WO2012002797A1

WO2012002797A1 - Vacuum cleaner for cleaning high and hard to reach areas

Info

Publication number: WO2012002797A1
Application number: PCT/MY2011/000060
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephen Manasseh
Original assignee: Stephen Manasseh
Priority date: 2010-07-02
Filing date: 2011-05-31
Publication date: 2012-01-05

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner unit with a body (1) comprises a dust compartment (4), having an opening (8) for attachment to a suction brush adapter (3, 5), wherein the body is mounted on and supportable by an extendible shaft. The extendible shaft would provide the reach to high locations such as ceilings and walls without the need of a ladder, thus enabling cleaning these locations more convenient.

Description

VACUUM CLEANER FOR CLEANING HIGH AND

HARD TO REACH AREAS

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners suitable particularly although not exclusively for cleaning the ceiling or hard to reach places in high areas. Background Art

Cleaning dust at high to reach places such as the ceiling area or the top of air conditioners or ceiling fan blades is usually difficult. Conventional vacuum cleaners, which come in various designs, usually have suction brushes which are more suitable for cleaning the floor or low areas. Most vacuum cleaners have extendable hoses attached to the main unit, however it is cumbersome to drag the main unit along especially while cleaning high locations. Further to reach high locations the aid of a ladder is normally also required. Thus for all practical purposes these conventional vacuums are not used to clean dust at high places.

Some designs have been made and proposed to overcome this problem. One example can be found in US 6,125,500. US 6,125,500 discloses a vacuum cleaner having a broom-like suction brush which can be efficiently used for vacuuming the floor. However, the function is not practical to be used for vacuuming hard to reach places in high areas as it does not provide the reach or have the specific brush head to clean these locations.

In view of the above, there remains a need for an improved yet lightweight and durable vacuum cleaner that is not bulky and easy to move around, with a suction brush in a shape that is suitable for reaching various hard to reach places particularly in high areas. The present invention was developed in consideration of the aforementioned problems and aims to meet the above need. Summary of Invention

According to an aspect of the invention, a vacuum cleaner unit with a body comprising a dust compartment having an opening for attachment to a suction brush adapter wherein the body is mounted on and supportable by an extendible shaft.

Advantageously, the extendible shaft spaces the body of the unit from the floor or the supporting surface to provide the reach to high locations such as ceilings and walls without the need of a ladder, thus enabling cleaning these locations more convenient. Typically, the extendible shaft is directly connected to the body so as to support the body by one end when the other end of the shaft is held or placed on the ground. The suction brush adapter may be provided with a dust collecting receptacle which may further comprise a projecting member or agitating arm, which is sized to fit within the receptacle. The projecting member is provided with bristles for agitating dust from ceilings or walls. When the dust is agitated by the agitating arm, it will fall within the periphery of the receptacle and will be funelled directly into the dust compartment. This may avoid dust from falling on the user's head or dispersed into other areas.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a suction brush adapter may be provided with a pivotable connecting arm. The connecting arm may further comprise a pivotable cleaning head. The shape of the suction brush adapter allow the user to clean areas such as (but not limited to) top of ceiling fan blades or top of air-conditioners by having the pivotable connecting arm and cleaning head which allows easy cleaning of these areas at any angle. According to another embodiment of the invention, a suction brush adapter suitable for use with a vacuum cleaner unit may be provided. According to another embodiment of the invention, a vacuum cleaner unit with a body mounted on an extendible shaft wherein the body comprises a dust compartment having an opening for attachment to a suction brush adapter. The suction brush adapter may be provided with a receptacle for collecting dust, wherein the receptacle may comprise a projecting member extending outwards. The projecting member may be provided with bristles for agitating dust, wherein the projecting member is further sized to fit the within the receptacle, such that the agitated dust will fall within the periphery of the receptacle. Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention is illustrated, although not limited, by the following description of embodiments, given by way of example only, with reference to the

accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the vacuum cleaner unit with a body;

according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows the vacuum cleaner unit with a body according to a second embodiment,

Fig. 3 shows an arrangement of the dust collector and the motor assembly as above; Fig. 4 shows one embodiment of the suction brush adapter Fig. 5 shows the suction brush adapter in another embodiment Detailed Description of the Embodiments

Referring to Fig. 1 , a vacuum cleaner unit with a body 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention comprises an extendible shaft 2 having a first end 2a and a second end 2b, a dust compartment 4, and a motor assembly enclosed in a casing 6.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 it can be shown that the dust compartment and the motor assembly are mounted at the first end 2a of the shaft which is extendible by telescopic means. The length of the shaft is extendible up to a length of about 1 to 1.5 meters feet to allow it to reach high areas such as ceilings and walls and air-conditioners. Once fully assembled, the vacuum cleaner unit should be able to reach heights in the range of 3.6 to 4.5 meters.

