Diverse Agitating Operations, E.g., Brushing With Beating Or Movable With Stationary Patents (Class 15/364)
  • Patent number: 6463623
    Abstract: A power brush assembly for vacuum cleaners is disclosed. In the power brush assembly, a casing is set in the suction part of a vacuum cleaner and defines a suction nozzle used for sucking dust-laden air under pressure into the suction part of the vacuum cleaner. A power brush is set within the casing such that the brush is rotatable and reciprocable to the left and right. This power brush is used for brushing dust and impurities on a target surface. A drive motor generates a rotating force for allowing the power brush to rotate and reciprocate to the left and right within the casing. A power transmission mechanism connects the drive motor to the power brush so as to transmit the rotating force of the drive motor to the power brush.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Ho Ahn, Jin Soo Park
  • Patent number: 6434786
    Abstract: A front edge cleaning device for an upright vacuum cleaner is disclosed. The front edge cleaning assembly comprises a flexible, resilient member frontally disposed on the head assembly of an upright vacuum cleaner. In one embodiment, the front edge cleaning device includes an elongated section having an upper section and a lower section with front and a rear faces, the rear face of the upper section being attached to the front wall of the vacuum cleaner and the lower section extending downwardly from the upper section and having the front face of the lower section beveled inwardly towards the rear face of the lower section to form an apical lower edge spaced apart from the floor with air openings positioned along the apical lower edge and projecting through the lower section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Oreck Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: Terrance M. Roberts
  • Patent number: 6421874
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a housing having a handle pivotally mounted to a nozzle assembly. An agitator is received in an agitator cavity formed in the nozzle assembly. A suction fan and suction fan drive motor are carried on the housing. An edge cleaning brush is pivotally mounted to the nozzle assembly along a lateral edge of the nozzle assembly adjacent the agitator cavity. The brush includes a body having a series of apertures for receiving cleaning bristles and a pair of opposed mounting lugs. The edge cleaning brush is received in a recess with the mounting lugs held in a pair of opposed mounting openings in the nozzle assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Corporation of America
    Inventor: Michael J. McCormick
  • Patent number: 6381802
    Abstract: A brush assembly for a vacuum cleaner includes a brush cover; a brush base connected to the brush cover, a rotary drum disposed between the brush cover and the brush base, and an edge brush integrated bumper. The edge brush integrated bumper is mounted around a joint surface between the brush cover and the brush base. The edge brush integrated bumper includes a pair of edge brush portions integrally formed with the bumper. Each edge brush portion corresponds to a side of the brush cover and brushes off dust that is not accessible to the rotary drum. The brush assembly further includes assembling position guide means and fixing means for securing bumper to the brush cover. Since the bumper and edge brushes are integrally formed in an injection molding process, the number of separate parts to the brush assembly is reduced. Also, since the bumper and edge brushes can be assembled simultaneously, productivity is increased as assembly time is decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Samsung Kwangju Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jung-seon Park
  • Publication number: 20010032371
    Abstract: A brush assembly for a vacuum cleaner includes a brush cover; a brush base connected to the brush cover, a rotary drum disposed between the brush cover and the brush base, and an edge brush integrated bumper. The edge brush integrated bumper is mounted around a joint surface between the brush cover and the brush base. The edge brush integrated bumper includes a pair of edge brush portions integrally formed with the bumper. Each edge brush portion corresponds to a side of the brush cover and brushes off dust that is not accessible to the rotary drum. The brush assembly further includes assembling position guide means and fixing means for securing bumper to the brush cover. Since the bumper and edge brushes are integrally formed in an injection molding process, the number of separate parts to the brush assembly is reduced. Also, since the bumper and edge brushes can be assembled simultaneously, productivity is increased as assembly time is decreased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Publication date: October 25, 2001
    Inventor: Jung-Seon Park
  • Patent number: 6189179
    Abstract: An apparatus for drying wet roadway surfaces, and more particularly, paved race tracks. The drying device has a rectangular, box-shaped housing with first and second chambers. The first or leading chamber has a first drip pan for collecting water. At least one brush is rotatably mounted in the first chamber such that the longitudinal axis of the brush is oriented transversely to the device's direction of travel when removing water. The brush is adapted to contact the surface so as to collect water in the brush as the brush rotates. The brush is also adapted to contact the first drip pan so as to dislodge the collected water in the brush and deposit the water into the drip pan. First and second squeegees are mounted respectively to the first and second chambers for diverting water away from the surface over which the apparatus is traversing. Finally, a blower is mounted atop the housing for forcing air into the second chamber for evaporating water on the surface not already collected by the brush.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Saturn Machine & Welding Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Billy Carr Baird
