# US 12,599,280 B2 · Cleaning roller for cleaning robots > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,599,280 B2 - Document ID: US12599280B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/654,619 - Filed: 2024-05-03 - Published: 2024-11-21 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2016-12-15 - Assignees: iRobot Corporation - Applicants: iRobot Corporation - Inventors: William Goddard; Matthew Blouin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12599280B2 ## CPC - A47L 11/4041: {Roll shaped surface treating tools} - A47L 9/0477: {Rolls} - A47L 11/24: Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven - A47L 11/4013: {Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like} - A47L 11/4044: {Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees} - A47L 2201/00: Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation - A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08) ## Abstract A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot includes an elongate shaft extending from a first end portion to a second end portion along an axis of rotation. The first and second end portions are mountable to the cleaning robot for rotating about the axis of rotation. The cleaning roller further includes a core affixed around the shaft and having outer end portions positioned along the elongate shaft and proximate the first and second end portions. The core tapers from proximate the first end portion of the shaft toward a center of the shaft. The cleaning roller further includes a sheath affixed to the core and extending beyond the outer end portions of the core. The sheath includes a first half and a second half each tapering toward the center of the shaft. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot, the cleaning roller comprising: an elongate shaft extending from a first end portion to a second end portion along an axis of rotation, the first and second end portions being mountable to the cleaning robot for rotating about the axis of rotation; a core affixed around the elongate shaft and having outer end portions positioned along the elongate shaft and proximate the first and second end portions of the elongate shaft; and a sheath affixed to the core and comprising a first tapered portion and a second tapered portion each tapering toward a longitudinal center of the elongate shaft, wherein an outer circumference of the cleaning roller is constant along the axis of rotation of the elongate shaft. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cleaning roller of claim 1, wherein the sheath is configured to engage debris on a floor surface and transfer the debris to the cleaning robot when the cleaning roller is mounted to the cleaning robot and rotated along the floor surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cleaning roller of claim 1, wherein the sheath comprises a plurality of vanes extending radially outwardly from a shell of the sheath, and the outer circumference of the cleaning roller is defined by the plurality of vanes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The cleaning roller of claim 3, wherein the plurality of vanes extend axially from a first end of the sheath to a second end of the sheath along the axis of rotation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cleaning roller of claim 1, wherein each of the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion are frustoconical. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The cleaning roller of claim 5, wherein the first tapered portion extends from a first end of the sheath to a longitudinal center of the sheath along the axis of rotation, and the second tapered portion extends from a second end of the sheath to the longitudinal center of the sheath along the axis of rotation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The cleaning roller of claim 6, wherein the sheath comprises a radially-extending vane, a height of the radially-extending vane proximate the first end of the sheath is less than a height of the radially-extending vane proximate the longitudinal center of the sheath, and the outer circumference of the cleaning roller is at least partially defined by an outer edge of the radially-extending vane. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The cleaning roller of claim 1, comprising collection wells defined by the outer end portions of the core and the sheath. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The cleaning roller of claim 8, wherein a length of one of the collection wells is 5% to 15% of a length of the cleaning roller, and tubular portions of the sheath define the collection wells. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The cleaning roller of claim 1, wherein each of the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion comprises a surface that forms an angle between 5 and 20 degrees with the axis of rotation. ### Claim 11 An autonomous cleaning robot comprising: a body; a drive operable to move the body across a floor surface; and a cleaning roller removably attached to the autonomous cleaning robot, the cleaning roller comprising: an elongate shaft extending from a first end portion to a second end portion along an axis of rotation; a core affixed around the elongate shaft and having outer end portions positioned along the elongate shaft and proximate the first and second end portions of the elongate shaft; and a sheath affixed to the core and comprising a first tapered portion and a second tapered portion each tapering toward a longitudinal center of the elongate shaft, wherein an outer circumference of the cleaning roller is constant along the axis of rotation of the elongate shaft. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the cleaning roller comprises a collection well defined by (i) a portion of the core that extends axially beyond the first end portion of the elongate shaft and (ii) the first end portion of the elongate shaft. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the sheath comprises a plurality of vanes extending radially outwardly from a shell of the sheath, and the outer circumference of the cleaning roller is defined by the plurality of vanes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 13, wherein the plurality of vanes of the sheath are configured to engage debris on a floor surface and transfer the debris to the autonomous cleaning robot when the cleaning roller is mounted to the autonomous cleaning robot and rotated along the floor surface. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein the sheath comprises a vane extending radially outwardly from a shell of the sheath, and the vane extends in a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation of the elongate shaft. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 15, wherein the vane extends axially from a first end of the sheath to a second end of the sheath along the axis of rotation, and an outer surface of the vane at least partially defines the outer circumference of the cleaning roller. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein each of the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion are frustoconical. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 17, wherein the first tapered portion extends from a first end of the sheath to a longitudinal center of the sheath along the axis of rotation, and the second tapered portion extends from a second end of the sheath to the longitudinal center of the sheath along the axis of rotation. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 18, wherein the sheath comprises a radially-extending vane, and a height of the radially-extending vane proximate the first end of the sheath is less than a height of the radially-extending vane proximate the longitudinal center of the sheath. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 11, comprising collection wells defined by the outer end portions of the core and the sheath. ### Claim 21 (depends on 11) The autonomous cleaning robot of claim 11, wherein each of the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion comprises a surface that forms an angle between 5 and 20 degrees with the axis of rotation. ### Claim 22 A cleaning roller mountable to a cleaning robot, the cleaning roller comprising: an inner portion configured to rotationally couple the cleaning roller to the cleaning robot for allowing the cleaning robot to rotate the cleaning roller about an axis of rotation of the cleaning roller; and an outer portion rotationally coupled to the inner portion and extending axially along the axis of rotation, the outer portion comprising a tapered portion that tapers along the axis of rotation, wherein an outer circumference of the cleaning roller is (i) defined by outer surfaces of a plurality of vanes extending from the outer portion of the cleaning roller and (ii) constant along the axis of rotation of the cleaning roller. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The cleaning roller of claim 22, wherein the outer portion extends from a first longitudinal end of the inner portion to a second longitudinal end of the inner portion along the axis of rotation. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The cleaning roller of claim 23, wherein the inner portion comprises an elongate shaft configured to rotationally couple the cleaning roller to the cleaning robot. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The cleaning roller of claim 22, wherein the tapered portion of the outer portion comprises a first tapered portion that (i) tapers from a first longitudinal end of the outer portion along the axis of rotation toward a longitudinal center of the outer portion, and (ii) comprises a first plurality of vanes of the plurality of vanes extending outward from the first tapered portion. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The cleaning roller of claim 25, wherein the tapered portion of the outer portion comprises a second tapered portion that (i) tapers from a second longitudinal end of the outer portion along the axis of rotation toward the longitudinal center of the outer portion, and (ii) comprises a second plurality of vanes of the plurality of vanes extending outward from the second tapered portion.