Agitator Belt Drive Interrupt System
AssigneePanasonic Corporation of North America
InventorKerry L. Dever
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A floor care appliance has a body including a control assembly and a nozzle assembly, a rotary agitator carried on the nozzle assembly and a dirt collection vessel carried on the body. In addition a suction generator is carried on the body. The suction generator includes a fan and a drive motor. A belt operably connects the drive motor to the rotary agitator. An agitator drive interrupt mechanism includes an idler pulley support and first and second idler pulleys carried on the idler pulley support. The idler pulley support is displaceable between a first position wherein the idler pulleys tension the belt to provide drive to the rotary agitator and a second position wherein the idler pulleys de-tension the belt and interrupt drive to the rotary agitator.
Claims20
A floor care appliance, comprising:
- a body including a control assembly and a nozzle assembly;
- a rotary agitator carried on said nozzle assembly;
- a dirt collection vessel carried on said body;
- a suction generator carried on said body, said suction generator including a fan and a drive motor;
- a belt operatively connecting said drive motor to said rotary agitator;
- and
- an agitator drive interrupt mechanism including an idler pulley support, a first idler pulley carried on said idler pulley support and a second idler pulley carried on said idler pulley support, said idler pulley support being displaceable between a first position wherein said first and second idler pulleys tension said belt to provide drive to said rotary agitator and a second position wherein said first and second idler pulleys de-tension said belt and interrupt drive to said rotary agitator.
A floor care appliance, comprising:
- a body including a control assembly and a nozzle assembly;
- a rotary agitator carried on said nozzle assembly;
- a dirt collection vessel carried on said body;
- a suction generator carried on said body, said suction generator including a fan and a drive motor having a drive shaft;
- a belt operatively connecting said drive motor to said rotary agitator;
- and
- an agitator drive interrupt mechanism including an articulated idler pulley support and at least one idler pulley carried on said articulated idler pulley support, said articulated idler pulley support being displaceable between a first position wherein said at least one idler pulley tensions said belt to provide drive to said rotary agitator and a second position wherein said at least one idler pulley detensions said belt and interrupts drive to said rotary agitator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.