Abstract:
An abrasion protection sleeve is provided for floor cleaning devices. This abrasion protection sleeve can be retroactively applied to different cleaning systems, used and later removed due to its being made of an elastic material. Resilient protrusions or material accumulations on the surface of the abrasion protection sleeve softens blows, thereby eliminating damage to furniture, base boards, moldings, furniture or room dividers.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Swiss Patent Application No. 01247/09, filed 12 Aug. 2009, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       COPYRIGHT &amp; LEGAL NOTICE 
       [0002]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. Further, no references to third party patents or articles made herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such material by virtue of prior invention. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The invention is a protective device for cleaning devices in order to protect furniture, baseboards, floor panels, walls and similar objects in case of accidental bumping by the cleaning device for protection against scratches, abrasion and other damage. 
         [0004]    Collision abrasion protection sleeve for cleaning equipment such as a vacuum cleaner are mentioned in European Patent No. EP 0700656 A1, in the German Patent Publication No. 33 30 201 A1 or in the German Utility Model No. G 87 08 238.1. However, all have the same disadvantage that this collision protection is integrated in the housing of the cleaning device and not as a complete protection which surrounds the device. Furthermore, all of these existing systems are installed in a fixed manner and cannot be replaced or removed by the user in order for example, to change the color or the mode or form of protection to a user-defined color or shape. 
         [0005]    Modern cleaning devices, which are commonplace, generally have on a body with rollers by which the device can be moved about. These devices however clean using a cleaning head which is attached to the end of a pipe or a hose. The danger of colliding with adjacent objects is therefore more likely with the suction head than with the body itself, because the body trails the hose and suction head and so does not move back and forth as does the suction head, i.e., it is not the active part of the device. 
         [0006]    It is through back and forth movement of the cleaning head of a modern cleaning device that a floor is cleaned. If one comes into the vicinity of furniture, walls or baseboards, there is a risk of damage to parts of the furniture, the baseboard, or wall through careless movement of the device during cleaning movements. Accordingly, in a space bounded by walls and in which furniture is placed, utmost caution must be exercised to prevent damage to furniture or space boundaries, thus leading to a reduction in the pace of work. This is a significant disadvantage in industrial cleaning, as well as in private households, as cleaning must be done quickly, in most cases. 
         [0007]    The purpose of the invention is to provide a protective sleeve which eliminates the risk of damage to furniture or baseboards and so, increases the pace of work. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The invention is an abrasion protection sleeve for vacuum cleaner systems, but such may also be used on other sweeping, and cleaning systems for commercial and private use. This abrasion protection sleeve can be retrofitted to different cleaning systems, used and finally removed due to its elastic behavior. Through the use of compressible dimples or other bosses or material accumulations on the surface of the abrasion protection sleeve, blows against adjacent objects are softened, leading to an elimination of damage to furniture, baseboards, walls, or room dividers. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner with a suction tube, hose and a suction head, which is covered with the abrasion protection sleeve of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2A  is a bottom view of the suction head of the vacuum cleaner shown in  FIG. 1 , on which is placed an exemplary abrasion protection sleeve of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2B  is a cross-sectional view of a section taken along line A-A of  FIG. 2A . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0012]    The following description is of a preferred application of the abrasion protection sleeve for a vacuum cleaner. The protection may also apply to other cleaning equipment or utensils such as brooms, mops, etc. and should be not be considered limited to a vacuum cleaner. 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a vacuum cleaner is shown in exemplary form and represents one of the most used cleaning equipment forms having the purpose of removing impurities from a surface. Thus, such a commercial vacuum cleaner has a body  1 , which contains the electronics, the pump for the vacuum, and any necessary filters and/or dust bags. The body  1  is moveable by virtue of rollers which are affixed to the underside of the device. On the body  1 , a suction hose  14  is attached, which is in turn attached to a suction tube  16 . The operator moves the body  1 , mounted on wheels, in order to facilitate movement by pulling on the vacuum hose  14 , while he or she cleans using the suction tube  16  through forward and backward movements thereof. At the end of the suction tube  16 , a suction head  24  is attached, which has a groove or elongated opening in the bottom thereof. This large opening creates a large area of suction when the vacuum pump operates. The suction head  24  often also is roller guided and additionally has a pedal on the top, with which the suction head  24  can be adjusted to better adapt to various surfaces such as, for example, a wooden floor or a carpet. This pedal operates a brush system located on the inside of the suction head  24 , actuated by pressing the pedal, which lifts or lowers the brushes. These suction heads  24  are in most cases made of a metal core, which is covered by a hard plastic shell. Furthermore, the plastic is often dyed very dark, even black, which aggravates the problem of scuffing against a well or furniture. 
         [0014]    If the user does not pay sufficient attention when using the suction head  24 , then while pushing it back and forth near a bright colored wall, there is a high risk that the wall will be inadvertently damaged with the hard, dark plastic and so leave a scuff mark on the wall. As many floors in a home or building have baseboards which transition to the walls, there is a danger of damage or contamination. Furthermore, when using a vacuum cleaner around existing objects, such as furniture, there is a risk that edges or faces of the furniture at the height of the suction head  24  are damaged or soiled by a collision therewith, if such is not used with care. 
         [0015]    Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the abrasion protection sleeve  20  eliminates the risk of damage and allows for speedy work. Such abrasion protection sleeve  20  is preferably made of a flexible material such as an elastomer, such as silicone rubber Q or a soft thermoplastic material such as soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC-P). Two different types of abrasion protection sleeve  20  are provided:
       1) permanent abrasion protection sleeve  20     2) flexible abrasion protection sleeve  20 .       