  • Patent number: 6189180
    Abstract: A suction tool for an electric vacuum cleaner includes: a suction tool body which is connected to the vacuum cleaner body and has a suction inflow passage therein for conducting a suction air stream from a suction port, to the vacuum cleaner body; and a movable brush which is provided inside the suction inflow passage formed in the suction tool body and is driven by a driver device. In this tool, the movable brush sways and reciprocates back and forth about a support shaft, perpendicular to the direction of the suction inflow stream. Alternatively, the tool may have a linear motor which operates so as to reciprocate a rod which is liked at one end of it with oscillatory plate pivoted inside the suction tool. Further, this movable brush may be formed of a unit which is composed of a sweeping member having a pair of front and rear sweeping parts and a moving brushing part embedded in between, wherein the front sweeping part is shorter than the rear sweeping part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigenori Hato, Mikio Yagi, Noriaki Miyoshi, Kiyoshi Ishii, Yuji Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 6094776
    Abstract: A removable brush spacer assembly for attachment to the lateral edge of a vacuum cleaner nozzle in order to support an edge brush and to space the brush with respect to a surface is shown and described. The brush spacer assembly incorporates an elongated main body having a base, a plurality of bristles collectively forming an edge brush, and a spacer. The brush is attached at one end to the main body, with the bristles projecting toward the surface being vacuumed. The spacer is attached to the main body and projects below the base to control the relationship of the brush with respect to the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: Oreck Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: William G. Fish
  • Patent number: 5475893
    Abstract: A vertically sliding brush is provided along each edge of a vacuum cleaner nozzle. The edge brush is spring biased downwardly. A sliding lever operates the brush between engaged, self-adjusting, and disengaged positions. The edge brush acts to agitate or disturb dirt and debris in corners of a floor to provide improved cleaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1995
    Assignee: White Consolidated Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Arnold L. Sepke
  • Patent number: 5428863
    Abstract: A water suction apparatus for scrubbing machines having a non-rotatable frame (11), a rotatable scrubbing-brush (1 a) and a rotatably driven holder (1) therefore. The holder has a ring (7) around its periphery, the ring being provided with nozzles (2) which have lower ends in gliding contact with or positioned immediately above the floor and which suck dirty scrub water therefrom, the ring also being provided with lips (5) which are located between the nozzles and have lower ends in gliding contact with the floor and which transmit dirty scrub water to the nozzles when the ring rotates. The frame (11) has a ring (4) connected thereto which sealingly cooperates with the rotatable ring (7) on the holder (1) and which is provided with at least one nozzle (6) which is connected to a conduit (12) transmitting dirty scrub water from the nozzles (2) on the rotatable ring to a water separator or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 4, 1995
    Assignee: Ovidiu Tanasescu
    Inventors: Ovidiu Tanasescu, Razvan Turcea, Mihai Teleki
  • Patent number: 5400467
    Abstract: A suction head for a vacuum cleaner includes a rag roll device which is wetted to perform a wet wiping action across the floor. The rag roll device is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis. A rotation regulating mechanism, comprised of a pawl device and ratchet teeth, is provided which prevents the rag roll device from rotating when the suction head is moved forwardly, while permitting the rag roll device to rotate by a predetermined angle when the suction head is moved rearwardly. This enables different portions of the rag roll device to assume a floor-contacting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jin-Sung Hwang
  • Patent number: 5301387
    Abstract: A cleaning head for flat surfaces comprises a device (1) for distribution of cleaning liquid which comprises an injection pipe (2) connected to a washing device (3) located in a cleaning region (4) of the head, and a suction chamber (10) which is connected to a suction passageway (12) and which is disposed adjacent the cleaning region (4) between a scraper (13) and the washing device (3), so as to suck up the liquid and the dirt. The washing device (3) comprises a permeable body (5) onto which discharges the pipe (2) and which is flanked by two scrubbers (6, 7) comprising brushes disposed on opposite sides of the permeable body (5) and disposed substantially transversely to the surface to be cleaned. A second suction chamber (11) is disposed symmetrically relative to the permeable body (5) between one (7) of the brushes and a second scraper (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1994
    Assignee: Moulinex (Societe Anonyme)
    Inventors: Gilbert P. Thomas, Jacky Y. L. Leguay
  • Patent number: 5047089
