Abstract:
The present invention is an improved vacuum filter or collection bag assembly for vacuum cleaners and other appliances, particularly upright vacuum cleaners. The filter bag assembly includes a filter bag with a sealing and locking rim assembly which mates with a section of the vacuum filter housing, so as to ensure proper seating and minimization of dust and dirt escaping from the filter bag during vacuum operation. The assembly may also include a gasket ring for additional sealing.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a non-provisional application of U.S. Application Ser. No. 61/865,040, filed Aug. 12, 2013, entitled “Vacuum Filter Bag Mounting Apparatus and Methods of Operation”, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by specific reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO APPENDIX 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally to collection bags for use with appliances, such as vacuum cleaners, and more specifically is related to vacuum filter bag assemblies with mounting and sealing assemblies that allow for rapid and easy exchange when the filter bag is full. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Most upright vacuum cleaners utilize a paper or other material filter bag with a plastic or cardboard attachment mechanism to secure it to the filter housing. Such filter bags have been mounted inside a vacuum cleaner housing for capturing dirt and dust entrained in the air flow from a dirt collecting nozzle. Typically, the dirty air is delivered by a conduit to an enclosed rigid housing or flexible bag in which the dirty air is directed. In some upright vacuum cleaners, the dirty air is drawn or forced through a rigid housing in which the air is filtered. In other upright vacuum cleaners, the dirty air is forced under pressure into a flexible cloth bag which filters the air. Disposable paper or other suitable material bags can be mounted to outlet tubes in the flexible cloth bags and the rigid housings to collect the dust and dirt. A typical filter bag has an aperture formed therein for receiving the dirt and dust from the working air channel. 
     Several problems have been associated with previous upright vacuum cleaner bag mounting assemblies, including are the cost and complexity of the bag mounting system and the difficulty average consumers experience in properly installing the bag. A challenge faced by the industry is designing a cost-effective filter bag mounting which is intuitive to the customer for mounting the bag on the dirty air outlet housing and which can be quickly and easily installed by the average consumer. Several of the known prior art upright filter bag mounting systems are complex, relatively expensive to manufacture, are not intuitive to the customer or are not reliably alignable. For example, several upright vacuums use a paper filter bag with a cardboard sleeve that can readily be misaligned during installation, leading to dust and dirt to escape from the bag around the seals during use. 
     The inventions disclosed and taught herein are directed to improved vacuum filter assemblies with a locking rim to secure and seal the filter in place and minimize filter leakage after installation. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objects described above and other advantages and features of the invention are incorporated in the application as set forth herein, and the associated drawings, related to systems for improved vacuum filter sealing assemblies. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following figures form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these figures in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments presented herein. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary upright vacuum cleaner having a filter bag receptacle within a housing. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded view of an exemplary filter bag assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an alternative aspect of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a top, planar view of the filter bag assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the filter assembly of  FIG. 2 , taken along line A-A of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates a sectional, elevation view of the assembly in  FIG. 5A , encircled and identified by the arrow B. 
         FIG. 5C  illustrates a sectional, elevation view of alternative filter bag assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an exploded view of a filter flange assembly in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7A  illustrates perspective view of a filter assembly embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7B  illustrates an exploded view of the embodiment of  FIG. 7A . 
         FIG. 7C  illustrates a partial perspective view of an alternative filter assembly embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7D  illustrates a partial perspective view of another alternative filter assembly embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 8A  illustrates an example bag closing clip in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8B  illustrations a sectional view of the clip of  FIG. 8A . 
