Patent Publication Number: US-2006000047-A1

Title: Vacuum system attachment for cleaning household items

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/585,197, filed Jul. 2, 2004, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference, and priority from the filing date of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 119(E). 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention pertains to the cleaning of lint filters used in clothes dryers, and more particularly, to an attachment for built-in home vacuum cleaner system designed to clean the lint filter of clothes dryers. This attachment can also be used to remove dirt and debris from furnace filters, dust pans, window screens, mops, brooms, shoe soles, ash trays, and other household items.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      A clothes dryer produces lint during the drying process, and the lint generally accumulates in the dryer lint filter. To prevent build up and to maintain dryer efficiency, the lint must be periodically removed from the filter. In order to remove the lint, typically an owner will manually scrape the lint from the lint filter and then discard it. This process can be messy and incomplete. When the lint is scraped from the filter, particles of lint may escape the compacted accumulation of lint, leaving a mess beneath the filter. Moreover, by merely scraping the lint with one&#39;s fingers or some other device, not all the lint particles may be successfully removed from the filter. Thus, there is a need for a device that may be used to successfully clean lint filters without creating a mess. Such a device is also needed for cleaning other hard-to-clean household items, such as furnace filters, dust pans, window screens, mops, brooms, shoe soles, and ash trays. However, such a device must be convenient to use and inexpensive, such that the benefits of using such a device are not outweighed by cost or inconvenience.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      One embodiment of a vacuum system attachment for cleaning lint filters and other household items formed in accordance with the present invention includes a hollow insertion member having an insertion opening. An elongated, hollow nozzle member, which defines a tip end and a tip opening, adjoins the hollow insertion member to cooperatively form a vacuum system attachment. Then, the insertion member is inserted into a vacuum system outlet, and a lint filter or other household item is passed over the tip end to draw the lint or dirt into the nozzle and then into the vacuum system. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is perspective view of a vacuum system attachment secured to a wall outlet for a built-in home vacuum system;  
       FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of a fully assembled vacuum system attachment as shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a vacuum system attachment as shown in  FIG. 1 ; and  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the present invention relates to a vacuum system attachment  8  for cleaning clothes dryer lint filters or other households items  9 , such as furnace filters, dust pans, window screens, mops, brooms, shoe soles, and ash trays. The attachment  8  may be used in conjunction with a built-in home vacuum system  5 , which includes a central vacuum unit  6  and a network of vacuum lines  7  extending from the central unit to outlets  13  mounted in the wall throughout the home. Thus, the attachment  8  may be inserted into a wall outlet  13  near a clothes dryer  15  such that it may be conveniently used to remove lint, dirt, or other items from the lint filter  9  or other household item. After inserting the attachment  8  into the wall outlet  13 , the clothes dryer filter  9 , for example, may be removed from the clothes dryer  15  and passed over the tip end  14  of the attachment  8 . As the filter  9  passes over the tip end  14 , the lint from the filter  9  is drawn into the attachment  8  and then into the vacuum system central unit  6 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the attachment  8  includes a hollow, round insertion member  10 . The round insertion member  10  may include a round insertion opening  11 . The insertion member  10  may be inserted into a vacuum system wall outlet  13  to activate the vacuum system attachment  8 . Therefore, it is preferable that the shape of the insertion member  10  generally conforms to the shape of the wall outlet  13 . Assuming that most outlets  13  are round in shape, the insertion member  10  is preferably round. However, other shapes and forms may also be appreciated.  
      The attachment  8  may also comprise an elongated, flattened nozzle member  12 . The flattened nozzle member  12  may be hollow to allow air, lint, dirt, or other debris to pass through the flattened nozzle member  12 . The inside surface of the flattened nozzle member  12  may generally conform to the shape of the exterior surface of the flattened nozzle member  12 . The flattened nozzle member  12  may be joined with the round insertion member  10  to form a complete attachment  8 . Moreover, a metal ring  32  may be disposed between the round insertion member  10  and the flattened nozzle member  12 . The metal ring  32  may be used to activate the built-in home vacuum system  5  when the attachment  8  is mounted into the wall outlet  13 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the round insertion member  10  may further include an insertion portion  18 , an attachment portion  20 , and an intermediate portion  22  therebetween. The insertion portion  18  may be greater in diameter than the intermediate portion  22 , and the intermediate portion  22  may be greater in diameter than the attachment portion  20 . The round attachment portion  20  may additionally include a raised circumferential rim  24  that can be used to secure an attachment device to the round insertion member  10 .  
      The elongated flattened nozzle member  12  may include a flat nozzle end portion  26  and a round nozzle attachment end portion  28 . The flat nozzle end portion  26  may transition smoothly from the round nozzle attachment end  28  to cooperatively form the elongated flattened nozzle member  12 . The flattened nozzle member  12  may include a tip end  14  defining a tip end opening  16 . The tip end  14  may be at an angle relative to the length of the attachment  8 , or the tip end  14  may be perpendicular to the length of the attachment  8 . The tip end opening  16  may generally conform to the shape of the tip end  14 .  
