Abstract:
A vacuum cleaner including a brush, a driving motor for generating a suction force, a main body including said driving motor and a filter mounting, a dust suction tube having one end connected to said filter mounting and the other end connected to said brush, a filter assembly mounted within said filter mounting to filter out dust from external air drawn into the main body through said dust suction tube and the brush, and a main body cover coupled to the filter assembly to facilitate the selective insertion and removal of the filter assembly into and from said filter mounting and locked to said main body.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a bagless vacuum cleaner which can completely filter out dust, dirt and debris, and which enables a user to easily remove collected dust and to clean a filter, without the need to replace the dust filter.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional vacuum cleaner comprises a main body  201 , a flexible hose  210 , an extended tube  212 , an operation handle  221  provided with a switch  220 , and a brush  230 .  
           [0005]    The main body  201  includes a motor (not shown) for generating a suction force, a filter mounting  204 , a replaceable paper bag  205 , a main body cover  203  and wheels  202 . Generally, the motor (not shown) is mounted in the rear part of the main body  201 . The main body cover  203  has an air suction hole  206  for suction of air into the main body. Also, the filter mounting  204  is provided in the front part of the main body  201  and receives the paper bag  205 . It is typical to provide at least one pair of wheels  202  for easily moving the main body  201  of the vacuum cleaner.  
           [0006]    One end of the flexible hose  210  is connected to the air suction hole  206 , while the other end is connected to the operation handle  221 . The operation handle  221  is provided with the switch  220  for selectively operating or stopping operation of the vacuum cleaner. The extended tube  212  has one end connected to the operation handle  221  and the other connected to the brush  230 . The brush  230  tightly contacts a dirty floor to be cleaned and drawn in air containing any bits of dust, dirt and debris by the suction force generated by the vacuum cleaner.  
           [0007]    The air is drawn into the main body  201  through the extended tube  212  and the flexible hose  210 . When passing through the paper bag  205 , the air, including the entrained dust, dirt and debris, is filtered so that only clean air with dust removed is vented out from the main body  201  through the motor.  
           [0008]    Since a conventional vacuum cleaner uses a consumable paper bag  205 , the user has to regularly replace the paper bag  205  with a new one. Also, the paper bag  205 , which filters out dust in a primary filtering stage, cannot sufficiently or completely filter out an excessive amount of dust, dirt and debris.  
           [0009]    In addition, when replacing the paper bag  205  with a new one in the conventional vacuum cleaner, it is necessary for the user to open the main body cover  203  and hold it with one hand, while removing the paper bag  205  and inserting a new paper bag with the other hand. Even if the main body cover  203  is detachable from the main body, the user must first separate the main body cover  203  in order to remove the paper bag  205 .  
           [0010]    Also, it is not easy to see whether the air suction hole  206  of the main body cover  203  exactly fits with an inlet  207  of the paper bag  205 . If the user does not properly insert the paper bag  205  into the filter mounting  204  and the paper bag inlet  207  does not correspond with the air suction hole  206 , dust particles will accumulate within the filter mounting  204 , without being sufficiently filtered out. This may eventually cause mechanical trouble with the vacuum cleaner.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in conventional vacuum cleaners, and one object of the present invention is to provide a bagless vacuum cleaner which eliminates the need to replace a filter.  
           [0012]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a bagless vacuum cleaner, which can sufficiently remove dust, dirt and debris by filtering the air containing dust in successive filtering operations.  
           [0013]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a bagless vacuum cleaner having an easily detachable filter assembly, which can prevent operation of the vacuum cleaner when the filter assembly is incompletely assembled.  
           [0014]    In order to accomplish the above objects, there is provided a vacuum cleaner comprising: a brush; a driving motor for generating a suction force; a main body including said driving motor and a filter mounting; a dust suction tube having one end connected to said filter mounting and the other end connected to said brush; a filter assembly mounted within said filter mounting to filter out dust from external air drawn into the main body through said dust suction tube and said brush; and a main body cover coupled with the filter assembly to facilitate the insertion and removal of the filter assembly into and from said filter mounting and being capable of locking to said main body.  
           [0015]    Preferably, the filter assembly comprises: a filter housing having an opening; a first filter unit locked into the filter housing; and a second filter unit placed between and endwall of the filter housing and the first filter unit. Also, it is desirable that the filter housing includes an engagement loop connected to the main body cover and a safety lever for preventing the filter assembly from being mounted into the filter mounting when the first filter unit is not completely locked into the filter housing.  
           [0016]    The filter housing further comprises an opening cover for selectively opening and closing said opening. Preferably, the second filter unit should include a second filter; a second filter holder for supporting the second filter; and a filter net enclosing the second filter within the second filter holder.  