         FIGS. 9A-9D  illustrate the use of a vacuum bag clip in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an exemplary interior view of a vacuum bag containment chamber of a vacuum cleaner, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a filter bag assembly in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 12A-12D  illustrate select features of the filter bag assembly of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a vacuum cleaner housing in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a filter bag assembly in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     While the inventions disclosed herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, only a few specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The figures and detailed descriptions of these specific embodiments are not intended to limit the breadth or scope of the inventive concepts or the appended claims in any manner. Rather, the figures and detailed written descriptions are provided to illustrate the inventive concepts to a person of ordinary skill in the art and to enable such person to make and use the inventive concepts. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The Figures described above and the written description of specific structures and functions below are not presented to limit the scope of what Applicants have invented or the scope of the appended claims. Rather, the Figures and written description are provided to teach any person skilled in the art to make and use the inventions for which patent protection is sought. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that not all features of a commercial embodiment of the inventions are described or shown for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons of skill in this art will also appreciate that the development of an actual commercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventions will require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve the developer&#39;s ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Such implementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are not limited to, compliance with system-related, business-related, government-related and other constraints, which may vary by specific implementation, location and from time to time. While a developer&#39;s efforts might be complex and time-consuming in an absolute sense, such efforts would be, nevertheless, a routine undertaking for those of skill in this art having benefit of this disclosure. It must be understood that the inventions disclosed and taught herein are susceptible to numerous and various modifications and alternative forms. Lastly, the use of a singular term, such as, but not limited to, “a,” is not intended as limiting of the number of items. Also, the use of relational terms, such as, but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” and the like are used in the written description for clarity in specific reference to the Figures and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appended claims. 
     Applicants have created a filter closure system for use with upright vacuum cleaners. 
     Turning now to the figures, and to  FIG. 1  in particular, an upright vacuum cleaner  10  comprises a floor-engaging foot  14  and an upwardly-extending handle assembly  16  pivotally mounted thereto. Although the description of the invention relates to an upright vacuum cleaner, the concepts embodied in this invention can also be applied to canister vacuum cleaners and other suction-powered cleaners. A filter bag housing compartment  12  is mounted to the handle assembly  16  which preferably comprises a housing molded from a rigid material, such as a synthetic resin. A flexible hose  21  and an accessory wand  22  are removably mounted to the upright vacuum cleaner  10  for typical above-the-floor cleaning operations. The foot  14  can also be pushed along a floor surface on wheels  26  which are rotatably mounted to the foot  14 . 
     The foot  14  comprises a cover  24  typically removably mounted to a base pan  22 , which cooperate to receive the wheels  26  for rollably supporting a rear portion of the vacuum cleaner  10 . One or more lift wheels (not shown) are typically provided at a central portion of the base pan  22  and are adapted to lift a front portion of the foot  14  away from the floor surface when the handle assembly  16  is moved to an upright position. A mechanism for manually adjusting the operating height of an agitator brush (not shown) with respect to the floor surface can also be provided to adapt the vacuum cleaner  10  to optimally clean a variety of floor surfaces, such as a bare floor, thin carpet, shag carpet, etc. 
     The handle assembly  16  comprises a handle base  17 , a central fill tube, and a handle  18  opposite the handle base  17 . These components are preferably formed as rigid components formed from a synthetic resin or other suitable polymeric material. The handle base  17  is preferably pivotally mounted to the foot  14  which fluidly communicates with a suction passage (not shown) which extends forwardly in the foot  14  to the agitator brush so that loosened debris travels through the suction passage and into the handle base  17 . 
     The fill tube includes housing  12  which defines an internal bag receiving chamber. The bag compartment housing includes an upper housing cap  20  and preferably comprises a spout (not shown) which cooperates with an air-flow conduit within the vacuum assembly  10  and retaining means adapted to removably mount a filter bag within the bag receiving chamber of housing  12 , as will be discussed in more detail herein. The filter bag typically comprises a porous container having a plate with an aperture provided therein. The aperture of the filter bag associates and communicates with the spout so that the conduit is fluidly interconnected with the interior of the container. 
