WO2004008933A1

WO2004008933A1 - Vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2004008933A1
Application number: PCT/GB2003/003297
Authority: WO
Inventors: James Douglas Beck; Christopher Henderson; John Taylor; James Cowan Braid Ferguson
Original assignee: Hoover Limited
Priority date: 2002-07-24
Filing date: 2003-07-23
Publication date: 2004-01-29
Also published as: AU2003260711A1

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner comprises a rigid removable dust receptacle (15) which is rotatable between first and second positions. In the first position, an aperture (22) in the wall of the receptacle (15) registers with a suction source (20) on the body of the cleaner so air is evacuated from between the receptacle and a liner (25), such as a plastic bag, which is fitted inside the receptacle (15) thereby drawing the liner (25) tightly against the wall of the receptacle (15). When no liner (25) is fitted, the receptacle (15) is positioned in the second position so that the suction source (20) is disconnected from the receptacle (15) and the aperture (22) is sealed.

Description

Vacuum Cleaner

This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner. Vacuum cleaners have conventionally comprised a permeable dust bag, which filters and retains the dirt and dust drawn into the vacuum cleaner by the induced air flow. Nowadays, it has become popular to provide vacuum cleaners, in which the separated dirt and dust is collected in a rigid dust receptacle that can be emptied and re-used. Such arrangements alleviate the need to purchase and replace the dust bags. However, a disadvantage of re-usable dust receptacles is that the receptacles are often dirty to handle and clouds of dirt and dust can be emitted into the atmosphere when the receptacles are emptied, with the obvious health risks.

Many vacuum cleaners nowadays comprise a cyclonic separator, which deposits the separated dirt and dust in a rigid dust receptacle. Thus, there is the need to provide a reusable and rigid dust receptacle which is clean to use and does not emit clouds of dirt and dust when emptied.

WO98/35601 discloses a liner for the rigid dust receptacle of a cyclonic vacuum cleaner, which can be removed and discarded, thereby alleviating the above-mentioned problems. The liner comprises an impermeable plastic bag, which is fitted inside a rigid container, with its neck turned over the rim of the container. The rim of the container is then engaged with the body of the cleaner. An acknowledged problem of this arrangement is that the bag can severely reduce the dust capacity of the container if it is not fully fitted against the side walls thereof. In practice, the internal volume of the container is often subjected to an air flow and this can cause the bag to invert and perhaps block the air outlet leading from the container. Also, in the case of cyclonic vacuum cleaners, the container can form the cyclonic separation chamber. Thus, the presence of a bag can substantially affect the cyclonic action, unless the bag is held fully against the wall of the container. WO98/35601 attempts to solve the above-mentioned problems by creating a zone of low air pressure between the liner and the wall of the container in which the bag is located. In order to achieve this, the bag is held away from the floor of the container by means of a false floor and the space between the false floor and the bottom of the container is partially evacuated by means of a tube connecting the space to the inlet of the suction fan. The false floor has a smaller diameter than the container, thereby providing a circumferential gap between the false floor and the wall of the container. The plastic bag tends to be drawn into the gap by the suction applied to the space below the floor and is thus held firmly in position during use of the vacuum cleaner.

On some occasions it may be desirable to use the vacuum cleaner without a disposable bag and for this reason, a valve is provided to close the tube, in order to prevent dirt and dust from being drawn along the tube to the fan. This valve is both complicated and costly in construction. Furthermore, the tube has to be disconnected from the container, in order to empty the container. Clearly, this process is inconvenient and there is the risk that the vacuum cleaner will be damaged if the tube is not reconnected prior to use, since air and perhaps dust could be drawn into the fan through the inlet to which the tube is connected. We have now devised a vacuum cleaner which alleviates the above-mentioned problems.

In accordance with this invention, as seen from a first aspect, there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising a rigid removable dust receptacle, at least a portion of the receptacle being moveable between first and second positions, an aperture being provided in the wall of the receptacle, which is arranged to register with a suction source on the body of the cleaner, only when the receptacle or said portion thereof is positioned in said first position. When a liner, such as a plastic bag, is fitted to the receptacle, the receptacle or a portion thereof is positioned in the first position, so that the suction evacuates the air from between the liner and the wall of the receptacle, thereby drawing the bag tightly against the wall of the receptacle. When no liner is fitted, the receptacle or a portion thereof is positioned in the second position so that the suction source is disconnected from the receptacle.

The present invention is therefore extremely simple in construction and operation, yet avoids the above-mentioned problems of known vacuum cleaners.

Preferably the dust receptacle is moveable between said first and said second positions which are each operative positions, said aperture being arranged to register with said suction source on the body of the cleaner, only when the receptacle is positioned in said first operative position.

Preferably a seal is provided on the body of the cleaner, to seal the aperture when the receptacle is in said second position.

Preferably a seal is provided around the suction source to seal around the aperture when the receptacle is in said first position.

Preferably the two seals are provided on a one-piece member attached to a surface of the body of the cleaner.

Preferably the receptacle is rotatable between said first and second positions.

Preferably the aperture is provided on an arcuate wall of the receptacle, having a radius of curvature centred on the rotational axis of the receptacle.

In order to prevent dust from spilling out of the aperture when the receptacle is removed from the cleaner, the aperture preferably an area which is less than 10mm². We have found that a circular aperture of 3mm in diameter is ideal .

Preferably a projection extends into the receptacle adjacent the aperture, in order to prevent the bag from being drawn into the aperture and thereby sealing the suction source. Preferably the projection comprises a pair of ribs or fins provided on opposite sides of the aperture.

In cyclonic vacuum cleaners, the air outlet conduit leading from the cyclone chamber to the fan generally passes the receptacle. Thus, the suction source preferably comprises an aperture formed in the wall of the conduit, which communicates with the aperture in the receptacle when the latter is in said first position.

Also, in accordance with this invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner having a suction source for generating air flow through a device for separating dirt and dust from the air flow, and a removable rigid dust receptacle for collecting the separated dust, wherein an air outlet conduit extends from the separating device to the suction source adjacent a wall of the receptacle, an aperture being provided in the wall of the receptacle to communicate with an aperture formed in the wall of the conduit .

Preferably the receptacle or a portion thereof is moveable between a first position in which the apertures communicate, and a second position in which the apertures are fluidly disconnected from each other.

An embodiment of this invention will now be described by way of an example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner in accordance with this invention; and

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the rear of a portion of the cleaner of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown an upright vacuum cleaner comprising a wheeled suction head 10, to which a body portion 11 is pivoted for movement between an upright position and an inclined operative position. A motor and fan are mounted in a bottom portion 12 of the body 11 of the cleaner. A pair of upright support pillars 16, 17 extend upwardly from the bottom portion 12 of the body 11 of the cleaner and support an upper portion 13 of the body 11 of the cleaner. A space is provided between the upper and lower portions 13, 12 for receiving a removable dirt collection bin

15, which fits between the pillars 16, 17. The upper portion 13 of the body 11 of the cleaner contains a cyclonic separation unit, which utilises the cylindrical wall of the bin 15 as a part of one of the separation stages. In use, the fan, which is mounted inside the lower portion 12 of the body 11 of the cleaner, induces a reduced air pressure inside the support pillar 16, which also acts as a conduit. The upper end of the conduit is connected to the outlet of the separation unit inside the upper portion 13 of the body 11 of the cleaner. The inlet to the separation unit is connected to a flexible hose 14, which can either be connected to the suction head 10 or to a remote tool.

The bin 15, which is formed of transparent plastics material and has a cylindrical wall, rests on a circular base 18 provided on the body of the cleaner and is able to rotate about a central axis, which extends longitudinally of the body 11.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, the support pillars

16, 17 comprise inner arcuate surfaces, each having a radius of curvature which is centred about the rotational axis of the bin 15. An aperture 20 is formed adjacent the bottom of the arcuate inner surface of the support pillar 16, which also acts as an air flow conduit between the fan and the outlet of the cyclone separator as hereinbefore described. An apertured pad 21 of resiliently flexible elastomeric material is adhered over the aperture 20 and comprises a solid portion, which extends circumferentially of the arcuate surface, to one side of the aperture 20. The aperture in the pad is slightly elongated in the circumferential direction to allow for any misalignment of the pad.

The bin 15 comprises an aperture 22 adjacent the bottom of its cylindrical side wall. A pair of ribs 23 extend axially along the interior surface of the cylindrical wall of the bin

15, on respective opposite sides of the aperture 22. A locating lug 24 projects axially upwards from the rim of the bin 15.

A disposable liner 25 in the form of a plastics bag can be fitted inside the bin 15, with its upper edge turned over the upper edge of the bin 15. The bin 15 is then engaged with the body 11 of the cleaner, such that the projecting lug 24 thereon engages into a corresponding formation 27 formed on the exterior surface of a depending lip on the upper portion 13 of the body 11 of the cleaner. In this position, the aperture 22 in the bin 15 communicates with the aperture 20 in the pillar

16. The pad 21 seals around the aperture 22 in the bin 15, so that a good fluid communication is achieved between the apertures 20, 22. The elongated aperture in the pad 21 also allows some tolerance between the positioning of the apertures 20,22.

In use, when the fan is energised, a pressure gradient is developed inside the cleaner, with the pressure in the conduit inside the pillar 16, which leads to the fan, being substantially less than the upstream pressure inside the bin

15. Accordingly, the apertures 20, 22 serve to apply this pressure differential across the bag 25, such that the bag is urged against the internal wall of the bin 15 during use. It has been found that a single small aperture of approximately 3mm in diameter is sufficient to create the necessary pressure conditions for the bag. The ribs 23 on each side of the aperture 22 serve to support the bag 25 away from the vicinity of the aperture 22, thereby ensuring that the bag 25 does not block the aperture 22, whilst air is being extracted from the bin 15 following energisation of the cleaner.

Once the bag 25 is full, the receptacle 15 can be removed, and the bag can be sealed by tightening a draw-string 26 provided around the neck of the bag 25. The bag 25 can then be discarded. In order to use the cleaner without a bag, the bin 15 must be engaged with the body 11 of the cleaner, such that the lug 24 on the bin 15 engages into a second formation 28, which is rotationally offset from the formation 27 by an angle of about 15 degrees. In this position, the aperture 22 in the wall of the bin 15 is sealed against the extended solid portion of the pad 21. The pad 21 thus prevents the flow of air through the aperture 22, as well as preventing the escape of any of the separated dirt and dust .

When the bin 15 is removed for emptying, the size of the aperture 22 is so small that a negligible amount of dirt and dust escapes .

It will be appreciated that the selection of "bag" or "bagless" operation is conveniently effected by respectively installing the bin 15 at different rotational positions with its lug 24 projecting into the formation 27 or 28 on the body of the cleaner. Preferably, markings are provided adjacent the formations 27,28 to indicate the correct bin position.

In an alternative embodiment, "bag" or "bagless" operation can be selected by moving a lever or flap on the bin, or by moving a part of the bin. Markings are preferably provided to indicate the correct position for "bag" or "bagless" operation.

A vacuum cleaner in accordance with this invention is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction and yet can be used with and without a bag by appropriately selecting the rotational position of the bin in the body of the cleaner.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising a rigid removable dust receptacle, at least a portion of the receptacle being moveable between first and second positions, an aperture being provided in the wall of the receptacle, which is arranged to register with a suction source on the body of the cleaner, only when the receptacle or said portion thereof is positioned in said first position.

2. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, in which said aperture is sealed when the receptacle or said portion thereof is positioned in said second position.

3. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claims 1 or 2, in which the dust receptacle is moveable between said first and said second positions which are each operative positions, said aperture being arranged to register with said suction source on the body of the cleaner, only when the receptacle is positioned in said first operative position.

4. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3 , in which the receptacle is rotatable between said first and second positions.

5. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 4 , in which the aperture is provided on an arcuate wall of the receptacle, having a radius of curvature centred on the rotational axis of the receptacle.

6. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, in which a seal is provided on the body of the cleaner, to seal the aperture when the receptacle or said portion thereof is in said second position.

7. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 6, in which a seal is provided around the suction source to seal around the aperture when the receptacle or said portion thereof is in said first position.

8. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 7, in which the two seals are provided on a one-piece member attached to a surface of the body of the cleaner.

9. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the aperture has an area which is less than 10mm².

10. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 9, in which the aperture is circular and has an area of 3mm in diameter

11. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in any preceding claim, in which a projection extends into the receptacle adjacent the aperture .

12. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 11, in which the projection^' comprises a pair of ribs or fins provided on opposite sides of the aperture.

13. A vacuum cleaner having a suction source for generating air flow through a device for separating dirt and dust from the air flow, and a removable rigid dust receptacle for collecting the separated dust, wherein an air outlet conduit extends from the separating device to the suction source adjacent a wall of the receptacle, an aperture being provided in the wall of the receptacle to communicate with an aperture formed in the wall of the conduit.

14. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 13, in which the receptacle or a portion thereof is moveable between a first position in which the apertures communicate, and a second position in which the apertures are fluidly disconnected from each other.