Patent Application
20240049929
The present invention relates to cleaning devices, and in particular relates to a suction head for a vacuum cleaning machine for improved cleaning of surfaces.
Rapid urbanization and increasing industrialization has resulted in substantial increase in constructional activities. Accumulation of dust and debris generated from such constructional activities in our living spaces is the leading cause for health-related issues, thereby prompting frequent cleaning of living and work spaces. In such scenarios, use of vacuum cleaning machines in households has become quite common almost everywhere.
Typically, a vacuum cleaner is an electrically driven device that causes suction in order to remove dust and debris from surfaces such as floors, upholstery, draperies, and other surfaces or varying materials, Vacuum cleaners, which are used in homes as well as in industry, exist in a variety of sizes and shapes, from battery powered hand-held devices to bigger wheel-driven types. A vacuum cleaner generates a negative pressure to build partial vacuum so as to collect dust and dirt from floors and other surfaces, as well as fibrous debris such lint, hair and the like.
However, when cleaning fibrous materials such as carpets and rugs, ordinary vacuum cleaners are unable to remove debris lodged deep into the fibrous material under the top surface of the area or object intended to be cleaned. For example, clothing, carpet, furniture, car seats, car mats and door mats include a depth in which such light fibrous debris could be entangled and lodged below the top surface. Such fibrous debris is hard to remove even with a vacuum cleaner because the debris is lodged deep into the material and within the fibers of the material being cleaned.
As such, various attachments are provided for attaching to the vacuum cleaner to not only clean smaller areas or hard to reach areas such as under furniture or inside an automobile, but also to aid in dislodging and removing debris from deep into fibrous material and within the fibers of the material. However, conventional attachments for cleaning fibrous surfaces only include bristles to aid in dislodging debris from the material, but they are ineffective.
Certain conventional arts also provide lint lifters attached to the suction head of the vacuum cleaner to remove lint and hair from fibrous materials. These lint lifters have an adhesive effect which catches lint and hair from only the top surfaces of the fibrous materials. As a result, debris lodged below the top surface remains lodged therein.
With the vacuum attachments described above, debris also tends to accumulate at the entry point of the attachment, thus not only restricting suction but also requiring the user to remove debris from the entry point.
In addition to fibrous materials, a similar problem exists for cleaning pets with hair. Pets that shed hair, such as cats and dogs, tend to shed hair in the house, which requires the homeowner to constantly clean pet hair that is shed. While hairbrushes are available to collect hair directly from the pet, this requires cleaning of the brush after use and cleaning dislodged hair from the pet's surroundings, which is messy and time consuming. The same problem exists for cleaning materials with fibers that are lengthy such as furry coats and furry rugs.
Therefore, there exists a need for a vacuum cleaner or vacuum cleaner attachment that provides an efficient and convenient means of cleaning debris from fibrous materials, and for grooming and collecting pet hair.
The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
To solve the problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an attachment or suction head for a vacuum cleaning machine that effectively removes fibrous debris such as hair and lint from different surfaces, and to provide an effective means of grooming pets and collecting pet hair with enhanced efficiency. Another object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for a vacuum cleaning machine that is cost effective, sturdy and reliable. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaning attachment which has an ergonomic design and ease of portability when it comes to replacements and retrofitting.
The present invention relates to an attachment for a vacuum cleaning machine, which facilitates the users in efficiently cleaning fibrous debris from all kinds of surfaces in a convenient manner so as to not block a suction mouth or suction passage of the vacuum cleaner. In addition, the attachment facilitates removal of the fibrous debris in manner that it does not obstruct the usual working suction of the machine, thereby eliminating the extra manual effort required in cleaning the attachment after a cleaning exercise.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a cleaning device comprising: a body having an inlet and an opposing outlet, each of the inlet and outlet having peripheral edges, the body having a hollow interior between the inlet and the outlet, the outlet adapted to be connected to a vacuum cleaner and the inlet adapted to make contact with a cleaning surface, the inlet having a support member extending from the inlet peripheral edge; and an elongated member having a contact surface and an attachment surface, the attachment surface formed within a first channel, the first channel coupled with the support member, the contact surface adapted to come in contact with the cleaning surface; wherein the contact surface comprises a plurality of flanges extending radially along the length of the elongated member such that the flanges penetrate the cleaning surface to dislodge and collect debris.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a cleaning device comprising: a body having an inlet and an opposing outlet, each of the inlet and outlet having peripheral edges, the inlet having a support member extending from the inlet peripheral edge; and an elongated member having a contact surface and an attachment surface, the attachment surface formed within a first channel, the first channel coupled with the support member, the contact surface adapted to come in contact with a cleaning surface; wherein the contact surface comprises a plurality of flanges extending radially along the length of the elongated member such that the flanges penetrate the cleaning surface to dislodge and collect debris.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a cleaning device comprising: a body having an inlet and an opposing outlet; and an elongated member having a contact surface and an attachment surface, the attachment surface adapted to be attached to the body proximate the inlet, the contact surface adapted to come in contact with a cleaning surface; wherein the contact surface comprises a plurality of flanges extending radially along the length of the elongated member such that the flanges penetrate the cleaning surface to dislodge and collect debris.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
All referenced methods are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate disclosure of the invention, the inventor in no way disclaims these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the claimed invention may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
The present invention may address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. However, it is contemplated that the invention may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claimed invention should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular problems or deficiencies discussed herein.
In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The present invention relates to an attachment or suction head for a vacuum cleaning machine for collecting debris, including fibrous debris, from a fibrous material, without employing any special means. Further, the disclosed invention aids complete removal of debris in a time effective and efficient manner.
