Abstract:
A tool for a surface treating appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner, includes a housing having a suction opening. An agitator, such as a brush bar, is rotatably located in the suction opening of the housing. The interior of such a tool can get blocked due to large objects being drawn in through the suction opening, or else by threads and fibres becoming tangled in the brush bar. The brush bar may be removed through the suction opening for replacement or repair. A portion of the housing may also be removable to clear the way for the user to access a narrow opening in the neck of the tool which may be prone to blockage.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a national stage application under 35 USC 371 of International Application No. PCT/GB2005/001564, filed Apr. 25, 2005, which claims the priority of United Kingdom Application No. 0410699.3, filed May 13, 2004, the contents of both of which prior applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a tool for a surface treating appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Vacuum cleaners are typically of the upright or cylinder type. Cylinder cleaners consist of a main body containing a motor and fan unit for drawing an airflow into the main body and separating apparatus for extracting dirt and dust from the airflow and retaining it for disposal. The separating apparatus can be a cyclonic arrangement, bags, filters or a combination of these. A hose and wand assembly is connected to the inlet of the main body. A floor tool having a suction opening is attached to the end of the wand remote from the main body so that the suction opening can be manoeuvred across the surface to be cleaned by the user. Upright cleaners commonly have a cleaner head permanently attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner which is manoeuvred, together with the main body, across the surface to be cleaned. However, many upright cleaners can also be operated in the manner of a cylinder machine by having a removable or releasable hose and wand assembly provided to which an accessory such as a floor tool can be attached. 
         [0004]    Conventional floor tools typically comprise a housing which defines a downward-facing suction opening and in which is arranged a driven agitator in the form of a brush bar or beater, for example. Dirt and dust is dislodged from the carpet or other floor covering by the rotating brush bar or beater and the dirt and dust is drawn into the cleaner head by virtue of the suction produced by the downstream fan. Dirt laden air is then passed to the separation apparatus before clean air is expelled to the atmosphere. 
         [0005]    A problem which may be encountered with such floor tools is that they may become blocked by small objects drawn by suction from the floor surface. Threads, fibres and hairs can also become entangled around the agitator, thereby jamming it. A user of the appliance needs to be able to access the interior of the tool to remove the blockage. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The invention provides a tool for a surface treating appliance comprising a housing, an agitator in the housing and a suction opening, in which the agitator is removable through the suction opening. 
         [0007]    The provision of an agitator that is releasable through the suction opening greatly simplifies removal of the agitator for the purposes of clearing the floor tool of blockages or for replacement of the agitator. 
         [0008]    Preferably, a catch is provided for releasing the agitator from its usual position in the housing. The catch may be activated by means of a lever, which also assists the user by producing a pivoting movement to remove the agitator from its position in the housing. 
         [0009]    Advantageously, a flange is provided, in which the agitator is movably located. The lever may be arranged to act on the flange for removing the agitator. The flange may be an end cap in which the agitator is movably arranged. Part of the flange may form a pivot point with a region of the housing, such as a sole plate, for easy pivoting release of the agitator. 
         [0010]    In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a portion of the housing is removable so that a user can access the interior of the tool to remove blockages, especially those occurring in the neck of the tool. Preferably, this portion is releasable from the remainder of the housing against the force of resilient means. 
         [0011]    At least a portion of the housing is transparent so that the user can see any blockages within the tool. 
         [0012]    The agitator may comprise a brush bar or beater, which may be rotatably driven by means of a turbine. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:— 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a tool constructed according to the invention; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  are perspective views from underneath of the tool of  FIG. 1 , showing removal of the agitator; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view from underneath of the tool of  FIGS. 1 ,  2   a  and  2   b , showing removal of a portion of the housing; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view from underneath of the tool of  FIGS. 1 ,  2   a ,  2   b  and  3  with the agitator and a portion of the housing removed. 
       
    
    
       [0018]    Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the specification. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    The drawings show a floor tool for a vacuum cleaner, indicated generally by the reference numeral  1 . The floor tool  1  has a head  2  formed by a housing  3  which has a suction opening  4  formed in the lower surface thereof. Part of the housing is transparent so that the user can view blockages in the tool  1 . The floor tool  1  also includes a neck  5 , which has a forward portion  6  and a rearward portion  7 . The forward portion  6  carries two wheels  8  and is connected to the head  2  via a rotatable coupling  9 . The rearward portion  7  has a collar  10  for receiving a wand or hose attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner with which the floor tool  1  is to be used. A catch  11  may be provided on the rearward portion  7  for the purpose of retaining the hose or wand on the collar  10 . 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , a sole plate  12  is provided for engaging with the floor surface. The sole plate  12  may be fixed with respect to the housing  3  or may be pivotable to ensure that the sole plate keeps in intimate contact with irregular floor surfaces. 
         [0021]    An agitator in the form of a brush bar  13  is rotatably supported in the housing  3  immediately above the suction opening  4 . The brush bar  13  is located such that bristles or beaters carried by the brush bar project through the suction opening  4  as the brush bar rotates and agitate the surface to be cleaned. The brush bar  13  is shown in these drawings without bristles for the purposes of clarity. Ordinarily, a plurality of clusters of bristles are mounted onto a cylindrical core. The clusters of bristles are typically mounted in a helical formation at regular intervals around the entire circumference of the core and along its entire length or the majority thereof. The brush bar  13  is rotatably driven by means of a turbine  14 , through which air is drawn by the motor of the vacuum cleaner, and a drive belt (not shown). 