     In operation, the motor (not shown) rotates an impeller fan (not shown) which draws dirt and other debris-laden air through a nozzle opening formed on the bottom surface of the foot  14 . The dirt laden air is conveyed from the nozzle opening to the impeller fan housing through a working air channel of the foot  14 . A rotating fan further forces the dirt laden air stream through an exit aperture of the fan housing and into the working air channel of the handle  16 . The air passes through the working air channel and out an outlet tube  28  extending downward from an inner face  21  of the upper housing cap  20 , and into a filter bag located within the generally hollow interior  13  ( FIG. 10 ) of housing  12 . The filter bag, as will be described further herein, is air permeable and filters most of the dirt, dust, and debris from an air stream passing therethrough. Dirt, dust and other solid debris is then retained in the filter bag with the air passes through the filter bag and through an optional outer bag to the external environment. As will be described in more detail below, the bag  32  is associated with the vacuum by a bag mounting member  50  by way of filter assembly  30 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a filter assembly for use with a vacuum appliance in accordance with the present disclosure.  FIG. 3  is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the filter assembly of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 4  is a top view of a filter lid assembly.  FIG. 5  is a partial cross-sectional view of the filter lid assembly of  FIG. 4 , taken along line A-A. These figures will now be discussed in association with each other. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , an exemplary filter assembly  30  in accordance with the present disclosure includes a filter bag  32  having an upper open end and an opposite, lower end. Attached to the upper end of the filter bag  32  is shaped lid  34  having a shaped rim, or closure,  36  and a planar, top wall structure with top and bottom opposite faces. Bag  32  may be attached to the lid  34  by any suitable attachment method, including glue or other suitable adhesives, mechanical attachment means. Rim  50 , which will be discussed in more detail below, is associated with, and attached to, the upper rim region of filter compartment housing  12  to retain the bag  23  therein. Near the general center C of the lid  34  is a shaped opening  40  for fluid communication of the vacuum air carrying debris into the filter bag  32 . An optional gasket, or sealing member  38  may circumscribe the opening  40  for purposes of enhancing the seal of the filter assembly  30  to the outlet tube of the vacuum cleaner. While the filter assembly  30  is shown to be a generally triangular shape (having at least three elongated edges), the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3  shows that the assembly  30  may be of any appropriate shape (generally rectangular is shown), the shape being defined by the shape of the filter compartment housing of the vacuum cleaner to which it is associated. For example, and without limitation, as best shown in the top view of the filter assembly  30  in  FIG. 4 , the lid  34  can include a “long” back wall  31  and two side walls  33  inclined inwardly from back wall  31  toward front wall  39 , front wall  39  being generally parallel with back wall  31 . The side walls  33  can meet back wall  31  directly, or may taper to the back wall  31  through bridging walls  37  that may be shorter than both the side walls  33  and the back wall  31 . Other suitable shapes include circular or oval, without limitation and as appropriate. For example, the lid  34  can be octagonal, or an elongated octagonal shape, as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . 
       FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional view of the top view of  FIG. 4 , taken along line A-A.  FIG. 5B  is a close-up sectional, elevational view of the assembly of  FIG. 5A , encircled by circle B. The top surface  35  of lid  34  has a surrounding closure  36  circumscribing the outer periphery of the surface. The closure  36  comprises a radial inner wall  42  and an opposite radial outer wall  44 , together forming a channel  46  having an inverted U-shape. The channel  46  is continuous, in the sense that its walls  42  and  44  completely encircle the outer periphery of the top surface  35  of lid  34 . The outer wall  44  may further include an annular, outwardly-directed projection  48 . Rim  50  is attached to the upper periphery of the surrounding walls  52  of housing  12 , and has a generally inverted, U-shaped upper edge  54 . Upper edge  54  is shaped such that it engages with and fits within the channel  46  in closure  41 . The filter assembly  30  may include a gasket (not shown) that closes the gap between the two components (the top closure  36  and the rim  50 ) in an essentially leak-proof manner, such as by fitting within the channel  46 . On some assemblies, the inner wall  42  locks in an inside rim of the upper edge  54 . In operation, removal of the lid  34  from the rim  50  is effected by lifting the projection  48  upwardly with respect to the top edge of the rim  50  of container  12  so as to separate the upper edge  54  of the rim from the channel  46  of the closure  36  of the lid, this operation being accommodated by the inherent resiliency of the closure material. 
     The rim  50  is molded in the shape of upper edge the filter compartment  12 , and is attached to the upper rim of the filter compartment  12 . The vacuum cleaner bag  32  attached to the lid assembly  36  is preferably made of an air permeable medium having an interior cavity for storing collected debris, as described above. In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the bag  32  is made of an impermeable media having an interior cavity for storing the debris collected by the vacuum cleaner  10 . Suitable medias include but are not limited to, paper or a material that includes paper filter media material. However, and in accordance with the present disclosure, other suitable materials that the bag  32  can be made of include any materials that prevent or reduce the airflow of the vacuum, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, nylon, coated fabric, coated paper, or other natural or synthetic materials. The thickness of the bag media can vary from a completely flexible material that allows inflation of the bag under use to a rigid material that has a firm shape that exhibits only minimal or no change during usage. 
