Abstract:
Vacuum cleaner with a magnetic pick-up mechanism includes a housing having a front wall and a vacuum opening situated rearward of the front wall, one or more receptacles on the front wall, one or more magnets arranged in the receptacle(s) and a bumper attached to the housing and extending across the front wall and over the magnet(s). Each magnet attracts metallic objects during use of the vacuum cleaner so that the metallic objects do not enter into the vacuum opening and damage to the interior parts of the vacuum cleaner housing is prevented.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner including a magnetic pick-up mechanism capable of picking up metallic objects in floor coverings, such as rugs and carpets, to prevent such metallic objects from entering the vacuum cleaner housing. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   In the vacuum cleaner art, it is known that it is desirable to prevent entry of metallic objects, such as paper clips, pins and staples, into the vacuum cleaner housing to prevent damage to interior parts of the housing such as the motor. Various attachments for vacuum cleaners have been developed which position one or more magnets on the vacuum cleaner housing to attract metallic objects before they can enter into the housing and/or into a suction intake passage defined in the housing. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,745 (Haase) describes an attachment for a vacuum cleaner comprising a flexible housing having a series of pockets, each pocket containing a magnet. The attachment housing is attached to a front wall of the vacuum cleaner housing by adhesive tape or screws. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,260 (Hill) describes an elongated strip of flexible magnetizable material that is attached to the front face of a vacuum cleaner housing by either screws, adhesive tape or VELCRO® and is positioned lower than the front face of the vacuum cleaner housing. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,439 (Good) describes a magnetic attachment device mounted under the housing and rearwardly of the suction passage. The attachment is secured to a side wall of the housing by a clamp and is laterally adjustable. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,095 (Hoy, Jr.) describes a magnetic pick-up device including a plastic housing and magnetic strips mounted in the housing. The magnetic pick-up device is mounted on the front of a vacuum cleaner housing. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,756 (Korsen) describes a coated magnetic pick-up bar attached to a vacuum cleaner housing with hook and loop fastener material, i.e., VELCRO®. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,119 (Myers) describes a combination protective shield and metal capture apparatus for covering a vacuum cleaner housing. The apparatus includes a pouch fixed to a bonnet which covers the top of the vacuum cleaner housing and a magnet arranged in the pouch. The pouch is situated in front of the vacuum cleaner housing and thereby picks up metallic objects before the vacuum cleaner housing passes over them. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,403 (Strickrodt et al.) describes a protecting guard for a vacuum cleaner bumper that picks up magnetic metal objects in rugs or carpets prior to such objects entering the vacuum cleaner housing. The guard covers the front and sides of the vacuum cleaner housing, while leaving the top of the housing open or easily accessible. The guard is made of a durable outer covering and contains, disposed within the outer covering, a magnet and padding. The bumper is secured to the vacuum cleaner by a strap that can be removably fastened to the bumper, or alternatively the bumper is directly affixed to the vacuum cleaner housing with adhesive. 
   One concern with some if not all of the above-described magnetic pick-up devices is their durability especially when used on commercial vacuum cleaners. Also, if the magnetic pick-up devices are situated on the exterior of the vacuum cleaner housing, they are liable to constantly impact objects causing damage thereto or causing the magnets to be dislodged and lost. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved vacuum cleaner including a magnetic pick-up mechanism capable of picking up metallic objects in rugs or carpets prior to entering the vacuum cleaner housing to thereby prevent such metallic objects from entering the vacuum cleaner housing and causing damage to interior parts of the vacuum cleaner, such as the motor. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved housing for a vacuum cleaner including a magnetic pick-up mechanism. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved magnetic pick-up mechanism for a vacuum cleaner which is durable and securely retains magnets in a position in which they are not easily damaged or dislodged. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method for attracting metallic objects to a vacuum cleaner housing in floor coverings prior to passage of a vacuum opening in the housing over the metallic objects. 