In this embodiment, the elongated member 10 has a substantially circular cross-section area. However, the elongated member 10 may be of a different cross section as well, such as square, rectangular and oval cross-sections. The elongated member 10 is made of a sturdy material such as a metal, rigid plastic, polymer or a reinforced material. The choice of material used for the elongated member 10 is dependent on considerations such as weight and durability. In this embodiment, the elongated member 10 is constructed of aluminum.
In this embodiment, the elongated member 10 is machined such that radially outer portions 12 of the elongated member 10 are provided with a plurality of grooves 14 continuously extending or circumscribing the member 10, thus forming a plurality of flanges 16 there between. The flanges 16 also continuously extend or circumscribe the elongated member 10. In this embodiment, the flanges 16 have substantially flat outer surfaces and are spaced apart equally. As such, potential contact with any sharp edges is avoided to provide safety to the user. Moreover, based on testing, it has been found that minimal spacing between the flanges 16 yields optimal results for collecting small fibrous debris such as hair and lint. However, the spacing of the grooves 14 and the flanges 16 could vary without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Still referring to
In this embodiment, each protrusion 18 is substantially half-circle in shape to minimize unwanted friction between the flange extensions 18 and a cleaning surface when in use. That is, the half-circle shape provides minimum but sufficient contact area to ensure that the member 10 is able to smoothly move along the cleaning surface while cleaning effectively. The shape of the protrusion 18 as shown in
In this embodiment, the overall cross-sectional dimensions of the elongated member 10 are 8 mm×8 mm; the flanges 16 are spaced apart by 0.52 mm; the flange extensions 18 are spaced apart 1.33 mm and each flange extension 18 is 1.09 mm wide. However, the dimensions could vary depending on the application.
Referring now to
Based on testing, it has been found that minimal spacing between the flanges 36 yields optimal results for collecting small fibrous debris such as hair and lint. However, the spacing of the grooves 34 and flanges 36 could vary without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. As shown in
Still referring to
In this embodiment, the bottom channel 40 is sized such that a bottom surface 42 thereof is positioned below the lowermost portion 44 of the grooves 34. Also, a width of the bottom channel 40 is minimal to ensure user safety. As such, the outer edges of the flanges 36 extending from the bottom channel 40 form flange extensions or protrusions 48 that engage the cleaning surface at a preferred angle. It is preferable that the bottom channel 40 be perpendicular to the cleaning surface when in use to maximize efficiency of the cleaning device. That is, cleaning is most effective when the protrusions 48 engage the cleaning surface at a right angle. Depending on the application, for example, a thin rug compared with a thick carpet, the length of the flange extensions 48 could vary.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the teeth member 30 has a cross-sectional radius of 3.57 mm; the top channel is 3 mm wide; the bottom channel is 1.8 mm wide; the valley is 1.09 mm×0.8 mm; the flanges 36 are spaced apart by 1.02 mm; the flanges have a height of 0.75 mm; and each flange 36 have a pitch angle of 0.87.
Referring to
The elongated members 10, 30, 50 are secured to a support member 122 of a suction head as shown, for example in
The suction head 101 further includes a receiving section, which includes a support member 122 adapted to receive a corresponding attachment surface of the elongated member 50, i.e., channel 38 shown in
The support member 122 is shaped and sized to receive an attachment surface, i.e., channel, of the elongated member 50. However, the support member 122 may be shaped differently to receive elongated members of different configurations as described in the present disclosure. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the support member 122 could be U-shaped to receive a corresponding U-shaped channel of the elongated member. In a further alternative, another support member could extend along a length of the edge of the head component top wall 118a and have an elongated member attached thereto. As a result, multiple elongated members could scrape the cleaning surface to further increase cleaning efficiency.
The suction head 101 may be constructed using materials including plastic as a one-piece structure via injection molding techniques. Alternatively, other materials such as metal and composite materials may also be used.
In operation, the user holds the suction head 101 at the pipe 120 and engages the inlet 116 on the cleaning surface. The user pulls the suction head 101 toward the user such that the flanges 58 of the elongated member 50 scrape the cleaning surface and material therein. During that motion, debris is dislodged from the material being cleaned and travels through the inlet 116 and into the vacuum machine. The user may also push the suction head 101 during use but may not achieve best results.
In reference to
The body 130 is constructed with a front wall 138 and a rear wall 140 of similar structural dimensions except that the front wall 138 extends lower than the rear wall 140, as shown in
Referring to
Further in
The suction head 105 of this embodiment is ideal for cleaning pet hairs or for collecting loose pet hair directly from a pet using vacuum action of the vacuum cleaning machine. Moreover, the suction head or cleaning device 105 is configured to detangle pet hair. This further avoids falling of hair in the surroundings due to suction force of the vacuum cleaning machine. The suction head 105 is also well-suited for cleaning furry materials, such as furry rugs and coats that have longer fibers. The suction head 105 may be constructed using materials including plastic as a one-piece structure via injection molding techniques. Alternatively, other materials such as metal and composite materials may also be used.
The cleaning devices 101, 105 shown in the figures and described above could be used manually as well. For example, an extension such as a handle or a broom stick could be attached to the outlet 114 such that a user could use the cleaning devices 101, 105 manually without suction from a vacuum cleaner. In this case, the debris collected from use would be manually removed from the inlet area 116 by the user.
The advantages set forth above, and those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained. Since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention that, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/397,933 titled “Cleaning Device,” filed on Aug. 15, 2022, which is incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63397933 | Aug 2022 | US |