           [0017]    The first filter unit preferably includes a first filter and a first filter holder for supporting the first filter.  
           [0018]    In order to accomplish the above objects of the present invention, there is also provided a bagless vacuum cleaner comprising: a brush; a driving motor for generating a suction force; a main body including said driving motor and a filter mounting; a dust suction tube having one end connected to said filter mounting and the other end connected to said brush; a cyclone dust collector provided in said dust suction tube for separating the dust from air drawn in by circulating the air within the cyclone dust collector; a filter assembly mounted within said filter mounting and comprising a filter housing, a first filter unit and a second filter unit to filter out dust and dirt from external air drawn into the main body through the dust suction tube and the brush; and a main body cover having first, second and third hooks, each of which are shaped and configured to engage the filter assembly, and a handle for facilitating the selective insertion and removal of the filter assembly into and from said filter mounting.  
           [0019]    Preferably, the handle of the main body cover has at least one hook which can be locked into corresponding locking grooves formed on the main body. Also, it is desirable to provide the filter assembly with a safety lever for preventing the filter assembly from being mounted into the filter mounting when incompletely assembled.  
           [0020]    The filter housing of the filter assembly has an opening which exactly fits with the dust suction tube, an opening cover for selectively opening and closing said opening, an engagement loop shaped and configured to engage the first hook of the main body cover, and a plurality of locking jaws which can be engaged into the second and third hooks of the main body cover.  
           [0021]    Also, the bagless vacuum cleaner according to the present invention may comprise: a brush; a driving motor for generating a suction force; a main body including said driving motor, a filter mounting having a filter guide; a dust suction tube having one end connected to said filter mounting and the other end connected to said brush; a cyclone dust collector provided in said dust suction tube to remove dust from air drawn into the cyclone dust collector by circulating the air within the cyclone dust collector; a filter assembly mounted into said filter mounting and comprising a filter housing and a first filter unit locked into the filter housing; and a main body cover detachable from the filter assembly and the main body and provided with a handle.  
           [0022]    The handle of the main body cover has a plurality of hooks which are shaped and configured to lock into locking grooves formed on the main body. Preferably, the filter assembly includes a support projection and at least one locker for holding a tool capable of cleaning the filter on one side thereof.  
           [0023]    Accordingly, the bagless vacuum cleaner of the present invention produces the greatest filtering effect due to triple filtering by the filter assembly comprising the first and second filter units and the cyclone dust collector.  
           [0024]    Since the filter assembly is semi-permanent, the user can reduce expenditures by not replacing filters.  
           [0025]    Also, the safety lever provided on the filter housing prevents any incomplete insertion of the filter assembly into the filter mounting and ensures complete filtration.  
           [0026]    Since the bagless vacuum cleaner of the present invention connects the main body cover to the filter assembly and provides a handle on the main body cover, the user can easily insert and separate the filter assembly, without the need to touch the filter assembly. In other words, the user can insert and separate the filter assembly, without dirtying his or her hands.  
           [0027]    Further, the opening formed on the filter housing is automatically opened and closed by the opening cover. Since the filter assembly is inserted or separated according to the guide of a guide member, the opening of the filter housing can exactly fit to correspond with the air suction hole. When the filter assembly is separated, no dust or dirt from the filter assembly will be permitted to dirty the surroundings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]    The above objects and other advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional vacuum cleaner;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a filter assembly of the bagless vacuum cleaner according to the present invention;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 4 is a perspective detail view of the filter housing shown in FIG. 3, which shows the configuration of a safety lever of the filter housing;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 5 is a perspective view in partial cross-section, taken approximately along line V-V of FIG. 3, which shows the engagement of the filter housing with a first filter unit;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the filter assembly being inserted into a filter mounting of the main body of the bagless vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, without being completely assembled;  
         [0035]    FIGS.  7  to  9  illustrate the process of inserting a filter assembly into a filter mounting of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, wherein  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the filter assembly before being inserted into the filter mounting;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing the inside structure of the filter mounting; and  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the filter assembly after insertion into the filter mounting;  
         [0039]    FIGS.  10  to  12  illustrate the connection of the filter assembly and the main body cover and a process for providing the connection, wherein  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the main body cover, including the filter housing of the filter assembly according to the present invention; and  
         [0041]    [0041]FIGS. 11 and 12 are representative views showing the stages of the process of connecting the filter housing of the filter assembly with the main body cover and the process of separating the two elements; and  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the main body with the main body cover closed, showing the connection of the handle provided on the main body cover to the main body.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0043]    Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 2 is a perspective view generally showing a bagless vacuum cleaner according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the bagless vacuum cleaner of the present invention comprises a main body  100 , a filter assembly  150 , a flexible hose  180 , a cyclone dust collector  190 , an extended tube  185 , a brush  187  and a handle  182 , including a switch  183 . The flexible hose  180  and the extended tube  185  constitute a dust suction tube.  
