Patent Application
20170296009
This invention relates to a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface and/or such an apparatus including the floor tool. In particular, this invention relates to an apparatus which utilises a source of suction to draw dirt and/or debris from a floor surface being cleaned for storage in a dirt chamber or bag for emptying by a user. Such apparatus are typically known as “vacuum cleaners”.
The performance of vacuum cleaners is judged on a number of parameters which includes how efficient a cleaner is in extracting dirt/debris for a given suction power.
Known vacuum cleaners have a floor tool with a floor facing surface which includes an inlet through which dirt/debris entrained air enters the tool and flows towards the dirt chamber. The configuration of a floor tool can impact on suction air flow path and the amount of dirt/debris which will be entrained in the air during operation of a vacuum cleaner. It is desirable to provide a floor tool with an optimised configuration which will improve the efficiency/performance of a vacuum cleaner.
According to a first aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to a second aspect of the invention we provided a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to a third aspect of the present invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to a fourth aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to a fifth aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to a sixth aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to a seventh aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to an eighth aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to a ninth aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to a tenth aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
According to an eleventh aspect of the invention we provide a floor tool for an apparatus for cleaning a floor surface, said apparatus including a source of suction, the floor tool including:
Further features of the first to eleventh aspects of the invention are set out in the dependent claims thereto which are appended hereto.
With reference to the figures, these show an embodiment of a floor tool 10 embodying various aspects of the invention. The floor tool 10 is for an apparatus (not shown) for cleaning a floor surface. The apparatus includes a source of suction and a wand/hose for connection with the floor tool 10 to provide suction thereto. The user would move the floor tool 10 over a floor surface S to be cleaned by pushing and pulling the wand back and forth.
In some embodiments the floor tool may include a housing 13. The floor tool 10 includes a floor facing surface 14 having a floor facing inlet 16 for receiving dirty air and an outlet aperture 18. The floor tool 10 has a conduit 12 having a longitudinal axis C which communicates with the outlet aperture 18 and provides communication therefrom to the suction source. The floor tool 10 has a further conduit 38 in communication with the conduit 12. The outlet aperture 18 is connectable to a wand or hose of an apparatus to provide a flow path from the suction source to the inlet 16.
The floor facing surface 14 includes a passage 20 in fluid communication with the outlet aperture 18. The passage 20 extends laterally across the floor facing surface 14 and terminates at respective lateral inlets 23a, 23b for receiving dirty air. The floor facing surface 14 includes a planar portion 21a and a planar portion 21b which are positioned forwardly and rearwardly of the passage 20 respectively.
Floor tool 10 includes a pair of sealing members 22, 24 for engaging with a floor surface S during use. The sealing members 22, 24 may be made from a rubber material or other synthetic material.
Sealing member 22 is positioned forwardly of the passage 20, closer to a forwardly leading edge 17 of the housing 13 than sealing member 24 which is positioned rearwardly of the passage 20. The sealing members 22, 24 are spaced apart from one another in a direction transverse to the normal direction of movement of the floor tool 10.
In this embodiment, the sealing members 22, 24 are identical and certain features of the sealing members 22, 24 will be described with reference to the sealing member 22 only. In envisaged embodiments, the sealing members 22, 24 may not be identical and only one of the sealing members may have one or more of the features described hereinafter.
Sealing member 22, 24 extends away from the floor facing surface 14 and blocks a flow of air towards the passage 20 when it is engaged with a floor surface S. Sealing member 22, 24 is substantially elongate and extends laterally across the floor tool 10. Sealing member 22, 24 extends across the floor tool 10 the same distance as the passage 20. The thickness 26a, 26b of the sealing member 22, 24 decreases as it extends away from the floor facing surface 14.
