Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-08
2003-04-15
Till, Terrence R. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C055S429000, C055S459100, C055SDIG003
Reexamination Certificate
active
06546593
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an upright type vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to an upright type vacuum cleaner having a cyclone type dust collector capable of separating by centrifugal force and collecting various contaminants from the air that is drawn into the vacuum cleaner through a suction brush, thereby providing more economical vacuum cleaner by eliminating the need for a dust filter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an upright type vacuum cleaner includes a suction brush, which is formed at an end of the vacuum cleaner body and moves along a cleaning surface. The vacuum cleaner body includes an inner space that is divided into a dust chamber and a motor driving chamber. A dust filter is removably disposed in the dust chamber, and a motor is disposed in the motor chamber.
When the motor operates, a strong suction force is generated at the suction brush, and dust and other contaminants on the cleaning surface are drawn into the vacuum cleaner body together with ambient air. After being drawn in, the air is discharged from the cleaner body via the dust filter in the dust chamber. Accordingly, contaminants are filtered out by the dust filter, while the clear air is discharged from the cleaner body via the motor chamber.
Such a general upright type vacuum cleaner, however, requires a dust filter and a dust chamber, in which contaminants are removed from the air by the dust filter. The dust filter is an expendable item that a user has to separately prepare for future use. Further, when the dust filter is clogged with contaminants, the user must manually replace the dust filter. Manual replacement of a dirty dust filter is both inconvenient and unhygienic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problems of conventional upright type vacuum cleaners. It is an object of the present invention to provide an upright type vacuum cleaner having a cyclone type dust collector for semi-permanent use. The cyclone type dust collector is capable of separating by centrifugal force and collecting contaminants from the air that is drawn in through the suction brush. The dust collector can be removed from the vacuum cleaner body and reinserted after the contaminants collected therein have been emptied out.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an upright type vacuum cleaner capable of allowing easy disposal of the contaminants collected therein.
In order to accomplish the above objects of the present invention, an upright type vacuum cleaner includes a cyclone type dust collector removably disposed in the vacuum cleaner. Via centrifugal force, the dust collector separates and collects dust and other contaminants from the air that is drawn in through a suction brush into a dust chamber in the vacuum cleaner.
The cyclone type dust collector of the present invention includes an upper cover, an outer cyclone receptacle coupled to the upper cover, an inner cyclone receptacle also coupled to the upper cover, and a lower cover. The upper cover has a first air inlet, corresponding to a suction hose for connecting the suction brush and the dust chamber, and an air outlet, corresponding to an exhaust hose for connecting the dust chamber and a motor chamber. The outer cyclone receptacle, which is substantially cylindrical, has open upper and lower ends. The inner cyclone receptacle is disposed in the outer cyclone receptacle. The lower cover is removably mounted on a lower opening of the outer cyclone receptacle to allow disposal of dust and contaminants, which have been collected in the inner and outer cyclone receptacles.
The inner cyclone receptacle includes a grill having a plurality of fine holes formed therein, and a second air inlet for guiding the air, which ascends in a reverse direction from the bottom of the outer cyclone receptacle, through the grill and into a vortex. A centrifugal force of the vortex separates and collects the dust and contaminants from the air.
Here, it is preferable that the first and second air inlets of the upper cover partially overlap each other.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first air inlet of the inner cyclone receptacle guides the air, containing dust and contaminants, into a vortex having a centrifugal force, by which the contaminants are separated and collected in the inner cyclone receptacle. The inner cyclone receptacle has a contaminant outlet, through which the contaminants that have been separated from the air are discharged into the outer cyclone receptacle.
The upper cover includes an outlet pipe that extends downward from the air outlet. The outlet pipe includes a first skirt that extends downward from an end. The skirt has a gradually increasing diameter for preventing contaminants collected in the inner cyclone receptacle from floating upward. In addition, the outlet pipe includes a second skirt that extends downward from a middle level of the outlet pipe. The second skirt has a gradually increasing diameter for guiding contaminants through the contaminant outlet.
Further, according to the present invention, the inner cyclone receptacle tapers downward from the middle level thereof. The downward tapering of the inner cyclone receptacle gradually increases a gap between the inner and outer cyclone receptacles and thus, decreases a flow velocity of the air and to prevent a reverse flow of contaminants that have been collected in the outer cyclone receptacle.
In addition, a reverse flow prevention pipe extends a predetermined height from the center of the inner cyclone receptacle to guide the vortex of air that ascends in a reverse direction from the bottom of the inner cyclone receptacle and to prevent a reverse flow of contaminants.
The lower cover is detachably screwed onto a lower opening of the outer cyclone receptacle, and the reverse flow prevention pipe is integrally formed on the center of the lower cover.
One side of the lower cover is hingedly connected to a lower end of the outer cyclone receptacle. On the other side of the lower cover, a locker is formed on for engaging a locking protrusion formed on the outer cyclone receptacle to secure the lower cover to the outer cyclone receptacle. The lower cover provides access to the inside of the inner and outer cyclone receptacles, facilitating disposal of contaminants collected therein. Here, the reverse flow prevention pipe is integrally formed on a lower opening of the inner cyclone receptacle by a plurality of ribs.
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patent: 5145499 (1992-09-01), Dyson
patent: 5267371 (1993-12-01), Soler et al.
patent: 6026540 (2000-02-01), Wright et al.
patent: 6428589 (2002-08-01), Bair et al.
patent: 0 042 723 (1981-12-01), None
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Combined Search and Examination Report issued May 8, 2001 by the British Patent Office with respect to corresponding British Patent Application No. 0103042.8.
Oh Jang-Keun
Park Kyu-Chang
Song Jeong-Gon
Samsung Kwangju Electronics Co., Ltd.
Till Terrence R.
LandOfFree
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