    Abstract: A device for removing and cleaning asbestos containing material from a surface is disclosd. The device has a housing which is moved in a path to clear a swath of asbestos-containing material from a surface. A plurality of knives are positioned on an open face of the housing to make a plurality of incisions in the asbestos-containing material layer as the housing is moved along the surface. A scraping blade trailing the knives scrapes the asbestos-containing material from between the incisions. A sheet of water from a pressurized source is sprayed onto the scraped surface at an oblique angle to wash residual asbestos-containing material from the surface. The liquid spray and asbestos-containing material is aspirated together by a vacuum source connected to the housing, and the mixture of liquid and asbestos-containing material is removed in a separating receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1991
    Inventor: Jerrel Grant
  • Patent number: 4964190
    Abstract: A floor nozzle of a vacuum cleaner is provided with an upper nozzle housing hingedly connected to an intake joint of the cleaner and a lower nozzle housing securely connected to the upper nozzle housing through a bumper, with an intake opening being formed on a lower side of the lower nozzle housing. A first air passage communicating between the intake opening and the intake joint is formed in the upper and lower nozzle housings. A dust collector is accommodated in the nozzle housings, and defines in it a second air passage communicating the first air passage. A thread catcher is so accommodated in the dust collector as to be rotatable in response to forward and rearward movement of the floor nozzle. The thread catcher is capable of catching waste thread on a surface to be cleaned when it rotates upon forward movement of the floor nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 23, 1990
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Murata, Hiroshi Kawakami
  • Patent number: 4901394
    Abstract: A floor nozzle for vacuum cleaner comprising: a floor nozzle body in which an agitator and a drive source are incorporated, the agitator includes a rotor provided on its outer peripheral surface with flexible lips made of polyurethane rubber added with talc as a reinforcing agent so as to have a rubber hardness of 50 to 70, and blended with 0.1 to 0.5% of a coloring agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1990
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Nakamura, Yoshitaka Murata, Hiroshi Kawakami, Takemitu Okuma
  • Patent number: 4864682
    Abstract: A self-adjusting wiper strip assembly for use with a vacuum cleaner includes a surface engaging wiper strip made of a relatively soft, compliant plastic material. The wiper strip includes a colored tip portion; when the colored tip portion wears off, an operator is alerted to the need to replace the wiper strip assembly. The wiper strip is connected to a relatively hard, plastic rigid component that provides rigidity to the wiper strip. The rigid component is connected by a relatively soft, flexible, web-like plastic hinge component to a relatively hard, plastic attachment component that removably, securely attaches the wiper strip assembly to the vacuum cleaner. The hinge component automatically enables the wiper strip to move vertically with respect to the attachment component so that the wiper strip automatically adjusts its vertical position depending on the type of surface being cleaned by the vacuum cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1989
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Wilbur C. Bewley, Jr., Kendell S. Lahndorff, Jeffrey M. Nauman
  • Patent number: 4817233
    Abstract: This is an improvement for a powered floor scrubber which in use is moved forward and backward across a floor to be scrubbed. A scrub brush is rotated within a housing which is open at the bottom and water is supplied within the housing. The improvement consists of attaching double lipped suction squeegees at both the front and rear of the housing and connecting them both to a source of vacuum to suck up soiled water from the floor. The flexible squeegee lips are mounted in such a way that as the machine is moved forward the lips of the front squeegee fold together and shut off the airflow to it while the rear squeegee remains functional. When the machine is moved backward a reverse action of the squeegees occurs, so that there is always a functional squeegee sucking up soiled water behind the scrub brush while airflow to the opposite squeegee is shut off whether the machine is moving forward or backward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1989
    Assignee: Tennant Company
    Inventor: Steven J. A. Waldhauser
  • Patent number: 4547928
    Abstract: A tool for removing solid deposited material from a surface to be cleaned, such as for cleaning material from the brake drums of motor vehicles and for removing the material, includes a member for loosening the deposited material and a connection to a vacuum source for removing the loosened material. The loosening member is a manually operable cutting head including an impact element located at one end of a tubular member. During use, the impact element performs a stroke-like movement. The other end of the tubular member forms a connection to the vacuum source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1985
    Inventor: Horst Ludscheidt
  • Patent number: 4300261