         [0045]    The main body  100  includes a main body cover  120 , at least one wheel  106  and a driving motor (not shown). The main body  100  further includes a filter mounting  101 . The main body cover  120  is provided with a cover handle  121  which is useful in inserting or removing the filter assembly  150 , fixed to the main body cover  120  into or from the filter mounting  101 . The filter assembly  150  is shaped and configured for insertion into the filter mounting  101 . Since the extended tube  185 , brush  187 , handle  182  and flexible hose  180  are conventional elements and included in a conventional vacuum cleaner, as shown in FIG. 1, no further explanation will be made with respect to these elements.  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the filter assembly of the bagless vacuum cleaner according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective detail view of the filter housing shown in FIG. 3, which shows the configuration of a safety lever of the filter housing. FIG. 5 is a perspective view in partial cross-section taken approximately along line V-V of FIG. 3, which shows the connection of the filter housing to a first filter unit. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the filter assembly being inserted into the filter mounting, without being completely assembled.  
         [0047]    As shown in the above drawings, the filter assembly  150  (FIGS. 2 and 6) includes a filter housing  152  (FIGS. 3-5), a first filter unit  170  and a second filter unit  160 . The filter housing  152  includes a safety lever  153  and an engagement loop  154 , respectively disposed at a lower part and an upper part thereof. Also, the filter housing  152  has an opening  155  formed at a sidewall through which external air is drawn in, and a plurality of engagement recesses  152   a  formed in opposite sidewalls of the filter housing  152  contacting the first filter unit  170 .  
         [0048]    The first filter unit  170  includes a first filter  171  and a first filter holder  172 . The first filter  171 , being a pleated filter, is nested within and supported by the first filter holder  172 . The first filter holder  172  includes a plurality of laterally extending engagement projections  172   a  which are shaped and configured to lock into the engagement recesses  152   a  of the filter housing  152 .  
         [0049]    The second filter unit  160  includes a second filter  161  and a second filter holder  162 . The second filter  161  is generally made of a porous material, such as a sponge. The second filter holder  162  preferably forms a plurality of windows  163  which are covered by a filter net  164  in a net form.  
         [0050]    Assembly of the filter assembly  150  is completed by locking the engagement projections  172   a  of the first filter unit  170  into the engagement recesses  152   a  of the filter housing  152 , with the second filter unit  160  being disposed between an endwall of the filter housing  152  and the first filter unit  170 . The filter assembly  150  is mounted into the filter mounting  101  (see FIG. 2 or  6 ) of the main body. However, when the filter assembly  150  is not completely assembled or when the first filter unit  170  is not fully engaged with the filter housing  152 , the safety lever  153  protrudes toward one side of the filter assembly  150  and interrupts the insertion of the filter assembly into filter mounting  101  on one sidewall as shown in FIG. 6, thereby preventing the filter assembly  150  from being inserted into the filter mounting  101 . In other words, the safety lever  153  ensures that the device is operational only upon complete assembly of the filter assembly  150 .  
         [0051]    The structure and function of the safety lever  153  will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.  
         [0052]    As shown in FIG. 4, the safety lever  153  has a locking projection  153   a  which can be inserted into a hole  156  formed on a sidewall of the filter housing  152 . When the first filter unit  170  is engaged with the filter housing  152  in the direction of arrow “C” (FIG. 5), the safety lever  153  with the locking projection  153   a  is received within the filter housing  152  by the first filter holder  172 .  
         [0053]    When the filter assembly  150  is completely assembled as described above, the safety lever  153  is placed within the filter housing  152  so that the filter assembly  150  can be fitted into the filter mounting  101 . If the filter assembly  150  is not completely or properly assembled, it cannot be fitted into the filter mounting  101 , thereby preventing incomplete filtering caused by incomplete assembly of the filter assembly  150 .  
         [0054]    FIGS.  7  to  9  show the process of inserting the filter assembly  150  into the filter mounting  101 . FIG. 7 shows the filter assembly  150  before being inserted into the filter mounting  101 . FIG. 9 shows the filter assembly  150  after insertion into the filter mounting  101 . FIG. 8 shows the inside structure of the filter mounting  101 .  
         [0055]    Referring to FIG. 7, the filter assembly  150 , which is connected to the main body cover  120 , is inserted into or removed from the filter mounting  101 . It will be described below how to insertion of the filter assembly  150 , connected to the main body cover  120 , proceeds into the filter mounting  101 .  
