces a finger which pushes against a fulcrum plate attached to an axle connected to the front wheels of the vacuum cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1993
    Assignee: Royal Appliance Mfg. Co.
    Inventors: Paul D. Stephens, Michael F. Wright
  • Patent number: 5134750
    Abstract: A cleaner suction nozzle is provided in which provisions are made for a nozzle height elevation arrangement and a hose conversion valve arrangement. The hose conversion valve arrangement works in conjunction with the nozzle height elevation arrangement so that the suction nozzle can be elevated from the floor to disengage the cleaner agitator and then hose conversion of the cleaner can occur almost simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Assignee: The Hoover Company
    Inventors: Douglass A. King, Edgar A. Maurer, Darwin S. Crouser, Charles R. Morrow, Raymond L. Lawter