Sealing member 22, 24 includes a base portion 25a, 27a for engagement with the housing 13 and a distal portion 25b, 27b for engagement with the floor surface S. In embodiments, the base portion 25a, 27a is received in a recess defined in the floor facing surface 14 of the housing 13. The base portion 25a, 27a may be fixed to the remainder of the floor tool 10 through the use of adhesive or welding or other methods known in the art. In embodiments, the base portion 25a, 27a may be attached by other methods that do not require a recess in the housing 13. In embodiments, the base portion 25a, 27a is connected with the housing 13 such that it cannot be moved with respect to the floor facing surface 14.
Operation of the floor tool 10 will be described with reference to
During use, the user will normally repeatedly move the floor tool 10 along a hard floor surface S, forwardly in the direction of the forwardly leading edge of the housing (shown in
In the first state, sealing member 22 extends into the planar region 21a forward of the passage 20 and sealing member 24 extends away from the planar region 21b rearward of the passage 20. A substantial portion of each sealing member 22, 24 (at least the distal end thereof) lies in a plane substantially parallel with the floor surface S when the sealing member 22, 24 is engaged with the floor surface S. Each sealing member 22 thus blocks the flow of air towards the passage through its engagement with the floor surface S.
In the second state, the sealing members 22, 24 extend in the opposite direction to the first state, i.e. the sealing member 22 extends away from the planar region 21a forward of the passage 20 and sealing member 24 extends into the planar region 21b rearward of the passage 20.
It will be seen that in both states, the sealing members 22, 24 prevent the flow of air towards the passage. Air is therefore predominantly drawn into the passage 20 through the lateral inlets 23a, 23b. This is in comparison to known floor tools where a substantial amount of the air drawn into the passage 20 will be drawn from air forward or rearward of the floor tool 10. It has been found that the invention provides a significant increase in uptake of dirt/debris from a floor surface being cleaned in comparison to known floor tools.
It will be seen that during use the or a substantial portion of the weight of the floor tool 10 is borne/carried by the sealing members 22, 24. The sealing members provide the only or sole engagement or support of the floor tool 10 on the floor surface S. In embodiments, the sealing members 22, 24 provide the primary engagement or primary support of the floor tool 22, 24 on the floor surface S.
It will also be seen that the sealing members 22, 24 space the floor facing inlet 16 from the floor surface S during use.
The sealing members 22, 24 provide a substantially fluid-tight seal when they engage with the floor surface S by movement/deformation thereof. The lateral inlets 23a, 23b and/or portions of the passage 20 adjacent thereto are free of substantial restrictions to the flow of air therethrough and/or therepast.
It has been found that the cleaning performance of the floor tool 10 is unexpectedly improved by adjusting various dimensions/geometric features thereof.
It has been found advantageous for the sealing member 22, 24 to taper in cross-section as it extends from the base portion 25a, 27a towards the distal portion 25b, 27b, and more preferably for the sealing member 22, 24 to have a generally wedge-shaped cross-section. Further benefits are obtained by having the thickness of the sealing member 22, 24 at the distal portion 25b, 27b being between 0.1 and 0.5 mm, and preferably being 0.3 mm or about 0.3 mm.
In embodiments, it has been found to improve performance by having the sealing member 22 positioned forwardly of the floor facing inlet 16 positioned further away from a central part of a forward peripheral portion 28 of the floor facing inlet 16 than the distal portion 27b of sealing member 24 positioned rearwardly of the floor facing inlet 16 is spaced from a central part of a rearward peripheral portion 30.
It has been found to be further advantageous for the sealing member 22 positioned forwardly of the floor facing inlet 16 to be spaced at a distanced of 9.1 mm or about 9.1 mm from the central part of the forward peripheral portion 28 of the floor facing inlet 16. Similarly, it has been found that having the sealing member 24 positioned rearwardly of the floor facing inlet 16 spaced at a distance d′ of 8.7 mm or about 8.7 mm from the central part of the rearward peripheral portion 30 of the floor facing inlet 16 is beneficial.
