Portable cleaning apparatus

In a portable cleaning apparatus, at least two rotatable cleaning members are mounted within a casing and contra-rotationally driven by an electrical motor and step-down gearing arranged between the motor and the cleaning members with a releasable clutch connecting the driving motor to the cleaning members. A cover is mounted over the rotatable cleaning members and the electrical motor and the casing includes a vent channel communicating with the cover. Suction from the at least two cleaning members to a dust collector, mounted at the end of the vent channel formed as a handhold, is provided by a blower driven by the electrical motor. The axes of the driving motor and the at least two cleaning members are parallel with one another and a blower rotor connected to a shaft of the driving motor is arranged behind an opening out of the cover into the casing as viewed from the direction of air flow.

BACKGROUND 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a portable cleaning apparatus, comprising a 
casing with an electrical driving motor for two cleaning members of at 
least approximately cylindrical shape, e.g. cleaning brushes, which are 
driven by a step-down gearing and provided with a cover, and further 
provided with a suction device. 
2. Prior Art 
A cleaning apparatus of this kind is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. 
No. 2,941,252. This apparatus is used for cleaning Venetian blinds and 
shows a casing with a driving motor supported therein, which is driving 
two roller brushes lying parallel to each other by means of several bevel 
gears and the brushes are pivoted at both ends in a part of the casing 
which is performed as a cover. The directions of rotation of the cleaning 
brushes are such that the dust is brushed to the outside against the 
cover. A handhold formed as a vent pipe is arranged parallel to the cover 
or to the brushes, respectively, which can be connected to a vacuum 
cleaner. 
Contrary to numerous known constructions of similar kind which have just 
one single cleaning brush, or to apparatus with two brushes arranged one 
below the other for cleaning two sides of an object, e.g., the slots of a 
Venetian blind, the arrangement of two brushes in parallel and 
side-by-side gives the advantage of better cleaning effect and an easier 
handling of the apparatus as the tangential forces are compensated and the 
otherwise resulting tiring holding force does not occur. 
The above-mentioned and other known arrangements of a cleaning apparatus 
with rotational driven brushes have the substantial disadvantage, that the 
brushed-up dust is brushed away tangentially to the outside. To enable an 
efficient venting of the brushed up dust most of the known apparatus are 
provided for connection to the suction pipe of a conventional vacuum 
cleaner. Thereby, a laborious handling and preparation to set the 
apparatus to work is necessary, which is a further disadvantage. 
If the driving motor is used simultaneously to drive a dust suction fan, 
as, e.g., known from German laid open specification No. 1 428 388, it is 
necessary because of the reasons mentioned above to ensure a sufficient 
dust venting, to use a high-power driving motor, in particular for the 
exhaust of dust, whereby the weight and the over-all dimensions of the 
apparatus are significantly increased and the handiness of such an 
apparatus is reduced. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to develop a cleaning apparatus of 
the kind mentioned above in such a way, that a simple and easy handling is 
guaranteed and that an efficient exhaust of dust can be obtained even with 
a low-power drive. 
According to the invention this is obtained if the two cleaning members, 
the rotary motion of which is directed to the inside in the region of 
their working range, are provided partly with a cover, which is opening 
out into a vent channel provided in the casing and connected to the 
suction side of a blower and to a dust collector. 
Thus, the dust and dirt of the subject to be cleaned is brushed to the 
inside and directly into the vent channel, whereby a suitable exhaust of 
dust is obtainable even with a less-powered blower. The dimensions and the 
weight of the apparatus can be kept low and the troublesome connection to 
a vacuum cleaner is no longer necessary. 
It is practical to arrange the taper bore of the cleaning member mounted 
and projecting from the casing at the lower rim as well as in longitudinal 
direction to ensure easy replaceability and good accessibility. 
According to a further development of the invention, the cover partly 
surrounding the cleaning members is connected to the casing and a suction 
nozzle or something similar is provided, which can be attached instead of 
the cover or at the latter. As the cleaning apparatus can be used for many 
purposes also as a vacuum cleaner it is further advantageous if, according 
to another embodiment of the invention, only one driving motor is provided 
for driving the cleaning members and the blower and a step-down gearing is 
arranged between the driving motor and cleaning members. 
