Abstract:
A hose and accessory holder for an upright vacuum cleaner comprises a tool fixing portion having accessory tools insertable thereinto, a hose fixing portion for attachably/detachably fixing a hose thereto, and a holder fastening portion for attachably/detachably fastening the holder to a vacuum cleaner body. The tool fixing portion further comprises fitting members respectively formed in the insertion directions of the accessory tools on inner circumferential surfaces of the tool fixing portion, and protruding inwardly from the tool fixing portion.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2009-56785, filed on Jun. 25, 2009, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The following description relates to a hose and accessory holder for an upright vacuum cleaner, and to an upright vacuum cleaner having such a holder. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In general, a vacuum cleaner provides a suction force generated by a fan mounted in a vacuum cleaner body to a nozzle unit via a hose and an extension pipe. The suction force sucks dust from a floor into the nozzle unit, and collects the dust in a dust-collecting receptacle mounted in the vacuum cleaner body, thereby performing cleaning. 
     In an upright vacuum cleaner, a user performs cleaning using a main nozzle unit when cleaning a floor, and performs cleaning using an auxiliary suction nozzle when cleaning a narrow area that cannot be cleaned using the main nozzle unit. The auxiliary suction nozzle is connected to the vacuum cleaner body via a hose and an extension pipe, and different accessory tools may be connected to the free end of the extension pipe in accordance with the type of area to be cleaned. The most widely used accessory tools are a brush tool and a crevice tool. Such accessory tools require a holder when they are not in use. 
     When a vacuum cleaner is not in use, or when performing cleaning using the main nozzle unit a hose holder is needed for fixing the hose used to connect an auxiliary suction nozzle when that auxiliary suction nozzle is not in use. 
     Conventionally, in order to improve convenience in carrying accessory tools, an accessory holder mounted on a hose has been proposed. Korean Patent Publication No. 2001-0043380, discloses a tool holder that is connected to a hose, and allows an accessory tool to be inserted in socket fashion thereinto. Since the tool holder surrounds the entire hose, it is inconvenient to attach/detach the tool holder, and the tool holder cannot be connected to a vacuum cleaner body. 
     Korean Patent Publication No. 1997-0020029 discloses a hose holder mounted on a handle portion. However, an accessory tool cannot be inserted into the hose holder, and the hose holder tends to be detached from the handle portion due to movement of the hose. 
     SUMMARY 
     An aim of embodiments is to provide a hose and accessory holder, which permits a hose to be fixed thereto, which can hold accessory tools, and can allow the hose to be selectively connected to a vacuum cleaner body. 
     Embodiments aim to provide a hose and accessory holder, which can facilitate insertion of a hose and accessory tools, and can prevent the hose and accessory tools from sliding or coming off due to movement of the vacuum cleaner after they are inserted and tightly fastened to the vacuum cleaner body. 
     Embodiments provide a hose and accessory holder for a vacuum cleaner, the holder including: a tool fixing portion for insertion of accessory tools, a hose fixing portion for attachably/detachably fixing a hose thereto, and a holder fastening portion for attachably/detachably fastening to a vacuum cleaner body, wherein the tool fixing portion further includes fitting members formed in the respective insertion directions of the accessory tools on inner circumferential surfaces of the tool fixing portion, and protruding inwardly from the tool fixing portion. 
     The tool fixing portion may further include a stopper protruding in a direction vertical to the fitting member at the center of the inner circumferential surface of the tool fixing portion so as to adjust the insertion lengths of the accessory tools. 
     The hose fixing portion may further include at least one anti-slide member protruding inwardly from the hose fixing portion. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the hose connected to the hose fixing portion from being slid in the axial direction thereof due to movement of the vacuum cleaner. 
     The holder fastening portion may include a cylindrical fastening member, and may have fixing projections and guide projections formed on outer circumferential surfaces thereof. A pair of the fixing projections may be formed to be symmetrical with each other in the horizontal direction of the fastening member, and a pair of the guide projections may be formed to be symmetrical with each other in the vertical direction of the fastening member. 
