Dustpan with miniature on-board vacuum

Abstract

A dustpan commonly used for removal of loose dirt, sand, sawdust, etc with a small vacuum built into the handle or dustpan housing and a hose or conduit running from the vacuum to the lip of the dustpan. When sweeping dirt with a hand broom and ordinary dustpan, generally there is a small amount of dirt that cannot be swept into the pan. It typically gets pushed around and dissipates, or requires the use of a separate vacuum device to remove it.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The invention relates to handheld dustpans and more particularly to a handheld dustpan with a small vacuum built or attached thereto, with a hose or conduit running from the vacuum to the lip of the dustpan, to allow the user to sweep dirt into the pan and then vacuum collect any small amount of dirt remaining. [0003] 2. Description of Prior Art [0004] It has long been common practice to use a handheld dustpan and small hand broom to collect dirt, dust, sand, etc which has been swept into a pile on smooth surface floors. The dirt is then carried in the pan, which has raised side walls to prevent dirt from falling out, to a receptacle and deposited there. Such dustpans are commonly made of sheet metal or plastic, and may be of varying size. [0005] Typically, when the user has swept the bulk of the dirt into the dustpan, there is a small amount of fine dirt remaining under the front edge of the dustpan. Multiple attem...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] The above problem is solved by adding a small, self-powered vacuum to a standard dustpan, including a conduit through which the fine dirt is collected. The user sweeps the dirt into the dustpan in the normal manner, typically with a hand broom, and then needs o

Problems solved by technology

Multiple attempts to sweep this dirt into the dustpan can be fruitless, as the dirt is too fine to be effectively swept into the dustpan.

While effective at removing dirt, this option is time consuming, as it requires the user to empty the dustpan into a receptacle, replace the dustpan in its normal storage area, retrieve a vacuum from its storage area, plug in the vacuum (if it is not battery powered), suck in the dirt, and proceed to unplug and replace the vacuum.

In addition to being time consuming, the air currents generated by the user walking around the remaining dirt will most likely cause it to dissipate, making removal more difficult.

If there are several rooms to be swept, carrying an upright vacuum from room to room can cause stress on the arms and back, and may be difficult for elderly or physically challenged users.

This option is also time-consuming as it requires the user to retrieve a paper towel, go to a water source, and return to the dirt.

The water from the paper towel may not only be damaging to the floor, as in the case of hard wood floors, it may also be extremely messy as the water mixes with the fine dirt remaining.

The final option is to simply sweep the dirt under a rug or piece of furniture, though this option is obviously unsanitary.

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