For many purposes it is further advantageous if the step-down gearing for 
the cleaning members and/or the blower rotor are connectable to the shaft 
of the driving motor by means of a releasable clutch. Thus, the step-down 
gearing does not function if the cleaning members are out of use, whereby 
not only the noise caused by the cleaning apparatus, but also the power 
consumption is reduced. For example, switching off the blower is 
advantageous if the apparatus is used to polish, as an exhaust is not 
necessary in that case. 
An especially advantageous development of the invention is obtained if the 
axes of the driving motor and the cleaning members are square with each 
other, and the blower rotor connected to the shaft of the driving motor is 
arranged, seen in the direction of flow, behind the opening out of the 
cover into the casing and between the driving motor and the stepdown 
gearing, and if the dust collector is arranged at the end of an adjacent 
dust vent channel which is preferably performed as a handhold. 
Accordingly, a cleaning apparatus with an efficient exhaust and brushing 
effect is obtained, which has small dimensions, low weight and good 
accessibility. Furthermore, the volume of the dust collector can be varied 
according to the actual purpose; it is possible, e.g., if using the 
apparatus as a shoe cleaning apparatus, to arrange the dust collector in 
the handhold and if the apparatus is used to clean upholstered furniture 
to arrange the dust collector, formed as a dustbag, at the outside. 
An especially improved handling and a balanced weight distribution of the 
apparatus is obtained, according to a further embodiment of the invention 
by providing that the axes of the driving motor and the cleaning members 
are parallel with each other and that the blower rotor connected to the 
shaft of the driving motor, seen in the direction of flow, is arranged 
behind the opening out of the cover into the casing, the step-down gearing 
is arranged adjacent the blower rotor on the side of the driving motor, 
and the dust collector is arranged at the end of a vent channel formed as 
a handhold. 
An especially useful and handy embodiment which results in a good 
ventilation is obtained in a further embodiment of the invention, wherein 
the axes of the driving motor and the cleaning members are parallel with 
each other and the blower rotor connected to the shaft of the driving 
motor is pivoted on the side opposite the step-down gearing and the dust 
collector is arranged before the blower rotor. Thus the dust is exhausted 
via the vent channel formed as a handhold into the dust collector and the 
air cleaned therein is guided to the outside via venting slots in the 
casing. 
The various embodiments of the apparatus according to this invention enable 
not only the brushing and vacuum cleaning of objects to be cleaned but 
also the cleaning and polishing of objects without exhausting the dust. 
For the cleaning of especially soiled objects or for polishing it is 
practical to use a liquid or foamy cleansing or polishing agent. Several 
unhandy arrangements especially made for this purpose are known for the 
cleaning of floors, which are provided with a container for liquid or 
foamy agent. It is also possible to apply a container for a liquid or 
foamy agent to lead to the cleaning members. It is also possible to 
replace the dust collector in the container for the cleaning or polishing 
agent. 
Therefore, the present invention provides apparatus combining the 
advantages of many of the known embodiments, even of heavy non-portable 
ones, induces widespread new applications, especially for all the "at 
times" cleaning processes, and which is easy to handle because of its low 
weight and small dimensions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a portable cleaning apparatus 
according to the invention, which can be used as a brushing and vacuum 
cleaning apparatus. The casing 1 shows a lower part 2 with a handhold 3 in 
one piece with the same and an upper part 6 which is screwable to a flange 
4 at the lower part 2 by means of screws, indicated by their axes of 
symmetry 5. The upper part 6 is formed cylindrically and shows at the end 
adjacent the lower part 2 a front plate 7 formed in one piece with the 
cylindrical part and at the opposite end a cap 8 fixed by screws. The 
driving motor 9 can be inserted into the cylindrical upper part 6 via the 
opening covered up by the cap 8, and can be fixed to the front plate 7 by 
means of screws, indicated by their lines of symmetry 10. A little fan 
rotor 12 is fixed to the rear end of the shaft 11 of the driving motor 9 
and acts to cool the driving motor. The cooling air can pass off via a 
lattice 13 provided in the cover 8. 
The lower part 2 of the casing 1 forms a distributor for a rotor 15 of a 
radial-flow blower, which is connected to the shaft of the driving motor 9 
by a releasable clutch 14. The rotor 15 is rotatable at the lower smooth 
part of the shaft 11 of the driving motor 9. Near the driving motor 9 the 
shaft 11 has longitudinal grooves along which a sleeve 16 of a gear 
coupling 14 is axially movable but transmitting the driving motor torque. 