   In order to achieve these objects and others, a vacuum cleaner with a magnetic pick-up mechanism in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes a housing having a front wall and a vacuum opening situated rearward of the front wall, one or more receptacles formed on the front wall, one or more magnets arranged in the receptacle(s) and a bumper attached to the housing and extending across the front wall and over the magnet(s). Each magnet attracts metallic objects during use of the vacuum cleaner so that the metallic objects do not enter into the vacuum opening and damage to the interior parts of the vacuum cleaner housing is prevented. 
   In one embodiment, each receptacle is formed on a forward side of the front wall so that each magnet is situated between the bumper and the front wall. To form such receptacle(s), the housing may include a lower support wall projecting outward and forward from a front surface of the front wall, a substantially vertical retaining wall extending upward from a forward edge region of the lower wall and retaining side walls each arranged at a lateral edge portion of the lower and vertical walls. One or more intermediate separation walls can be formed between the side walls to partition the space between the walls into a plurality of individual receptacles. These walls may be integrally formed with the front wall of the housing, and possibly other walls of the housing. 
   Another way to consider the invention is a vacuum cleaner with a housing having a front wall and a vacuum opening situated rearward thereof, a bumper attached to the housing and extending across the front wall and a magnetic pick-up mechanism arranged in connection with the front wall and between the front wall and the bumper. By positioning the bumper over the magnetic pick-up mechanism, magnets in the magnetic pick-up mechanism are not easily dislodged and lost. The pick-up mechanism may comprise one or more receptacles on the front wall, preferably formed on a forward side of the front wall, and one or more magnets arranged therein. The bumper is removable from attachment to the housing while the pick-up mechanism remains in connection with the front wall. As such, it is possible to replace damaged or lost magnets by removing the bumper to access the pick-up mechanism and then reattaching the bumper to the housing. 
   A method for attracting metallic objects in floor coverings to a vacuum cleaner housing prior to passage of a vacuum opening in the vacuum cleaner housing over the floor coverings is also disclosed and involves forming at least one receptacle on a front wall of the vacuum cleaner housing, arranging at least one magnet in the receptacle(s) and attaching a bumper to the housing to cover the magnet(s). The receptacle(s) may be formed by additional walls integral with the front wall of the vacuum cleaner housing and/or on a forward side of the vacuum cleaner housing. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals identify like elements, and wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the bottom part of a vacuum cleaner housing with a magnetic pick-up mechanism in accordance with the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-section taken along the line  2 - 2  in FIG. 
       FIG. 3  is a partial top view of the vacuum cleaner housing shown in  FIG. 1  shown with the bumper and magnets removed; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-section taken along the line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-section taken along the line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-section taken along the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 ; and 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-section similar to  FIG. 2  but showing an alternate vacuum cleaner housing with a magnetic pick-up mechanism in accordance with the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to the accompanying drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a vacuum cleaner housing  10  with a magnetic pick-up mechanism  12  in accordance with the invention. Housing  10  generally includes a front wall  14 , side walls  16 , a suction intake or vacuum opening  18  through which debris and litter are drawn by a vacuum force and which is situated rearward of the front wall  14  and between the side walls  16 , a bumper  20  and other structure typical of a vacuum cleaner housing, e.g., rollers with bristles, wheels and the like. Bumper  20  extends over the front wall  14  and part of the side walls  16  and is attached to the housing  14  in any conventional manner, e.g., by sliding its ends into slots on the side walls  16 . 
   The magnetic pick-up mechanism  12  in accordance with the invention comprises a pair of magnet-receiving receptacles  22  and magnets  24  arranged in the receptacles  22 . Receptacles  22  are preferably formed on a forward side of the front wall  14  as shown in  FIG. 3 . By positioning the magnets  24  in connection with the front wall  14 , when the vacuum cleaner is pushed over a rug or carpeting in a forward direction, the magnets  24  pass over metallic objects in the rug or carpeting, e.g., paper clips, before the vacuum opening  18  and cause the objects to be drawn toward the magnets  24  and retained for example, on the bumper  20 . 