      The elongated flattened nozzle member  12  may be joined with the round insertion member  10  to form a complete attachment  8 . In one embodiment, the round nozzle attachment end  28  portion may contain a circumferential groove  30  on the inside surface of the round nozzle attachment end  28 . The groove  30  may generally conform to the size and shape of the raised circumferential rim  24 . The round insertion member  10  may then be mated with the flattened nozzle member  12  such that the outside surface of the round attachment portion  20  engages the inside surface of the round nozzle attachment end portion  28 . When the round attachment portion  20  engages the round nozzle attachment end portion  28 , the rim portion  20  may engage the groove  30  to create a snap fit.  
      Alternatively, the round nozzle attachment end portion  28  may be formed without a groove  30 . Without a groove  30 , the round attachment portion  20  may engage the round nozzle attachment end  28  to form a friction fit.  
      A metal ring  32  may encircle the round intermediate portion  22  of the round insertion member  10 . Thus, the ring  32  may be disposed between the round insertion member  10  and the flattened nozzle member  12  when they are joined together. The ring  32  activates the central vacuum system when the attachment  8  is plugged into the wall outlet. It is to be understood that in some uses the metal ring  32  is not necessary.  
      The attachment  8  may be composed of plastic, metal, or other material. Moreover, the present invention also contemplates not having a flattened portion  12 , but having the entire length of the attachment  8  round in cross-section so as to be in the shape of a round tube. Also, the relative lengths of the round insertion member  10  and the flattened nozzle member  12  may vary in length such that the attachment  8  is a preferred distance from the wall  34  when secured in the wall outlet  13 . It is contemplated that the attachment  8  be at least six or eight inches long (or longer) so that the tip end  14  is far enough away from the wall  34  at which the vacuum outlet  13  is mounted that the filter  9  to be cleaned can be conveniently passed over the tip end  14  of the attachment  8  without hitting or otherwise interfering with the wall.  
      Rather than being created separately from the round insertion member  10 , the flattened nozzle member  12  may be created in unity with the round insertion member  10  from one piece of material. In other words, the flattened nozzle member  12  may simply extend away from the round insertion member  10  to form one complete vacuum system attachment  8 . Moreover, the inside surface of the flattened nozzle member  12  may extend smoothly from the inside surface of the insertion member  10  such that air, lint, dirt, or other debris may pass without obstruction between the flattened nozzle member  12  and the round insertion member  10 .  
      Alternatively, the vacuum system attachment  8  may comprise more than two components. For example, the round insertion member  10  may include a separate insertion portion  18 , an attachment portion  20 , and an intermediate portion  22  that are engageable with one another to cooperatively form a round insertion member  10 . Likewise, the elongated flattened nozzle member  12  may include at least two components that are connectable to form a complete elongated flattened nozzle member  12 . The vacuum system attachment  8  may be further divided into even more subcomponents without detracting from the benefits of the invention.  
       FIG. 4  illustrates a further embodiment a the present invention incorporated into a length of flexible hose. In this regard, the components of the present invention shown in  FIG. 4  that are the same or similar to the components of the embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 1-3  are designated by corresponding part numbers of the 100 series. For example, the attachment is designated as  108 , as opposed to  8 .  
      The attachment  108  includes a hollow insertion member  110  having a circular interior opening  111 . The insertion member  110  may be inserted into a vacuum system wall outlet, for example, wall outlet  13  shown in  FIG. 1 , to activate the vacuum system attachment  108 . Therefore, preferably, the shape of the insertion member  110  generally conforms to the shape of the wall outlet  13 .  
      The insertion member is connected to one end of an elongate flexible hose  100 . The hose can be of various constructions, but ideally is flexible as well as durable for extended use. Those hose  110  can be of various lengths, as desired.  
      As in attachment  8 , the attachment  108  includes a metal ring  132  disposed between the end of the insertion member and the adjacent end of the hose  110 . The metal ring may be used to activate the vacuum system  5  when the attachment  108  is inserted into the wall outlet  13 .  
      In addition, the attachment  108  may include an elongate, flattened nozzle member  112  similar to nozzle member  12  discussed above. The flattened nozzle member  12  is built into the adjacent end of hose  100 , so as to fixably attach thereto. As in the flattened nozzle  12  discussed above, a nozzle  112  is hollow to allow air, lint, dirt, and other debris to pass through the nozzle member. The inside surface of the flattened nozzle member  112  transitions smoothly from a circular cross section to a flattened cross section such that air, lint, dirt, or other debris may pass without obstruction to the flattened nozzle member  112  and into the hose  100 .  
      As a further alternative, the attachment  118  of  FIG. 4  may be constructed similarly to the insertion member  10  shown in  FIG. 3 . To avoid repetition, such description will not be repeated here.  
      While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.