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaning apparatus using a hood forming a travelling vacuum chamber with an optimum combination of jet stream means and suction nozzle means. The jet stream means includes a plurality of orifices that are generally directed toward the intake of a suction nozzle means so as to cause the soil on the surface to be cleaned to become airborne before being acted upon by the suction nozzle means. A combined motor and air compressor is mounted in the hood means for furnishing compressed air to the jet stream means. The motor may also drive a rotating brush which may be interposed between the jet stream means and the suction nozzle means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1980
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1981
    Assignee: Robert E. Robbins
    Inventors: James C. Woodward, Marion D. Holland
  • Patent number: 4219902
    Abstract: A brush assembly is fixedly mounted to each side wall of a vacuum cleaner head closely adjacent the axis of a rotary brush. The brush bristles of each assembly are directed so as to brushingly engage the wall-floor corner. The brushes are aligned in the direction of longitudinal movement of the vacuum cleaner. A guide slot is formed in the head adjacent the end of each brush assembly, with each slot providing communication between the outside of the head and the vacuum chamber containing the rotary brush. Dirt and debris loosened by the brush assemblies is sucked through the channels formed by the slots and the floor, and then into the path of the rotary brush and into the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1980
    Assignee: Oreck Corporation
    Inventor: Donald R. DeMaagd
  • Patent number: 4198727
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner is provided with holding devices on the sidewalls of its housing on which brushes can be mounted which enable baseboards in a room to be dusted while the vacuum cleaner is being moved about to clean the carpet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1978
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1980
    Inventor: Gary L. Farmer
  • Patent number: 4020526
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner suction nozzle having a brush that is so mounted and arranged as to be capable of moving transversely of the length direction of the nozzle and during part of this movement is elevated from the work surface, while another part of the movement engages the work surface. During the latter movement, the dust and larger dirt particles are raised from the work or rug surface so as to be entrained with the air flow being drawn into the vacuum cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1975
    Date of Patent: May 3, 1977
    Assignee: Aktiebolaget Electrolux
    Inventor: Erik Karl Gustav Johansson
  • Patent number: 3992747
    Abstract: An improved tool is disclosed for cleaning hard surface floors. The tool includes a scrubbing block which is pivotally mounted on the lower end of a handle that may be manipulated by a person standing by the tool. A housing is mounted about the scrubbing block and is connected with the scrubbing block by leaf springs so as to permit the housing to "float" with respect to the scrubbing block. The housing includes a bottom surface and curved, generally transverse, front and rear channels that are disposed adjacent to the front and rear of the housing, that are open to the floor, and that are connected with a vacuum conduit. Squeegee blades are disposed in the channels and are carried therein by support members pivotally mounted on the housing. The support members include a plurality of depending feet which support the housing so that its bottom surface is above the floor to be cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1975
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1976
    Assignee: Service Master Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Austen B. Hufton
  • Patent number: RE33926
    Abstract: This is an improvement for a powered floor scrubber which in use is moved forward and backward across a floor to be scrubbed. A scrub brush is rotated within a housing which is open at the bottom and water is supplied within the housing. The improvement consists of attaching double lipped suction squeegees at both the front and rear of the housing and connecting them both to a source of vacuum to suck up soiled water from the floor. The flexible squeegee lips are mounted in such a way that as the machine is moved forward the lips of the front squeegee fold together and shut off the airflow to it while the rear squeegee remains functional. When the machine is moved backward a reverse action of the squeegees occurs, so that there is always a functional squeegee sucking up soiled water behind the scrub brush while airflow to the opposite squeegee is shut off whether the machine is moving forward or backward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1992
    Assignee: Tennant Company
    Inventor: Steven J. A. Waldhauser
  • Patent number: RE35033
    Abstract: This is an improvement for a powered floor scrubber which in use is moved forward and backward across a floor to be scrubbed. A scrub brush is rotated within a housing which is open at the bottom and water is supplied within the housing. The improvement consists of attaching double lipped suction squeegees at both the front and rear of the housing and connecting them both to a source of vacuum to suck up soiled water from the floor. The flexible squeegee lips are mounted in such a way that as the machine is moved forward the lips of the front squeegee fold together and shut off the airflow to it while the rear squeegee remains functional. When the machine is moved backward a reverse action of the squeegees occurs, so that there is always a functional squeegee sucking up soiled water behind the scrub brush while airflow to the opposite squeegee is shut off whether the machine is moving forward or backward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Tennant Company
    Inventor: Steven J. A. Waldhauser