US20070180651A1

US20070180651A1 - Telescoping wand assembly with a flexible seal

Info

Publication number: US20070180651A1
Application number: US11/347,980
Authority: US
Inventors: Eric Muhlenkamp
Original assignee: Panasonic Corp of North America
Current assignee: Panasonic Corp of North America
Priority date: 2006-02-06
Filing date: 2006-02-06
Publication date: 2007-08-09

Abstract

A telescoping wand assembly includes a first tube, a second tube received in the first tube so as to allow sliding movement therebetween and a flexible seal carried on the second tube in sliding engagement with an interior surface of the first tube. A method of making that telescoping wand assembly includes overmolding a flexible seal on the second tube and inserting the second tube in the first tube with the overmolded flexible seal in sliding engagement with an interior surface of the first tube. A vacuum cleaner is also provided incorporating the telescoping wand assembly of this invention.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a telescoping wand assembly incorporating an overmolded, flexible seal, a method for making that wand assembly and a vacuum cleaner incorporating that wand assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is relatively common practice today to provide canister and upright vacuum cleaners with telescoping wand assemblies. Such assemblies may be lengthened or shortened as desired for a particular application by simply pressing a button and sliding the two sections of the assembly relative to each other. A lock then secures the wand assembly at the desired length. An example of such a wand assembly is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,474.
The present invention relates to a telescoping wand assembly including a flexible seal that provides complete sealing between the inner and outer tubes of the telescoping wand assembly so as to enhance the cleaning efficiency of the vacuum cleaner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A telescoping wand assembly includes a first tube, a second tube received in the first tube so as to allow sliding movement therebetween and a flexible seal carried on the second tube in sliding engagement with an interior surface of the first tube.
More specifically describing the invention, the second tube includes a sealing ring at a first end. The sealing ring may be constructed from a hard plastic including material selected from a group consisting of nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene, ABS and mixtures thereof. Further the sealing ring includes a first receiver engaging the main body of the second tube and a second receiver for engaging the flexible seal. In addition the second receiver includes a series of locking slots.
The flexible seal includes a body having an integral mounting ring and an annular convex sealing surface. The mounting ring includes a plurality of tangs received in the locking slots of the second receiver. The annular convex sealing surface is resiliently biased into engagement with the interior surface of the first tube so as to provide a complete seal between the first and second tubes in all positions of the telescoping wand assembly. Further, the second tube includes a plurality of spaced locking notches and the first tube carries a releasable lock for selectively engaging the locking notches and securing the telescoping wand assembly at a desired length.
In accordance with an additional aspect of the present invention a method is provided for making a telescoping wand assembly. The method comprises the steps of overmolding a flexible seal on a second tube and inserting the second tube in a first tube with the overmolded flexible seal in sliding engagement with an interior surface of the first tube.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention a vacuum cleaner is provided comprising a housing, a suction generator carried on the housing, a dirt collection vessel carried on the housing and a telescoping wand assembly. As described above that telescoping wand assembly includes a first tube, a second tube received in the first tube so as to allow sliding movement therebetween and a flexible seal carried on the second tube in sliding engagement with an interior surface of the first tube.
In the following description there is shown and described a preferred embodiment of this invention, simply by way of illustration of one of the modes best suited to carry out the invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawing incorporated in and forming a part of the specification, illustrates several aspects of the present invention and together with the description serves to explain certain principles of the invention. In the drawing:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a canister vacuum cleaner incorporating the telescoping wand assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the flexible seal of the wand assembly;
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the flexible seal illustrated in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the wand assembly; and
FIG. 5 is a detailed, cross sectional view of the wand assembly including the first tube, the second tube, the flexible seal and the sealing ring.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 illustrating the wand assembly 10 of the present invention incorporated into the structure of a canister vacuum cleaner 12. The canister vacuum cleaner 12 includes a hose 14 connecting the wand assembly 10 to the canister housing 16. The canister housing 16 includes an internal chamber 18 as well as a suction inlet 20 and an exhaust outlet 22 both communicating with that chamber. A suction generator, in the form of a fan and motor assembly generally designated by reference numeral 24, is held in the chamber 18. Additionally, a dirt collection vessel in the form of a filter bag 26 is held in the internal chamber 18 between the suction inlet 20 and the suction generator 24. As illustrated the vacuum cleaner 12 also includes a nozzle 28 for picking up dirt and debris. The nozzle 28 is connected to the inlet end 52 of the wand assembly 10 opposite the hose 14. The nozzle 28 includes an inlet 30 and an outlet 32. In the illustrated embodiment the nozzle 28 houses a motor driven agitator 34 that extends across the inlet 30. A release handle 36 allows the operator to disconnect the wand assembly 10 from the nozzle 28 when desired. The wand assembly 10 may then be used alone or in conjunction with other, separate cleaning tools to perform various cleaning tasks including but not limited to the vacuuming of baseboards, windowsills, drapes and upholstery.