The vacuum cleaner unit if electrically powered, is provided with an AC cable which can be coiled around handles 7, attached at the distal end of the shaft. Alternatively, the vacuum cleaner unit could also be battery powered. The shaft is preferably made of light rigid material such as, but not limited to plastic, metals or wood. Fig. 2 shows the vacuum cleaner unit in another embodiment. It can be seen in Fig. 2 that the vacuum cleaner unit with a body comprises a suction brush adapter 3. When in use, the vacuum cleaner unit can be extended telescopically to reach high areas. When not in use, the vacuum cleaner unit can be conveniently stored in a small space due to the telescopic shaft which can slide one within the other and therefore be shortened to a minimum length. The suction brush adapter is provided with a funnel shaped receptacle 10 for collecting dust. The receptacle is preferably made of light, pliable plastic material and further comprises a projecting member or agitating arm 12. The projecting member arm is provided with short bristles 9 for agitating dust.

Fig. 3 shows the vacuum cleaner unit assembly. There is a dust compartment 4 which is removably attached to a motor assembly enclosed in a casing 6. The method of attachment can be but not limited to, screw on, push lock, clip lock, and the like. The dust compartment can be provided with a dust bag or alternatively it could be a bagless type vacuum cleaner. The maximum capacity of the dust collector should not be more than 3.5 litres to ensure that the vacuum cleaner unit is at a comfortable weight for the user. At one end of the dust compartment there is provided an opening 8 which is adapted for connection to a suction brush adapter.

For the purpose of illustration only, Fig. 3 also shows an on/off switch 13 provided on the casing of the motor assembly. The switch can be placed on any part of the vacuum cleaner unit for activation and thus operation of the vacuum. The vacuum cleaner unit can also be activated via a suitably configured remote sensor.

Fig. 4 shows one embodiment of the suction brush adapter 3. The suction brush adapter is provided with a funnel shaped dust collecting

receptacle 10. The receptacle is preferably made of light, pliable plastic material and further comprises a projecting member or agitating arm 2. The agitating arm is provided with short bristles 9 for agitating dust from ceilings or walls.

This arm is formed such that it would effectively "slice" out the dust from ceilings and walls. The dust will then fall within the periphery of the receptacle and will be funneled into the dust compartment 4.

Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the suction brush adapter 5 in a pivotable L shape. The suction brush has a connecting arm 10 which is pivotable and is adjustable to be at a maximum angle of 270°. The connecting arm further comprises a cleaning head 14 at the end of the arm for cleaning hard to reach places such as ceiling, walls, ceiling fan blades and air

conditioners. The cleaning head is also pivotable and is adjustable to be at a maximum angle of 45°. Short bristles 15 are provided along one part of the suction mouth 11 to effectively sweep dust. V-shaped bristles 17 are provided along another part of the suction mouth so as to not block the flow of dust into the dust collector.

It will be appreciated by the skilled person in the art that the invention may also be embodied in numerous ways other than those described herein, without departing from the scope of invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner unit with a body (1 ) comprises a dust compartment (4), having an opening (8) for attachment to a suction brush adapter (3, 5), wherein the body is mounted on and supportable by an extendible shaft.

2. A vacuum cleaner unit of claim 1 wherein the suction brush adapter comprises a receptacle (10) for collecting dust.

3. A vacuum cleaner unit of claim 2 wherein the receptacle comprises a projecting member (12) extending outwards, wherein the projecting member is provided with bristles (9) for agitating dust.

4. A vacuum cleaner unit according to claim 3 wherein the projecting member is sized to fit within the receptacle such that the agitated dust will fall within the periphery of the receptacle.

5. A vacuum cleaner unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the suction brush adapter further comprises a pivotable cleaning head (14) connected to a connecting arm (10).

6. A vacuum cleaner unit according to claim 5 wherein the connecting arm is pivotably attached to an extending arm (19) for attachment to the opening (8) of the vacuum cleaner unit. 7. A vacuum cleaner unit according to any of claims 5 to 6 wherein the pivotable cleaning head is provided with bristles (15, 17) along the suction mouth (11) for sweeping dust.

8. A suction brush adapter according to any preceeding claim wherein the suction brush adapter comprises a receptable (10) for collecting dust, wherein the receptable comprises a projecting member (12) extending outwards wherein the projecting member is further provided with bristles (9) for agitating dust

12. A vacuum cleaner unit with a body (1) mounted on an extendible shaft (2) comprising a dust compartment (4) having an opening (8) for attachment to a suction brush adapter (3, 5), the suction brush adapter comprises a receptacle (10) for collecting dust, the receptacle comprises a projecting member (12) extending outwards, the projecting member is provided with bristles (9) for agitating dust, wherein the body is mounted on and suppotable by an extendible shaft and the projecting member is further sized to fit the within the receptacle, such that the agitated dust will fall within the periphery of the receptacle, where the body is supported by the shaft.