LINT REMOVER WITH VACUUM SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USE

Abstract

A lint remover with a vacuum system, comprising a lint remover, comprising an elongated handle portion, a lint engageable portion, connected to a vacuum unit configured to emit low noise level. The said lint engageable portion comprises, a one-piece surface brush, is used to brush and vacuum the loose hair or lint from any surface, into the flexible hose through the vacuum openings.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to pets, specifically to a lint remover/pet hair remover wand with a vacuum system capable of providing suction and facilitating the removal of lint or pet hair or other small fibers from most materials such as sofas, couches, beds, carpets, blankets, comforters, clothing and more.

2. Description of Related Art

A lint roller is typically a roll of one-sided adhesive paper on a cardboard or plastic barrel that is mounted on a central spindle, with an attached handle that enables fast 360-degree rotation, which facilitates the easy removal of unsightly fiber (often dog or cat hair). The device facilitates the removal of lint or other small fibers from most materials such as clothing, upholstery, and linen. Lint rollers use elastomers, including silicones and polystyrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene as a reusable tacky surface.

Accordingly, although great strides have been made in the area of pets, many shortcomings remain.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the embodiments of the present application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the embodiments themselves, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front-perspective view of a lint remover in a vertical housing with a vacuum system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front-perspective view of a lint remover in a horizontal housing with a vacuum system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the lint remover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a back perspective view of the lint remover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the lint remover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the lint remover of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a back perspective view of the lint remover of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the lint remover of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the disassembled housing showing a strip of textured surface on the interior of the lint remover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the process of assembling the lint remover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of the disassembled housing showing rubber ledges on the surface brush of the lint remover of FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the disassembled housing showing a strip of textured surface on the interior of the lint remover of FIG. 2.

While the lint remover with a vacuum system and method of use of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Illustrative embodiments of the lint remover with a vacuum system and the method of use of the present application are provided below. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions will be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The lint remover with a vacuum system and method of use in accordance with the present application overcomes one or more of the above-discussed problems commonly associated with conventional lint rollers or brushes. Specifically, the present invention provides a lint remover with a vacuum system capable of sucking up and brushing out the lint or pet hair or other small fibers from most materials such as sofas, couches, beds, carpets, blankets, comforters, clothing and more, thereby improving the user experience during handling pets. These and other unique features of the system and method of use are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The lint remover with a vacuum system and method of use will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the system are presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate unless described otherwise.

The preferred embodiment herein described is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is chosen and described to explain the principles of the invention and its application and practical use to enable others skilled in the art to follow its teachings.

Referring now to the drawings wherein reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1-12 depict various views of a lint remover with a vacuum system 101 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present application.

In the contemplated embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1-2, the lint remover with a vacuum system 101 includes a vacuum unit 103 and a lint remover 200. The vacuum unit 103 can be a pet grooming vacuum system. It should be appreciated that more or fewer such components may be included in different embodiments of the lint remover with a vacuum system 101. In addition, other components of the lint remover with a vacuum system 101 may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

The vacuum unit 103 includes a base 107, a main body 109, a collection unit 111, a flexible hose 113, and a handle 115. The main body 109 is mounted on the base 107 and is configured to house a suction motor (not shown) and a control panel 117. The control panel 117 can include buttons such as a power button 119 and a suction speed button 121.

The collection unit 111 removably attaches to the main body 109 and to the base 107. The collection unit 111 can include indicia 123 to provide user instructions such as how to remove the collection unit 111 from the base 107.

The hose 113 includes a first end 113a and a second end 113b. The first end 113a joins a guide duct 125 via the base 107. The second end 113b is configured to removably attach lint remover 200. The handle 115 provides for easy portability of the vacuum unit 103. It should be understood that the hose 113 includes a plurality of power cords (not shown) contained therein.

The vacuum unit 103 further includes a power cord 127 to connect a power source thereto. It should be appreciated that the power source can vary.

It should be appreciated that the vacuum unit 103 is a unique feature of the present invention. The vacuum unit 103 is configured to emit lower noise levels of about 42 decibels when providing suction at a low suction speed to about 75 decibels when providing maximum suction speed of about 9,000-10,500 Pa. In addition, the inclusion of the suction motor and the placement of a dual filter within the vacuum unit 103 attributes to lower noise level emissions.

The vacuum unit 103 further includes a lint remover segment to removably secure a lint remover 200.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2 of the drawings, a lint remover of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 200. The lint remover 200 is adapted to be used with a furry pet such as a dog or cat for removal of lint or pet hair or other small fibers from clothing or upholstery such as sofas, couches, beds, carpets, blankets, clothing, and comforters.

The lint remover 200 comprises an elongated handle portion, generally indicated at 222, and a lint engageable portion at 224. The handle portion 222 includes a hand-grip portion 226 and a housing 228. The hand-grip portion 226 is preferably sized and shaped to be comfortably held in the palm of a user's hand and is hollow.