     The fastening member may be provided on a base member formed on an outer circumferential surface of the hose fixing portion, and a reinforcing rib may be formed at the connection portion of the hose fixing portion and the tool fixing portion. Accordingly, the structure of the holder is strong, and it is possible to prevent the holder from being deformed. 
     The holder may be such that it can be fastened to the vacuum cleaner body by forming a fastening hole case on the vacuum cleaner body, inserting the holder into the fastening hole case, and then rotating the holder through a predetermined angle. 
     The fastening hole case may be provided at one side surface of the vacuum cleaner body, the holder fastening portion being inserted into the fastening hole from the outside of the fastening hole case. Hole extension portions may be provided on the outer circumferential surface of the fastening hole, the fixing projections being respectively inserted into the hole extension portions; and fixing projection support portions are formed on said outer circumferential surface for respectively supporting the fixing projections during fastening, and guide grooves are formed on said outer circumferential surface for respectively guiding the guide projections for movement from insertion positions to fastening positions. 
     Embodiments also provide an upright vacuum cleaner having a vacuum cleaner body, a main nozzle unit, an auxiliary suction nozzle, and a hose and accessory holder provided with a first unit by means of which a hose and accessory tool(s) are attachably/detachably connectable to the holder, and a second unit by means of which the holder is attachably/detachably connectable to the vacuum cleaner body. 
     The second unit is connectable to the vacuum cleaner body when the hose and accessory tool(s) are inserted into the holder, when the vacuum cleaner is not in use, or when cleaning using the main nozzle unit; and the first unit is separatable from the vacuum cleaner body for connection to the hose, or for permitting only the hose to be separated therefrom when the holder is fastened to the vacuum cleaner body, when cleaning using the auxiliary suction nozzle. 
     Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an upright vacuum cleaner having a hose and accessory holder constructed in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of components connected to the holder. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the holder. 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of the holder. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating a method of fastening the holder to a vacuum cleaner body. 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view illustrating how the holder is fastened to the vacuum cleaner body. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings and the detailed description, unless otherwise described, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. The relative size and depiction of these elements may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration, and convenience. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatuses, and/or systems described herein. Accordingly, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the systems, apparatuses and/or methods described herein will be suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. The progression of processing steps and/or operations described is an example; however, the sequence of and/or operations is not limited to that set forth herein and may be changed as is known in the art, with the exception of steps and/or operations necessarily occurring in a certain order. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for increased clarity and conciseness. 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the example embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
     When cleaning a floor with an upright vacuum cleaner, a user may hold a handle portion and perform cleaning using a main nozzle unit  200  with a vacuum cleaner body  100  slightly inclined backwardly. When cleaning a narrow area that cannot be cleaned using the main nozzle unit  200 , such as a crevice, furniture, or a vehicle, the user performs cleaning using an auxiliary suction nozzle  300  separated from the vacuum cleaner body  100 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a suction nozzle with a similar shape to that of the main nozzle unit  200  may be used as a head portion of the auxiliary suction nozzle  300 . In addition, the head portion of the auxiliary suction nozzle unit  300  may be replaced by a brush tool  320  or a crevice tool  330  in accordance with the type of area to be cleaned. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a holder  400  is provided with a hose fixing portion  420 . When performing cleaning using the main nozzle unit  200 , or when the vacuum cleaner is not in use, a hose  310  may be fixed to the hose fixing portion  420 , and the accessory tools  320  and  330 , which are not in use, may be inserted into a tool fixing portion  410 . 
     The holder  400  is provided with a holder fastening portion  430  to be attached to, or detached from, the vacuum cleaner body  100 . The tool fixing portion  410  is formed as a cylindrical sleeve, and two accessory tools  320  and  330  may be inserted respectively into upper and lower portions of the tool fixing portion. The inside diameter of the tool fixing portion  410  is sized so that the accessory tools  320  and  330  can be fitted into the tool fixing portion. However, it is not easy to adjust the inside diameter of the tool fixing portion. In addition, the tool fixing portion  410  can become loose due to repeated attachments/detachments, in which case the accessory tools  320  and  330  could fall off the tool fixing portion when the vacuum cleaner is moved. 
     In order to solve such a problem, a respective fitting member  411  is formed inside the tool fixing portion  410  in the direction in which the accessory tools  320  and  330  are inserted into the tool fixing portion. Each fitting member  411  is formed of a soft plastics or rubber material. One end of the tool fixing portion  410  is rounded or inclined so that each of the accessory tools  320  and  330  can be smoothly inserted into the tool fixing portion  410 . 
     A stopper  412  protrudes inwardly from the tool fixing portion  410  at the center of its inner circumferential surface. The stopper  412  is used to adjust the insertion lengths of the accessory tools  320  and  330  inserted respectively into the upper and lower portions of the tool fixing portion  410 . When one of the accessory tools  320  and  330  is inserted too deeply into the tool fixing portion  410 , it may be difficult to be removed, and the space for inserting the other tool may be reduced. In order to solve such a problem, the tool fixing portion  410  is partitioned into the upper and lower portions by forming the stopper  412  at the center of the inner circumferential surface of the tool fixing portion  410 . 
     A hose fixing portion  420  is disposed at one side of the tool fixing portion  410 . A reinforcing rib  440  is formed at the connection portion of the tool fixing portion  410  and the hose fixing portion  420 , so that it is possible to prevent the holder  400  from being deformed due to repetitive uses. 
     The hose fixing portion  420  has one open end and is formed in a circular arc shape. Hence, the hose fixing portion  420  itself has resilience. Thus, if the hose  310  is pushed into an opening of the hose fixing portion  420  so as to fix the hose  310 , the hose is inserted into the opening of the hose fixing portion while the open end of the hose fixing portion is widened on both sides. After the hose  310  is inserted into the opening of the hose fixing portion  420 , the hose fixing portion is tightly fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the hose  310 , while being restored to the original configuration because of its resilience. 
     An anti-slide member  421  is formed at an inner circumferential surface of the hose fixing portion  420 . Although the hose fixing portion  420  is fixed to the hose  310  by its resilience, the hose may be slid in the upper/lower direction of the hose fixing portion due to the movement of the vacuum cleaner during cleaning. Such a problem may occur when cleaning is performed using the auxiliary suction nozzle  300  when the holder  400  is separated from the vacuum cleaner body  100  and fixed to the hose  310 . 
     The anti-slide member  421  protrudes by a predetermined distance inside the hose fixing portion  420 . Thus, if the hose  310  is fixed to hose fixing portion  420 , the anti-slide member  421  is inserted into a groove portion of the spiral hose  310 , it is possible to prevent the hose from being slid in the axial direction thereof. 
     Front ends of the anti-slide member  421 , which are positioned at an entry portion through which the hose  310  is inserted into the hose fixing portion  420 , are rounded or inclined so that the hose can be smoothly inserted into the hose fixing portion  420 . 
     The holder fastening portion  430  is formed at an outer circumferential surface of the hose fixing portion  420 , and includes a base member  431  shaped to provide a flat surface, the base member being provided with reinforcement. A cylindrical fastening member  432  is formed on the base member  431 . A pair of fixing projections  433   a  and  433   b  and a pair of guide projections  434  are formed on outer circumferential surfaces of the fastening member  432 . The fixing projections  433   a  and  433   b  are respectively positioned at the right and left horizontal sides of the holder  400 , and the guide projections  434  are respectively positioned at upper and lower sides of the holder. 
