Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02426618 2005-05-24
61935-189
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an agitator configuration for a vacuum cleaner and,
more specifically, to a vacuuni cleaner having at least two agitator chambers
each
~ having at least one rotary~agitator member disposed therein.
2. Summary of the Prior Art ,
Upright vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. Typically, these upright
vacuum cleaners include a vacuum cleaner housing pivotally mounted to a vacuum
cleaner foot. The foot is formed with a nozzle opening and may include an
agitator
mounted therein for loosening dirt and debris from a floor surface. A motor
may be
mounted to either the foot or the housing for producing suction at the nozzle
opening.
The suction at the nozzle opening picks up the loosened dirt and debris and
produces
a stream of dirttladen air which is ducted to the vacuum cleaner housing:
It is known in U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,418, owned by a common assignee, to provide
forward and reanivardly disposed suction ducts that extend along the front and
back
sides of a suction nozzle to lead suction air to a rearwardly extending fan
communicating duct. !t is also known from this patent to make an outer
covering piece
of a communicating duct portion extending between the front and back sides of
the
suction nozzle removable. It is also known from this patent to make the
agitator tunnel
an inner structure in its nozzle. It is also generally known to provide a hood
structufe
-1-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
which either sits on its underbody or obviously overlaps it.
However, while the foregoing suction nozzle arrangement in the '418 patent has
produced satisfactory results and has been commercially successful, consumer
demand has forced floor care appliance and vacuum cleaner designers to design
floor
care appliances and vacuum cleaners with additional features andlor
performance. The
present invention fulfills this need by providing a vacuum cleaner having an
improved
suction nozzle configuration comprised of front and rear rotary agitators,
twin agitator
chambers, separate air paths extending from the agitator chambers, and suction
ducts
disposed along the front or rear edges, or both, of the agitator chambers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved agitator
configuration for a floor care appliance.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved agitator
configuration
for a floor care appliance having at least twa agitator chambers and at least
one rotary
agitator member disposed therein.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved agitator
configuration for a floor care appliance having at least two agitator chambers
and at
least one rotary agitator member disposed therein wherein the rotary agitator
member
is removable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is an upright vacuum cleaner which includes a foot having a
downwardly disposed suction nozzle, rear wheels and more forwardly disposed
intermediate wheels. These last mentioned wheels are carried on a pivot
carriage
structure on the suction nozzle so that they may pivot inwardly and outwardly
of the
suction nozzle to thereby adjust its height. A housing is pivotally attached
to the foot via
_2_
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
a pivoting duct assembly so that a dirt laden airstream from the suction
nozzle is
directed to a dirt separation assembly in the housing. The suction nozzle has
symmetric left and right agitator chambers having a suction duct disposed
along either
the front edge of each of the agitator chambers or along the rear edges of
each of the
agitator chambers, or both. A pair of rotary agitators are disposed inside the
agitator
chambers wherein a half-section of each agitator is located in the respective
left and
right agitator chambers. The pair of rotary agitators are comprised of a front
and rear
agitator each divided in the center into a right and left half-section by a
centrally
disposed gear box.
A one-piece semi-cylindrical shaped tunnel liner serves to partially separate
the
twin agitator chambers from a pair of air passages that extend from the front
edge of
each of the agitator chambers to a pair of suction ports in the rear of the
foot. The air
passages extend laterally from the outward edge of the right and left agitator
chambers
to the centrally disposed gear box. The air passages form a path wherein
particles
deposited along a ledge adjacent the front edge of the cleaner foot are
removed by the
suction created by the suction motor-fan assembly located in the cleaner
housing. The
air passages direct the particles overthe front and rear agitators to suction
ports leading
to the respective left and right suction conduits located along the right and
left edges
of the cleaner foot. The air passages confluently communicate with the front
or forward
suction ducts, if so equipped, disposed along the front edges of the right and
left
agitator chambers. The suction ducts serve to more evenly distribute nozzle
suction
along the front edges of the right and left agitator chambers to remove
particles
deposited on the ledge by the front agitator. Similarly, the rear suction
ducts, if so
equipped, uniformly distribute suction created by the motor-fan assembly
transversely
-3-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
along the rear edges of the right and left agitator chambers to remove
particles
deposited by the rear agitator on a specially formed ledge along the rear
edges of the
agitator chambers. The suction ducts confluently communicate with the
respective left
and right suction conduits through the left and right suction ports.
The front suction ducts are partially formed by the front edge of the one-
piece
tunnel liner and the front sidewall of the agitator housing. The rear suction
ducts are
partially formed by a pair of channels formed in the agitator housing along
the rear
edges of the right and left agitator chambers. The front suction ducts for the
suction
nozzle are completed by a bottom plate which is mounted to the agitator
housing and
the foot main body. The bottom plate includes a rearwardly extending front lip
that
forms a part of the final bottom side of the suction nozzle. The rear suction
ducts are
completed by a ledge that extends forwardly from the front side of the foot
main body
which is attached to the rear stringer of the bottom plate. These front and
rear ledges
are vertically spaced from the bottom terminations of the duct cover, at their
inner
terminations to thereby permit the easy slot entrance of suction air, air
entrained dirt,
and agitator driven dirt into both the forward and rearward ducts.
In another aspect of the invention, a dirt collecting system is presented
comprised partially of a translucent dirt cup removably inserted into a recess
in the
vacuum cleaner housing. The dirt cup is sidewardly disposed in the recess. The
recess is partially enclosed by an opaque curved sidewall having a curvilinear
front
edge. A portion of the recess is not enclosed and the and the dirt cup is
visible from the
area in front and the side of the cleaner. This allows a portion of the filter
member
inside the dirt cup to be seen as well as any dirt particles that may be
inside the dirt cup
to be seen in the area in front and to the side of the cleaner. A cutout
portion in the
-4-
CA 02426618 2005-05-24
61935-189
curved sidewall allows another portion of the dirt collecting system and dirt
cup to be
visible in the are in front of the cleaner. This allows a portion of the
filter member inside
the translucent.dirt cup to also be seen in the area in front of the cleaner.
Dirt particles
entering the dirt cup may also be seen in the area in front of the cleaner. A
portion of
a translucent filter cover on the front of the cleaner housing extends into
the cutout
portion.
The dirt cup is comprised of a dirt collecting chamber, a lid enclosing the
dirt
collecting chamber, a pre-filter and primary filter assembly slidably inserted
in the dirt
collecting chamber, a dirty air inlet fitting, and a handle on the side of the
dirt cup for
handling the dirt cup. The dirt cup is emptied-by removing the dirt cup from
the vacuum
cleaner housing. The handle on the side of.the dirt cup is provided for this
purpose.
While still grasping. the handle, the dirt cup is emptied of debris by pulling
the dirt cup
handle sidewardly, removing the lid, and then inverting the dirt cup over a
debris
collection receptacle. The debris in the dirt cup will fall from the dirt cup
into the debris
collection receptacle. After emptying the dirt cup is returned upright, the
lid is returned
over the open top of the dirt cup. The dirt cup is then re-inserted into the
vacuum
cleaner housing. A nearly identical dirt collecting system is disclosed in
U.S.
patent publica#ion No. 20020129462.
In an alternate embodiment of the this aspect of the invention, the dirt
collecting
system includes a translucent filtration bag container removably inserted into
the
vacuum cleaner housing. The filtration bag container. is uery similar to the
aforementioned dirt cup in that it is sidewardly disposed and is inserted and
removed
from the housing in the same manner. The filtration bag container is comprised
of a
filtration bag chamber, a lid enclosing the filtration bag chamber, a
filtration bag
-5-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
connector for connecting the filtration bag container to the dirty air inlet
tube, and a
handle on the side of the filtration bag container for handling the dirt cup.
The filtration
bag container is emptied by removing the filtration bag container from the
vacuum
cleaner housing. The handle on the side of the filtration bag container is
provided for
this purpose. While still grasping the handle, the filtration bag container is
pulled
sidewardly from the housing, the lid removed, and the filtration bag contained
therein
is discarded. A new filtration bag is inserted into the filtration bag chamber
and the
aperture of the collar of the filtration bag is inserted over the filtration
bag fitting. The
lid is then replace and the filtration bag container is then re-inserted into
the vacuum
cleaner housing. When the bag container and filtration bag are inserted into
the recess
in the housing, a portion of the filtration bag and bag container may be seen
through the
cutout portion of the curved sidewall. Another portion of the filtration bag
and bag
container may be seen in the unenclosed portion of the recess.
Note that because of the similarity between the dirt cup of the preferred
embodiment and the filtration bag container of the alternate embodiment that a
single
container could be utilized in either embodiment by converting the dirt cup of
the
preferred embodiment to the filtration bag container of the alternate
embodiment by
switching the dirty air inlet fitting on the dirt cup to the filtration bag
fitting. The pre-filter
assembly and primary filter assembly are also removed from the dirt cup.
Another aspect of the invention is an agitator and agitator drive
configuration.
The agitator configuration is comprised of a pair counter-rotating rotary
agitators. Each
agitator is comprised of a right and left agitator half section. The front
right agitator is
a right handed helix and the front left agitator is left handed helix. The
opposing helix
patterns sweep particles outward from the centrally disposed gear box to the
sides of
-6-
CA 02426618 2005-05-24
61935-189
the of the agitator chambers so that the forward suction
ducts can remove the particles from the forward ledges.
Oppositely, the rear right agitator is a left handed helix
and the rear left agitator is right handed helix. The
opposing helix patterns sweep particles outward from the
centrally disposed gear box to the sides of the agitator
chambers so that the rearward suction ducts can remove the
particles from the rear ledges. The agitator half-sections
have a cross-section generally that of two trapezoidal
sections stacked back to back and having an offset
longitudinal axis. A plurality of brush members radially
extend from the opposing radially outward ends of the
trapezoid sections.
In accordance with another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided an agitator configuration for a
floor care appliance having at least two agitator chambers,
comprising: at least one agitator half-section disposed in
each of said at least two agitator chambers.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the
present invention, there is provided an agitator
configuration for a floor care appliance having at least two
agitator chambers, comprised of: at least one rotary
agitator comprised of a right agitator half-section and a
left agitator half-section; and wherein the right agitator
half-section is disposed in one agitator chamber of said at
least two agitator chambers and the left agitator half-
section is disposed in another agitator chamber of said at
least two agitator chambers.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the
present invention, there is provided an agitator
configuration for a floor care appliance having two agitator
chambers, comprised of: two rotary agitators each comprised
CA 02426618 2005-05-24
61935-189
of a right agitator half-section and a left agitator half-
section; and wherein the right agitator half-sections of
said two rotary agitators are disposed in one agitator
chamber and the left agitator half-sections are disposed in
the other agitator chamber of said two agitator chambers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference may now be had to the accompanying
drawings for a better understanding of the invention, both
as to its organization and function, with the illustration
being only exemplary and in which:
FIG. 1 is a left perspective view of the vacuum
cleaner, according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a right perspective view of the vacuum
cleaner, according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 3 is an exploded left perspective view of the
upper housing of the vacuum cleaner of FIGS. 1 and 2 with
the preferred embodiment of the dirt collecting system;
FIG. 3a is rear view of the upper housing of the
vacuum cleaner of FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 is right perspective view of the vacuum
cleaner of FIGS. 1 and 2 with an alternate embodiment dirt
collecting system removed from the housing and shown
-7a-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
exploded;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the alternate embodiment dirt
collecting
system shown exploded in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a vacuum cleaner foot for the vacuum cleaner
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of an agitator configuration and agitator drive
assembly shown in FIG. 6;
FIG. 7a is a cross-sectional view of one of a plurality of agitator half-
sections
shown in the agitator configuration shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the foot for the vacuum cleaner shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 9 showing the gear configuration of
the
agitator drive assembly;
FIG. 9 is an elevated perspective view of the vacuum cleaner foot shown in
FIG.
6;
FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the foot for the vacuum cleaner
in
FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a rear elevated view of the agitator housing for the foot for the
vacuum
cleaner shown in FIGS 1 and 2;
FIG. 12 is a rear elevated view of the agitator housing assembled on the main
body of the foot for the vacuum cleaner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the one-
piece
semi-cylindrical shaped tunnel liner installed in the nozzle chamber of the
agitator
housing;
FIG. 13 is a rear elevated view of the assembly shown in FIG. 12 with the
addition of the foot bottom plate installed;
_g_
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
FIG. 14 is a rear elevated view of the assembly shown in FIG. 13 with the
addition of the agitator configuration and agitator drive assembly;
FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic top view of the agitator housing with the nozzle
liner
installed showing the location of portions of the front and rear suction ducts
and the
agitator half-sections shown in dashed lines for illustrative purposes only;
FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic bottom view of the agitator housing with the nozzle
liner installed showing the location of the front and rear suction ducts and
the agitator
half-sections shown in dashed lines for illustrative purposes only; and
FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the foot of the vacuum cleaner shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along line 17-17 of FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A vacuum cleaner incorporating one embodiment of a dirt collecting system
300 is shown in FIGS. 1-3a and is indicated generally at 10. Vacuum cleaner 10
includes a vacuum cleaner foot 100 and a vacuum cleaner handle or housing 200
connected to the vacuum cleaner foot or suction nozzle 100. A particle
separating and
collecting system 300 is sidewardly disposed in a recess 264 in the housing
200. The
particle separating and collecting system 300 has a sidewardly extending
handle 398
for removing the particle separating and collecting system 300 from recess
264. It is
desirable to remove particle separating and collecting system 300 from recess
264 to
dispose of particles collected therein and for cleaning of the filtration
media also
contained therein (described further hereinbelow). It is understood that
although
particle separating and collecting system 300 is inserted into recess 264
through an
opening on the right side of the cleaner 10, particle separating and
collecting system
300 could be inserted into recess 264 through an opening on the left side of
the cleaner
_g_
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
without affecting the concept of the invention.
Referring specifically now to FIG. 3, a motor-fan assembly 214 having a
suction inlet 214a is mounted in the lower portion of housing 200 in a recess
212 by a
motor mount 215. Suction inlet 214a of motor-fan assembly 214 is fluidly
connected
5 to foot 100 by a suction duct 216 and an accessory hose 600 (FIGS. 1-3a). It
is
understood that although motor-fan assembly 214 is shown positioned in the
housing
200, the motor-fan assembly 214 could instead be positioned within foot 100
without
affecting the concept of the invention.
The housing 200 is pivotally connected to foot 100 with fluid communication
10 being maintained therebetween by a rectangular duct 154 formed in the rear
duct 167
of foot 100. The housing 200 is pivotally connected to foot 100 by a flange
portion 219
having a semi-circular recess pivoting valve arrangement comprised of a
pivoting duct
cover 235 and a flange portion 219 of housing 200 clamping over the rear duct
167 of
foot 100. Both flange portion 219 and pivoting duct cover 235 have a semi-
circular
recessed portion 220,238 for rotatably receiving rear duct 167. Pivoting duct
cover 235
has a split tubular portion 237 wherein semi-circular recess 238 is formed
thereon.
Rear duct 167 is fluidly connected to both a right suction ducfi 165 and a
left suction
duct 166 on foot 100. Right suction duct 165 is fluidly connected to right
agitator
chamber 121 while left suction duct 166 is fluidly connected to left agitator
chamber
122. The flow from right suction duct 165 and left suction converge together a
rear
duct 167 being directed out of rear duct 167 through a single exit opening or
duct 154
by a flow diverter 171 located inside duct 167 (FIG. 11 ). Referring now
specifically to
FIG. 3a, pivoting duct cover 235 has a channel portion 236 which clamps over
an
accessory hose adaptor 239 which allows an accessory hose 600 to be connected
-10-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
thereto. Accessory hose 600 is fluidly connected to dirt duct 216, dirt
separation system
300, and suction inlet 214a of motor-fan assembly 214. Connection of the
accessory
hose 600 to the accessory hose adaptor 239 connects the suction created by the
motor-fan assembly 214 to rear duct 167, left and right suction ducts 165,166,
and
agitator chambers 121,122, or alternately, to off-the-floor accessory tools
that are
stored in an accessory tool recess 207 formed in housing 200. Accessory tool
recess
is covered by a tool storage recess cover 208 and a tool storage door 209
allowing
access to the accessory tools stored therein.
