Patent Application
20080086832
In the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein like numbers refer to similar parts throughout:
As used herein, the term “bottom”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to the portion of my bumper and dusting attachment for a vacuum cleaner head that is closest to a supporting surface such as a floor. The term “top”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to the portion of my bumper and dusting attachment for a vacuum cleaner head that is most distant from the supporting surface. The term “rearward”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to the portion of my bumper and dusting attachment for a vacuum cleaner head that is closest to the carrying vacuum cleaner head. The term “forward”, its derivatives, and grammatical equivalents refers to the portion of my bumper and dusting attachment for a vacuum cleaner head that is most distant from the carrying vacuum cleaner head.
My bumper and dusting attachment for a vacuum cleaner head generally provides a flexible elongate body 10 having a first end portion 11, a second end portion 12, a top edge 13, a bottom edge 14, a back surface 16 and a front surface 15 and defines an elongate medial chamber 17 therebetween. The body 10 is formed of mesh type material 23 having heavy pile fleece on a first exterior side 23a and without fleece at a second interior side 23b. The fleece is a soft woolly covering and may be natural or synthetic.
The first end portion 11, the second end portion 12 and the bottom edge 14 of the body 10 are closed with stitching 20. The medial chamber 17 is filled with padding 18 having some retentive memory that provides thickness to the body 10 and spaces the front surface 15 away from the back surface 16.
A protruding lip 19 carried by the front surface 15 extends elongately from the first end portion 11 to the second end portion 12 and extends forwardly and outwardly from the front surface 15 when the body 10 is fastened to a periphery of a vacuum cleaner head 8. The lip 19 is formed in the front surface 15 prior to closing the first and second end portions 11, 12 and bottom edge 14 with stitching 20, by folding the front surface 15 of the body 10 over upon itself at a crease 21 and fastening the folded over portion together with stitching at the crease 21. Upholstery cord 24 may be enclosed within the lip 19 to add rigidity.
Strips of hook and loop fastener 22 are attached, with stitching 20, to the back surface 16 of the body 10 at the first and second end portions 11, 12 respectively, and along the bottom edge 14. Cooperating strips of hook and loop fastener 22 are attached to the front and side portions of the periphery of the vacuum cleaner head 8, preferably with adhesive, to provide a releasable attaching means for fastening the body 10 to the vacuum cleaner head 8.
Having described the structure of my bumper and dusting attachment for a vacuum cleaner head, its operation may be understood.
To install the body 10, the strip of hook and loop fastener 22 along the bottom edge 14 of the back surface 16 of the body 10 is engaged with the cooperating strip of hook and loop fastener 22 on the front periphery of the vacuum cleaner head 8. The strips of hook and loop fastener 22 at the first end portion 11 and the second end portion 12 of the body 10 are engaged with the cooperating strips of hook and loop fastener 22 on the sides of the vacuum cleaner head 8 so that the first and second end portions 11, 12 wrap, at least partially, around the sides of the vacuum cleaner head 8. Attaching the body 10 to the vacuum cleaner head 8 causes the lip 19 to protrude forwardly from the front surface 15 and to extend laterally outwardly from the first end portion 11 and second end portion 12 at the side portions of the vacuum cleaner head 8.
The vacuum is operated as is customary. Frictional engagement between the body 10 and the lip 19 and the mop boards 9 as the vacuum is operated thereagainst and therealong generates friction which responsively generates a charge of static electricity in the fleece. The static electricity enhances the dust and dirt gathering tendency of the fleece.
To remove the body 10 from the vacuum cleaner head 8, the above described steps are generally reversed. The body 10 may be cleaned to remove accumulated dust and dirt by washing and drying as desired.
The foregoing description of my invention is necessarily of a detailed nature so that a specific embodiment of a best mode may be set forth as is required, but it is to be understood that various modifications of details, and rearrangement, substitution and multiplication of parts may be resorted to without departing from its spirit, essence or scope.
Having thusly described my invention, what I desire to protect by Letters Patent, and