     When fastening the holder  400  to the vacuum cleaner body  100 , the fixing projections  433   a  and  433   b  of the holder fastening portion  430  are inserted into hole extension portions  452   a  and  452   b  of a fastening hole  451  (see  FIG. 6 ) formed in the vacuum cleaner body  100 . The fixing projections  433   a  and  433   b  are then rotated until they reach the positions of fixing projection support portions  453   a  and  453   b . The rotation angle is adjusted by moving the guide projections  434  from guide grooves  454   a  and  455   a  to guide grooves  454   b  and  455   b . If the guide projections  434  are seated on the respective guide grooves  454   b  and  455   b , it is possible to prevent the holder  400  from being moved in the rotation direction after the holder is fastened to the vacuum cleaner body  100 . 
     In this embodiment, the size of the fixing projection  433   a  is larger than that of the fixing projection  433   b . Accordingly, the sizes of the hole extension portions  452   a  and  452   b  are different. The holder  400  of this embodiment is formed to be vertically symmetrical and hence the insertion direction of the holder  400  may be confused by a user. If the holder  400  is fastened to the vacuum cleaner body  100  with the insertion direction of the holder  400  changed (so that the hose fixing portion  420  is positioned at the right hand side as seen in  FIG. 1 ), the tool fixing portion  410  is positioned at the front of the vacuum cleaner body  100 , and so, the appearance of the vacuum cleaner may be spoiled. In order to solve such a problem, each of the fixing projections  433   a  and  433   b  and the hole extension portions  452   a  and  452   b  have different sizes, thereby ensuring that the holder  400  is always guided so as to be fastened to the vacuum cleaner body  100  in a constant direction. 
     The use of the holder  400  will now be described. 
     When a user is not using the vacuum cleaner or when the user performs cleaning using the main nozzle unit  200 , the holder  400  is tightly fastened to the vacuum cleaner body  100  while fixing the hose  310  and holding the accessory tools  320  and  330  that are not in use. 
     When the user performs cleaning using the auxiliary suction nozzle  300 , the auxiliary suction nozzle is separated from the vacuum cleaner body  100 , and the hose  310  is separated from the holder  400 . At this time, the holder  400  is fastened to the vacuum cleaner body  100 , while holding only accessory tools. 
     The user may not separate only the hose  310  from the holder  400 , but may separate the holder  400  itself from the vacuum cleaner body  100 . In this case, the holder  400  is used while connected to the hose  310  together with the accessory tools. When the cleaning using the auxiliary suction nozzle  300  is finished, it is then connected to the vacuum cleaner body  100 . The holder  400  is also fastened to a housing  450  surrounding the fastening hole  451 , thereby serving as a holder for the hose  310 . 
     As described above, a hose and accessory tools  320  and  330  can be attachably/detachably connected to the holder  400 , and the holder can be connected to the vacuum cleaner body  100 , or to the hose depending on the user&#39;s demands. Since the holder  400  is integrally formed with an accessory holder, it is possible to prevent the appearance of the vacuum cleaner from being complicated. 
     Furthermore, since fitting members  411  are formed in the tool fixing portion  410 , it is easy to insert the accessory tools  320  and  330  into the tool fixing portion, and the accessory tools can be fixed to the tool fixing portion after the insertion. Since a stopper  412  is formed at the center of the inner circumferential surface of the tool fixing portion  410 , the insertion length of each of the accessory tools  320  and  330  can be adjusted. 
     Furthermore, since the holder  400  is fastened to the vacuum cleaner body  100  by inserting and then rotating the holder, the holder can be attachably/detachably fastened to the vacuum cleaner body, and the holder can be tightly fastened to the vacuum cleaner body so that it does not fall off due to the movement of the vacuum cleaner. 
     While there have been illustrated and described what are considered to be example embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, and as technology develops, that various changes and modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of embodiments. Many modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations may be made to adapt the teachings of embodiments to a particular situation without departing from the scope thereof. 
     A number of examples have been described above. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.