The rotor 15 has at its hub gear 17 adjacent the driving motor 9, which 
meshes with corresponding gears at the sleeve 16, whereby the torque 
transmission from the shaft 11 of the driving motor 9 to the rotor 15 is 
established. The sleeve 16 can be axially moved to the driving motor by 
means of an eccentric lever 18 supported at the upper part 6 of the 
casing, whereby it is brought out of engagement with the rotor 15. The 
eccentric lever 18 can be secured in its position by a safety stirrup 19. 
A gear case 20 is formed in one piece with the lower part 2 of the casing 
1, and supports a worm gear 20' to reduce the rotational speed of the 
driving motor and to drive the cleaning members 21, which are projecting 
in the direction of their axes over the casing 1. At the entry of the 
driving shaft 11 into the gear case 20 a step bearing 22' is arranged, 
which can also include a slipper clutch 22. Two driving bushings 23 are 
formed in one piece each including one worm wheel and rotated parallel to 
each other in very long sleeve bearings 24 in the gear case 20 in such a 
way, that the axis 25 of the shaft 11 of the driving motor 9 lies at right 
angle to the axes 26 of the cleaning members 21. Both driving bushings 23 
are driven by a worm spindle 27 protruding from the step bearing 22', 
whereby the cleaning members 21 are contra-rotating. The direction of 
rotation of the driving motor 9 is chosen so that the cleaning members 21 
contra-rotate in the directions indicated by arrows 28 in FIG. 2. 
Each driving bushings 23 includes a receiving jacket 29 connected thereto, 
which receives the axis 30 of the cleaning member 21. The receiving 
jackets 29 each show at least one longitudinal slot 31 at the end adjacent 
to the cleaning member 21 into which engaging pieces provided at the axes 
30 mesh when the cleaning members 21 are inserted into the receiving 
jackets 29. The ends of the axes 30 are provided with annular grooves 30' 
which engage with projections at bearing caps 24' and are thereby axially 
secured. The cleaning members 21 include deflection jackets 32 pressed on 
to their axes 30 at the side adjacent the gear case 20 which are 
protecting the sleeve bearings 24 or the gearing, respectively, against 
pollution, by deflecting the dusty air stream created by the blower rotor 
15. 
The cleaning members 21 are taper-bore-mounted in the casing 1 via the 
sleeve bearings 24 and extend away along their whole length from the 
casing 1 in the axial direction. The diameter of the cleaning members 21 
is chosen so as to project over the lower rim 33 of the casing 1 of the 
cleaning apparatus. 
The lower part 2 has grooves 34 at the outer side thereof in the region of 
the opening for the air entry to the rotor 15, into which a removable 
cover 35 can be plugged in. The cover 35 extends over the whole length of 
the working surface of the cleaning members 21 and at the sides down to 
approximately the level of the lower rim 33 of the casing 1, which 
provides a suction inlet in communication with inlet 40'. To achieve good 
exhaust by the blower, sealing brush profiles 36 are attached to the side 
rims of the cover 35. 
A hollow handhold 3 is formed in one piece with the lower part 2 of the 
casing 1 at the side opposite the cover 35 and extends in the direction of 
the axes 26 of the cleaning members 21. A dust bag 37 is inserted into the 
handhold 3 which has a thrust ring 38 at the front end thereof, by which 
the dust bag is centered inside the handhold 3. A nonreturn flap 39 is 
arranged just in front of the thrust ring 38, which opens into the dust 
bag 37 and prevents the discharging of the dust bag into the blower space 
or inlet 40'. The dust bag 37 is fixed at its rear end to a cap 40, which 
shows openings 41 for outletting the exhausted air. Thereby, it is 
possible to remove the cap 40 together with the dust bag 37 by simply 
turning the cap 40 which is fastened to the handhold 3 by means of a slide 
lock. If very much dust is to collect it is possible to use instead of the 
dust bag 37 a bigger dust bag 37' connected to the cap 40 as indicated by 
the dash-dotted line in FIG. 1. 