 
         [0018]    The permanently mounted abrasion protection sleeve  20  includes a compliant compound attached to the hard plastic of the suction head  24 . This is achieved , for example in the manufacture of the suction head  24 . A possible method for this is a two-component process in which the elastic abrasion protection sleeve  20  is mounted directly to the hard component of the suction head  24  for example by injection molding. This abrasion protection sleeve  20  has resilient bosses, protrusions, nipples, knobs, dimples or lugs  22 , against which any applied energy which is released by the hitting of the suction head  24  on a wall or piece of furniture may be absorbed and softened, in order to prevent damage. These protrusions  22  are preferably arranged so that they offset one from the other, so that there are no large flat unprotected overlapping areas. The protrusions  22  are of a number sufficient to protect the entire exposed surface of the abrasion protection sleeve  20 , so as to contact any surface against which the suction head  24  may touch before such surface can contact the body of the suction head. The protrusions  22  are generally located so as to protrude laterally from the suction head (around region  24 ) as well as on the upper surface of the suction head  24  to avoid damage that may occur if the suction head  24  is being used under furniture which has a low portion adjacent the floor. 
         [0019]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , a second variant of the inventive abrasion protection sleeve  20  is embodied in a flexible sleeve on which the protrusions  22  are formed. The edges  26  have reinforcing ribs  28 , in order to prevent tearing when installed over the suction head  24 . Again, this elastic sleeve has nubs  22 , which are arranged as already described above. The flexible abrasion protection sleeve  20  is designed of sufficient elasticity that it may be stretched over and, once in place, maintain a residual holding force around the edge of the suction head  24  by means of friction. This flexibility may be obtained using many different shapes and sizes of such suction heads  24 . The fact that the suction heads  24  are small in relation to the body means that the overall sleeve will be easier to stretch in place (also because the general thickness of the sleeve can be kept thin). A hole or cut out  30  is provided in the protective sleeve  20  to allow the suction tube  16  to pass though. Note as well that the cut out  30  does not need to be a hole, but rather, could be a recess in the sleeve  20  that allows the sleeve to be wrapped around the suction tube  16  and fixed in place using, for example, Velcro straps or snaps (not shown). 
         [0020]    As already described above, the choice of material ensures that the sleeve  20  has an appropriate elasticity, to allow a person of ordinary or even less than ordinary strength to be able to install the sleeve. Such is possible through use of a ductile material such as a rubber, an elastomer, thermoplastic elastomer or soft PVC. Thus the abrasion of protection  20  protects against possible collisions with furniture or walls, leaving no trace on a wall or furniture due to the fact that the material is soft, flexible, non-scuff, and therefore does not impart damage to items against which it collides. The material is also ideally of a transparent color or a bright, even white color. Optionally, the material may glow in the dark, and thus help illuminate nocks and crannies. Various colors and designs of the protrusions  22  are possible. A space for commercial advertising may also be provided, which proves useful in advertising the services of industrial or commercial cleaners. Variations in design may be provided whose purpose is to provide an abrasion protection sleeve which is more aesthetically pleasing and which matches to the form or color of certain users. Thus, the protective function of the abrasion protection sleeve  20  can be further optimized. 
         [0021]    Furthermore, the material of the abrasion protection sleeve  20  is selected so that oil, grease may be easily cleaned using common household cleaners but is also resistant to more aggressive cleaners. This damage of the material of the abrasion protection sleeve  20  by various polishes and cleaning is prevented. Since many suitable elastomers can be heated without problem to 30° C.-60° C., there is little risk of damage when hot cleaning emulsions are used. The removable protective abrasion ( 20 ) can thus also be washed. Moreover, the system contemplates the use, sale and/or distribution of any goods, services or information having similar functionality described herein. 
         [0022]    The specification and figures should be considered in an illustrative manner, rather than a restrictive one and all modifications described herein are intended to be included within the scope of the invention claimed. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims (as they currently exist or as later amended or added, and their legal equivalents) rather than by merely the examples described above. Steps recited in any method or process claims, unless otherwise expressly stated, may be executed in any order and are not limited to the specific order presented in any claim. Further, the elements and/or components recited in apparatus claims may be assembled or otherwise functionally configured in a variety of permutations to produce substantially the same result as the present invention. Consequently, the invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific configuration recited in the claims. 
         [0023]    Benefits, other advantages and solutions mentioned herein are not to be construed as critical, required or essential features or components of any or all the claims. 
         [0024]    As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or variations thereof, are intended to refer to a non-exclusive listing of elements, such that any apparatus, process, method, article, or composition of the invention that comprises a list of elements, that does not include only those elements recited, but may also include other elements described in the instant specification. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the use of the term “consisting” or “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of” is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the enumerated elements named thereafter, unless otherwise indicated. Other combinations and/or modifications of the above-described elements, materials or structures used in the practice of the present invention may be varied or adapted by the skilled artisan to other designs without departing from the general principles of the invention. 
         [0000]    The patents and articles mentioned above are hereby incorporated by reference herein, unless otherwise noted, to the extent that the same are not inconsistent with this disclosure. 
         [0025]    Other characteristics and modes of execution of the invention are described in the appended claims. 
         [0026]    Further, the invention should be considered as comprising all possible combinations of every feature described in the instant specification, appended claims, and/or drawing figures which may be considered new, inventive and industrially applicable. 
         [0027]    Multiple variations and modifications are possible in the embodiments of the invention described here. Although certain illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described here, a wide range of changes, modifications, and substitutions is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure. While the above description contains many specific details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather exemplify one or another preferred embodiment thereof. In some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the foregoing description be construed broadly and understood as being illustrative only, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the claims which ultimately issue in this application.