Universal vacuum-cleaner nozzle

Abstract

A floor nozzle for a vacuum cleaner has a housing, and a base on the housing constructed for sliding in a working direction on a floor and formed with a downwardly open slot-shaped port delimited relative to the direction between a transversely extending front port edge and a transversely extending rear port edge. The base has, extending forward from the front port edge, a part-cylindrical and downwardly convex front surface with a front radius of curvature and centered on a transversely extending symmetry axis and, extending rearward from the rear port edge, a part-cylindrical and downwardly convex rear surface having a rear radius of curvature also centered on the symmetry axis. The housing is constructed for movement of air upward through the port.

Claims

1. A floor nozzle for a vacuum cleaner, the nozzle comprising: a housing; and a base on the housing constructed for sliding in a working direction on a floor and formed with a downwardly open slot-shaped port delimited relative to the direction between a transversely extending front port edge and a transversely extending rear port edge, the base having, extending forward from the front port edge, a part-cylindrical and downwardly convex front surface with a front radius of curvature and centered on a transversely extending symmetry axis and, extending rearward from the rear port edge, a part-cylindrical and downwardly convex rear surface having a rear radius of curvature also centered on the symmetry axis, the housing being constructed for movement of air upward through the port, the housing having transversely spaced end walls closing transverse ends of the port and each having a lower end edge extending generally parallel to the direction between respective ends of the front and rear port edges, each lower end edge being spaced from the symmetry axis by a distance equal at least to the front or rear radius.

2. The floor nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the front port edge is spaced by the front radius from the axis and the rear port edge is spaced by the rear radius from the axis.

3. The floor nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the port edges are straight and parallel.

4. The floor nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the front radius and the rear radius are of identical lengths.

5. The floor nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the lower end edges are downwardly concave part-circular arcs with centers of curvature at the symmetry axis.

6. The floor nozzle according to claim 5, wherein the lower end edges meet at the front and rear port edges flush with the front and rear surfaces.

7. The floor nozzle according to claim 5, wherein the lower end edges project downward by 1 mm to 3 mm past the front and rear surfaces.

8. A floor nozzle for a vacuum cleaner, the nozzle comprising: a housing; and a base on the housing constructed for sliding in a working direction on a floor and formed with a downwardly open slot-shaped port delimited relative to the direction between a transversely extending front port edge and a transversely extending rear port edge, the base having, extending forward from the front port edge, a part-cylindrical and downwardly convex front surface with a front radius of curvature and centered on a transversely extending symmetry axis and, extending rearward from the rear port edge, a part-cylindrical and downwardly convex rear surface having a rear radius of curvature also centered on the symmetry axis, the housing being constructed for movement of air upward through the port, each of the front and rear edges being offset by an angle of at least 3° from the symmetry plane relative to a vertical plane extending through the axis and between the front and rear edges.

9. The floor nozzle according to claim 8 wherein the angle of the front port edge is offset more than 10° from the vertical plane, and the rear edge is offset by less than 10° from the vertical plane.

10. The floor nozzle according to claim 8, wherein the front surface and/or the rear surface have an arc length of at least 30° measured from the vertical plane.

11. The floor nozzle according to claim 8, wherein the front and rear port edges symmetrically flank the vertical plane.

12. The floor nozzle according to claim 11, wherein the front and rear surfaces symmetrically flank the vertical plane.

13. The floor nozzle according to claim 1, wherein each of the radii is at least 3 cm long.

14. The floor nozzle according to claim 1, wherein each of the radii is at most 8 cm long.

15. The floor nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a rear portion configured for connection to a vacuum hose and a rear portion carrying the base and pivotal on the rear portion.

16. The floor nozzle according to claim 15, wherein the front portion rotates relative to the rear portion about an axis lying in a vertical plane perpendicular to the symmetry axis.

17. The floor nozzle according to claim 8, wherein the housing has transversely spaced end walls closing transverse ends of the port and each having a lower end edge extending generally parallel to the direction between respective ends of the front and rear port edges, each lower end edge being spaced from the symmetry axis by a distance equal at least to the front or rear radius.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum-cleaner nozzle according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the nozzle;

(4) FIG. 3 is a side view of the nozzle partly in vertical section along line of FIG. 1.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) As seen in FIG. 1, a vacuum-cleaner nozzle 1 according to the invention has a lower housing part 1a and an upper housing part 1b releasably connected thereto. The releasable connection between the lower part 1a and the upper part 1b is controlled by a locking button 2 that locks the upper part 1b to the lower part 1a during normal use, but that allows the lower part 1a to be switched with other implements, for example a power brush. At the rear end of the upper part 1b, a suction connection piece 3 is pivotably attached to an angled portion 3a at the rear to an unillustrated suction hose.

(6) FIG. 2 shows that a transversely elongated slot-shaped port 4 is formed on the underside of the lower part 1a and extends in a transverse direction y that is perpendicular to a working direction x over substantially an entire width B of the vacuum-cleaner nozzle 1.

(7) The port 4 communicates with the suction connection piece 3 via a flow passage 5. The port 4 is delimited in the working direction x by a front port edge 6a and a rear port edge 6b. In the illustrated embodiment, both the front port edge 6a and the rear port edge 6b are linear and run parallel to one another transversely y.

(8) The underside of the lower part or base 1a is formed with a front part-cylindrical surface 7a that is downwardly convex and directly forward of the front port edge 6a and a rear part-cylindrical surface 7b that is also downwardly convex and directly rearward of rear port edge 6b. FIG. 3 shows that the front part-cylindrical surface 7a has a front radius r.sub.1 of curvature and the rear part-cylindrical surface 7b has a rear or rear radius r.sub.2 of curvature, with both surfaces 7a and 7b centered on a common axis of symmetry 8 extending transversely y.

(9) In the illustrated embodiment, the front radius r.sub.1 and the rear radius r.sub.2 are of the same size. As a result, the front surface 7a and the rear surface 7b can be viewed geometrically as part of the same cylindrical outer surface.

(10) The figures also show that the port 4 transversely y is closed at its ends by side walls 9 each having a lower end edge 9a that extends generally in the working direction x as a circular arc about the axis of symmetry with a third radius r.sub.3 of curvature. Here the third radius r.sub.3 is of the same size as the front and rear radii r.sub.1 and r.sub.2.

(11) Furthermore, the axis of symmetry 8 is extends vertically in the direction z in the passage 5 above the port 4, but offset to the rear in the working direction x. This moves the center of rotation of the nozzle to the rear that simplifies handling during operation, so that when sitting on the floor with the passage vertical, the port 4 is open toward the front to aspirate dust and the like.

(12) The detailed sectional view according to FIG. 2, shows that the front surface 7a extends forward from the axis of symmetry 8 and a vertical plane 10 extending therethrough and perpendicular to the working direction x through an angle of approximately 45°. The front port edge 6a that rearwardly bounds the front surface 7a is offset approximately 10° to the front. In contrast, the rear surface 7b extends from the rear port edge 6b and is offset approximately 5° to the rear, over an angle of likewise 45°. The sliding base thus spans a quarter circle of 90°.

(13) In section, it can also be seen that the separately and detachably formed upper part 1b is designed as an independent vacuum-cleaner nozzle with its own sliding surface 11 and thread-lifting strips 12. The upper part 1b can thus be used as an independent vacuum-cleaner nozzle after being detached from the lower part 1a. The contact plane of the sliding surface 11 is oriented perpendicular to the vertical direction y or to the vertical plane 10.

(14) It can also be seen from FIG. 3 that the suction connection piece 3 is held on the upper part 1b such that it can pivot about an axis of rotation 13 running perpendicular to the transverse direction y and inclined with respect to the working direction x. In the illustrated embodiment, the angle α between the axis of rotation 13 and the vertical plane 10 is approximately 100°. The angled portion 3a with its longitudinal extension 14 extends an angle β of approximately 30° to the rotation axis 13.