US 12,390,064 B2
Cleaning apparatus with combing unit for removing debris from cleaning roller
Jason B. Thorne, Wellesley Hills, MA (US); Yao Ming, Newton, MA (US); Daniel R. Der Marderosian, Westwood, MA (US); Daniel Meyer, Boston, MA (US); Patrick Cleary, Allston, MA (US); Gordon Howes, Suzhou (CN); David Wu, Newton, MA (US); and Nancy Gao Wenxiu, Suzhou (CN)
Assigned to SharkNinja Operating LLC, Needham, MA (US)
Filed by SHARKNINJA OPERATING LLC, Needham, MA (US)
Filed on Apr. 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/131,247.
Application 18/131,247 is a continuation of application No. 15/492,320, filed on Apr. 20, 2017, granted, now 11,647,881.
Application 15/492,320 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/US2016/058148, filed on Oct. 21, 2016.
Application 15/492,320 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/331,045, filed on Oct. 21, 2016, granted, now 11,278,171, issued on Mar. 22, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/469,853, filed on Mar. 10, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/313,394, filed on Mar. 25, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/248,813, filed on Oct. 30, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/244,331, filed on Oct. 21, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2023/0240492 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. A47L 9/04 (2006.01); A47L 5/26 (2006.01); A47L 5/30 (2006.01); A47L 9/06 (2006.01); A47L 9/30 (2006.01)
CPC A47L 9/0477 (2013.01) [A47L 5/26 (2013.01); A47L 5/30 (2013.01); A47L 9/0488 (2013.01); A47L 9/0613 (2013.01); A47L 9/30 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cleaning apparatus comprising:
a housing having a front side and back side, the housing including a suction conduit fluidly coupled to an opening on an underside of the housing between the front side and the back side, the suction conduit fluidly coupled to a suction motor;
a brush roller rotatably mounted to the housing;
a leading roller mounted in the housing in front of the brush roller and spaced from the brush roller such that a position of the leading roller relative to the housing is fixed and the leading roller and brush roller do not contact each other;
one or more drive mechanisms coupled to the brush roller and the leading roller configured to simultaneously drive the brush roller and the leading roller;
a wall defining a portion of the suction conduit, the wall separating at least an inside upper portion of the leading roller from the suction conduit such that at least the inside upper portion of the leading roller is substantially outside of a flow path to the suction conduit; and
a series of spaced combing protrusions extending from the wall, the combing protrusions configured to contact an outer surface of the lower portion of the leading roller between the rotation center of the leading roller and the bottom contact surface of the leading roller.