Patent Publication Number: US-2005138754-A1

Title: Suction brush storage unit of vacuum cleaner

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a suction brush storage unit facilitating maintenance of the vacuum cleaner, in which a suction brush is stowed in engagement with the vacuum cleaner.  
      2. Description of the Background Art  
      As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a vacuum cleaner mainly includes a suction brush  10  having a protruding hook  11  disposed at a predetermined position. The suction brush  10  is configured and arranged to draw in air, in which dust has been entrained, from a surface to be cleaned, by a suction force. An extension pipe  20  is attached to the brush  10  to guide the dust-laden air as it is drawn through the suction brush  10 , and a cleaner body  30  having a dust bag (not shown) is attached to the other end of the extension pipe  20  to collect dust that is separated from the drawn in air in a dust collector (not shown) and a motor (not shown) is used to generate suction force. Both the dust collector and the motor are located inside the cleaner body  30 . A hook opening  31  is formed on the underside of the cleaner body  30 , as shown, or in a side wall thereof (not shown).  
      The extension pipe  20  includes first and second extension pipe sections  22  and  24  being adjustable in length through a telescopic connection therebetween, the pipe sections  22  and  24  being able to guide the air drawn in through the suction brush  10 . A handle  26 , which is attached to the extension pipe section  24 , has a power switch on the upper side for selective manipulation of power to an on or off position, as desired, and a wind switch, also disposed on the upper side of the handle  26 , for adjustment of the degree of winding. A flexible hose  28  is flexible, bendable and expandable, is disposed between the handle  26  and the cleaner body  30 , to guide the air and dust discharged through the handle  26 . The protruding hook  11  and the hook opening  31  have shapes that correspond with each other for easier engagement.  
      When an operator or user applies power to the cleaner body  30  by turning on the power switch on the handle  26  of the conventional vacuum cleaner as described above, the motor inside the cleaner body  30  commences to rotate at high speed, thereby generating a strong suction force. Accordingly, air and entrained dust is drawn in from the surface being cleaned into the cleaner body  30  by the suction force, then flows through the suction brush  10  and the extension pipe  20  and is directed toward the interior of the cleaner body  30 , and more specifically, is directed to the dust collector bag of the cleaner body  30 , where the dust is separated from the air and is collected.  
      When the vacuum cleaner is not in use, the operator usually keeps the vacuum cleaner body  30  in a vertical orientation, as shown in  FIG. 1 , so that the user may engage the protruding hook  11  in the hook opening  31  formed in the underside of the cleaner body  30 . Accordingly, the suction brush  10  is securely connected to the cleaner body  30  and the vacuum cleaner may be stowed with the extension pipe  20  and the flexible hose  28  in an upright position.  
      However, the protruding hook  11  shown in the detail view of  FIG. 2 , and especially a neck  12  of the protruding hook  11 , is prone to breakage by inadvertent application of external force during storage, for example when the vacuum cleaner collapses through carelessness of the operator during stowage.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been developed in order to solve the above drawbacks and other problems associated with the arrangement in conventional vacuum cleaners. An aspect of the present invention provides an improved suction brush storage unit for a vacuum cleaner, which is robust so as to withstand external impact.  
      The above aspects and/or other features of the present invention can be substantially achieved by providing a suction brush storage unit of a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a cleaner body comprising a suction brush engaging hole; a hook holder formed on the suction brush; a pivotable hook formed on the hook holder for engagement with the suction brush engaging hole, for securing the suction brush in place; and a resilient member for resiliently supporting and biasing the hook holder to a desired position for engagement with the suction brush engaging hole.  
      The pivotable hook is disposed either on the suction brush or on the extension pipe such that it is capable of pivoting when an external force is exerted. Accordingly, by the external force acting upon the pivotable hook, which is engaged with the suction brush engaging hole of the cleaner body, the pivotable hook pivots about the engagement. The pivotable hook includes a resilient member to return the pivotable hook to a desired initial position when the external force is no longer exerted by action of the resilient member.  
      According to one aspect of the present invention, the hook holder comprises hook holder arms extended to cover both opposite sides of the pivotable hook, respectively; hinge projections respectively extended from the inner side of the hook holder arms towards the pivotable hook; a rotation restricting member for restraining the rotational movement of the pivotable hook; and a resilient member seating hole formed in the rotation restricting member to receive a first end of the resilient member.  
      The pivotable hook comprises a body; a hinge hole formed in the body to correspond with the hinge projections; a resilient member supporting hole formed approximately in the center of the body for receiving a second end of the resilient member; and a stopper projection extended from the upper side of the body such that, with the movement of the pivotable hook is restricted from pivoting beyond a predetermined degree by contact of the pivotable hook with the stopper.  
