Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-24
2001-12-04
Warden, Sr., Robert J. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C015S377000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324722
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner in which exhaust air is not discharged out of a cleaner main body but is returned into a suction port body to be recirculated.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As the vacuum cleaner of this type, for example, one shown in
FIG. 18
has been disclosed (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 39-36553).
Referring to
FIG. 18
, a vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner main body
1
; a filter
2
disposed in the cleaner main body
1
; a dust collecting chamber
3
formed in the filter
2
; an electric fan
4
disposed in the cleaner main body
1
in such a manner that the suction side thereof is communicated to the dust collecting chamber
3
; a suction side connecting port
5
provided in the cleaner main body
1
in such a manner as to be communicated to the dust collecting chamber
3
; an exhaust side connecting port
6
provided in the cleaner main body
1
in such a manner as to be communicated to the exhaust side of the vacuum cleaner. A suction port body
7
is connected to the cleaner main body
1
via a hose and a connecting pipe
8
.
The suction port body
7
has an exhaust air passage
9
for blowing exhaust air from the front side to the underside of a suction port
7
a
, and a suction air passage
10
for sucking dust from the suction port
7
a
. The connecting pipe
8
has an inner/outer dual structure of an inner pipe
8
a
and an outer pipe
8
b
. A suction air passage
11
in the inner pipe
8
a
is communicated to the suction side connecting port
5
and the suction air passage
10
, and an exhaust air passage
12
between the inner pipe
8
a
and the outer pipe
8
b
is communicated to the exhaust side connecting port
6
and the exhaust air passage
9
.
In such a vacuum cleaner, dust sucked together with air from the suction port
7
a
is sucked in the dust collecting chamber
3
via the suction air passages
10
and
11
and is caught by the filter
2
. On the other hand, the air cleaned by the filter
2
is guided via the electric fan
4
into the exhaust air passage
12
and the exhaust to air passage
9
a front side of the suction port
7
a
. The air blows dust on a carpet or cleaning plane
13
into an intake side of the suction port
7
a
. The dust thus blown is sucked again in the suction air passage
10
. The air is thus recirculated.
Vacuum cleaners shown in FIG.
19
. (see Japanese Laid-open Utility Model No. 50-97269) and
FIG. 20
(Japanese Laid-open Utility Patent No. 51-95266) are configured so that, when an electric fan
515
in a cleaner main body
514
is operated, a suction negative pressure caused by operation of the electric fan
515
is applied to a suction port body
518
via a dust collecting chamber
516
in the cleaner main body
514
and a suction pipe
517
, to suck dust together with air from the suction port body
518
. The dust sucked in the suction port body
518
is sucked into the dust collecting chamber
516
via the suction pipe
517
and is caught by a filter
519
. The air cleaned by the filter
519
is exhausted in an exhaust chamber
520
disposed behind the electric fan
515
, and is guided back to the suction port body
518
via an exhaust pipe
521
. The air thus guided is blown and sucked together with dust on a carpet or cleaning plane
522
in the suction port body
518
. The air is thus recirculated.
Incidentally, the vacuum cleaner shown in
FIG. 18
has a connecting structure such that the end surfaces of the connecting ends of the connecting pipe
8
and the suction port body
9
are in abutment with each other. In order to enhance airtightness of an abutted portion between the end surfaces of the connecting ends of the connecting pipe
8
and the suction port body
9
, flanges of both the connecting ends are rigidly fixed to each other over the entire periphery via C-shaped fixtures F.
Such a structure, however, has a problem. Since the thickness of each of the end surface portions of the connecting ends of the connecting pipe
8
and the suction port body
9
is small, it is very difficult to simply ensure airtightness, and further the suction port body
7
cannot be replaced by another suction device or cannot be, if it fails, exchanged for a new one.
The vacuum cleaner shown in
FIG. 18
has another problem. Since the vacuum cleaner shown in
FIG. 18
is configured such that the suction air passage
11
and the exhaust air passage
12
are provided in the connecting pipe
8
having the inner/outer dual structure, it is impossible to remove the exhaust air passage
12
from the suction port body
9
and separate it from the suction air passage
11
, and use the separated exhaust air passage
12
for blowing dust off the cleaning plane. The vacuum cleaners shown in
FIGS. 19 and 20
have a different problem. Since the vacuum cleaners are configured such that the suction pipe
517
and the exhaust pipe
521
are juxtaposed and integrated with each other, it is impossible to separate the exhaust pipe
521
from the suction pipe
517
and the suction port body
518
, and use the separated exhaust pipe
521
for blowing dust off the cleaning plane.
The vacuum cleaner shown in
FIG. 18
has also an inconvenience. Since a fan
14
rotated by exhaust air from the exhaust air passage
12
is provided in the suction port body
7
and the fan
14
is configured such that brushes
16
are rotated via a pulley mechanism, the connecting pipe
8
is not provided with a handling side operating portion for operating a turn-on/off switch of the fan
14
and the electric fan
4
.
On the other hand, there is known a vacuum cleaner of a type in which a flexible hose having a spirally corrugated structure extends from a cleaner main body, and a handling side operating portion for controlling an electric fan is provided at a leading end portion of the hose.
A suction port body is connected to an end of the hose via an extension pipe, wherein the turn-on/off switch, the output, and the like of the electric fan can he controlled by a key-operation of the handling side operating portion while the suction port body is moved. In the conventional vacuum cleaner of this type, however, a lead wire and the like extending from the cleaner main body to the handling side operating portion is spirally buried along an accordion-like outer peripheral portion of the hose.
Accordingly, if the above hose is applied to the vacuum cleaner shown in
FIG. 18
, there arises a problem that, since the lead wire is spirally wound on the hose, the weight of the hose portion is not reduced and it takes a lot of labor to manufacture the hose. Further, if the lead wire is provided in the suction air passage
11
, there occurs a problem in that the sucked dust is caught by the lead wire and thereby the lead wire may be disconnected or the suction air passage may be clogged with the sucked dust.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner in which a suction port body is removably mounted to a cleaner main body or a connecting pipe, whereby the suction port body can be replaced by another attachment or can be, if it fails, simply exchanged for a new one.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner capable of separating a flexible exhaust hose from a suction hose and using the exhaust hose for blowing dust.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which is capable of facilitating wiring to a handling side operating portion, reducing the weight of an electric wire disposed for a pipe body having a dual structure, and facilitating the manufacture of the pipe body having a dual structure, and which is particularly characterized in that, even when the electric wire is disposed in the pipe body having a dual structure, it does not cause clogging of the pipe body with dust, after being disconnected, and can freely follow the bending of the pipe body.
To achieve the first object, according to the invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner in which a suction si
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Snider Theresa T.
Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
Warden, Sr. Robert J.
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