The suction from suction inlet opening 214a of motor-fan assmebly 214 is
directed through passages in recess 212 to an intake opening 224 formed in the
bottom
of housing 200. Intake opening 224 is fluidly connected to the bottom of dirt
collecting
system 300 via a clean air outlet opening 306 when dirt collecting system 300
is
inserted into housing 200. Dirt collecting system 300 is also fluidly
connected to
agitator chambers 121,122 by a suction duct 216 and accessory hose 600 as
previously
described and described further hereinbelow. The suction airstream draws the
loosened dirt and/or particles from the floor surface carrying dirt and/or
other particles
from agitator chambers 121,122 through accessory hose 600 and dirt duct 216 to
dirt
separation system 300 for particle separation and collection. After exiting
dirt
separation system 300, the now clean air is drawn into suction inlet 214a of
motor-fan
assembly 214 and exhausted. The air exhausted from motor-fan assembly is
directed
through a plurality of ports 225 formed in a motor cover 222 to a final filter
226. The
final filter 226 is enclosed by a filter cover 227 which has a series of slits
227a formed
therein to allow the cleaned air to exit to the atmosphere. The final filter
226 may be
a "HEPA" rated filter or other filtration media. Referring specifically to Fig
3, a front
-11-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
panel 260 partially encloses a recess 201 formed in the upper portion of
housing 200.
Front panel 260 is formed from an opaque top wall 262 and an opaque curved
sidewall
268 to partially enclose recess 201 for receiving and supporting the dirt
collecting
system 300, as described below. Curved sidewall 268 has a curvilinear front
edge 265
that extends from the top wall 262 to its bottom edge 263 so that a portion of
front of
dirt collecting systems 300 or 400 are visible from the front and side of the
cleaner 10.
Front panel 260 further has a cutout portion 267 so that a portion of dirt
collecting
systems 300 or 400 may be seen from the region in front of cleaner 10. A
portion 227a
of translucent filter cover 227 extends into cutout portion 267 so that the
portion of dirt
collecting system 300 or dirt collecting system 400 (described below) may be
seen. The
bottom wall 384 of dirt cup 350 or the bottom wall 484 of bag container 450
engages
a seal 221 surrounding the periphery of intake opening 224 so that suction
from the
suction inlet opening 214a of motor-fan assembly 114 is directed through the
respective
clean air outlet openings 306, 466 in dirt cup 350 or bag container 450.
The preferred embodiment of the present dirt collecting system is shown in
FIG.
3 and generally includes a translucent dirt cup 350, a filter assembly 380
removably
mounted within the dirt cup 350 and a dirt cup lid 382 which encloses the dirt
cup 350.
The dirt cup 350 includes a bottom wall 384, a generally flat rear wall 386, a
pair of
curved side walls 388 and 390, and a front wall 392. Rear wall 386, side walls
388 and
390 and front wall 392 extend upwardly from the bottom wall 384 to form a dirt
cup
chamber 394. Front wall 392 curves inwardly from each side wall meeting at the
center.
Rear wall 386 has a flat, slightly angled portion 386a so that the seal 302 of
dirty air
inlet aperture 309 formed therein mates with a likewise angled face of suction
duct
connector 218 of suction duct 216. A handle 398 is located on the side wall
390
-12-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
extending sidewardly therefrom. A clean air exhaust port 306 is formed in the
bottom
wall 384 of dirt cup 350 which fluidly connects dirt cup 350 to intake port
224. A front
guide rib 308 extends inwardly from the front wall 392 of the dirt cup 350,
and a rear
guide rib 307 extends inwardly from the rear wall 386 of the dirt cup 350. A
partition
wall 310 extends upwardly from the bottom wall 384 of the dirt cup 350.
Partition wall
310 extends between the front wall 392 and the rear wall 386 of the dirt cup
and
includes a top edge 311 which sits approximately 3/4 inches above the bottom
wall 384.
In the present embodiment, the dirt cup is a one-piece member molded of
plastic and
includes an anti-static additive to prevent dirt from electro-statically
adhering to the walls
of the dirt cup. However, it is understood that the dirt cup may be formed of
any
number of suitable materials, and particularly plastic materials, without
affecting the
concept of the invention.
Still referring to FIG. 3, the filter assembly 380 generally includes an
apertured
wall 312, a filter support 314 extending from the apertured wall 312 and a
primary filter
member 381 which removably mounts on the filter support 314. The filter
assembly
380, and particularly the apertured wall 312 thereof, along with the partition
wall 310
separate the dirt cup chamber 394 into a first dirt collecting chamber 316 and
a second
dirt collecting chamber 318. The apertured wall 312 is positioned between
rearwall 386
and front wall 392 and is formed with a plurality of apertures or holes 320.
The holes
320 provide for fluid communication between the first dirt collecting chamber
316 and
the second dirt collecting chamber 318.
The apertured wall 312 functions as a coarse particle separator or pre-filter
and
could include any number of holes having various shapes (circular, square,
elliptical,
etc.), sizes and angles. To maximize airflow through the holes while still
preventing
-13_
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
large debris from passing therethrough, it is desirable to form the holes as
large as
0.0036 square inches and as small as a 600 mesh screen. In the present
embodiment,
the holes 312 are circular with a hole diameter of approximately 0.030 inches.