      The resilient member preferably comprises a torsion spring. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
      The above aspects and features of the present invention will be made more apparent by the description of certain embodiments of the present invention, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a view illustrating a conventional vacuum cleaner in the stowed position having a conventional suction brush storage unit;  
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged detail view of a protruding hook formed on the conventional suction brush shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a suction brush storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of a suction brush storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
      In the following description, the same drawing reference numerals are used for indicating similar elements in the different drawing figures. The matters defined in the description, such as the detailed construction and elements thereof, are only provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the invention. Thus, it is apparent that the present invention can be carried out without reliance on some of those defined matters or by equivalents of the structures that may perform the described functions. Also, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail so as to avoid obscuring the invention in description of such unnecessary detail.  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a suction brush storage unit  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
      Briefly put, the suction brush storage unit  100  of the vacuum cleaner hooks the suction brush  10  ( FIG. 1 ) to the cleaner body  30  so that the vacuum cleaner can be stowed in place with the extension pipe  20  and the flexible hose  28  in an upright orientation when not in use, as described above.  
      Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a connector C is provided for connection between the suction brush  10  and the extension pipe  20 . The connector C comprises a pivotable hook holder  110 , to which a pivotable hook  120  is movably engaged. The pivotable hook  120  is hinged to rotate about a pivoting axis of the pivotable hook holder  110  and provides a biasing function by means of an intervening resilient member  130 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 3 , the pivotable hook holder  110  comprises oppositely disposed holder arms  111  protruding laterally to the longitudinal axis of connector C so as to cover both opposite sides of the pivotable hook  120 . A hinge projection  113  disposed in line with the pivoting axis extends from the inner side of each holder arm  111  in a direction towards the pivotable hook  120 . A rotation restricting member  115  is formed between the holder arms  113  so as to restrict rotational movement of the pivotable hook  120  beyond a predetermined degree, and a resilient member seating hole  117  is formed in the rotation restricting member  115  for receiving a first end of the resilient member  130 , as shown.  
      The suction brush storage unit  100  will be described with reference to an example in which it is disposed on a certain part of the suction brush  10 , more specifically, being formed on the connector C connecting the suction brush  10  and the extension pipe  20 . However, a person having ordinary skill will appreciate that the location of the suction brush storage unit  10  can be adequately changed to a different position between the suction brush  10  and the extension pipe  20  other than the one shown, as necessary.  
      The pivotable hook  120  is configured for fitting with the hook opening  31  of the cleaner body  30  ( FIG. 1 ), and is pivotably disposed on the pivotable hook holder  110  by engagement with the oppositely disposed hinge projections  113 . The resilient member  130  is disposed between hook holder  110  and pivotable hook  120  and provides a biasing force tending to keep these elements separated. The resilient member  130  acts to return the pivotable hook  120  to the initial position shown in  FIG. 4  so as to recover from a force that rotates the pivotable hook  120 , when that force is no longer exerted.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the pivotable hook  120  comprises a pivotable hook body  121 , hinge holes  123  formed on the pivotable hook body  121  corresponding to the positions of the hinge projections  113 , a resilient member securing hole  125 , formed approximately in the center of the pivotable hook body  121 , to receive a second end  132  of the resilient member  130 , the first end  131  of which is received in the resilient member seating hole  117 , and a stopper projection  127  extended from one side of the pivotable hook body  121 , so as to restrict rotational movement of the pivotable hook  120  by contact with the rotation restriction member  115  during the pivotal movement of the pivotable hook  120 . The resilient member securing hole  125  preferably comprises a separation preventing projection  126  to prevent the end  132  of the resilient member  130  from moving out of the resilient member securing hole  125 . The resilient member  130  is disposed about a seating projection  129 , which is coaxial with the hinge holes  123 .  
      The stopper projection  127  of the pivotable hook  120  restricts the movement of the pivotable hook  120  by surface contact with the rotation restricting member  115  at the pivotable hook holder  110 . Accordingly, the pivotable hook  120  is prevented from pivoting beyond a predetermined degree, and popping the pivotable hook  120  out of the holder  110 .  
      The resilient member  130  comprises a torsion spring, the end  131  of which is inserted in the resilient member seating hole  117  of the rotation restricting member  115 , and the second end  132  fits in the resilient member securing hole  125  of the pivotable hook body  121 , with the first and the second ends  131 ,  132  maintained approximately at 90° relative to each other when the spring is in the rest position.  
      Because the pivotable hook  120  is pivotable about the hinge projections  113  within a predetermined degree, the pivotable hook  120  of the suction brush storage unit  100  does not suffer breakage even when the vacuum cleaner collapses or is overturned during storage from its upright position by external impact or due to carelessness of the operator during stowage.  
      As described above in the preferred embodiments of the suction brush storage unit of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, the pivotable hook  120 , which hooks the suction brush to the cleaner body, does not easily suffer breakage by unexpected impact thanks to resilient deformability of the pivotable hook  120  to a predetermined degree.  
      The foregoing preferred embodiments and advantages are described as merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatus. Also, the description of the embodiments of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims, and many alternatives, modifications, and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon achieving a complete understanding of the principles of the present invention.