     The top surface  35  of the lid  34 , as well as the rim/closure  36  are generally injection-molded components manufactured from thermoplastic materials, for example, polyethylene, ABS, polypropylene, etc. Cardboard and other similar materials can be utilized in lower life-expectancy designs. Suitable gasket materials include any elastomeric material that will retain its resilient conformable properties over time such as rubber, urethane, nitrile, foam, and the like. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a further feature of the filter assemblies of the present disclosure, showing an exemplary filter rim assembly  70  for use with filter assembly  30 . In accordance with this aspect of the disclosure, instead of, or in addition to, the gasket  38  surrounding opening  40 , the filter assembly  30  may include a filter housing rim  76  which extends upward from the top surface  35  of the lid  34 , and which mates with an annular filter rim  72  having slots, holes, or other shaped openings  74  for alignment with and attachment to the outlet tube of the vacuum appliance that extends down from the interior of housing cap  20 . 
       FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of an exemplary filter assembly  90  in accordance with the present disclosure.  FIG. 7B  is a schematic, exploded view thereof. The filter assembly  90  comprises a lower bag assembly  80  which includes outer sleeve  82 , and inner liner  84 . The filter structure permits fluid through-flow, such that the inner liner is made of a melt-blown material, and the outer sleeve is made of a material such as cellulose. The assembly  90  also comprises upper lid assembly  92  that includes a rubber or other elastomeric-material diaphragm  96  sandwiched between two collar pieces, top and bottom collars  98  and  94  (respectively), each of which have a central opening  95  cut therethrough. Collars  94 , 98  may be made from cellulose or some other fiberous material. As shown, the top collar  98  is further attached to a lid  100  having a surrounding rim, or closure,  102 , which mates with the upper edge of vacuum container  12  in a manner similar to that described above. Some lid assemblies  92  may be simpler. For example, the diaphragm  96  may be incorporated into the lid  100 , as shown in  FIG. 7C , or sandwiched between the lid  100  and the bottom collar  94 , as shown in  FIG. 7D . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention, for use with reusable filters having an open end to allow for the emptying of collected debris and subsequent reuse. Such reusable filter bag assemblies  130 , including a filter bag  132  having an opening  133  in the bottom end, include a filter bag closure clip  160 . The bag closure clip  160  has a hollow, shaped body  162  with opposite, (enlarged) open ends  164 ,  166  and a length “L” that is approximately the same width as the bottom end of filter bag  132 . It will be appreciated that the length L of the closure clip  160  can be varied to accommodate any size and/or type of filter bag. It will also be appreciated that while the clip is shown to be generally in the shape of a hollow cylinder, other hollow shapes are envisioned, including but not limited to square, triangular, hexagonal, and octagonal cross-sectional shapes of the clip body  162 . In accordance with select aspects of the present disclosure, the body  162  of clip  160  has a length L greater than its depth or width. The body of the clip  160  further includes a slot  168  that extends the entire length L of the body. In accordance with an aspect of this embodiment, slot  168  may be provided with a textured or gripping material on one or both edges of the slit so as to afford a gripping action on the end of the filter bag  132  engaged by the clip. Closure clip  160  can further include at least one orifice,  170 , in the body  162  of the clip, which allows for a consumer to hold the clip  160  while a filter bag is inserted into the slot  168 , without pinching and hindering the clips action by compressing the opposite edges of the slot together. 
     Closure clip  160  is preferably a rigid object, but in accordance with select embodiments it may be flexible or semi-flexible. Clip  160  is preferably fabricated as a unitary body of plastic or similar polymeric material by injection molding or a similar process. Any plastic or polymeric material that is suitable for the end use of the closure clip  160  can be used in the manufacture of the clip. 
       FIGS. 9A-9D  illustrate the use of such a closure clip  160 . In use of closure clip  160 , a consumer opens the bottom end (opposite top end  131  attached to lid assembly  134 ) of a full filter bag  132  and discards the contents as appropriate. As shown in  FIG. 9B , the user then compresses the sides of the filter  132  so as to close opening  133 , and then folds the end of the filter over and upward towards the top of the filter bag at least one time, forming a roll, R. As shown in this figure, it is clear that closure clip  160  is substantially the same length, L, as the width of the filter bag  132 . The consumer then slides the folded-over end of the filter bag  132  into the clip through slot  168 , in a direction perpendicular to the bag itself, as illustrated by the arrows ( FIG. 9C ). During the step, the consumer may grasp the closure clip  160  via orifice  170  in the body of the clip so as to hold the clip in place (without squeezing or pinching it) while the bag  132  is inserted into the slot  168 . As shown in  FIG. 9D , upon completing the insertion of the closure clip  160  onto the filter bag, the clip acts to keep the end of the bag folded and sealed over in a closed manner, thereby allowing for the economical reuse of the filter assembly itself. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a further embodiment of the present invention, for use with reusable filters having an open end to allow for the emptying of collected debris and subsequent reuse. These reusable filter bag assemblies  230 , including a filter bag  232  having an opening  233  in the top end, include a two-piece lid  234 . Referring also to  FIGS. 12A ,  12 A,  12 C,  12 D, the lid  234  preferably includes a top piece  234   a  and a bottom piece  234   b . The top piece  234   a  preferably includes the top surface  235  of lid  234  and the opening  240  for fluid communication of the vacuum air carrying debris into the filter bag  232 . The top piece  234   a  may also include the diaphragm  96  sandwiched between one or more collar pieces  98 , 94  and/or the top surface  235 . 
     The bottom piece  234   b  may include the surrounding closure  236  circumscribing the outer periphery of the bottom piece  234   b . The closure  236  also preferably comprises a radial inner wall  242  and an opposite radial outer wall  244 , together forming a channel  246  having an inverted U-shape. The outer wall  244  may further include an annular, outwardly-directed projection  248 . Thus, the bottom piece  234   b  may also form the channel  246  to mate with the rim  50  in substantially the same manner as described above. 
     In any case, the filter bag  232  is secured to the bottom piece  234   b  by any of the methods discussed above, such as adhesive, stitching, and/or thermal welding. Thus, the top piece  234   a  may be removed from the bottom piece  234   b  to discard the contents of the bag  232 . Then, the top piece  234   a  may be again mated to the bottom piece  234   b  and the filter bag assembly  230  replaced in the opening  13  of the housing  12  to continue operation of the vacuum. 
     The top piece  234   a  preferably mates with and seals to the bottom piece  234   b . Thus, the top piece  234  preferably forms complementary shapes, as shown. For example, the top piece  234   a  preferably conforms to portions of the closure  236 , such as portions of the radial inner wall  242 . 
     The lid  34 , 134 , 234  may also include one or more domes  250  that may be useful in properly aligning the lid with respect to the housing  12 . Referring also to  FIG. 13 , the housing  12  may have complementary shaped protrusions  252  formed therein, adjacent the opening  13  therein. Referring also to  FIG. 14 , simpler filter bag assemblies  332 , having substantially flat lids  334 , may simply have cut-outs  350  to accommodate the protrusions  252 , and therefore properly align the lid with respect to the housing  12 . 
     Finally, the housing cap  20  may include an interlock  400 , such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,742,105 incorporated herein by specific reference, that prevents the housing cap  20  from being closed or secured to the housing  12  and/or otherwise prevents operation of the vacuum when the filter bag assembly is not in place. For example, the interlock  400  may include a pivotally mounted arm  402  that engages the lid  34 , 134 , 234  and thus disengages the interlock, thereby allowing the housing cap  20  to close securely to the housing  12 . 
     Other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects of the inventions described above can be devised without departing from the spirit of Applicant&#39;s invention. For example, the shapes of the lid assembly may be specifically designed to align with and mate with a specifically shaped filter compartment or housing for an upright vacuum. Further, the various methods and embodiments of the methods of manufacture and assembly of the system, as well as location specifications, can be included in combination with each other to produce variations of the disclosed methods and embodiments. Discussion of singular elements can include plural elements and vice-versa. 
     The order of steps can occur in a variety of sequences unless otherwise specifically limited. The various steps described herein can be combined with other steps, interlineated with the stated steps, and/or split into multiple steps. Similarly, elements have been described functionally and can be embodied as separate components or can be combined into components having multiple functions. 
     The inventions have been described in the context of preferred and other embodiments and not every embodiment of the invention has been described. Obvious modifications and alterations to the described embodiments are available to those of ordinary skill in the art. The disclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the invention conceived of by the Applicants, but rather, in conformity with the patent laws, Applicants intend to fully protect all such modifications and improvements that come within the scope or range of equivalent of the following claims.