The main switch 42 is insertably arranged in a clearance in the lower part 
2 near the beginning of the handhold 3 and can therefore be reached easily 
by the forefinger of the operator. On the opposite side of the casing 1 a 
sequence switch 43 is provided at the upper part 6, by which the 
rotational speed of the driving motor 9 or the cleaning members 21, 
respectively, can be varied. 
The FIGS. 3 and 4 show a further embodiment of the cleaning apparatus 
according to this invention. The casing 1 is separated axially in 
longitudinal direction and the two casing parts 49, 50 are joined together 
by bolts or clamps, not shown. The driving motor 9 has a shaft 11 arranged 
in longitudinal direction in the casing 1, and the cleaning members 21 are 
parallel to each other and driven by a bevel gearing 51. The driving 
bushing 23 each have a bevel gear 52 and are pivoted parallel to the 
driving shaft 11 in long sleeve bearings 24, which are provided on 
extensions on the driving motor 9. The driving connection between bushing 
23 and the worm gear 53 on the front end of the driving shaft 11 is done 
by a shaft 54 for each bushing 23. The shaft 54 lies perpendicular to 
bushing 23 and shows at its lower end a driving bevel gear 55 which is 
connected to the lower end of the shaft 54 and in gear with the bevel gear 
52 and at its upper end a worm gear 56 which is in gear with the worm gear 
53. The driving shaft 54 is pivoted in a bearing 57 provided in the 
casing, and metal rings 58 are arranged between the bearings 57 and the 
rotating worm gear 56 or the bevel gear 55, respectively, to reduce 
fraying. A slip clutch 59 is arranged at the upper end of the driving 
shaft 54, whereby an overload of the driving motor 9 can be prevented. 
Again receiving jackets 29 are provided in the driving bushings 23, which 
receive the axes 30 of the cleaning members 21. The receiving jackets 29 
include longitudinal slots 31 at their front ends into which engaging 
pieces provided at the axes 30 mesh. The cleaning members 21 are secured 
in their position by annular springs 61 which are arranged at the front 
ends of the receiving jackets and squeeze them. To change or remove the 
cleaning members 21 a cotter pin 63 is transverse to the axes 30 on the 
rear ends thereof, which is movable in a groove provided in an extension 
62 of the driving motor 9. By tightening the cotter pin 63 the cleaning 
members 21 are pressed out of the receiving jackets 29 against the holding 
force of the annular springs 61. A blower rotor 15 is attached to the rear 
end of the shaft 11 of the driving motor 9 to enable the use of this 
embodiment as a vacuum cleaner or also as a "brushing vacuum cleaner". 
A vent channel 47 runs along the upper side of the apparatus, which is 
formed as a handhold 3, and opens out into a suction inlet formed by 
casing 1 and the cover 35 for the cleaning members 21. A dust collector 64 
is provided at the back side of the casing 1, into which the vent channel 
47 opens out. A check valve 39 is arranged at the entrance to the dust 
collector. The dust collector comprises a dust container 67, which is 
hinged at the rear side of the apparatus by means of hinges 65 and fixed 
by a block 66, and a dust bag 68, which has a rubber or spring ring 69 
sewed or otherwise fastened therein, by means of which it is fixed but 
easily removable from the casing 1 which is formed cone-like at its end. A 
dust filter 70 is additionally arranged at the casing 1 just before the 
entrance to the rotor 15. Therefore, the dust brushed up by the cleaning 
members 21 is conveyed by the rotor 15 at the rear end of the driving 
motor via the vent channel 47 formed as a handhold to the dust collector 
64 and is deposited at the dust bag 68. The air passes the dust bag 68, 
reaches the inside of the casing 1 via the dust filter 70, cools the 
driving motor 9 and finally leaves the casing 1 via slots 71 provided at 
the side walls thereof. Thereby, a very effective cooling of the driving 
motor is enabled, and a soiling of the motor 9 and the gearing 51 is 
advantageously prevented by the provision of the dust filter 70. 