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 the wand assembly 10 is a telescoping wand assembly incorporating a first or outer tube 38, a second or inner tube 40 received in the first tube so as to allow sliding movement therebetween and a flexible seal 42 carried on the second tube in sliding engagement with an interior surface of the first tube. The first tube 38 carries a locking mechanism 44 including an actuator 46 and a spring loaded latch of a type well known in the art such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,474 (see FIG. 7 of that document). Specifically, the operator engages the actuator 46 to release the latch from one of the series of aligned locking notches 50 provided along the length of the second tube 40. The operator then slides the second tube 40 in or out of the first tube 38 in order to adjust the length of the telescoping wand assembly 10. When the operator then releases the actuator 46, the spring loaded latch engages in the appropriate locking notch 50 in order to lock the first tube 38 and second tube 40 together and maintain the wand assembly 10 at the desired length. It should be appreciated that in any operating position, the flexible seal 42 provides a full and complete seal between the first and second tubes 38, 40 of the wand assembly 10 so as to prevent any air leak and insure that the full power of the suction generator 24 is used to draw air through the inlet end 52 of the wand assembly 10 and thereby provide for maximum cleaning efficiency.
As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flexible seal 42 includes a body 54 having an integral mounting ring 56 and an annular convex sealing surface 58. As illustrated the mounting ring 56 includes a plurality of outwardly projecting tangs 60. The flexible seal 42 may be constructed from a number of materials including but not limited to TPE, PVC and rubber. Reference is now made to FIGS. 4 and 5 which fully illustrate how the flexible seal 42 is mounted to the second tube 40 and received in the first tube 38 of the wand assembly 10.
In the illustrated embodiment, the second tube 40 includes a main tubular body 62 and a sealing ring 64. The sealing ring 64 is secured over the tapered downstream end 66 of the main body 62 by means of a first receiver or split sleeve 68. The actual mounting and securing of the sealing ring 64 to the main body 62 will be described in greater detail below.
As further illustrated, the sealing ring 64 also includes a second receiver or groove 70 for engaging the mounting ring 56 of the flexible seal 42. More specifically, the second receiver 70 includes a series of locking slots 72 that are oriented, sized and shaped to receive the cooperating tangs 60 on the mounting ring 56 of the flexible seal 42.
One possible method of making the telescoping wand assembly 10 comprises overmolding the flexible seal 42 onto the sealing ring 64 and directly forming the cooperating tangs 60 in the slots 72. Next, the sealing ring 64 with the overmolded flexible seal 42 is mounted to the main tubular body 62 of the second tube 40. Specifically, the tapered end 66 of the main body 62 is inserted in the first receiver 68. Opposed mounting lugs 74 provided along the interior surface of the receiver 68 engage the tapered end 66 and are gradually spread as the tapered end is inserted into the receiver 68. Once the mounting lugs 74 are aligned with the cooperating cavities 76 formed in the main body 62, the mounting lugs 74 engage and nest in the cavities 76 positively securing the sealing ring 64 on the tubular body 62. More specifically, the sealing ring 64 is constructed from a hard plastic such as, for example, nylon, polytetrafluroethylene, ABS and mixtures thereof. Such a material has the necessary resilient memory to assure that the mounting lugs 74 are positively secured and nested in the cavities 76 to complete the connection.
After connecting the main tubular body 62 with the sealing ring 64, the second tube 40 is inserted into the first tube 38 with the overmolded flexible seal 42 in sliding engagement with an interior surface 78 of the first tube as illustrated in drawing FIG. 5. As should be appreciated from reviewing FIG. 3, the convex sealing surface 58 is molded with a larger diameter than the mounting ring 56. The convex sealing surface 58 must be compressed radially inwardly to be received inside the first tube 38. The resilient nature of the flexible seal 42 then biases the sealing surface 58 into engagement with the interior surface 78 of the first tube 38 thereby insuring a complete and airtight seal around the full circumference of the tubes 38, 40.
The curved outer surface 58 insures that the seal 42 slides easily along the interior surface 78 of the first tube 38 when the operator is adjusting the length of the wand assembly 10. That same curved outer surface 58 and the resilient characteristics of the material from which the flexible seal 42 is constructed also insures that a full and complete seal is maintained between the first and second tubes 38, 40 at all times during vacuum cleaner operation. Accordingly, the gap between the first and second tubes 38, 40 is effectively sealed at all times and air leaks are prevented. As a consequence, the full suction power of the suction generator 24 is transmitted by the wand assembly 10 to the inlet end 52 of the wand assembly 10 in order to provide maximum cleaning efficiency.
The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the dirt collection vessel may take the form of a dirt cup instead of a filter bag. That dirt cup may include a tangentially directed inlet and an axially directed outlet to produce cyclonic airflow in the dirt collection chamber.
The embodiment was chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled. The drawings and preferred embodiments do not and are not intended to limit the ordinary meaning of the claims and their fair and broad interpretation in any way.

