Filtration bag replacement system for a floor care appliance

A floor care appliance such as a vacuum cleaner is provided having an filtration bag changing assembly located in the filtration compartment. A supply of filtration material is packaged in a container in the form of a continuous tube to be fed into the filtration compartment. A sealing and cutting assembly seals the tube at the lower end after a bag is fed into the filtration compartment. Once a filtration bag is full, a new filtration bag is pulled into place with the lower end of the tube being sealed and the old filtration bag being cut from the tube by a cutter. A pair of opposing heating elements are used to seal the opposing sidewalls of the tube together to form the filtration bag. The free end of the tube is fluidly connected to the suction nozzle by a connector and a dirt duct.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to floor care, and more specifically, to a floor care appliance having a filtration bag changing apparatus contained in the filtration compartment.

2. Summary of the Prior Art

Floor care appliances are well known in the art. Typical floor care appliances include upright vacuum cleaners, canister vacuum cleaners, hard floor cleaners, and extractors. It is known to provide floor care appliances with a filtration bag for filtering and collecting dirt particles. Typically, when the filtration bag is full it is removed from the filtration housing and discarded. A new filtration bag is inserted in the filtration housing and connected to the suction duct. Several filtration bags are usually packaged and sold together.

It is known on the art to provide a suction cleaner with an automated means to replace the filtration bag. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,532,642, a suction cleaner has several filtration bags prepackaged in a box like container and loaded on a carriage in a magazine for ready installation in the filtration compartment of the suction cleaner. Once the current filtration bag is full, a filtration bag ejection button can be pressed to eject the full filtration bag and cause a new filtration bag to be installed. The new filtration bag is installed by a system of gears and levers which position the filtration bag into place followed by a blast of air which ejects the filtration bag from box the bag compartment and inflates it.

However, this system is quite cumbersome and requires many parts to operate. It would not fit into the filtration compartment of a typical floor care appliance such as an upright vacuum cleaner. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a less cumbersome and simple filtration bag changing apparatus that can be installed in the filtration compartment of a floor care appliance. The present invention fulfills this need by providing a filtration bag changing apparatus comprised of a continuous tube of filtration material packed into a dispensing container which sits on top of and feeds into the filtration compartment. The continuous tube supplies filtration material for a plurality of filtration bags before requiring replacement. The free end is initially sealed as supplied to form an initial volume wherein particles are filtered and collected. The opposite end of the tube is still packed into the dispensing container with the open end of the tube in fluid communication with the suction duct delivering dirt particles to the filtration compartment. Once the first portion of the tube containing the initial volume is full of dirt particles, the sealed end of the tube is pulled downward and out of the filtration compartment. At the same time, another portion of the tube is pulled into the filtration compartment. Once the appropriate amount of the tube is pulled into the filtration compartment and the full portion of the tube has exited the filtration compartment, a heat sealer seals the top of the full portion of the tube and the now open end at bottom of the remaining portion of the tube. A cutter then cuts the top end of the full portion of the tube or “old bag” from the bottom end of the remaining portion of the tube or the “new” bag. This process is repeated until the last filtration bag is pulled into place.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved floor care appliance having a filtration bag changing apparatus.

It is yet further an object of this invention to provide an improved floor care appliance having supply of filtration material for forming a plurality of filtration bags.

It is yet even further an object of this invention to provide an improved floor care appliance having a plurality of prepackaged filtration bags formed from a continuous tube.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a filtration bag changing apparatus comprised of a continuous tube of filtration material packed into a dispensing container which sits on top of and feeds into the filtration compartment. The continuous tube supplies filtration material for a plurality of filtration bags before requiring replacement. Initially the free end of the tube is sealed so an initial volume is formed in the tube for filtering collecting particles. The opposite end of the tube is still packed into the dispensing container with the open end of the tube in fluid communication with the suction duct delivering dirt particles to the filtration compartment volume in the tube. Once the initial volume within the tube is full of dirt particles, the sealed end of the tube is pulled downward until the volume has exited the filtration compartment. At the same time, another portion of the remaining portion of the tube is pulled into the filtration compartment. Once the full portion of the tube has exited the filtration compartment, a sealer seals the top of the now full portion of the tube or “old bag” and the bottom of remaining portion of the tube or the “new” bag. A cutter cuts the top end of the full portion of the tube or “old bag” from the bottom end of the remaining portion of the tube or “new bag”. This process is repeated until the last filtration bag is pulled into place.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now toFIG. 1, shown is an upright vacuum cleaner10having filtration bag changing system300, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. Upright vacuum cleaner10includes a foot100and an upper housing assembly200pivotally connected to foot100. Foot100is similar to those known in the art and includes a nozzle opening (not shown) for receiving a stream of dirt-laden air and an agitator (not shown) for agitating and loosening dust and debris from a floor surface when upright vacuum cleaner10is in the floor care mode. Foot100further includes a pair of front wheels (not shown) rotatably mounted on a wheel carriage (not shown), and a pair of rear wheels130. A height-adjustment knob110is positioned on foot100for adjusting the height of the nozzle opening (not shown) relative to the floor surface.

Located in foot100or upper housing200is a motor-fan assembly (not shown) which creates the suction necessary to remove the loosened dust and debris from the floor surface. The motor-fan assembly (not shown) fluidly connects to foot or suction nozzle100by a dirt duct (not shown). The upper housing assembly200houses a particle filtration and collecting system300for receiving and filtering the dirt-laden air stream which is created by the motor-fan assembly (not shown). The particle filtration and collecting system300may be interposed in the dirt laden airstream between the suction nozzle100and the motor-fan assembly (not shown) as in an “indirect air” system or the motor-fan assembly may be interposed between the suction nozzle100and the particle filtration and collecting system300as in a “direct air” system.

Referring now toFIGS. 2 through 5, the upper housing assembly200includes a rear housing portion215which forms the filtration compartment220for receiving the particle collecting and filtration assembly300, a door210which encloses the filtration compartment220. Essentially the particle collecting and filtration assembly300is comprised of a filtration bag cartridge or container320prepackaged with a plurality of partially formed filtration bags in the form of a continuous tube330. One end of the tube330is initially sealed at the factory and the tube330is formed of at least an inner and outer layer of a known or heretofore unknown filtration media. The inner layer is a filtration media having a lower melting temperature than the outer layer for the reasons described below. The tube330is packed in the container320such that the tube330is compressed until pulled from within the container320. The container320is installed at the upper end of the filtration compartment220such that the open end of the container320is downwardly disposed. In this manner, the initially sealed end of the tube330can be pulled so that a portion of tube330can be pulled into the filtration compartment220. The interior of the portion of tube330now in the filtration compartment220forms an initial volume wherein particles from the dirt laden airstream are directed for filtering and collection. The opposing end of tube330remains open and fluidly connected to a suction nozzle100. The opposing end is fixed about a downwardly disposed connecting tube310projecting downwardly into the container320. The connecting tube310is hollow to allow the particle laden airstream to pass into the opposing or open end of the tube330into the volume located beneath the container320. The remainder of the unused portion of the tube330remains compressed in the container320packed around the connecting tube310. The filtration compartment220may be negatively pressurized to cause a negative pressure within the volume to draw in the particle laden airstream as in an “indirect air” system or the particle laden airstream may be blown into the volume as in a “direct air” system.

After the initial volume is filled with particles, as can be determined by manual or automatic means, the filtration compartment cover210and sealing and cutting assembly cover352are opened so that the full portion of the tube330containing the initial volume may be pulled down beneath the filtration compartment220. As the full portion is pulled down, an unused portion of the remaining portion of tube330replaces it in filtration compartment220. Once the filled portion of the tube330has completely exited the filtration compartment220, the cover352for a sealing and cutting assembly350is closed. Closing of cover352causes an electrical switch (not shown) to close which causes two pairs of opposing heating elements354(hereinafter referred to as sealer) of the sealing and cutting assembly350to heat. The heating elements354are energized for a predetermined time interval controlled by a timer (not shown) so that the opposing sidewalls330a(FIG. 4) and 330b(FIG. 5) on the interior of the tube330fuse together. The heating elements354must heat to a high enough temperature to penetrate the outer layer of tube330and still cause the inner layer of tube330to melt and fuse together. This is why the melting temperature of the outer layer of tube330must be higher than the melting temperature of the inner layer. Neccesarily this requires the heating elements354to not heat to a temperature exceeding the melting temperature of the outer layer. One pair of opposing heating elements354are located above and below a cutter or cutting blade355located in the cutting and sealing assembly350. Tube330is sealed above and below the cutting blade355. The seal in the tube330above the cutting blade355seals the end of the unused portion of the remaining portion of tube330now located in filtration compartment220to form a new volume for filtering and collecting particles as heretofore described. The seal in the tube330beneath the cutting blade355seals off the open end of the used portion of the tube330now filled with dirt particles. The cutting assembly355can operate either automatically or manually and cuts the tube330between the seals to separate the portion of the tube330filled with particles from the remainder of the tube330. The filtration compartment cover is now closed210and the floor care appliance10can now be used for regular cleaning operations. This process can be repeated numerous times until the supply of compressed filtration bag material in the form of tube330in the container320is expended. At that time the container320is removed and replaced with a new container320containing a fresh supply of filtration bag material compressed therein.

Referring now toFIG. 5, shown is a portion of the particle collecting and filtration assembly300disposed downwardly in the filtration compartment220. A connecting tube310projects downwardly through the open top end332of tube330. Connecting tube has a first end311fluidly connected to a dirt duct (not shown) which is further connected to suction nozzle100. Connecting tube310has a second end312which projects downwardly into a portion of tube330comprising a volume for filtering and collecting dirt particles. Container320has a closed end326, interior sidewall327, and an open end323from which the tube330is fed through. Container320has an interior volume325in which the unused portion of tube30is compressed into in pleated layers331. In this way, tube330can be uncompressed by pulling from within interior volume325through opening323into filtration compartment220. The open end of connecting tube311is fluidly connected to the suction duct (not shown) through an aperture225in the rear of filtration compartment220.

Referring now toFIGS. 6 and 7, shown is the sealing and cutting assembly350in the open position. The sealing and cutting assembly350is comprised of a rear member351and a cover352. Rear member351and a cover352are pivotally connected together by a hinge358. A pair of wire heating elements354are located in cover352wherein one heating element354is located above a cutting blade355and one heating element354is located beneath cutting blade355. A pair of wire heating elements354are located in rear member356wherein one heating element354is located above a cutting block356and one heating element354is located beneath cutting block356. A pair of wires357connect the heating elements354to a source of current. Hinge358is comprised of a first portion358aconnected via a pin358cto a rear portion358b. A heating element cover353is installed over each of heating elements354to prevent the high temperature heating elements354from fusing with the outer layer of tube330. Heating element cover353could be made from any number of materials having a melting temperature higher than the temperature heating elements354operate at but at the same time readily conduct heat. One suitable material is expanded polytetrafluoroethylene commonly known as TEFLON®. A latch359holds sealer cover352securely to rear member351when in the shut position.

It should be clear from the foregoing that the described structure clearly meets the objects of the invention set out in the description's beginning. It should now also be obvious that many changes could be made to the disclosed structure which would still fall within its spirit and purview.