Floor cleaner

Abstract

A cleaning head for a floor cleaner including a brushroll assembly configured to clean a surface to be cleaned and reduce brushroll maintenance, such as removing hair and debris wrapped around the brushroll assembly and removing debris from a bearing of the brushroll assembly. The brushroll assembly may comprise agitator members to assist in cleaning and maintenance.

1 . A floor cleaner comprising:
 a dirt collection chamber; and   a cleaning head in fluid communication with the dirt collection chamber, the cleaning head including
 a housing; 
 a brushroll chamber having an opening in a bottom side of the housing; and 
 a brushroll assembly operably mounted in the brushroll chamber and having 
 an agitator body having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a longitudinal axis that extends through the first end and the second end, the agitator body rotatable about the longitudinal axis, and the agitator body further including a first and a second concentric annular protrusion on the first end extending along the longitudinal axis, 
 a bearing in rotatable communication with the first end of the agitator body, 
 an end cap retaining the bearing, the end cap removable mounted to the housing positioning the first end of the brushroll in the brushroll chamber, the end cap including an outer side facing away from the agitator body and an inner side facing the first end of the agitator body, the inner side including a first and a second concentric annular rib, 
 wherein the first and the second annular ribs and the first and the second annular protrusions overlap, so as to form a plurality of annular recesses between the adjacent annular ribs and the annular protrusions, an outermost annular recess being formed between the first annular rib and the first annular protrusion, 
 a plurality of agitating members extending along the agitator body between the first end and the second end that extend through the opening, and 
 a deformable member extending from the agitator body transverse to the longitudinal axis and positioned along a circumferential surface of the agitator body between the plurality of agitating members and the end cap, the deformable member positioned adjacent the outermost annular recess and configured to inhibit debris from encountering the outermost annular recess. 
   
     
     
         2 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable member includes an annular seal adjacent the first end of the agitator body and adjacent the end cap, the deformable member is configured to inhibit debris from encountering the outermost annular recess. 
     
     
         3 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the end cap includes a labyrinth seal around the bearing. 
     
     
         4 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable member includes a felted material. 
     
     
         5 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the agitator body includes a groove along the circumferential surface at the first end between the plurality of agitating members and the end cap, the groove is configured to receive and retain the deformable member during operation. 
     
     
         6 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable member is attached to and rotatable with the agitator body. 
     
     
         7 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable member is positioned between the end cap and the agitator body and is in contacting engagement with at least one of the end cap and the agitator body. 
     
     
         8 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable member extends in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the agitator body. 
     
     
         9 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , further including an agitator drive mechanism in the housing, the drive mechanism having a drive element operably engaging the second end of the agitator body; the brushroll assembly further including
 a second deformable member radially extending from the agitator body positioned along a circumferential surface of the agitator body between the plurality of agitating members and the drive element.   
     
     
         10 . The cleaning head of  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first and second deformable member extends through the opening during operation to contact the surface to be cleaned. 
     
     
         11 . The cleaning head of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of agitating members includes one or more vanes and the second deformable member is positioned at an end of the one or more vanes. 
     
     
         12 . The cleaning head of  claim 11 , wherein each vane has a surface engaging portion longitudinally extending along the agitator body between a first vane end adjacent the first end and a second vane end adjacent the second end, and wherein the second deformable member is positioned between the second vane end and the drive element. 
     
     
         13 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable member has an interior region with a first connecting member that is coupled to a second connecting member on the circumferential surface of the agitator body. 
     
     
         14 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of agitating members includes a pattern of bristles. 
     
     
         15 . The cleaning head of  claim 14 , wherein the pattern of bristles extending between the first end and the second end in a helical row. 
     
     
         16 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of agitating members include a plurality of vanes spaced around the circumference of the agitator body and extending outwardly from the agitator body. 
     
     
         17 . The cleaning head of  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of agitating members further includes at least one pattern of bristles extending between the first end and the second end, wherein the at least one pattern of bristles are spaced from adjacent vanes by at least  5  millimeters in a circumferential direction along the agitator body. 
     
     
         18 . The cleaning head of  claim 16 , wherein each vane has a surface engaging portion longitudinally extending along the agitator body between a first vane end adjacent the first end and a second vane end adjacent the second end, wherein the housing includes an extending portion directed inwardly towards the agitating body, the extending portion positioned within the brushroll chamber between the first and second ends configured to contact the vane surface engaging portion as the vane rotates past the extending portion in the brushroll chamber during operation. 
     
     
         19 . The cleaning head of  claim 18 , wherein the extending portion has a length along the brushroll axis between  3  and  25  millimeters contacting the surface engaging portion as the vane rotates past the extending portion in operation. 
     
     
         20 . The cleaning head of  claim 18 , wherein the extending portion has a length along the brushroll axis over  25  millimeters contacting the surface engaging portion as the vane rotates past the extending portion in operation. 
     
     
         21 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein each of the three or more vanes extend along a constant helical pitch about the agitator body between the first end and the second end and the one or more rows of bristles define a variable or oscillating pattern about the agitator body between the first end and the second end wherein each of the one or more rows of bristles extend between two adjacent vanes. 
     
     
         22 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of agitating members include three or more vanes and one or more rows of bristles extending between the first end and the second end, wherein the plurality of agitating members extend helically about the agitator body between the first end and the second end. 
     
     
         23 . The cleaning head of  claim 22 , wherein the helix of the three or more vanes extends in a first direction, and the helix of the one or more rows of bristles extends in a second direction, opposite the first direction. 
     
     
         24 . The cleaning head of  claim 23 , wherein the three or more vanes wrap helically approximately 180 degrees around the agitator body between the first end and the second end in the first direction, and the one or more rows of bristles wrap helically approximately 360 degrees around the agitator body in the second direction. 
     
     
         25 . The cleaning head of  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an exterior surface of the cleaning head, and wherein the end cap includes an outer side facing away from the brushroll body and an inner side facing the first end, wherein the end cap is mounted in the housing such that the end cap outer side forms a portion of the exterior surface. 
     
     
         26 .- 38 . (canceled)