         [0022]    In accordance with the invention, the brush bar  13  is removable through the suction opening  4 . Thus, a user can readily clear blockages in the floor tool  1 , remove material that is tangled up in the bristles or else easily replace a worn brush bar. 
         [0023]    A lever arm  15  is provided in order to facilitate removal of the brush bar  13 . In this embodiment, the lever arm  15  forms part of one of the sides  16  of the sole plate and is integral with an end cap  17 . The end cap  17  comprises one of a pair of end caps  17 ,  18  in which the end portions of the brush bar  13  are located in the housing  3 . The other end cap  18  locating an end portion of the brush bar  13  is fixed to, or an integral part of, the housing  3  of the tool. 
         [0024]    In use, the user applies a turning moment to the free end of the lever arm  15 . The arm  15  is made from a resilient material, such as plastic. Thus, the force applied to the lever arm  15  causes it to flex slightly, thereby releasing a catch (part  19  of which is visible in these drawings) holding the end cap  17  in place in the housing  3 . The end cap  17  is freed from its location in the housing  3 . The user can continue to apply a turning moment to the lever arm  15  in the direction of the arrow. A notch  20  is provided in the end cap  17 , which notch co-operates with a region  21  of the front of the sole plate to provide a suitable point about which to pivot the end cap. Thus, the end cap  17  is released from the housing  3  through the suction opening  4 . The user then simply slides the other end portion of the brush bar  13  out of its respective end cap  18  in the housing  3  through the suction opening  4 . Thus, the brush bar arrangement comprising the brush bar  13  itself, the end cap  17  and the lever arm  15  is released from the tool  1  entirely through the suction opening  4 . The brush bar  13  is easily removed from the end cap  17 , if required. 
         [0025]    In order to replace the brush bar arrangement, the user simply reverses this operation. One end portion of the brush bar  13  is placed in the end cap  18  that forms part of the housing  3 . The other end portion of the brush bar  13  slots into the removed end cap  17 , which is introduced to the housing  3  by engaging the notch  20  in the region  21  of the sole plate  12  and pivotably moving the end cap towards the housing accordingly. The member comprising the end cap  17  and lever arm  15  is arranged to fit into the housing  3  in a snap fit manner, so that the user can simply push the brush bar arrangement back into position. Alternatively, the arm  15  or the end cap  17  may have a spring clip or other fastener for holding the brush bar  13  in the housing  3  in normal use. 
         [0026]    Additionally, the user may need to gain access to a narrow opening  22  in the neck  5  of the floor tool. The cross-sectional area of the opening  22  in the neck  5  is less than that of the suction opening  4 . Therefore, large particles of debris and other objects can become blocked in this opening  22 . In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention, a portion  23  of the housing is removable from the floor tool  1 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0027]    In this embodiment, the removable portion  23  of the tool  1  comprises the front lower portion, which portion includes a transparent region and the sole plate  12  of the tool. The lower portion  23  of the tool includes an end face  24  which is normally behind one side wall  25  of the upper portion  26  of the tool. The end face  24  of the removable portion  23  has a collar  27  which is located in an aperture  28  on the side wall  25 . The collar  27  may be arranged to hold the lower portion  23  in a fixed relationship with respect to the upper portion  26 , or may provide a predetermined amount of relative pivoting movement to keep the sole plate  12  in intimate contact with irregular floor surfaces in use. 
         [0028]    Both the upper  26  and lower  23  portions of the floor tool  1  are of plastics materials having a certain degree of flexibility. Thus, in order to release the lower portion  23 , the user urges the portions of the tool  1  to flex apart with respect to each other. The most straightforward manner of achieving this with the illustrated embodiment is to depress the collar  27  located in the aperture  28  on the side wall  25  so that it pops out of the aperture. Thus, the lower portion  23  including the transparent region and the sole plate  12  can be pulled out of the housing  3 . The removable portion  23  locates in the housing  3  by means of a simple snap fit for easy replacement. 
         [0029]      FIG. 4  shows the floor tool  1  without the removable portion. The opening  22  in the neck  5  of the tool is easily accessible by the user so that any blockages in the tool can be removed. 
         [0030]    The invention permits the user easily to clean and maintain the floor tool himself, thereby saving the user the extra cost and the inconvenience of arranging for the tool to go into a repair shop. The removal of the brush bar arrangement through the suction opening greatly simplifies replacement of the brush bar. 
         [0031]    Further variations will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. For example, other agitators in the form of brushes or beaters may be employed instead of the brush bar. The lever need not communicate with an end cap for locating the brush bar, as some other flange arrangement may be substituted. For example, the flange may locate a central region of the agitator in the housing. Furthermore, the lever may communicate directly with the agitator, so that a flange or end cap arrangement is not required. The agitator need not be rotatably mounted in the housing, but could instead be made, for example, to oscillate. The brush bar may be mounted in a cradle, which, in turn, is moveable with respect to the housing. The cradle permits the suction opening to float over the surface being treated. The removable portion of the housing may comprise this cradle. Furthermore, the tool need not include a turbine for driving the brush bar.