The lint engageable portion 224 may include a one-piece surface brush 232, in a circular cylindrical shape disposed within the housing 228. The external surface of the brush 232 comprises a plurality of vacuum openings 234, which facilitate the sucking up of the lint collected on the external surface of the brush 232. The lint engageable portion 224 is oriented relative to the handle portion 222 in a manner so that pulling the handle portion generally along the handle axis X while the lint engageable portion is in engagement with a surface causes the brush portion 232 to engage the lint or pet hair, small debris or other fibers from that surface.

The external surface of the brush 232 comprises a textured surface that is smooth in one direction and rough in the opposite direction. The textured surface can be made of any suitable material, preferably velvet.

The housing 228 further includes lint remover support 230 which supports the surface brush 232. The surface brush 232 is removably mounted onto the lint remover support 230 on either side such that the surface brush 232 is rolled relative to the hand-grip portion 226. The surface brush 232 traps lint or hair and the trapped hair or lint is cleared into the vacuum with a simple twist of the housing 228 and the lint remover 200 is clean and ready for continued use.

The housing 228 is generally semi-cylindrical in shape with an open window exposing the surface brush 232. The lint remover support 230 is removably mounted inside the housing 228 and is supported by a plurality of springs disposed within the housing 228. The lint remover support 230 facilitates about 120-degree angle twisting of the surface brush 232 within the housing 228. The surface brush 232 can be rolled along a surface to remove unsightly particles, lint, pet hair, etc., deeply embedded in any surface. The housing 228 further includes a strip 238 of textured surface that is smooth in one direction and rough in the opposite direction, on the interior side of each edge of the open window. The textured strip 238 on the interior of the housing 228 facilitates trapping of the strands of lint or pet hair inside the housing 228, for further removal by suction created by the vacuum unit as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 12.

In the contemplated embodiment, the housing 228 preferably extends axially (in a vertical position) from the hand-grip portion 226 and is adapted for securely holding the pet-engageable portion and comprises a vacuum vent 240 which provides suction to remove brushed lint or hair from the lint remover 200 as shown in FIGS. 3-5.

In the contemplated embodiment, the housing 228 preferably extends perpendicularly (in a horizontal position) from the hand-grip portion 226 and is adapted for securely holding the pet-engageable portion and comprises a vacuum vent 240 which provides suction to remove brushed hair from the lint remover 200 as shown in FIGS. 6-8. In an additional embodiment, the surface brush 232 further includes a plurality of extending rubber ledges 242 removably attached at the center into designated slots and facilitate gathering the strands of lint and pet hair when surface brush 232 is rolled over a surface as shown in FIG. 11.

It should be understood that a lint remover 200 can have various cleaning functions independently or in combination with a vacuum unit while permitting suction from the vacuum unit 103, which is a unique feature of the present invention.

The lint remover 200 can be removably attached to the second end 113b of the hose 113 at the base 236 of the lint remover 200.

In one embodiment, the lint remover 200 can be used to brush out loose pet hair, and lint from any surface by rolling the lint remover on the lint or pet hair and then twisting the housing 228 to collect the strands of lint or pet hair on the inside of the housing 228 for further removal by suction from the vacuum unit 103.

In one embodiment, the lint remover 200 can be used to collect any lint or pet hair, that is vacuumed through vacuum vent 240 into the second end 113b of the hose 113, leaving no mess of lint or hair on any surface.

The lint remover with a vacuum system 101 includes a vacuum unit 103 and a lint remover 200. It should be appreciated that more or fewer of such components may be included in different embodiments of the lint remover with a vacuum system 101 including a vacuum unit 103 and a lint remover 200. In addition, other components of the lint remover with a vacuum system 101 may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

It should be appreciated that vacuum unit 103 is configured to emit a noise level range of about 42 decibels to about 75 decibels and is configured to provide suction at about 9000-10,500 Pa.

It should be appreciated that the lint remover configured with a vacuum vent and a vacuum system, provides a mess-free pet grooming experience by effectively sucking up all the shredded pet hair or lint, it is very easy and convenient to use.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the embodiments may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. Although the present embodiments are shown above, they are not limited to just these embodiments, but are amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

Claims

1. A lint remover with a vacuum system, comprising: a lint remover, having: an elongated handle portion;a lint engageable portion; anda vacuum unit configured to emit low noise level, the vacuum unit having: a base;a main body mounted on the base, the main body configured to house a suction motor and a control panel;a collection unit removably attached to the main body and to the base;a flexible hose having a first end, a second end, and a plurality of power cords, the first end configured to join a guide duct via the base, the second end configured to removably attach to the lint remover;a handle; anda power cord;wherein the said elongated handle portion having:a hand-grip portion; anda housing;wherein the said lint engageable portion having:a one-piece surface brush in a circular cylindrical shape is rotatably disposed of within the said housing, exposing the surface brush from an open window of the housing;wherein the external surface of the said surface brush comprises a textured surface and a plurality of vacuum openings, that facilitate sucking up of the pet hair or lint collected on the external surface of the said surface brush;wherein the housing further comprises a strip of textured surface, on the interior side of each edge of the open window, that trap the lint or pet hair inside the housing with a twisting motion of the housing;wherein the said lint remover with a vacuum system can be used to collect any loose hair or lint that is vacuumed into the second end of the said flexible hose through the said vacuum openings of the said lint remover.