US3704482A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cleaning device
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1970-10-08
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Granted: 1972-12-05
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Expires: 1990-10-08
Abstract
Abstract A cleaning device utilizing the properties of a fluid at atmosphere plus pressure or above atmospheric pressure to effect a cleaning operation. An electric motor on the cleaning device generates a small stream of atmosphere plus fluid such as, but not necessarily limited to, air, which stream of fluid is made to ''''bend'''' within the cleaning device, and reverse the direction of flow of the fluid stream. This design feature accomplishes three objectives: (1) it eliminates the need for the conventional and relatively inefficient vacuum type cleaner; (2) it forces a relatively small volume of fluid to attach itself to the underside of a horizontal surface; and (3) it encourages the relatively small volume fluid stream to entrain within its path substantially large volumes of dust-saturated fluid. Thus, instead of ''''sucking up'''' dirt as conventional cleaning devices of this nature do by means of vacuum or negative pressure, the cleaning device in this invention uses a stream of positive pressure fluid to push the dirt-and-dust-saturated fluid into a suitable receptacle.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph W Brannon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 22:31
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47L; A47L9/00; A47L5/00; A47L5/12; A47L5/14; A47L9/02; A47L9/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
234 words
A cleaning device comprising a bottomless body housing having a front, a rear, and side walls and an upper member, an intermediate member having a curved underside, the intermediate member being connected to the inside of the body housing beneath and spaced from the upper member in such a manner as to define between said upper member and said intermediate member a reservoir chamber and a first fluid reservoir outlet passageway terminating in a narrow slot directing a stream of fluid rearwardly and downwardly along the curved underside of said intermediate member, a scoop shield member extending rearwardly from a point beneath and spaced from the intermediate member to define therewith a rearwardly extending second passageway having at its forward end an opening adapted to receive fluid discharged from said first passageway, pressure creating means in fluid communication with the reservoir chamber urging a stream of fluid to flow into the reservoir chamber and through the reservoir outlet passageway along the curved underside of the intermediate member into the second passageway toward the rear of the body housing, a rotary surface agitator mounted forwardly of the intermediate member and the opening of said second passageway to suspend the contaminant particles within the stream of fluid in said second passageway for discharge rearwardly therefrom, means for driving said agitator and means for exposing said agitator over the greater portion of its circumference to ambient pressure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
234 words
A cleaning device comprising a bottomless body housing having a front, a rear, and side walls and an upper member, an intermediate member having a curved underside, the intermediate member being connected to the inside of the body housing beneath and spaced from the upper member in such a manner as to define between said upper member and said intermediate member a reservoir chamber and a first fluid reservoir outlet passageway terminating in a narrow slot directing a stream of fluid rearwardly and downwardly along the curved underside of said intermediate member, a scoop shield member extending rearwardly from a point beneath and spaced from the intermediate member to define therewith a rearwardly extending second passageway having at its forward end an opening adapted to receive fluid discharged from said first passageway, pressure creating means in fluid communication with the reservoir chamber urging a stream of fluid to flow into the reservoir chamber and through the reservoir outlet passageway along the curved underside of the intermediate member into the second passageway toward the rear of the body housing, a rotary surface agitator mounted forwardly of the intermediate member and the opening of said second passageway to suspend the contaminant particles within the stream of fluid in said second passageway for discharge rearwardly therefrom, means for driving said agitator and means for exposing said agitator over the greater portion of its circumference to ambient pressure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein a portion of the upper member opposingly faces said curved underside of said intermediate member and defines therewith a portion of the reservoir outlet passageway.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
The cleaning device of claim 2, wherein the portion of the upper member facing the curved underside of the intermediate member overlaps the downwardly and rearwardly curved underside of the intermediate member in the vicinity of the front portion of the body housing, in such a manner as to define the reservoir outlet as a transverse slot.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
61 words
The cleaning device of claim 3, wherein the opposing relationship of the upper and intermediate members causes the underside of the intermediate member to become a boundary layer attachment surface for the fluid being discharged through the transverse exit slot urging the stream of pressurized fluid emerging from the transverse slot to attach itself to the underside of the intermediate member.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
The cleaning device of claim 4, wherein the attachment surface is smootH.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
12 words
The cleaning device of claim 4, wherein the attachment surface is irregular.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the rotary agitator is a brush mounted within a portion of the body housing.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
157 words
The cleaning device of claim 1 which includes means for moving the cleaning device along a surface to be cleaned, means connected to the body housing for maintaining the cleaning device in spaced relationship with respect to the surface to be cleaned, a filter bag housing pivotally connected to the rear portion of the body housing, the filter bag housing being divided internally by an interior wall to define a filter bag receptacle and a third passageway having one end in communication with the second passageway and its opposite end in communication with an opening in the filter bag, said interior wall having at least one aperture providing communication between said pressure generating means and said third passageway and at least one curved surface portion on said interior wall within said third passageway adjacent to and downstream of said aperture to urge the stream and contaminant particles to flow through the third passageway into said filter bag.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-12-05 | 1976-06-05 | 1976-12-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-12-05 | 1980-06-05 | 1980-12-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-12-05 | 1984-06-05 | 1984-12-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |