WO2006062320A1

WO2006062320A1 - A vacuum cleaner use combination of steam

Info

Publication number: WO2006062320A1
Application number: PCT/KR2005/004127
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jung Kuk Seo
Original assignee: Jung Kuk Seo
Priority date: 2004-12-08
Filing date: 2005-12-05
Publication date: 2006-06-15
Also published as: KR20060064404A

Abstract

Disclosed is a vacuum cleaner having a steam cleaning function, which absorbs impurities through an inhaling hole, wipes a floor by supplying steam to a duster, improves a cleaning efficiency by conducting vacuum and steam cleaning together, and has a simple structure easily manufactured and installed. Cleaner body 120 of the vacuum cleaner 100 has inhaling hole 160 for communicating with inhaling pipe 150. Water container 140 is installed in the cleaner body 120 and has water injection hole 180 formed in a cover 170 mounted to the water container 140. Steam passage 190 is formed downward in the cover 170. Steam introduction unit 200 is horizontally formed in the cleaner body 120 to integrally communicate with a steam supplier 210 installed to the steam passage 190. The steam introduction unit 200 has steam discharge holes 130 for discharging steam toward duster 110 mounted to the cleaner body 120. The inhaling hole 160 communicates with main body 230 including driving motor and filter via hose 220 with interposing the inhaling pipe 150 therebetween.

Description

Description A VACUUM CLEANER USE COMBINATION OF STEAM

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner, which may absorb impurities such as dust together with injecting steam for cleaning a room, and more particularly to a vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner, in which a water container having a heater for heating water in its body having an inhaling hole formed at a front portion of the vacuum cleaner is installed, a water injection hole and a steam passage are formed downward in an upper cover of the water container to communicate with each other, a lower end of the steam passenger is communicated with a steam introduction portion horizontally formed in a bottom of the body, and a plurality of steam discharge holes are formed in a bottom of the steam introduction portion so that the vacuum cleaner may easily inhale impurities such as indoor dust through the inhaling hole and also supply steam to a duster to wipe a room cleanly. Background Art

[2] Generally, a common vacuum cleaner well known in the art has a driving fan and a filter installed in a body in connection to a vacuum motor, and also has an inhaling hole connected to the body via an inhaling hose. Thus, when the driving fan rotates by means of the vacuum motor, impurities such as dust flowing in through the inhaling hole of the body is introduced to the filter through the inhaling hose, thereby removing dust in the room.

[3] Meanwhile, in case a user wants to wipe a floor more cleanly after cleaning the room with the vacuum cleaner, the user wipes the floor with the use of a steam cleaner that has a duster mounted to its bottom and supplies steam from a steam generator to the duster.

[4] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-401327 discloses a steam cleaner as mentioned above.

[5] That is to say, as shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, the steam cleaner is configured so that a steam discharge hole 3 is formed in an upper surface of a body 10 having a duster 2 mounted to its bottom. The steam cleaner includes a heating room 20 having a water supply chamber 5 and a cover installed with a partition 4 between them. A heater 40 is installed to the bottom of the heating room 20. A sensor box 42 for turning on/off the electric heater 40 is installed to one side of the heating room 20. Meanwhile, a water pail 60 is installed in a cover 50 that is installed to surround the heating room 20 and connected to a push stick 6. Another inhaling hole 70 is formed in a front portion of the body 10 to communicate with a storage 80 installed in the push stick 6 by means of a carrying pipe 71.

[6] The steam cleaner configured as above is operated as follows. Water is filled in the water pail 60 installed in the cover 50 connected to the push stick 6. After that, if electric power is supplied to the steam cleaner by inserting a plug into a wall socket, steam generated by heating of the heater 40 in the heating room 20 is supplied to the duster 2 through the steam discharge hole 3, allowing to wipe a room. When the steam cleaner removes impurities such as dust in the room, the user operates a driving motor (not shown) installed to the push stick 6 to inhale dust through the inhaling hole 70, and then stores the dust in the storage 80.

[7] However, the steam cleaner as above has a complex structure since the sensor box

42 and the heater 40 should be connected to the water pail 60 with interposing the partition 4 between them when the heating room 20 installed in the cover 50 generates steam through the electric heater 40, and also since a separate supply pipe should be installed to connect the water pail to the heating room. In addition, the size of the body 10 is increased, and accordingly its manufacture and installation become difficult.

[8] In particular, in order to remove impurities such as dust in a room, heavy components such as a driving motor, a driving fan connected thereto, and a filter should be installed to the push stick 6, which makes the push stick more heavy and gives a serious limitation on their installation space. Accordingly, it is practically impossible to remove impurities such as dust, and the push stick may be used just for pushing a duster supplied with steam. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[9] The present invention is designed to solve the above problems of the prior art, and therefore it is an object of the invention to provide a vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner, which may easily remove impurities such as dust in a room through an inhaling hole of the vacuum cleaner, wipe the room cleanly by supplying steam to a duster mounted to a bottom of a body of the steam cleaner, improve an efficiency for the cleaning work by conducting vacuum cleaning and steam cleaning together, and have a simple structure capable of being manufactured and installed in an easy way. Technical Solution

[10] In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner, which includes a steam discharge hole formed in a cleaner body of the vacuum cleaner having a duster mounted to its bottom, and a water container installed in the cleaner body to heat water therein, wherein the vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body having an inhaling hole communicated with an inhaling pipe of the vacuum cleaner and formed in a front portion thereof, the cleaner body having a water container including a heater therein for heating water;

[11] a steam supplier having a water injection hole formed in a cover mounted to an upper portion of the water container, a steam passage formed downward in the center of the cover, and a steam introduction unit horizontally formed in the lower end of the steam passage horizontally with the bottom of the cleaner body to communicate with the lower end of the steam passage;

[12] a plurality of steam discharge holes formed in the bottom of the steam introduction unit to discharge steam toward the duster mounted to the bottom of the cleaner body; and

[13] a main body having a driving motor and a filter therein so that the inhaling hole of the cleaner body communicates with a hose with an inhaling pipe interposed therebetween. Brief Description of the Drawings

[14] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a general steam cleaner;

[15] FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing essential parts of a steam generator of the steam cleaner shown in FIG. 1 ;

[16] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner according to the present invention;

[17] FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a cleaner body of the vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner according to the present invention; and

[18] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing essential parts of a steam supplier of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[19] As a technical means for accomplishing the above object, the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner, which includes a steam discharge hole formed in a cleaner body of the vacuum cleaner having a duster mounted to its bottom, and a water container installed in the cleaner body to heat water therein, wherein the vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body having an inhaling hole communicated with an inhaling pipe of the vacuum cleaner and formed in a front portion thereof, the cleaner body having a water container including a heater therein for heating water; a steam supplier having a water injection hole formed in a cover mounted to an upper portion of the water container, a steam passage formed downward in the center of the cover, and a steam introduction unit horizontally formed in the lower end of the steam passage horizontally with the bottom of the cleaner body to communicate with the lower end of the steam passage; a plurality of steam discharge holes formed in the bottom of the steam introduction unit to discharge steam toward the duster mounted to the bottom of the cleaner body; and a main body having a driving motor and a filter therein so that the inhaling hole of the cleaner body communicates with a hose with an inhaling pipe interposed therebetween. Mode for the Invention

[20] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is related to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, but those skilled in the art will understand that there may be various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims.

[21] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a cleaner body of the vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing essential parts of a steam supplier of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention. Referring to FIGs. 3 to 5, a steam discharge hole 130 is formed in a cleaner body 120 of the vacuum cleaner 100, which has a duster 110 mounted to its bottom, and a water container 140 for heating water is installed in the cleaner body 120.

[22] The cleaner body 120 of the vacuum cleaner 100 has an inhaling hole 160 formed in its front lower portion and communicated with an inhaling pipe 150, and the water container 140 having a heater 240 therein for heating water is installed in the cleaner body 120.

[23] The water container 140 has a water injection hole 180 formed in an upper portion of a cover 170 mounted over the water container 140, and a steam passage 190 is vertically formed downward in the center of the cover 170. At this time, a steam introduction unit 200 is formed at a lower end of the steam passage 190 that is a bottom of the cleaner body 120, a steam supplier 210 having a plurality of steam discharge holes 130 is prepared at a lower end of the steam introduction unit 200.

[24] Here, the upper open end of the steam passage 190 is positioned above the maximum water surface of the water contained in the water container 140, while the lower end of the steam introduction unit 200 is extended horizontally with regard to the cleaner body 120 so that a plurality of steam discharge holes 130 are formed therein, thereby dispersing the steam discharge holes 130 in a wide area of the duster 110.

[25] Subsequently, the steam introduction unit 200 has a plurality of steam discharge holes 130 in its bottom so as to discharge steam toward the duster 110 mounted to the bottom of the cleaner body 120.

[26] In addition, the inhaling hole 160 of the cleaner body 120 is communicated with the main body 230 having a driving motor and a filter (not shown) in a hose 220 with the inhaling pipe 150 interposed therebetween.

[27] At this time, the inhaling pipe 150 has two kinds of pipes with different diameters to be overlapped so that the inhaling pipe 150 may be expanded and contracted suitably for the height of a user. In addition, the hose 220 interconnecting the inhaling pipe 150 and the main body 230 is preferably a flexible pipe that may be easily bent but not easily broken so that the inhaling pipe 150 may freely move against the main body 230.

[28] The vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner configured as mentioned above according to the present invention shows operations and effects as mentioned below.

[29] As shown in FIGs. 3 and 4, if the heater 240 for heating water is installed in the cleaner body 120 of the vacuum cleaner 100 having a duster 110 mounted to its bottom and the heater 240 heats the water in the water container 140 with electricity applied thereto, the water stored in the water container 140 is converted into a high temperature steam, and this high temperature steam is supplied to the duster 110 through the steam discharge holes 130 via the steam passage 190 and the steam introduction unit 200 subsequently so that a user may clean an indoor floor with a wet duster.

[30] As shown in FIG. 4, the water container 140 has the water injection hole 180 at an upper side of the cover 170 openably mounted to the upper portion of the water container 140, so water may be easily filled in the water container 140. At this time, since the steam passage 190 is formed in the center of the cover 170 and one end of the steam passage 190 is extended downward so that the lower end is integrally communicated with the steam introduction unit 200 in a horizontal direction, the steam generated from the water container 140 may be supplied to the steam introduction unit 200 in the lower portion of the cleaner body 120.

[31] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, since the steam introduction unit 200 has a plurality of steam discharge holes 130 in its bottom, the duster 110 mounted to the bottom of the cleaner body 120 is always wet due to the steam supplied through the steam discharge holes 130, which allows a user to wipe an indoor floor with the duster 110.

[32] Meanwhile, since the inhaling hole 160 communicated with the inhaling pipe 150 of the vacuum cleaner is formed in the front portion of the cleaner body 120 of the vacuum cleaner 100, impurities such as dust are introduced into the inhaling pipe 150 through the inhaling hole 160 when a user pushes the cleaner body 120 by hands. After that, the introduced impurities are discharged to the main body 230 having a driving motor and a filter (not shown) therein through the hose 220, thereby conducting the vacuum cleaning work. At the same time, the user may wipe an indoor floor easily using the duster supplied with steam. Industrial Applicability

[33] As described above, the vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner may absorb impurities such as dust through the inhaling hole of the vacuum cleaner in a convenient and easy way, and also allows a user to cleanly wipe an indoor floor by supplying steam to a duster mounted to the bottom of the cleaner body. Thus, the vacuum cleaner of the present invention improves cleaning efficiency by simultaneously conducting the vacuum cleaning and the steam cleaning, and also has a simple structure that may be easily manufactured and installed, so a user may keep a room more cleanly.

Claims

[1] A vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner, which includes a main body 230 having a vacuum driving motor and a filter mounted therein, and a cleaner body 120 having an inhaling hole 160 formed in a bottom thereof so as to communicate with the main body, wherein the cleaner body 120 includes a water container 140 mounted therein and capable of being heated by a heater 240, and the cleaner body 120 has a duster 110 mounted to the bottom and at least one steam discharge hole 130 formed in a portion of the bottom that is adjacent to the duster 110.

[2] The vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner according to claim 1, wherein an inhaling pipe 150 is provided to a predetermined position of the main body 230 to communicate with the inhaling hole 160, and a flexible hose 220 is interposed between the inhaling pipe 150 and the cleaner body 120.

[3] The vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the inhaling pipe 150 has two kind of pipes with different diameters to be overlapped with each other so that the inhaling pipe 150 is expanded and contracted in a length direction.

[4] The vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein a cover 170 having a water injection hole 180 is mounted to an upper portion of the water container 140, and a steam passage 190 with upper and lower ends opened is vertically formed in a center of the water container 140 so that the upper end of the steam passage 190 is positioned above a water surface of the water container 140 and the lower end is communicated with the steam discharge hole 130.

[5] The vacuum cleaner having a function of a steam cleaner according to claim 4, wherein a steam introduction unit 200 expanded in a horizontal direction is installed to the lower end of the steam passage 190, and a plurality of steam discharge holes 130 are formed in a lower end of the steam introduction unit 200.