Vacuum cleaner power nozzle

Claim 1

An air booster power nozzle for use in combination with a vacuum cleaner having a motor/fan unit for creating a vacuum, the power nozzle comprising: an enclosed base having a suction inlet formed therein for air and passable over the surface to be cleaned and an air outlet formed therein spaced from the suction inlet, a power source and a motor and associated drive shaft energized by the power source, a suction-creating fan rotatably supported by and for coaxial rotation with the motor drive shaft and sited relative to the enclosed base adjacent the air outlet; a rotatably-mounted power-driven surface-contacting beater brush journalled in the enclosed base adjacent the suction inlet for loosening dirt from the surface to be cleaned; a drive train interconnecting the motor drive shaft and brush for driving the brush as an incident of rotation of the motor; means providing a first portion of the path of flow for air defined by a brush housing encasing the brush adjacent the suction inlet and a fan housing encasing the fan adjacent the air outlet and a conduit interconnecting the brush and fan housings affording direct communication between the suction inlet and air outlet for the flow of sucked dirt loosened by the brush and induced through the conduit under the fan influence unobstructed by the motor and drive train; a swivellable casing defining the air outlet connected to the enclosed base; and means providing a second portion of the path of flow of air connecting between the swivellable casing and the suction inlet of the vacuum cleaner; whereby, the power nozzle, operating in tandem with the vacuum cleaner, creates an extremely high vacuum at the power nozzle suction inlet.