Further,
the apertured wall should be formed with enough total opening area to maintain
airflow
through the dirt cup. It is desirable to form apertured wall 312 with a total
opening area
of between approximately 2.5 square inches to approximately 4 square inches.
In the present embodiment, there are approximately 196 holes/inch2 with the
holes 320 form a total opening area of approximately 3.2 square inches. In the
present
embodiment, the apertured wall 312 is a one-piece member integrally molded of
a
plastic material, such as a polypropylene and may include an anti-static
additive to
prevent dirt from electro-statically adhering thereto. However, it is
understood that the
apertured wall may be formed of a number of different materials such as metal
or
synthetic mesh or screens, cloth, foam, a high-density polyethylene material,
apertured
molded plastic or metal, or any other woven, non-woven, natural or synthetic
coarse
filtration materials without affecting the concept of the invention. Primary
fitter member
is rotatably mounted to partition wall 310 and filter support member so that
primary filter
381 may be rotated against flexible wiper member 321 by knob 384 embedded in
lid
382 to knock accumulated dust and particles from primary filter 381. A nearly
identical
dirt collecting system is disclosed in Hoover Case 2521, U.S. Serial No.
09/123,456.
An alternate embodiment of a dirt collecting system, hereinafter designated as
dirt collecting system 450, may be substituted as shown in FIG. 4 wherein dirt
cup 350
is replaced with a translucent filtration bag container 450. Filtration bag
container 450
is comprised of a rear wall 486, bottom wall 484 and right and left curved
sidewalls
488,490. A filtration bag 412 is placed inside the chamber 494 of bag
container 450.
-14-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
Suction from motor-fan assembly 214 drawn through clean air outlet opening 266
creates negative pressure inside chamber 494 causing the dirt laden airstream
from
agitator chambers 121,122 to be drawn into filtration bag 412. The sidewalls
of filtration
bag 412 prevent particles from entering chamber 494. Particles are collected
inside
filtration bag 412 for collection and later disposal. Filtration bag 412 is
held securely
within chamber 494 by the filtration bag collar 413 attached to one side of
filtration bag
412. An aperture 411 (not shown) through collar 413 allows fluid communication
with
an inlet aperture 403 in a filtration bag connector 402 connected to the
sidewall of
filtration bag container 450. The aperture 411 fits snugly over a annular ring
404 and
held securely by an annular groove 405 on the inward side of filtration bag
connector
402. Filtration bag connector 402 is fitted into rectangular opening 486 in
the rear wall
486 of filtration bag container 450. Filtration bag connector 402 provides a
fluid tight
connection between inlet aperture 411 (not shown) of filtration bag 412 and
dirty air inlet
connector 218 of suction duct 217. A lid 404 seals chamber 494 from the
atmosphere.
Filtration bag 412 is an ordinary filtration type bag commonly in use in
vacuum cleaners
a "HEPA" rated filtration bag, or a filtration bag utilizing at least one
layer of expanded
polyfluorethylene as the filtration media.
Note that both the preferred embodiment of a dirt collecting system 300 and
the
alternate embodiment dirt collecting system 400 are shown being installed in
recess
201 in a left sidewardly disposed manner through a leftward facing opening,
both the
preferred embodiment of a dirt collecting system 300 and the alternate
embodiment dirt
collecting system 400 could be installed in recess 201 in a right sidewardly
disposed
manner through a rightward facing opening.
-15-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
Referring now to Fig. 6, shown is an exploded view of a vacuum cleaner suction
nozzle or foot 100. The vacuum cleaner foot is partially formed from an
agitator
housing 150 and a cleaner foot main body 180. A pair of rotary agitators 51,52
are
positioned in symmetric left and right agitator chambers 121,122 disposed
within
suction nozzle 100 wherein each of the rotary agitators 51,52 is comprised of
a right
and left agitator half section. One of the rotary agitators, hereinafter front
agitator 51,
is disposed adjacent the front edge of the suction nozzle 100. Front agitator
51 is
comprised of front right agitator half-section 54 and front left agitator half-
section 53.
Front right agitator half-section 54 is located inside right agitator chamber
121 while left
front agitator half-section 53 is located in left agitator chamber 122.
The other rotary agitator, hereinafter rear agitator 52, is disposed adjacent
the
rear edges of the suction nozzle. The rear right agitator half-section 56 is
located inside
right agitator chamber 121 while rear left agitator half-section 55 is located
in left
agitator chamber 122. The pair of rotary agitators 51,52 rotate about
horizontal axes
Ax, Bx (FIG. 15) for loosening dirt from the floor surface.
The agitator drive assembly shown in FIGS. 6 through 8 consists of a front and
rear agitator 51,52 each comprised of two agitator half-sections 54,56 and
53,55. The
agitator half sections 54,56 and 53,55 are driven by a common central gear box
57
providing rotary power to a front drive shaft 57h and a rear drive shaft 57g.
The front
agitator half-sections 53,54 are driven by the front agitator drive shaft 57h
and the rear
agitator half-sections are driven by a rear gear shaft 57g. The rotary power
is
transmitted to the agitator half sections 53,54,55,56 by agitator inserts
61,61,61,61 that
are keyed and designed to fit into a complementary recess (not shown) in the
inward
end of each agitator half-section. A hollow interior of each agitator insert
61,61,61,61
-16-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
is pressed onto the respective drive shaft 57g,57h and is non-rotatably held
thereon
in a semi-interference type fit. Alternately, a pin could be inserted through
the sidewall
of each agitator insert 61,61,61,61 and through the drive shaft to prevent
rotation
relative to one another. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention,
the
agitator half-sections 53,54,55,56 could be driven on the inward end by a
helical gear
assembly similar to the one shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,891,504 issued to
Smellie,
owned by a common assignee, and incorporated by reference fully herein. In
another
alternate embodiment of the present invention, agitator half-sections
53,54,55,56 could
be driven on the inward or outward ends by a belt arrangement coupled to an
independent drive motor or to the motor-fan assembly as is well known in the
art.
Each agitator half section 53,54,55,56 consists of a helical ribbon that
extends
180° from the inward end to an outward end. The outward ends of each
agitator half
section 53,54,55,56 is supported by a stub shaft 62,62,62,62 press fitted into
a recess
(not shown) on the outward end. Stub shafts 62,62,62,62 are rotatably
supported by
a spherical bearing 63,63,63,63 located in end caps 58,59 attached to the
inner wall on
the outward side of each agitator chambers 121,122. A plurality of brushes 50
consisting of an approximately equal plurality of bristles extend radially
outward from
the ribbon portion of each agitator half-section 53,54,55,56.
The front and rear drive shafts 57h,5g are geared to drive the front and rear
agitator half-sections 53,54 and 55,56 in a counter-rotating direction. As
viewed from
the left side of the cleaner, the front agitator half sections 53,54 are
driven clockwise
and the rear agitator half-sections 55,56 are driven counter-clockwise. The
front drive
shaft 57h is driven by a front gear 57e which is rotatably driven by a rear
gear 57d. The
rear gear 57d also drives the rear drive shaft 57g. The rear gear 57d is
rotatably driven
-17-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
by an idler gear 57c. The idler gear 57c transmits the rotary power of a
pinion gear 60a
driven by the drive shaft 60b of an independent electric motor 60. The idler
gear 57c
also serves to convert the higher RPM, lower torque of the independent drive
motor 60
to a lower RPM, higher torque required by the front and rear agitator
assemblies 51,52.
The front right agitator 54 consists of a right handed helical ribbon that
turns
180° from the inward end to the outward end. The front left agitator 53
consists of a
left handed helical ribbon that turns 180° from the inward end to the
outward end. The
brush members 50 on the inward ends of front right agitator 54 front left
agitator 53 are
aligned with one another so that a "chevron" pattern is formed by the brush
members
50 extending from the helical ribbon portions of the agitator half sections
54,53. Brush
members 50 are arranged on front right agitator 54 in a right-handed helical
pattern and
in a left-handed helical pattern on front left agitator 53 so that particles
are swept
outward from the protruding portion 140d of nozzle liner 140 (FIG. 12) to the
bosses
139 on the right and left outward ends of agitator housing 150 (FIG. 12) as
the front
right and the front left agitator half-sections 53,54 rotate in the clockwise
direction (FIG.
10). The rear right agitator half-section 56 consists of a left-handed helical
ribbon that
turns 180° from the inward end to the outward end. The rear left
agitator half-section
55 consists of a right-handed helical ribbon that turns 180° from the
inward end to the
outward end. The brush members 50 on the inward ends of rear right agitator 56
and
rear left agitator 55 are aligned with one another so that a "chevron" pattern
is formed
by the brush members 50 extending from the helical ribbon portions of the
agitator half
sections 56,55. Brush members 50 are arranged on rear right agitator 56 in a
left
handed helical pattern and in a right handed helical pattern on rear left
agitator half-
section 55 so that particles are swept outward from gear box 57 to channels
161,162
-18-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
(FIG. 11 ), respectively, as the rear right and the rear left agitator half-
sections 55,56
rotate in the counter-clockwise direction (FIG. 10). The plurality of bristles
50 of the
front agitator half sections 53,54 are arranged to intermesh with the rear
agitator half-
sections 55,56. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the front
agitator
half sections 53,54 are spaced further apart from the rear agitator half-
sections 55,56
so that the plurality of brushes 50 are not intermeshed. The front agitator
half-sections
53,54 and the rear agitator half-sections 55,56 rotate in the same clockwise
direction,
as viewed from the left side of the cleaner 10. Alternately, the front
agitator half-
sections 53,54 and the rear agitator half-sections 55,56 could rotate in the
same
counter-clockwise or clockwise direction, as viewed from the left side of the
cleaner 10.
The cross section of each of the agitator half-sections 53,54,55,56 is shown
in
FIG. 7a The cross-section is comprised generally of two trapezoidal half-
sections
forming the ribbon portions 47,47 stacked on top of another having an offset
longitudinal axis Ay. A channel 48 is farmed on each of the outward radial
ends 49,49
for receiving the plurality of brush members 50.
Another aspect of the invention is shown in FIG. 6 and in detail in FIGS. 9-
18.
Referring specifically to FIG. 6, shown is a vacuum cleaner foot 100 (or
alternately
referred to as suction nozzle 100) having a rather extensive agitator chamber
housing
150 surmounted by a hood 102 and a control panel portion 104. Agitator chamber
housing 150 is transparent except as described below. The hood 102 and a lens
cover
103 are fitted into a recessed medial portion 141 formed on the front and
upper side of
agitator chamber housing 150. The recessed medial portion 141 has a semi-
cylindrical
shaped Power surface 141 b separating recessed medial portion 141 from
agitator
chambers 121,22 located below. A lamp assembly 142 may be installed on the
upper
-19-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
surface 141a of recessed medial portion 141 being separated therefrom by an
opaque
separating or reflecting member 141 c. Hood 102 and lens cover 103 when fitted
into
recessed medial portion 140 enclose the lamp assembly 142. Lens cover 103
directs
the light generated by the lamp assembly 142 to an area in front of foot 100.
Control
panel 104 has apertures formed therein for receiving the nozzle height
adjustment lever
assembly 106 and agitator shutoff/reset switch assembly 105.
Agitator housing assembly 150 is formed as a single piece wherein the upper
portion 151 of the right suction conduit 165 and the upper portion 152 of the
left suction
conduit 166 are integrally formed extending reanrvardlyfrom agitator chambers
121,122
and merging back together into the upper portion 153 of a rear suction conduit
167.
The upper portion of rectangular suction duct 154 is also formed in rear
suction conduit
167 facing rearwardly therefrom. Agitator housing assembly 150 is mounted on
the
upper side of main body 180 being attached thereto by bosses 175 (FIG. 11 )
and
screws. Main body 180 has the lower portion 176 of right suction conduit, the
lower
portion 177 of left suction conduit 166, and the lower portion 178 of rear
suction conduit
167 integrally formed therein. The lower portion 176 of right suction conduit
165 and
the lower portion 177 of left suction conduit 166 extend rearwardly from ledge
182 on
the front of main body 180 rearwardly and merge back together into the lower
portion
178 of rear suction conduit 167. When agitator housing assembly 150 and main
body
180 are assembled, right suction conduit 165, left suction conduit 166, and
rear suction
conduit 167 are completed fluidly connecting agitator chambers 121,122 with
rear duct
167 and rectangular opening 154.
One or more dirt detecting devices such as a microphone may be installed in
rear duct
167 as part of a dirt detecting system to detect when dirt particles are
flowing
-20-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
therethrough. Such a dirt detecting device is disclosed in U.S. Patent No.
5,608,944
issued to Gordon. Alternately, the dirt detecting devices may be installed in
the suction
tube on the cleaner as seen in the Gordon patent.
The suction nozzle main body 180 includes rear wheels 127, 127 and a forward
but intermediately disposed pivoted, height adjustable wheel carriage 117
having front
wheels 128,128. The suction nozzle 10 also includes sidewardly disposed litter
picks
118, 118. A furniture guard 119 extends around the suction nozzle 100 front
and sides
interrupted only by litter picks 118, 118. A foot release pedal 107 is
disposed at the
nozzle's rearward edge.
Still referring specifically to FIG. 6, the suction nozzle 100 includes on its
bottom
side an abbreviated bottom plate 110 having cross bars 112, 112, 112, 112 and
left and
right end bars 115,116. Suction openings 117,117,117,117 are disposed between
the
cross bars 111,111,111,111 and end bars 115,116. The bottom plate 110 is
securely
mounted to the bottom side of the agitator chamber housing 150 by screws (not
shown)
and to a ledge 182 on the front of main body 180 by tabs 114,114 that fit into
slots
181,181,181 formed in main body 180.
A semi-cylindrical shaped nozzle liner or semi-cylindrical shaped wall 140
also
partially forms the top wall of agitator chambers 121, 122 (FIG. 14). Agitator
housing
assembly 150 has a pair of channels 161, 162 (FIG. 11 ) integrally formed
therein
extending from the Left and right front edges 159, 160, respectively,
rearwardly that
converge into inlet openings 152a, 151 a of the upper portions 152, 151 of
right and left
suction conduits 165,166. Nozzle liner 140 fits snugly into channels 161,162
(FIG. 12)
so that a pair of complete flow passages 134,135 are formed between the upper
surface of nozzle liner 140 and agitator housing 150. Flow paths 134,135
extend from
-21-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
a right slotted opening 190 and a left slotted opening 191 to the inlet
openings 165a,
166a of right and left suction conduits 165,166, respectively. Right slotted
opening 190
extends parallel to right front edge 159 to a boss 139 on the right side of
agitator
housing assembly 150 to a protrusion 140d on the front edge 140a of nozzle
line 140.
Left slotted opening 191 extends parallel to left front edge 160 to a boss 139
on the left
side of agitator housing assembly 150 to protrusion 140d on the front edge of
nozzle
liner 140. A pair of loops 140g, 140g on opposing ends of nozzle liner 140
encircle
bosses 139,139 aid in securing nozzle liner 140 inside nozzle opening 120.
Tabs
140i,140h on nozzle liner 140 and screws are also used. Nozzle liner 140 has a
curvilinear rear edge 140c which abuts a curvilinear front edge on the lower
side of
recessed medial portion 141 so that a smooth surface is formed.
Referring still to FIG. 6, agitator and agitator drive assembly 50 are
inserted into
agitator housing 150 after nozzle liner 140 has been installed. A pair of
front and rear
agitator half-sections are located in respective right and left agitator
chambers 121,122
(FIGS. 14 to 16). A centrally disposed gear box 57 provides rotary power to
both the
front and rear agitators 51,52 each comprised of a right and left half-section
located in
agitator chambers 121,122. Gear box 57 is screwingly mounted to main body 180
and
extends forwardly through a cutout 157 in the bottom wall 141 a of recessed
medial
portion 141. An additional boss in bottom wall and screw therethrough into the
gear box
57 further secures gear box 57 to the lower surface of bottom wall 141 a. Once
gear
box 57 is installed, each of the aforementioned agitator half-sections are
installed onto
the respective drive shafts and are non-rotatably coupled relative to one
another. The
outward ends of the agitator half-sections are rotatably supported by a stub
shaft 67
and a spherical bearing 63 located in a pocket (not shown) in bearing end caps
58,58
-22-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
on opposing sides of foot 100. Bearing end caps 58,58 are installed in cutouts
163,164
formed in the outer ends of agitator housing assembly 150. Bearing end caps
58,58
are securely fastened by tabs 58a,58a,58a,58a extending from the lateral sides
of
bearing end caps 58,58 to bosses 124,124,124,124 formed in agitator housing
assembly 150. Agitator chamber 121 extends from gear box 57 to bearing end cap
58
on the right side of foot 100 and agitator chamber 122 extends from gear box
57 to
bearing end cap 58 on the left side of foot 100. Right agitator chamber 121
has a
rightwardly extending portion 169 that extends sidewardly beyond the outward
edge of
right channel 161 and left agitator chamber 122 has a leftwardly extending
portion 170
that extends sidewardly beyond the outward edge of left channel 162. The lower
surfaces 169a,170a, respectively, of left and right sidewardly extending
portions
169,170 lie generally in the same plane as the lower surtace of the bottom
wall 141a
of recessed medial portion 141 and the lower surface of nozzle liner 140.
Together
these surFaces form the smooth inner surface of agitator chambers 121,122
having a
semi-cylindrical shape. The outer surfaces 169b,170b of left and right
sidewardly
extending portions 169,170, respectively, have a smooth depressed portion
169c,170c,
respectively, to give the impression that left and right sidewardly extending
portions
169,170 are bifurcated in the lateral direction (as illustrated in FIGS. 15
and 16 by axes
Ax and Bx) so that there is a separate chamber for each agitator half-section
located
beneath.
Referring specifically now to FIG. 11, agitator housing 150 has a right
suction
channel 155 and a left suction channel 156 adjacent the right and left rear
edges of
agitator chambers 121,122, respectively. Right suction channel extends from
the gear
box cutout 157 to the inlet 152a of the upper portion 152 of right suction
conduit 165.
-23-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
Right suction channel 155 exits into inlet 152a by a diverging mouth portion
155c.
Right suction channel 155 further has rear edge 155b and a front edge 155a
that abuts
the rear edge 125 of agitator chamber 121. Left suction channel 156 extends
from the
gear box cutout 157 to the inlet 151 a of the upper portion 151 of left
suction conduit
166. Left suction channel 156 exits into inlet 151 a by a diverging mouth
portion 156c.
Left suction channel 156 further has rear edge 156b and a front edge 156a that
abuts
the rear edge 126 of agitator chamber 122. However, right suction channel 155
and a
left suction channel 156 are only portions of the right and left suction ducts
188,189
adjacent to the rear edges of 125,126 of agitator chambers 121,122. The right
and left
suction ducts 188,189 are completed when agitator housing 150 and main body
180 are
assembled together (FIG. 12) since the main body front ledge 182 serves as the
bottom
wall for both the right and left suction ducts 188,189 (FIG. 12). Particles
deposited on
the main body front ledge 182 by rear right agitator half section 56 and rear
left agitator
half-section 55 are removed by suction from right and left suction ducts
188,189 (FIGS.
10 and 12). The particles are directed to the inlet openings 165a,166a of
right and left
suction conduits 165,166 before being directed out foot 100 through rear duct
167 and
exit opening 154. In addition to removing particles, the right and left
suction ducts
188,189 serve to more evenly distribute nozzle suction across the width of
agitator
chambers 121,122. The rear left and right suction ducts 188,189 may also be
seen in
the diagrammatic illustrations of agitator housing 150 shown in FIGS. 15 and
16.
Referring now specifically to FIG. 12, shown is a partially assembled foot 100
wherein main body 180 and agitator housing 150 have been assembled and
inverted.
Nozzle liner 140 has been installed in agitator housing 150 being fastened
therein by
tabs 140i,140h being secured by screws into bosses 138,138. Once nozzle liner
140
-24-
CA 02426618 2003-04-28
is installed, right and left flow paths 134,135 are completed with right and
left slotted
openings 190,191, respectively, providing an inlet for particles drawn into
right and left
agitator chambers 121,122 by nozzle suction. In addition, nozzle suction is
distributed
along the respective right and left front edges 159,160 of foot 100 more
evenly by right
and left slotted openings 190,191 to more effectively remove particles from
right and
left agitator chambers 121,122. However, right and left slotted openings
190,191 only
partially form right and left suction ducts 192,193 which are adjacent to
right and left
front edges 159,160. Right and left suction ducts 192,193 are completed when
bottom
plate 110 is installed (FIG. 13). This is because the front stringer 111 of
bottom plate
110 also serves as the bottom wall of right and left suction ducts 192,193 and
as a
ledge whereby particles are collected before being removed by nozzle suction
through
right and left slotted openings 190,191. The particles are drawn into flow
paths 134,135
over right and left agitator chambers 121,122 into right and left suction
conduits,
respectively, through inlet openings 155a,156a before converging together in
rear duct
167 and exiting the foot 100 through exit opening 154. FIG. 10 shows a cross-
sectional
view of the left front suction duct 193, slotted opening 191, bottom plate 110
and
stringer 111 serving as a particle collecting ledge and duct bottom wall. The
front left
and right suction ducts 192,193 may also be seen in the diagrammatic
illustration of
agitator housing 150 shown in FIG. 15.
It should be clear from the foregoing that the described structure clearly
meets
the objects of the invention set out in the description's beginning. It should
now also be
obvious that many changes could be made to the disclosed structure which would
still
fall within its spirit and purview.
-25-