In embodiments, it has been found that spacing one or both of the sealing members 22, 24 at a distance which is at least 6.0 mm, or more preferably at least 7.0 mm and even more preferably at least 8.0 mm, from one of the forward or rearward peripheral portions 28, 30 improves performance.
In embodiments, it has been found to beneficial for the distal portion 25b, 27b of the sealing member 22, 24 to be spaced at a distance d′″ of between 3.0 mm and 6.0 mm in a vertical direction from a peripheral portion 32, 34 of the floor facing inlet 16 which is defined by the lateral inlet 23a, 23b. Further advantages have been found if the distal portion 25a, 27b extends a distance d′″ of between 4.5 to 5.5 mm and more preferably extends a distance d′″ of 5.0 mm or about 5.0 mm.
A further aspect of the floor tool 10 will now be described. The conduit 38 is in communication with the outlet aperture 18. The conduit 38 includes a portion 40 adjacent the outlet aperture 18 which extends upwardly therefrom. The portion 40 has a substantially constant cross-sectional area. In embodiments, the cross-sectional area of the outlet aperture 18 is the same or about the same as the cross-sectional area of the upwardly extending portion 40. In embodiments those cross-sectional areas may not be the same.
The upwardly extending portion 40 extends substantially perpendicularly away from the plane O containing the outlet aperture 18. It has been found that improvements in performance are gained if the upwardly extending portion 40 extends a distance d′″ of between 10 mm and 40 mm, preferably between 20 mm and 35 mm and more preferably a distance d′″ of between 25 mm and 30 mm. It is most preferably for the upwardly extending portion 40 to extend a distance d′″ of 27 mm or about 27 mm.
In more detail, conduit 38 includes first and second opposing lateral internal side walls 42, 44, and forwardly and rearwardly opposing upwardly extending internal walls 46, 48. The upper portion 50 of the forward internal wall 46 extends towards the rearward internal wall 48. The forward and rearward internal walls 46, 48 are connected to one another at respective upper ends thereof.
The rearward internal wall 48 includes an opening 52 and the conduit 12 has a first end 56 in communication with the opening 52 and a second end 58 for communication with the suction source. The second end 58 provides a releasable connection with a wand or hose of the apparatus insertable therein. Longitudinal axis C of the conduit 12 is inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis C′ of the conduit 38. Conduit 12 is tubular and has a substantially circular cross-section in the direction it extends away from the opening 52.
Upwardly extending portions 60, 62 of the lateral internal side walls 40, 42 adjacent the outlet aperture 18 are substantially parallel to one another and extend a distance of between 10 mm and 40 mm perpendicularly away from the plane O containing the outlet aperture. Preferably, the respective upwardly extending portions 60, 62 extend a distance of between 20 mm and 35 mm, more preferably between 25 mm and 30 mm perpendicularly away from the plane containing the outlet aperture. Most preferably, the respective upwardly extending portions 60, 62 extend a distance of 27 mm or about 27 mm perpendicularly away from the plane containing the outlet aperture.
In embodiments, an upper portion of the rearward internal wall 48 or the forward internal wall 46 may extend towards the other of the forward or reward internal wall 46, 48 as the said wall extends upwardly. In embodiments, respective upper portions of the forward and rearward internal walls 46, 48 may extend towards each other as the walls 46, 48 extend upwardly.
In embodiments, it has been found that varying the dimensions of the outlet aperture 18 and the lateral inlets 23a, 23b can improve performance of the floor tool 10. The outlet aperture 18 has a cross-sectional area A and in this embodiment the aperture is substantially rectangular. In embodiments, the outlet aperture 18 may be a different shape, for example, a circle or an oval. The lateral inlets 23a, 23b are identical and each has a cross-sectional area B. The inlets 23a, 23b are substantially rectangular but in other embodiments one or both of the inlets may not be identical and/or be a different shape, e.g. semi-circular.
