Vacuum cleaner attachment with floating cleaning element and surface cleaning apparatus including the same
View Patent ↗A vacuum cleaner attachment generally includes a cleaning element that floats relative to a suction conduit of the vacuum cleaner attachment. The cleaning element is supported on a support structure that is movably coupled to a housing and is biased towards a floor, for example, as a result of the weight of the cleaning element support structure. The cleaning element may be permanently attached to the support structure or may be a removable or disposable pad or sheet attached to the support structure. The floating cleaning element may be supported between the suction conduit and one or more wheels of the vacuum cleaner attachment. The vacuum cleaner attachment may be removably attached to a vacuum cleaner, for example, to be used interchangeably with other surface cleaning heads.
1. A vacuum attachment comprising:
a housing including at least one suction conduit having a dirty air inlet;
a support structure adjustably engaged with the housing, the support structure configured to have a cleaning element attached thereto;
at least a first bias mechanism configured to bias the support structure towards a surface being cleaned and away from the housing such that the support structure floats with respect to the housing during use on the surface being cleaned;
a neck pivotably connected to the housing, wherein the neck is configured to attach to a vacuum cleaner; and
a second bias mechanism configured to bias the at least one suction conduit toward a surface being cleaned, wherein the second bias mechanism is configured to bias the at least one suction conduit with a force greater than a force exerted by the first bias mechanism.
2. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , wherein the support structure is located substantially adjacent to the at least one suction conduit.
3. The vacuum attachment of claim 2 , wherein the housing further includes at least one wheel, wherein the support structure is located between the at least one dirty air inlet and the at least one wheel.
4. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , wherein the first bias mechanism includes at least one spring.
5. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , wherein the first bias mechanism includes at least a weighted material.
6. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , wherein the first bias mechanism includes at least the weight of the support structure.
7. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , further comprising at least one light on at least one of the housing and the suction conduit.
8. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , further comprising at least one strip of bristles disposed on a bottom of the at least one suction conduit.
9. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , further comprising at least one castellation disposed on a bottom of the at least one suction conduit.
10. The vacuum attachment of claim 9 , wherein a plurality of bristles are disposed on the at least one castellation.
11. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , further comprising at least one cleaning pad disposed on a bottom of the at least one suction conduit.
12. The vacuum attachment of claim 1 , further including a sliding coupling mechanism coupling the support structure to the housing, the sliding coupling mechanism including at least one elongate element on at least one of the support structure and the housing, the at least one elongate element slideably engaging an aperture on the other of the support structure and the housing.
13. The vacuum attachment of claim 12 , wherein the elongate element includes a stop at a distal end of the elongate element to maintain engagement between the support structure and the housing.
14. A vacuum attachment comprising:
a housing including at least one suction conduit having at least one dirty air inlet;
at least one wheel coupled to the housing, wherein the at least one wheel and the at least one suction conduit are configured to contact a surface being cleaned;
a cleaning element support structure suspended below the housing and located between the at least one dirty air inlet and the at least one wheel, the cleaning element support structure being configured to support a cleaning element;
a sliding coupling mechanism coupling the cleaning element support structure to the housing such that the cleaning element support structure moves relative to the housing, the sliding coupling mechanism including at least one elongate element on at least one of the support structure and the housing, the at least one elongate element slideably engaging an aperture on the other of the support structure and the housing; and
wherein the at least one elongate element includes a stop at a distal end of the at least one elongate element.
15. The vacuum attachment of claim 14 , further comprising at least one light on at least one of the housing and the suction conduit.
16. The vacuum attachment of claim 14 , further comprising a neck pivotably connected to the housing, wherein the neck is configured to attach to a vacuum cleaner.
17. The vacuum attachment of claim 14 , further comprising at least one wheel disposed on a bottom of the at least one suction conduit.
18. The vacuum attachment of claim 14 , further comprising a at least one castellation disposed on a bottom of the at least one suction conduit.
19. The vacuum attachment of claim 14 , further comprising at least one pad disposed on a bottom of the at least one suction conduit.