Patent Publication Number: US-2005125941-A1

Title: Dust agitator and vacuum cleaner having the same

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims priority to co-pending Korean Patent Application No. 2003-91265 filed on Dec. 15, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a dust agitator for a vacuum cleaner with an improved bristle member to more effectively scatter dust from surfaces being vacuumed.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      A dust agitator is provided at a suction bristle of an upright type cleaner or a canister type cleaner to scatter dust off the surface being vacuumed, and to increase cleaning efficiency. A plurality of bristle members are helically embedded in the dust agitator, and cleaning efficiency depends on the strength of the bristle members.  
      Cleaning efficiency is increased if the bristle members are lengthened and thickened so that the bristle members have sufficient strength. If the surface being vacuumed includes a fabric such as a carpet, however, abrasion of the carpet surface can occur by friction with the bristle member. However, if the strength of the bristle members is decreased to prevent abrasion of the surface, for example, by employing shorter and thinner bristle members, abrasion of the surface can be prevented, but efficiency is decreased.  
      Thus, a need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been developed in order to solve the above drawbacks and other problems associated with the conventional arrangement. An object of the present invention is to provide a dust agitator with a bristle member of an improved structure to prevent abrasions against surfaces being vacuumed and to increase cleaning efficiency, and a vacuum cleaner having the same.  
      In order to achieve the above-described objects and/or other features of the present invention, a dust agitator of a vacuum cleaner is provided cleaner comprising a dust agitator body, a receiving groove for a bristle member configured along with the dust agitator body, and a bristle member including a plurality of bristles of varying thickness.  
      According to an object of the present invention, the bristle member includes a first bristle member embedded in the receiving groove for the bristle member, and a second bristle member embedded with the first bristle member in the receiving groove for the bristle member but thinner than the first bristle member. The first bristle member has a diameter of 0.225˜0.275 mm, and the second bristle member has a diameter of 0.18˜0.220 mm. The first bristle member and the second bristle member are embedded in the receiving groove for the bristle member at identical ratios.  
      The receiving groove for the bristle member is helically configured along with the outer dust agitator body to reduce abrasions against surfaces to be vacuumed.  
      The vacuum cleaner with the dust agitator includes a cleaner body, a suction nozzle combined with the cleaner body to suction alien substances from surfaces to be vacuumed, a dust agitator body configured rotatably at the suction nozzle, a receiving groove for the bristle member configured along with the dust agitator body at a regular interval, and a bristle member embedded in the receiving groove for the bristle member including a plurality of bristles of varying thickness.  
      Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above aspects and features of the present invention will be more apparent by describing certain embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.  
       FIG. 1  is a partially-cut perspective of a conventional up-right type vacuum cleaner.  
       FIG. 2  is a view illustrating a dust agitator of a vacuum cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of part ‘A’ of  FIG. 2 , illustrating a dust agitator with bristle members of varying thickness embedded therein.  
       FIG. 4  is a plan view of part ‘A’ in  FIG. 2 .  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Certain embodiments of the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
      A conventional up-right type vacuum cleaner as shown in  FIG. 1  includes a cleaner body  10  and a suction nozzle  20  provided with a suction opening. The cleaner body  10  houses therein a dust collector which has a dust bag, and is covered with a dust collector cover  11  and a motor driver  12  installed with a motor.  
      The suction nozzle  20  of the up-right type vacuum cleaner  10  suctions dust and alien substances from surfaces vacuumed with air and collects dust in the dust bag of the dust collector when a motor operates to generate a suction power.  
      To remove alien substances deeply stuck in surfaces being vacuumed such as a carpet or a floor, the suction nozzle  20  includes a dust agitator  100 . The dust agitator  100  is rotatably installed in a housing  21  of the suction nozzle  20 , and the dust agitator  100  is connected to a motor through a driving belt  22  and is driven by the motor.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a dust agitator  100  of a vacuum cleaner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A dust agitator body  110  is helically configured at an outer circumference and has bristle receiving holes  111  (FIG.  3 ) at a regular interval and embedded with a plurality of bristle members  120 .  
       FIGS. 3-4  are enlarged views of portion ‘A’ showing the first and second bristle members  121 ,  122  of varying thickness. The first bristle member  121  is thicker than the second bristle member  122 . The first bristle member  121  includes a diameter of approximately 0.25 mm, and the second bristle member  122  includes a diameter of approximately 0.20 mm. The first and second bristle members  121 ,  122  are used at an equal ratio of 50:50. However, the thickness of the first and second bristle members  121 ,  122  may vary. Hence, the first bristle member  121  is thicker than the second bristle member  122 . For example, the first bristle member  121  may have a diameter of approximately 0.225˜0.275 mm, while the second bristle member  122  has a diameter of approximately 0.18˜0.220 mm.  
      If the first bristle member  121  has a diameter greater than 0.275 mm, cleaning efficiency is decreased. However, abrasions and damages can be increased in fabric surfaces such as a carpet. If the second bristle member  122  has a diameter less than 0.225 mm, the damages to the surfaces being vacuumed can be protected, however, dust attached to the surfaces to be vacuumed cannot be scattered, hence, cleaning efficiency is decreased. The first and second bristle members  121 ,  122  are manufactured to have different colors so that a user can visibly distinguish the first bristle member  121  and the second bristle member  122 .  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a vacuum cleaner  10  provided with a dust agitator  100  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention operates as described below.  
      The dust agitator  100  is rotatably received in a suction nozzle  20  of the vacuum cleaner so that the bristle member  120  smashes and scatters dust from the surfaces being vacuumed, thus increasing cleaning efficiency. A plurality of bristle members  120  are embedded along the outer circumference of the dust agitator  100 . If the surface being vacuumed is a fabric material such as a carpet, a thick and long bristle member can increase cleaning efficiency. However, as the bristle member  120  becomes thicker and longer, abrasions of the surfaces being vacuumed also increases, thus damaging the surface.  
      Accordingly, the first bristle member  121  and the second bristle member  122  with a different thickness are embedded in equal ratio as depicted in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 . The first bristle member  121  is configured to be thicker than the second bristle member  122  so that the first bristle member  121  smashes the surface, while the second bristle member  122  sweeps the surface. According to the present embodiment, abrasions can be prevented in the fabric surface being vacuumed such as a carpet, because frictions against the surface being vacuumed can be decreased as compared to configuring the bristle member  120  with the first bristle member  121  of uniform thickness. A cleaning task can be performed more efficiently because a single bristle member  120  can smash and sweep at the same time by using first and second bristle members  121 ,  122  with different thicknesses.  
      According to an embodiment of the present invention, because a thick bristle member and a thin bristle member are both inserted in a single bristle member suction opening, abrasion of the surface being vacuumed can be decreased, and cleaning efficiency can be increased.  
      The foregoing embodiment and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. Also, the description of the embodiments of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims, and many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.