Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,398,268 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bissell Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bissell Homecare, Inc. (Bissell Inc.)
• Inventors: Krebs, Alan J., Fester, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dung Van
• Application Number:
  US15/631,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20170280953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/225 Convertible suction cleaners, i.e. convertible between different types thereof, e.g. from upright suction cleaners to sledge-type suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/14 Bags or the like; Rigid filtering receptacles; Attachment of, or closures for, bags or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1427 Means for mounting or attaching bags or filtering receptacles in suction cleaners; Adapters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1481 Means for removing bags in suction cleaners, e.g. ejecting means; Means for exchanging bags
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/165 Construction of inlets
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/19 Means for monitoring filtering operation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/325 for wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a suction nozzle and a dirt separating and collecting system. The dirt separating and collecting system can include a bagless filter module and a bagged filter module that can be interchanged to convert the dirt separating and collecting system between a bagless configuration and a bagged configuration.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a suction nozzle; and

a dirt separating and collecting system convertible between a bagless configuration and a bagged configuration, comprising;

a housing comprising a cover with an air inlet in fluid communication with the suction nozzle and a lower housing coupled with the cover and comprising an air outlet;

a bagless filter module comprising an exhaust grill and a standpipe; and

a bagged filter module comprising an inlet guide and a filter bag;

wherein in the bagless configuration, the exhaust grill is mounted to the cover and the standpipe is mounted in fluid communication with the exhaust grill and the air outlet; and

wherein in the bagged configuration, the exhaust grill and the standpipe are removed from the housing, and the inlet guide is mounted to the cover and the filter bag is mounted in fluid communication with the inlet guide and the air outlet.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, and further comprising a foot assembly and an upright handle assembly pivotally mounted to the foot assembly, wherein the suction nozzle is provided on the foot assembly and the dirt separating and collecting system is provided on the upright handle assembly.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover is at least partially transparent.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the lower housing is opaque.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the lower housing is selectively removable from the vacuum cleaner without removing the cover.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, further comprising a latch assembly that selectively lowers the lower housing away from the cover.

7. The vacuum cleaner system of claim 1, wherein the bagless filter module comprises a cyclonic filter module.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, and further comprising a pre-motor filter provided in the lower housing.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the lower housing comprises an outlet grill and the pre-motor filter is upstream of the outlet grill.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the lower housing comprises a bottom wall and a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall to an open top, and wherein the air outlet is provided in the bottom wall.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10 wherein the lower housing further comprises ribs on an interior surface of the side wall.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the filter bag comprises a flexible air-permeable filter material.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the bagged filter module further comprises an inlet guide interface structure configured to support the filter bag below the inlet guide.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13 wherein the inlet guide interface structure comprises a filter bag air inlet leading into an interior of the filter bag, and in fluid communication with the inlet guide.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14 wherein the bagged filter module further comprises a gasket between the inlet guide interface structure and the inlet guide to fluidly seal the filter bag with the inlet guide.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the inlet guide comprises a helical inlet guide.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16, wherein the helical inlet guide comprises a helical ramp and a lip provided on an outer edge of the helical ramp configured to seal against the cover.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising an attachment mechanism for removably attaching one of the exhaust grill or the inlet guide to the cover.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 18 wherein the attachment mechanism comprises a bayonet mount.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a locking receiver configured to interchangeably receive the exhaust grill and the inlet guide.