Patent Publication Number: US-7210192-B2

Title: Vacuum cleaner having a slanted pedestal

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
   Conventional vacuum cleaners in general are as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1987-15207 as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 13 , there is provided main body  1  of a vacuum cleaner. Included in a rear region thereof is electric blower  2  for the generation of suction air flow for the intake of dust. Electric blower  2  communicates with a suction nozzle (not shown) for suctioning dirt-laden air. Included in a front region of main body  1  is dust chamber  5  incorporating main filter  3  for filtering fine dust particles and pre-filter  4  for entrapping large dust particles. Dust chamber  5  in air communication with electric blower  2  is detachably installed in main body  1 . 
   Provided in front of dust chamber  5  is suction air inlet  6  communicating therewith for introducing dirt-laden air into main body  1 . In order to facilitate transportability of main body  1 , there are provided a pair of wheels  7  in a rear portion of lateral faces thereof and swivel caster  8  on a bottom surface thereof below dust chamber  5 . 
   Under such a conventional configuration, the dust particles that travel through suction air inlet  6  are accumulated in dust chamber  5 , and therefore, a substantial accumulation of dust particles in dust chamber  5  places substantial load on swivel caster  8 , and consequently making swivel caster  8  and a portion of main body  1  that securely holds swivel caster  8  vulnerable to damages after repeated impacts thereto. 
   Moreover, such a configuration further suffers from creating inconvenience to the user when detaching dust chamber  5 . More specifically, components of the vacuum cleaner, e.g., a hose (not shown) and a suction nozzle (not shown), which are connected with suction air inlet  6  located in front of dust chamber  5 , interfere with user&#39;s unloading of dust chamber  5  from main body  1 . 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner capable of enhancing durability and reliability of a swivel caster employed therein. 
   It is, therefore, another object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner employing a dust chamber capable of facilitating detachability thereof. 
   In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner, including: an electric blower for generating suction air stream; a suction air inlet placed in front of the electric blower serving as an inlet of the suction air stream into a main body; a detachable dust chamber disposed to the rear of the electric blower; and a swivel caster and wheels for transporting the main body, wherein the swivel caster is placed in front of the electric blower. 
   In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner, including: a main body having an electric blower for generating suction air stream, a dust chamber placed behind the electric blower, forming at least a part of a rear outer perimeter of the main body; and a pedestal having a descending slant toward a front portion of the main body, wherein the bottom surface of the dust chamber formed with the main body is detachably supported on the pedestal. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of a main body of a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  describes a partially cutaway side elevational view of the main body of the vacuum cleaner; 
       FIG. 3  shows a rear elevational view of the main body of the vacuum cleaner; 
       FIG. 4  offers a cross sectional view of the main body of the vacuum cleaner; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the main body of the vacuum cleaner cutting through the line  5 — 5  in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 6  provides a horizontal sectional view of the main body of the vacuum cleaner illustrating a suction air-stream path; 
       FIG. 7  presents a partial cross sectional view of a rear portion of the main body of the vacuum cleaner; 
       FIG. 8  depicts a bottom view of a dust chamber of the vacuum cleaner; 
       FIG. 9  represents an operational view of the vacuum cleaner when a front portion thereof is lifted; 
       FIG. 10  sets forth a cross sectional side view of a main body of a vacuum cleaner in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 11  describes a partial cross sectional view of a rear portion of a main body of the vacuum cleaner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a cross sectional view of a cord release opening of a main body of a vacuum cleaner of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 13  offers a cross sectional side view of a main body of a prior art vacuum cleaner. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A first preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 9 , in which there is provided main body  10  incorporating therein electric blower  11  for generating suction air for the intake of dust via hose  12 . Hose  12  is detachably secured to suction air inlet  13  located in a front portion of main body  10 , while being placed in front of electric blower  11 . Detachably placed in a rear portion of main body  10  at the back of electric blower  11  is substantially cylindrical dust chamber  14  making up parts of the rear outer walls of main body  10  for collecting and storing dust therein. 
   The dirt-laden air is suctioned and travels from suction air inlet  13  through suction air path  15  and into substantially cylindrical dust chamber  14 , at which time the dust is filtered by filter  16 , and subsequently, only the air free of dust leaves therefrom. The filtered dust is accumulated in dust chamber  14 , whereas the dust-free air travels to electric blower  11  through air passage  17 . 
   Swivel caster  18  having rotatable roller  18   a  is rotatably installed on a front bottom surface of main body  10  between suction air inlet  13  and electric blower  11 . Furthermore, a pair of wheels  19  are rotatably installed to the lateral faces of the rear portion of main body  10 . 
   Above dust chamber  14 , there is provided cord retracting chamber  21  that is tilted toward suction air inlet  13 , for storing therein electrical power cord  20 . 
   Hereinafter, an operation of the vacuum cleaner described above will now be explained in detail. 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , when the vacuum cleaner is in use, the dirt suctioned through hose  12  travels through suction air path  15  to be collected in the bottom of dust chamber  14 . In such configuration, wherein dust chamber  14  is spaced apart from swivel caster  18 , the effect of the amount of dust accumulated in dust chamber  14  on caster  18  is mitigated. Moreover, since swivel caster  18  is placed in front of electric blower  11  between electric blower  11  and suction air inlet  13 , there is a significant reduction in the distribution of the weight of electric blower  11  on swivel caster  18 , and thereby reducing the overall load that acts on swivel caster  18 . Accordingly, durability of the vacuum cleaner is enhanced, because by reducing the load that acts on swivel caster  18 , damages, which may incur upon impact on swivel caster  18  and/or on a portion of main body  10  that securely holds swivel caster  18  can be effectively eliminated. 
   Furthermore, such configuration significantly reduces load concentration of the collected dust on swivel caster  18 , and thereby improving the maneuverability of the vacuum cleaner on carpet. 
   The axis of rotation  23  of wheels  19  is located in dust chamber  14 , in front of central axis  22  thereof, so that the center of dust chamber  14  is positioned behind wheels  19 . Therefore, the load of dust chamber  14  distributed to swivel caster  18  is significantly reduced, and further, the distance between swivel caster  18  and dust chamber  14  is increased, enabling to further reduce the load that acts on swivel caster  18 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , substantially cylindrical dust chamber  14  that is placed in the rear portion of main body  10  is formed of a transparent or a semi-transparent material. Furthermore, approximately a half of outer perimeter  24  of substantially cylindrical dust chamber  14  as indicated by the arrow is exposed to the outside to thereby make up a part of the outer perimeter of main body  10 , so that the operator of the vacuum cleaner can observe the level of dust contained therein, making the product more user-friendly. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 7 , support  25 , which is formed in the rear portion of main body  10  in order to support the bottom surface of dust chamber  14 , is shaped substantially similar to outer perimeter  24  of dust chamber  14 . Surfaces of support  25  that face a surface on which the main body  1  resides, e.g., floor, (hereinafter referred to as the floor, however not limited to the floor in practice), and dust chamber  14  are elevated in the rear with respect to the floor; that is the surfaces are slanted forming a decline toward suction air inlet  13 , serving as pedestal  26  for hosting dust chamber  14 . 
   Handle  27  is provided at the back side of dust chamber  14 , and provided on top of handle  27  is clamp  28 . Seamlessly formed with the lower end of clamp  28  is clamp spring  29  of an approximate c-shape, enabling a vertical sliding motion. 
   Furthermore, protruding portion  30  is formed on top of clamp  28  to be detachably inserted into or mated with recess  31  provided in cord retracting chamber  21  that is disposed above dust chamber  14 , allowing dust chamber  14  to be secured in main body  10 . By simply placing dust chamber  14  on pedestal  26 , dust chamber  14  can be slidably inserted in place by its own weight in the direction of an arrow, and thus can be easily mounted in main body  10 , thereby lessening the labor required in restoring dust chamber  14  into main body  10  and thus providing greater convenience to the user. The forwardly tilted configuration of support  25  enables the exposed outer perimeter of dust chamber  14  to be viewed rather easily by the user, thereby facilitating the observation of the dust collected therein. Moreover, since dust chamber  14  is held by protruding portion  30  of clamp  28  engaged with recess  31  provided at a lower surface of cord retracting chamber  21 , clamp  28  is accessible with a thumb while gripping handle  27 , and therefore clamp  28  can be triggered with a thumb to disengage dust chamber  14  from main body  10 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 7 , guiding protrusion  32  for guiding the sliding of dust chamber  14  is formed along the length direction of main body  10  on pedestal  26  of support  25  that supports the bottom surface of dust chamber  14 . In a corresponding manner, guiding groove  33  is formed on a bottom face of dust chamber  14  in a manner of facing guiding protrusion  32 , so that guiding groove  33  can slidably move along guiding protrusion  22 , thereby enabling dust chamber  14  to be smoothly loaded into and unloaded from main body  10  and suppressing loose movement of dust chamber  14  in main body  10 . 
   Furthermore, guiding protrusion  32  is tapered, i.e., gets wider roughly from the center thereof toward the front (along the inserting direction of dust chamber  14 ), and gradually narrows in the upper direction, forming a trapezoidal cross section. There is provided a small clearance between guiding protrusion  32  and its corresponding guiding groove  33  formed at the bottom surface of dust chamber  14 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , guiding groove  33  provided at the bottom surface of dust chamber  14  widens roughly from the center thereof along the inserting direction of dust chamber  14  and narrows in the upper direction, thereby generally forming a trapezoidal cross section. In particular, the maximum width of guiding groove  33  is equal to or greater than the value of twice the minimum width thereof. 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , dust chamber  14  is formed into base receptacle  14   a  and upper lid  14   b,  in which overlap portion H thereof is set to be greater than the difference between distance L and height h of dust chamber  14 , L being the distance between a bottom surface of cord retracting chamber  21  and pedestal  26 . Upper lid  14   b  is engaged with base receptacle  14   a  by means of insertion only. 
   By placing dust chamber  14  in the rear portion of main body  10 , loading and unloading of dust chamber  14  can be carried out without interference with components of the vacuum cleaner, such as hose  12  connected with suction air inlet  13  in the front portion of main body  10 , thereby facilitating placing of the dust chamber into and out of main body  10 . In addition, by having a downward slant of pedestal  26  toward the front thereof and joining pedestal  26  with the rear wall of main body  10 , the loading and unloading of dust chamber  14  into and out of main body  10  becomes further facilitated. 
   As another added advantage, guiding protrusion  32  and corresponding groove  33  formed in pedestal  26  and dust chamber  14 , respectively, assist in securely loading and unloading dust chamber  14  into and from a designated portion of main body  10 . 
   As described above, tapered guiding protrusion  32  gets wider from around the center toward the front of pedestal  26  (in the direction of insertion of dust chamber  14 ) and gradually narrows in the upper direction to form a generally trapezoidal cross section and the bottom surface of dust chamber  14  is provided with guiding groove  33  formed corresponding to guiding protrusion  32  with certain clearance. Therefore, positioning of dust chamber  14  when being set against pedestal  26  for the restoration thereof can be readily accomplished by simply mating narrow portion of guiding protrusion  32  with the wide portion of guiding groove  33 , and then by simply sliding dust chamber  14  into main body  10 , dust chamber  14  can be self-aligned to put into the correct sitting position, adding greater convenience. 
   Referring to  FIG. 9 , when the front of main body  10  is lifted, support  25 , which is located at the back thereof and having the bottom whose rear portion is inclined away from the floor, is in contact therewith, thereby restricting distance t between swivel caster  18  and the floor at the time of lifting the front side of main body  10  to be small. Thus, the impact from dropping the front side of main body  10  from the above-mentioned elevated position is reduced and damages associated therewith are reduced or prevented. 
     FIG. 10  illustrates a second preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, wherein opening  44  that communicates with the outside of the bottom portion of main body  10  is provided near the lowest section of pedestal  26 . Under such configuration, dust that may come to being on pedestal  26  can be released to the outside of the machine through opening  44 . Thus, difficulty in operability that may otherwise incur due to the dust between dust chamber  14  and pedestal  25  can be substantially prevented. 
     FIG. 11  presents a cross sectional view of a rear portion of the vacuum cleaner in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. And  FIG. 12  represents a cross sectional view of cord release outlet  37 , which illustrates in detail the arrangement around cord retracting chamber  21  of the third preferred embodiment. Like parts from the first preferred embodiment will be designated with like reference numerals and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  11 , and  12 , cord  20  coupled to cord retracing device  34  is embedded in cord retracting chamber  21  disposed above dust chamber  14 . Cord retracting chamber  21  is enclosed by cord reel cover  35  that covers the top surface and the lateral side of cord  20  wound around cord retracting device  34  and further enclosed by partition  36  that separates cord retracting chamber  21  and dust chamber  14 . Formed in the rear of cord reel cover  35  is cord release outlet.  37  for releasing cord  20  therethrough. Cord release outlet  37  is upwardly inclined with respect to the floor. 
   Hereinafter, an operation of the above-described vacuum cleaner will be explained in detail. Plug  38  of cord  20  is easily visible to the user since plug  38  is also inclined upwardly, and further, cord  20  can be easily extracted from and retracted to cord release outlet  37  since plug  38  is disposed in the upper region of main body  10 , adding greater convenience. 
   Seamlessly formed with cord reel cover  35  is guide wall  39 . Guide wall  39  is of a protruding structure surrounding plug  38  on the exterior of main body  10  around cord release outlet  37 . Under such configuration, guide wall  39  prevents the prongs of plug  38  from damaging the floor, when main body  10  is overturned. The seamless design of guiding wall  39  enables to prevent such damages caused by the prongs, without increasing the number of parts. 
   Further, by forming guiding wall  39  on main body  10  only to cover the upper and the lateral sides of the plug  38 , whiplash created in the upper and lateral direction while retracting cord  20  can be minimized, thereby preventing injuries associated therewith. 
   Moreover, as illustrated in  FIG. 12 , by forming end portion  40  of guiding wall  39  that is protruding from cord release outlet  37  in a shape of a circular arc, friction or wear of cord  20  during the retraction thereof is reduced, to thereby improve durability of cord  20 . 
   While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the preferred embodiment, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.