         [0056]    In order to insert the filter assembly  150  into the filter mounting  101 , the user should hold the handle  121 , provided on the main body cover  120 , and slidably insert down a second guide member  152   b , formed on the filter assembly  150  (FIG. 7), along the inside of a first guide member  103  formed in the filter mounting  101  (see FIG. 8). Before the filter housing  150  is inserted into the filter mounting  101 , an opening cover  158  covers the opening  155  formed on the filter housing  152  due to the elastic force of a spring  159 , as shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0057]    During the process of the filter assembly  150  being inserted into the filter mounting  101 , the lower part of the opening cover  158  is interrupted by the top of a sealing member  102  (see FIG. 8) formed at one side of the filter mounting  101 . The protruding top of sealing member  102  causes the opening corner  158  to lift up in the direction of arrow “D” in FIG. 9, overcoming the recovery force of an associated spring  159  holding the cover  158  closed, to open the opening  155  of the filter housing  152 . Thus, when the filter assembly  150  is completely inserted in the filter mounting  101 , the opening  155  of the filter housing  152  exactly fits with the air suction hole  104  (see FIG. 8) to provide the capability to connect to the flexible hose  180  (see FIG. 2).  
         [0058]    The user can remove the filter assembly  150  out of the filter mounting  101 , holding the handle  121  on the main body cover  120 , for the purpose of cleaning the filter assembly  150 . During the removal process, the opening cover  158  is released from contact with the sealing member  102  and returns to cover the opening  155  of the filter housing  152  by the return force of the spring  159  (see FIG. 7).  
         [0059]    Therefore, as the user simply inserts the filter assembly  150 , using the second guide member  152   b  to engage the inside of the first guide member  103 , the opening  155  of the filter assembly  150  will automatically fit with the air suction hole  104  of the main body  100 . When separating the filter assembly  150  from the filter mounting  101  to clean the filter assembly  150 , the user needs only to lift up the main body cover  120 , holding the handle  121 . Then, the opening cover  158  will cover the opening  155  again to prevent dust particles from leaking out of the filter assembly  150  during the time that the filter assembly remains outside of the filter mounting  101 .  
         [0060]    FIGS.  10  to  12  illustrate the connection between the filter assembly  150  and the main body cover  120  and a process for completing the connection. FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of the main body cover  120  and the filter housing  152  for explaining the process for connecting the two elements. FIGS. 11 and 12 are detail views showing the process of connecting the filter housing to the main body cover and the converse process of separating the two elements.  
         [0061]    As shown in FIG. 10, the main body cover  120  has first to third hooks  122 ,  123 ,  124  respectively, disposed at the bottom or endwall thereof. The first hook  122  is formed at the center of one side of the bottom. The second hook  123  and third hook  124  are formed at the other side of the bottom, spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other. The first hook  122  is retained to be biased in the direction of arrow X in FIG. 10 by an elastic spring (not shown). Also, the filter housing  152  includes an engagement loop  154  disposed on the top thereof and has a plurality of locking jaws  157  formed on one surface at either upper side thereof.  
         [0062]    Further, the filter housing  152  forms a support projection  302  and a plurality of lockers  301  for holding a tool for cleaning the filter on one side thereof. In FIG. 10, a brush  300  is illustrated as an example of the cleaning tool.  
         [0063]    [0063]FIG. 11 shows in detail partial cross-section the connected state of the main body cover  120  and the filter housing  152 . When the main body cover  120  is pressed toward the filter housing  152  in the direction of arrow F, with the second and third hooks  123 ,  124  being placed for engagement with the locking jaws  157  (FIG. 10), the first hook  122  can be engaged with the engagement loop  154  as shown in FIG. 11.  
         [0064]    The user can easily separate the filter housing  152  from the main body cover  120  by lifting up the first hook  122  in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 12 thereby releasing the first hook  122  from the corresponding engagement loop  154 .  
         [0065]    As described above, the main body cover  120  and the filter housing  152  are easily connected and separated. Thus, the user can easily insert and remove the filter assembly  150  into and from the filter mounting  101  using the handle  121 , without dirtying his or her hands. FIG. 13 shows the main body  100  for explaining the connection of the handle  121  provided on the main body cover  120  to the main body  100 . As shown in FIG. 13, a fourth hook  105  and a fifth hook  106  are formed at both sides of the handle  121 , and two corresponding grooves  107  are formed at corresponding positions on the main body  100 . If the filter assembly  150  is inserted in the filter mounting  101  and the handle  121  provided on the main body cover  120  is pushed down, the fourth and fifth hooks  105 ,  106  will be locked into the grooves  107 , thereby connecting the handle  121  to the main body  100  in an out of the way position.  
         [0066]    Since the handle  121  is connected to the main body  100 , the main body cover  120  will not be separated from the main body  100  even if the main body  100  is suddenly rotated during operation.  
         [0067]    Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims.