Patent ID: 7665182

Claim:
A vacuum cleaner, comprising: a cover forming at least a portion of a main body of the vacuum cleaner; a dust collection device by which foreign particles contained in air are filtered and collected; a suction motor that sucks air; an airflow passage through which the air exhausted from the dust collection device is guided to the suction motor; a damper selectively opened or closed by an inner air pressure of the airflow passage, wherein the damper comprises a compressive spring to which a compressive force is applied, a shielding member formed at one end of the compressive spring that shields outer air when pushed, and a support surface having a lower part which supports another end of the compressive spring; and a damper support member that receives the damper therein and which is coupled to or formed in the cover, and that prevents the damper from falling into an inner space of the airflow passage, wherein the damper support member comprises an escape preventing surface configured to cover an upper part of the support surface and to support the damper and wherein a flexible installation part fixes the damper to the cover and has a first opening; and a guide part coupled between the support surface and the flexible installation part and having a plurality of second openings, wherein the guide part includes a plurality of branches and the second openings are formed between respective ones of said branches, wherein air flows along a path that extends between the first opening and the second openings when the spring compresses to move the shielding member away from the first opening, and the damper support member includes a plurality of support bars coupled to the escape preventing surface, and the second openings pass through spaces formed between the support bars and the branches of the guide part.