It has been found that selecting the ratio (A:B) of the cross-sectional areas of the outlet aperture 18 and the lateral inlets 23a, 23b to lie in the range of 12:1 and 8:1 is advantageous, and it is more advantageous for the ratio to lie in the range of 11:1 to 9:1. Most preferably the ratio (A:B) is 10:1 or about 10:1.
Further advantages have been identified in connection with the configuration of the conduit 12 which provides a releasable connection to a wand or hose of the apparatus. In more detail, having the longitudinal axis C of the conduit 12 inclined at an angle Θ of between 45 and 55 degrees, preferably between 45 and 50 degrees, and more preferably 48 degrees or about 48 degrees, with respect to a plane I containing the floor facing inlet 16, provides improved performance during use. In this embodiment, the longitudinal axis C of the conduit 12 is fixed with respect to the floor facing inlet 16. In embodiments, the floor tool 10 may be arranged such that the conduit 12 can be moved with respect to the floor facing inlet 16 and the tool 10 includes a device for fixing the position of the conduit 12 with respect to the floor facing inlet 16.
Benefits in performance have also been found in connection with another aspect of the floor tool 10, as will now be described. The passage 20 includes a wall 36 which includes the outlet aperture 18. In this embodiment, the passage includes forwardly and rearwardly positioned walls 38a, 38b which extend upwardly from the wall 36. The forward wall 38a has a central part 38a′ which is generally horizontal and has a respective lateral end part 38a″. 38′″ extending from either end of the central part 38a′. The lateral end parts 38a″, 38′″ taper towards the respective lateral inlets 23a, 23b as they extend thereto. The rearward wall 38b is generally horizontal along its entire length. The wall 36 has a surface area W and the cross-sectional area of the passage is constant as it extends towards the floor facing inlet 16. The floor facing inlet 16 has an area F.
In embodiments the shape of the wall 36 may be different, e.g. a rectangle, and/or the cross-sectional area of the passage may vary, e.g. increase, as it extends towards the floor facing inlet 16. In this embodiment, the depth of the passage gradually decreases as the passage laterally extends from respective peripheral portions of the outlet aperture 18 towards the lateral inlets 23a, 23b. In embodiments, the depth of the passage may remain constant or vary in a different way to that of the described embodiments.
It has been found to be particularly beneficial for the surface area W of the wall 36 and/or a cross-sectional area F of the floor facing inlet 16 to be between 3800 mm2 and 4800 mm2, preferably between 4000 mm2 and 4500 mm2, and most preferably between 4300 mm2 and 4500 mm2. Further advantages are obtained if the areas W, F are 4430 mm2 or about 4430 mm2.
The volume of the passage 20 can be optimised so as to further improve performance. In particular, a volume of the passage 20 between 46000 mm3 and 50000 mm3 is beneficial. Furthermore, a volume of between 47000 mm3 and 49000 mm3, preferably 47500 mm3 and 48500 mm3. More preferably a volume of 48000 mm3 or around 48000 mm3, most preferably 48078 mm3 or around 48078 mm3 improves performance.
Suction losses during use of the floor tool 10 have been reduced by making the floor tool 10 as a one piece component or of unitary construction. This may be done by a moulding process or by other process know in the art, such as 3D printing. In embodiments, the sealing members are connected to the remainder of the floor tool after that remainder has been formed. The floor tool 10 is made of a relatively rigid material such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). In embodiments, other materials such as polypropylene, polycarbonate and/or die-cast aluminium may be used.
It will be appreciated that the features described in relation to the embodiment are necessarily all required in combination in order to provide benefits/advantages to the performance of the floor tool. The skilled person would appreciate that one or more combinations of the described features can be utilised without requiring the other features.
When used in this specification and claims, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1417996.4 | Oct 2014 | GB | national |
This application is a U.S. National Phase of International Patent Application No. PCT/GB2015/052805, filed Sep. 28, 2015, which claims priority to UK Patent Application No. 1417996.4, the entire contents of which are all hereby incorporated by referenced herein.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2015/052805 | 9/28/2015 | WO | 00 |