In the front region of the handhold 3, easily to reach by the thumb or the 
forefinger of the operator, the main switch 42 is inserted in the casing, 
which is formed as a revolving switch and enables the infinitely variable 
speed control of the cleaning members 21. The outgoing cable is indicated 
by 43. Obviously, it is possible also in this embodiment to remove the 
cleaning members 21, replace the cover 35 by a suction nozzle, and use the 
cleaning apparatus as a vacuum cleaner. Further, the driving motor 9, the 
blower rotor 15 fixed to the shaft 11, the bevel gearing 51 and the slip 
clutch 59 are built as an assembly, which is inserted into the casing 1 
and fixed by bolts or clamps, which are also connecting the two parts 49 
and 50 of the casing. 
The embodiment depicted in FIG. 5 is similar to the one of FIG. 3; however, 
the cleaning members 21 lying parallel to the shaft 11 of the driving 
motor 9 are driven via a right spur gearing 72. The casing 1 is separated 
longitudinally into two parts along a vertical plane. The driving motor 9, 
the right spur gearing 72, and the sleeve bearings 24 for receiving the 
driving bushing 23 for the two parallel cleaning members 21, together are 
fixed to a carrier plate 73. The carrier plate 73 can be inserted into 
grooves 74 in the casing 1, whereby the whole driving unit is supported in 
the casing 1 via the carrier plate 73 and the bearing 75 at the rear end 
of the shaft 11 of the driving motor 9. The driving connection between the 
shaft 11 of the driving motor 9 and the spur gear 76 on the driving bush 
23 is established via spur gears 77 which are rotated on shaft 78 which is 
inserted in the carrier plate 73. The front end of the shaft 11 of the 
driving motor 9 has longitudinal grooves, whereby the driving gear 79 
arranged thereon is axially movable via the lever 80 and can be brought 
out of meshing relationship with the spur gears 77. 
The shaft 11 penetrates the casing 1 just in front of the driving gear 79 
and extends with its end into the vent channel 47, which is integral with 
the casing 1 and partly formed as a handhold 3. A blower rotor 15 is fixed 
to the end of the shaft 11 in the vent channel 47, which acts together 
with the surrounding walls of the casing as a radial-flow blower for the 
dust exhaust. The casing includes a connecting socket 81 at the entrance 
to the blower, which is arranged concentrically with the shaft 11 of the 
driving motor or the rotor 15, respectively. Several different covers 35 
can be attached to the socket 81. 
The rotor 15 sucks in the dust brushed up by the cleaning members 21 
through a suction inlet formed by casing 1 and communicating with an inlet 
in the vent channel in the region of connecting socket 81 and delivers it 
via the vent channel 47 into the dust collector 64 at the rear end of the 
cleaning apparatus. The dust collector 64 essentially consists of a dust 
bag 82 of cloth like material penetrable by air. A nonreturn flap 39 is 
provided at the entrance of the vent channel 47 into the dust collector 
64. The vent channel 47 is covered up at its rear end by a removable lid 
83. If the lid 83 is removed a lengthening rod can be inserted into the 
opening, whereby the cleaning apparatus can also be used as a 
"stem-apparatus". The driving motor is cooled by a fan 12 on the rear end 
of the shaft 11. 
The cleaning members 21 can be inserted, as already described with the 
other embodiments, into receiving jackets 29, which have longitudinal 
slots 31 at their front ends. Engaging pieces provided at the axes 30 mesh 
with the slots 31, whereby the driving motor torque is transmitted via the 
driving bushings 23, and the receiving jackets 29. The rear ends of the 
axes 30 of the cleaning members 21 extend through an extension of the 
casing and are covered by caps 85. The axle boxes are slotted at the ends 
thereof and include projections, which mesh with an annular groove 30' on 
the axes 30 and secure the cleaning members 21 axially. To change the 
cleaning members, the axes 30 are brought out of engagement with the 
longitudinal slots 31 of the receiving jackets 29 by pressing the caps 85. 
The cleaning members 21 used with the described cleaning apparatus can be 
performed in many different ways. Besides a cylindrical brush having 
bristles along the circumference and length thereof, it is possible to use 
cleaning or polishing members made of fur, felt, foam, plastic or metal 
braid as well as wire brushes. According to the field of application, the 
cleaning members can show a shape different than a cylindrical shape, 
e.g., dished to the outside or to the inside. Furthermore, it is possible 
to vary the distance of the cleaning members; for example to let the 
cleaning members touch each other at the outer circumference (FIG. 4) or 
to let the bristles engage each other (FIG. 2).