Patent Publication Number: US-11019970-B2

Title: Appliance for vacuum cleaning

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a vacuum cleaning appliance and particularly, but not exclusively, to a portable or hand-held electrical appliance for vacuum cleaning. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various types of electrical vacuum cleaning appliances, including cylindrical and hand-held vacuum cleaners, have been widely used in both domestic and industrial settings. A common vacuum cleaner generally comprises a main body having a vacuum pump and a dust collecting bag or chamber, and a pipe or hose for connecting the main body to a suction head. The required suction of the vacuum cleaner is generally provided by a partial vacuum generated by the vacuum pump, with any dirt, dust, debris or the like being sucked in and thereby lifted from a surface by the generated suction via the suction head. The lifted dirt is then conveyed along the connecting hose and subsequently filtered from the suction airstream and stored at the collecting bag or chamber for disposal. 
     To facilitate easy positioning of the suction head at a specific location to be cleaned, which can be any reachable surface ranging from, for example, floors, stairs, ceilings and/or surfaces of furniture, vacuum cleaners have typically been designed with a length adjusting functionality on the connecting handle or pipe of the suction head, such that the handle or the pipe can be lengthened or shortened as desired by the user to meet their specific cleaning needs. The length adjustment is generally conducted manually by the user, for example, by hand sliding of two telescopically connected handle or pipe units, followed by the manual locking of any movable parts of the handle or pipe units by a lock or the like to thereby fix the length of the extended or retracted handle or pipe units. In use and when a length adjustment of the handle or the pipe is required, the user will generally have to stop the cleaning activity, manually adjust the handle or the pipe to a newly desired length, and then manually lock the movable parts to again fix the length of the extended or retracted handle or pipe units before he or she can continue with the vacuum cleaning. The process is therefore understandably tedious and highly inconvenient for the user. In addition, the length adjustment available on a conventional vacuum cleaner may typically be restricted to a limited number of adjustment or connection points, for example, one to two extendable or retractable connection points. Accordingly, even where the handle or pipe of the vacuum cleaner is length adjustable, it is highly likely that the user will still have to, in practice, occasionally physically adjust his or her working distance from the location to be cleaned as a consequence of the fixed length of the extended or retracted handle or pipe units. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner, in which the aforesaid shortcomings are mitigated or at least to provide a useful alternative. 
     Another object of the invention is to mitigate or obviate to some degree one or more problems associated with known appliances for vacuum cleaning. 
     The above object is met by the combination of features of the main claim; the sub-claims disclose further advantageous embodiments of the invention. 
     One skilled in the art will derive from the following description other objects of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing statements of object are not exhaustive and serve merely to illustrate some of the many objects of the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one main aspect, the invention provides a vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner comprises a head portion; a body; a vacuum module positioned in the body, the vacuum module being adapted to generate suction for collecting dust via the head portion; a hose member adapted to connect the head portion with the vacuum module; and a guide member associated with the hose member; wherein the guide member is adapted to guide movement of the hose member such that, in response to movement of the guide member, the hose member automatically extends between a retracted position and an extended position to thereby position the head portion relative to the body. 
     The summary of the invention does not necessarily disclose all the features essential for defining the invention; the invention may reside in a sub-combination of the disclosed features. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments which are provided by way of example only in connection with the accompanying figures, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a vacuum cleaner in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side cross-sectional view showing the vacuum cleaner of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view showing the vacuum cleaner of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view showing a belt member and a gear system of a control module of the vacuum cleaner of  FIG. 1 , with an output gear of the gear system rotating in a first direction; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view showing the arrangement of  FIG. 4 , with the output gear rotating in a second direction; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view showing a clutch system of the control module of the vacuum cleaner of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  shows the clutch plate and the output gear of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view showing the embodiment of  FIG. 4  with a belt cover; and 
         FIG. 9  is a front view showing the arrangement of the belt member in the belt cover of  FIG. 8 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description is of preferred embodiments by way of example only and without limitation to the combination of features necessary for carrying the invention into effect. 
     Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not other embodiments. 
     In the claims hereof, any element expressed as a means for performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of performing that function. It is thus regarded that any means that can provide those functionalities are equivalent to those shown herein. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , shown is an electrical appliance  10  for vacuum cleaning in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum cleaner  10  comprises a head portion or suction head  2  having an inlet  4  via which dirt, dust, debris or the like can be sucked in and received into the vacuum cleaner  10  via the suctioning action of the vacuum cleaner  10 . As shown in the figure, one or more rotating brush member  6  can optionally be provided at or adjacent the inlet  4  to facilitate debris collection by the head portion  2  from a surface. 
     The vacuum cleaner  10  also comprises a main body  12 , with a housing  14  of the main body  12  for encasing a number of functional parts including, but not limited to, a dust collection module  16  for receiving and storing the collected dust and debris; and a vacuum module  20  for generating the required suction force. In this embodiment, the vacuum module  20  may comprise a vacuum pump  22  for generating a partial or substantial vacuum for the suctioning action, and one or more dust filters such as, but not limited to, an air inlet filter  24   a  for filtering a dust-laden incoming air stream, and an air outlet filter  24   b  for filtering an outgoing air stream, for example. 
     Connecting the head portion  2  with the main body  12 , and more specifically, the vacuum module  20  of the main body  12  is a hose member  30  as shown in the figure. The hose member  30  may be a flexible, corrugated vacuum hose member of known type. In this embodiment, the hose member  30  is preferably in the form of a stretchable hose, pipe, tube or the like being made of one or more resilient materials such as plastics, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for its durability and flexibility. The stretchability of the hose member  30  affords positioning of the head portion  2  relative to the main body  12 , that is, allows the head portion  2  to be extended away from or retracted towards the main body  12 . Although a specific example of the hose member  30  has been described in this embodiment, a person skilled in the art would understand that any variations to the hose member in terms of, for example, size, configuration, construction and/or material, are also encompassed as long as the variations are considered suitable and applicable without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the hose member  30  can be provided in the form of a tube like structure comprising a plurality of tubular units telescopically movable relative to one another. The telescopic movement of the tubular units allows the required extendibility or stretchability of the hose member  30 . 
     Specifically, the hose member  30  is arranged with a guide member  40 , with the guide member  40  being capable of guiding movement of the hose member  30 , such that, in response to movement of the guide member  40 , the hose member  30  automatically extends/retracts, i.e. stretches/collapses, between a retracted position and an extended position to thereby position the head portion  2  relative to the main body  12 . Preferably, the guide member  40  is arranged substantially parallel to and is extendable/retractable along a same direction of extension/retraction as the hose member  30 . Preferably, the extension of the guide member  40  is extendable/retractable along a handle  7  of the vacuum cleaner  10  to thereby allow the hose member  30  to serve, in effect, as an extended length of the user&#39;s arm when the vacuum cleaner is being held at the handle  7  by the user. 
     In the embodiment as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the guide member  40  may comprise a plurality of guide units  40 A,  40 B and  40 C movably associated with one another to thereby extend and retract the guide member  40  along an extension axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the hose member  30 . The plurality of guide units  40 A,  40 B and  40 C may comprise a plurality of elongated sub-units slidably connected with one another, and more preferably, the plurality of guide units  40 A,  40 B and  40 C may comprise a plurality of tubular structures telescopically connected with one another to thereby extend or retract along the extension axis, as more clearly shown in  FIG. 2 . In one embodiment, the guide units of the guide member  40  can be formed of any suitable materials such as, but not limited to, polymers and/or metals, and preferably, aluminum for its relatively high physical strength and light weight. 
     Preferably, at least one of the plurality of guide units  40 A,  40 B and/or  40 C is arranged relative to the hose member  30  via at least one positioning means  42 . In one embodiment, the positioning means  42  can be fixedly connected between part of the hose member  30  and one or more of the plurality of guide units  40 A,  40 B and/or  40 C. Alternatively, the positioning means  42 , such as the positioning means  42 A,  42 B and  42 C as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , can be arranged at the respective guide units  40 A,  40 B and  40 C of the guide member  40  for providing support to and thereby positioning the hose member  30 . Preferably, the positioning means  42 A,  42 B and  42 C may comprise or be provided in the form of one or more ring or sleeve members connecting to the respective guide units  40 A,  40 B and  40 C at one end, and receiving at least partially the hose member  30  at the other end, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
     Likewise, although specific arrangements of the guide member  40  and the positioning means  42  have been described in the various embodiments, it will be understood by a skilled person in the art that any variations to the guide member and/or the positioning means in terms of, for example, sizes, configurations, constructions and/or materials, should also be encompassed by the present invention, as long as the variations are considered suitable and applicable without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention. 
     Preferably, the guide member  40  is controllable by a control module  50  actuatable by but is not limited to electrical power. For example, the control module  50  may comprise one or more transmission systems operable under one or more of an electric mechanism, a hydraulic mechanism, a pneumatic mechanism and/or an electromagnetic mechanism. In one embodiment, the control module  50  may comprise a mechanical transmission system having an electrically powered motor  52  with its output shaft  54  mechanically connecting with a gear system  51  comprising a series of gear members such as gears  56 ,  58  and  60 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Preferably, the gear system  51 , and particularly the output gear  60 , is arranged to engage with an elongated member  62  connected at one end with the guide member  40  thereby causing movement of the guide units in response to movement of the elongated member  62 . In one embodiment as shown in the figures, the elongate member  62  is preferably made of a flexible material and may comprise at least one belt member  62 . More preferably, the belt member  62  is a toothed belt member  62  thereby allowing engagement of the teeth  64  of the belt member  62  with the gear system  51  such as the corresponding teeth of the output gear  60  at the other end portion of the belt member  62 . Optionally, a positioning wheel  61  can be provided to position the belt member  62  relative to the output gear  60  to thereby ensure close engagement between the belt member  62  with the output gear  60 . 
     In one embodiment, the belt member  62  can be arranged to connect with the gear system  51  of the control module  50  at one end, with the other end connected with one or more of the guide units  40 A,  40 B and/or  40 C of the guide member  40 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . A portion of the belt member  62  intermediate its ends preferably runs along at least part of the length of the guide member  40 . The belt member  62  may preferably be positioned within and along a hollow center of the guide member  40 , with the belt member  62  being arranged to be closely confined, and yet moveable within the hollow center of the guide member  40 . The closely confined arrangement can be provided by having the belt member  62  having a shape generally configured to be in conformity with the shape of the interior of, for example, the tubular structure of the guide member  40 , such that any unintended movement such as a sideways movement and/or folding of the belt member  62  within the hollow center of the tubular guide member  40  being reduced, minimized or avoided. Since the belt member  62  is arranged to connect with at least an end one of the guide units of the guide member  40 , rotational movement of, for example, the engaged output gear  60  will cause movement of the belt member  62  along its longitudinal axis, which will in turn cause the connected guide units  40 A,  40 B and  40 C to move along the same direction. More specifically, longitudinal movement of the belt member  40  will result in telescopic movement of one or more of the guide units  40 A,  40 B and  40 C relative to one another, to thereby allow extension or retraction of the guide member  40  dependent on the direction of movement of the belt member  62 . Preferably, the flexible belt member  62  is of a sufficient rigidity to avoid easy dislocation or folding of the belt member  62  within the guide member  40  during the belt movement, which may further be assisted by the closely confined but moveable arrangement of the belt member  62  within the guide member  40 . In one alternative embodiment, the belt member  62  can be positioned external to the guide member  40 , for example, by being connected thereto via several connection points at a side wall of the guide units of the guide member  40 . 
     In one further embodiment, the control module  50  may comprise at least one clutch system  70  having at least one clutch plate  72  engageable with the gear system  51  such as the output gear  60  as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The clutch plate  72  can be provided with one or more protrusions and/or recesses  74  which conform or match with the corresponding protrusions and/or recesses  62  at the output gear  60  for engagement therewith. For example, the protrusion and/or recess  74  can be trapezoidal in shape, with each of the opposing inclined sides pointing towards a centre of the clutch plate  72  and each forming an inclination angle of, for example, less than or equal to about 45 degrees with a central, vertical axis. Alternatively, the clutch plate  72  and the output gear  60  may also be engageable via only friction between the corresponding contact surfaces of the clutch plate  72  and the output gear  60 . 
     The clutch plate  72  is adapted to be biased against the output gear  60  via one or more biasing means  78 , which can be provided in the form of one or more spring members  78 , for example. In the embodiment as shown in  FIG. 6 , the spring members  78  are provided at a side of the gear  58 , which mechanically connects the output shaft  54  of the motor  52  with the output gear  60  via the clutch system  70 . A shaft  82  can be provided at the central axis of the gear  58  at the same side as the spring members  78  to connect the output gear  60  by sandwiching a number of intermediate plate members of the clutch system  70  in between. The plate members may include, but are not limited to, a spring plate  84 , a mid plate  86  and the clutch plate  72 . These intermediate plate members are positioned under the biasing action of, and are pressed towards the output gear  60  by the spring members  78 . 
     In use and when the motor  52  is electrically actuated, rotation of the gear  58  will cause the connected output gear  60  to rotate in the same rotational direction. For example, a clockwise rotation of the gear  58  and thus a clockwise rotation T 1  of the output gear  60  as shown in  FIG. 4  will draw the belt member  62  towards the direction of the gear  60  to thereby retract the connected guide member  40  towards the main body  12 ; and an anticlockwise rotation of the gear  58  and thus an anticlockwise rotation T 1  of the output gear  60  as shown in  FIG. 5  will extend the belt member  62  away from the gear  60  to thereby extend the guide member  40  away from the main body  12 . During a normal operation of the gear system  51  and thus the interconnected clutch system  70 , the clutch plate  72  is rotatable under the driving action of the gear  58 , and at the same time, arranged to bias towards the axial direction T 2  towards the output gear  60  and thus, presses on and engages with the output gear  60 . The driving rotation of the gear  58  thus causes the output gear  60  to rotate in the same direction as the gear  58  to extend or retract the guide member  40 . 
     When the guide member  40  is telescopically extended to its maximum length of extension or is retracted to its minimum length of retraction, further extension or retraction of the guide member  40  will be physically prevented and thus resistance will be generated at the output gear  60 . A counter rotation reaction force T 1 ′ as well as a counter axial reaction force T 2 ′ will be experienced by the clutch plate  72 . Particularly, when the counter axial reaction force T 2 ′ is developed to become greater than the biasing force T 2  provided by the spring members  78 , the clutch plate  74  will be caused to disengage from the output gear  60 , thereby preventing further rotation of the output gear  60 . No further extension or retraction of the belt member  62  and thus, extension or retraction of the guide member  40  will result. The clutch system  70  is therefore beneficial in allowing an automatic disconnection of the output gear  60  with the drive of the transmission system when the telescopic movement of the guide member  40  has reached a certain maxima or minima, which may otherwise cause damage to the gear system  51 , the motor  52  or even the vacuum cleaner  10 . 
     Although the clutch system  70  of the control module  50  is described above as a specific embodiment, it is understandable that the present invention should not be limited to the exemplified system in providing the automatic disconnection of the transmission mechanism. For example, an integrated circuit breaker in any known form can be provided at the control module  50  to electrically disconnect the power supply to, and/or to stop the rotational driving force from the motor  52  thereby preventing further movement of the guide member  40 . 
     In one further embodiment, a wheel cap or belt cover  90  may optionally be provided to cover the output gear  60  and the engaged belt member  62  for protection, as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . A belt clamp  92  may further be provided to secure position of the belt member  62  relative to the output gear  60  and the belt cover  90 . 
     The vacuum cleaner  10  as embodied in the present invention may generally be powered by an AC power supply, but may optionally include a DC battery and/or a rechargeable battery pack as a supportive or alternative power source. As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the vacuum cleaner  10  may comprise a first, main switch  3  for controlling power supply to the vacuum cleaner  10 , and a second switch  5  for actuating and controlling extension and retraction of the hose member  30 . In one embodiment, the main switch  3  can be arranged to electrically connect with the vacuum module  20  to allow electric power supply to the vacuum pump  22 , and the second switch  5  can be electrically connected with the control module  50  to provide electric power supply to the motor  52 . The second switch  5  may further comprise forward and a backward buttons for controlling the extending and retracting movements of the guide member  40  and thus the hose member  30 , respectively. Preferably, the first and the second switches  3 ,  5  can be connected with a same printed circuit board or different printed circuit boards to enable separate electrical control to the control module  50  and the vacuum module  20 , so that the relevant parts such as the transmission system and the vacuum pump  22  can be operated and controlled independently. This is beneficial in allowing control to the extension and retraction of the hose member  30  be conducted regardless of the operating condition of the vacuum pump  22 . The main switch  3  and the second switch  5  are positioned at or close to the handle for easy manual access by a thumb or a finger of a user holding the vacuum cleaner  10  in operation. Consequently, a user can automatically cause extension or retraction of the hose member to a desired length whilst the vacuum cleaner  10  is operating without having to change their hold on the handle of the vacuum cleaner  10 . 
     In one further embodiment, the plurality of guide units of the guide member  40  are adapted to be manually movable relative to one another to thereby allow a manual, i.e. physical, extension and retraction of the hose member  30  along its extension axis. Particularly, one or more of the guide units  40 A,  40 B and  40 C may further be manually positioned relative to one another and/or be locked in place via one or more corresponding manual locking means (not shown). Manual extension/retraction of the plurality of guide units and thus the hose may be assisted by configuring the clutch to disengage or the friction of the clutch to be overcome when said plurality of guide units are manually manipulated. The provision of a manual adjusting mechanism in addition to the automatic extension and retraction of the hose member controllable by the control module  50  allows further flexibility for the user to easily position the head portion  2  at the location to be cleaned. 
     Without limited by the described embodiments, it will be readily understood by a skilled person in the art that any variations to the vacuum cleaner in terms of, for example, dimensions, configurations, constructions, designs and/or materials forming one or more parts thereof, should also be encompassed by the present invention, as long as the variations are considered suitable and applicable without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention. For example, in one embodiment, the hose member  30  can be arranged to connect with the main body  12  via one or more connecting means such as one or more interconnected conduits which allow fluid communication between the hose member  30  and the vacuum module  20  of the main body  12 . In this embodiment, the conduit is preferred to be releasably engageable with a holding portion provided at the housing  16  of the main body  12  such that, in use, the user is allowed to manually detach the conduit from the housing  16  thereby enabling further physical extension of the hose member  30  away from the main body  12 . The conduit may further be formed of a stretchable material and/or be configured to be stretchable or extendable for additional extendibility. In one further embodiment, the vacuum module  20  may further be arranged to be releasably detachable from the main body  12  to thereby provide further flexibility to the user. 
     The present invention is advantageous in that it provides a vacuum cleaner, and particularly but not exclusively, a portable vacuum cleaner which is capable of automatically extending and retracting a hose connecting the suction head with the main body of the vacuum cleaner upon actuation of an electrical control module. No manual assembling and/or adjusting of the hose is required, although manual adjustment of the hose extension length amount may be optionally provided. The automatic adjustment is independently operable regardless of the operating condition of the vacuum cleaner, for example, the extension and retraction of the hose is controllable without the need of switching on or off the vacuum pump. Accordingly, the user may electrically adjust the length of the hose to position the suction head at any desired location to be cleaned without the need to power off the vacuum pump of the cleaner. The automatic extension and retraction also negates any manual locking and unlocking steps to the extendable or movable parts of the guide units and/or hose, which may otherwise interfere with the vacuum cleaning process. In addition, the automatic extension and retraction of the hose can be continuously controlled, that is, the length adjustment is not be restricted by any preset adjustment points or sessions of extension or retraction, but has an infinite length adjustability between its maxima and minima. The retractability of the hose further enables a more compact configuration of the vacuum cleaner, which allows easy and convenient handling of the hand-held vacuum cleaner during use, as well as to facilitate a more user-friendly storage of the vacuum cleaner after use. Furthermore, the clutch system of the present invention enables the transmission mechanism to stop automatically when the hose has reached its maximum length of extension or its minimum length of retraction. This is of particular significance in preventing the transmission mechanism and thus the vacuum cleaner from being damaged by excessive extension or retraction, and thus to ensure safety of the user. 
     The present description illustrates the principles of the present invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope. 
     Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only exemplary embodiments have been shown and described and do not limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It can be appreciated that any of the features described herein may be used with any embodiment. The illustrative embodiments are not exclusive of each other or of other embodiments not recited herein. Accordingly, the invention also provides embodiments that comprise combinations of one or more of the illustrative embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the invention as herein set forth can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and, therefore, only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated by the appended claims. 
     In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. 
     It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art.