Claims

1. A telescoping wand assembly, comprising:

a first tube;

a second tube received in said first tube so as to allow sliding movement therebetween; and

a flexible seal carried on said second tube in sliding engagement with an interior surface of said first tube.

2. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 1 wherein said second tube includes a sealing ring at a first end.

3. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 2, wherein said sealing ring is constructed from a hard plastic.

4. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 3, wherein said hard plastic is selected from a group consisting of nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene, ABS and mixtures thereof.

5. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 2, wherein said sealing ring includes a first receiver engaging a main body of said second tube and a second receiver engaging said flexible seal.

6. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 5, wherein said second receiver includes a series of locking slots.

7. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 6, wherein said flexible seal includes a body having an integral mounting ring and an annular convex sealing surface.

8. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 7, wherein said mounting ring includes a plurality of tangs received in said locking slots.

9. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 1, wherein said flexible seal includes a body having an integral mounting ring and an annular convex sealing surface.

10. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 9, wherein said annular convex sealing surface is resiliently biased into engagement with said interior surface of said first tube.

11. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 1, wherein said second tube includes a plurality of spaced locking notches and said first tube carries a locking mechanism with a latch for selectively engaging said locking notches.

12. A method of making a telescoping wand assembly including a first tube and a second tube comprising:

overmolding a flexible seal on the second tube; and

inserting the second tube in the first tube to provide said overmolded flexible seal in sliding engagement with an interior surface of the first tube.

13. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a housing;

a suction generator carried on said housing;

a dirt collection vessel carried on said housing; and

a telescoping wand assembly including a first tube, a second tube received in said first tube so as to allow sliding movement therebetween and a flexible seal carried on said second tube in sliding engagement with an interior surface of said first tube.

14. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 13, wherein said vacuum cleaner is a canister-type vacuum cleaner.

15. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 13, wherein said vacuum cleaner is an upright-type vacuum cleaner.

16. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 13 wherein said second tube includes a sealing ring at a first end.

17. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 16, wherein said sealing ring is constructed from a hard plastic.

18. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 17, wherein said hard plastic is selected from a group consisting of nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene, ABS and mixtures thereof.

19. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 13, wherein said sealing ring includes a first receiver engaging a main body of said second tube and a second receiver engaging said flexible seal.

20. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 19, wherein said second receiver includes a series of locking slots.

21. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 20, wherein said flexible seal includes a body having an integral mounting ring and an annular convex sealing surface.

22. The telescoping wand assembly of claim 21, wherein said mounting ring includes a plurality of tangs received in said locking slots.