   Receptacles  22  are formed by a lower support wall  26  which projects outward and forward from the front surface of the front wall  14 , a substantially vertical retaining wall  28  extending upward from a forward edge region of the lower wall  26 , retaining side walls  30  each arranged at a lateral edge portion of the lower and vertical walls  26 ,  28  and an intermediate separation wall  32  interposed between the side walls  30  to partition the space between the lower, vertical and side walls  26 ,  28 ,  30  into the two receptacles  22 . As such, each receptacle  22  has only an open top, the remaining sides being closed, which enables insertion and removal of the magnets  24  therefrom. 
   Any number of intermediate walls can be provided to partition the space between the lower, vertical and side walls  26 ,  28 ,  30  into individual receptacles. For example, as shown in  FIG. 7 , two intermediate walls  32 A,  32 B are provided to form three receptacles. In this case, three magnets  24 A,  24 B,  24 C would be provided, one in each receptacle. If only a single magnet is used, the intermediate wall is not present. 
   Lower, vertical and side walls  26 ,  28 ,  30 , and intermediate walls  32  when present, are preferably dimensioned to accommodate the magnets  24  in the receptacles  22  with minimum clearance such that the magnets  24  firmly and securely fit in the receptacles  22 . Also, the lower, vertical and side walls  26 ,  28 ,  30 , and intermediate walls  32  when present, may be integral with the front wall  14  of the housing  10  as shown. 
   Bumper  20  extends over the magnets  24  and thereby hinders and ideally prevents dislodgment of the magnets  24  from the receptacles  22 . By covering the magnets  24 , bumper  20  also cushions the magnets  24  from impacts with objects during use of the vacuum cleaner. 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , magnets  24  extend over a significant part of the front wall  14 . This facilitates the application of magnetic force to the coverage area of the vacuum opening  18 , i.e., the working surface of the vacuum cleaner, during use of the vacuum cleaner so that any metallic objects in the coverage area which might be drawn into the vacuum opening  18  are instead drawn to the magnets  24 . 
   Although magnets  24  are shown as being elongate and being received in elongate receptacles  22 , other shapes of magnets  24  and correspondingly-shaped receptacles  22  can be used in accordance with the invention. Also, the magnets  24  can have different sizes and strengths, in the same magnetic pick-up mechanism  12 , depending upon the needs of the user and the size/shape of the metal objects that are contained in the floor surface to be cleaned. Any magnets of any composition can be used, such as solid iron-containing magnets. 
   There are several advantages to forming the pick-up mechanism  12  in connection with the vacuum cleaner housing  10  and/or having a bumper  20  extend over the magnets  24  of the pick-up mechanism  12 . For example, in the event that a magnet  24  is lost during use, installation of a new magnet  24  is very easy and does not require any tools. Specifically, the bumper  20  is removed from engagement with the housing  10  by sliding one or both of its ends out from the slots in the side walls  16  of the housing  10  to expose the pick-up mechanism  12 , i.e., the receptacles  22  and any remaining magnets  24 . Then, a new magnet  24  is placed into the empty receptacle  22  and the bumper  20  is reattached to the housing  10 . 
   In addition, as discussed above, the bumper  20  serves to hinder dislodgment of the magnets  24  from the receptacles  22 . 
   Moreover, the integral formation of the receptacles  22  with the front wall  14  of the housing  10  avoids the need for external fasteners to connect the magnets  24  or a retaining structure therefor to the housing  10 . 
   Although the magnetic pick-up mechanism  12  is described in connection with the front wall  14  of a vacuum cleaner housing  10 , since vacuum cleaners are typically used in a forward direction and the front wall  14  will pass over a dirty section of floor covering first, it is possible to place similar magnetic pick-up mechanisms, i.e., receptacles and magnets, on the side walls and/or rear wall of a vacuum cleaner housing. This would be useful, for example, in the event the vacuum cleaner is pulled rearward over a dirty section of floor covering which has not been passed over by the vacuum cleaner when being pushed in a forward direction. 
   While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while the magnetic pick-up mechanism in accordance with the invention is described in combination with a vacuum cleaner, it is understood that the mechanism can be used in any appliance or device useful for picking up debris and other waste through an opening by action of partial vacuum.