Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,433,693 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Son, Jungkyu, Nam, Bohyun, Park, Jaeyong, Bae, Sehwan, Seo, Jonghyun, Lee, Jinwoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Carlson, Marc
• Application Number:
  US15/445,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20170245719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0081 Means for exhaust-air diffusion; Means for sound or vibration damping
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/102 Dust separators cyclones A47L9/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/12 Dry filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/22 Mountings for motor fan assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/242 Hose or pipe couplings
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2857 User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2889 Safety or protection devices or systems, e.g. for prevention of motor over-heating or for protection of the user

Abstract

Provided is a vacuum cleaner including a cleaner body having a motor generating a suction force; a dust container provided at a front end of the cleaner body and configured to collect dust sucked through a suction port; a cover member rotatably installed at an upper end of the cleaner body and opened and closed to selectively accommodate an upper portion of the dust container; a suction hose of which one side is connected to a suction portion suctioning the dust and the other side is connected to the cover member; a link assembly configured to connect between the cover member and the cleaner body; and a link assembly accommodating portion formed at one side of the cleaner body so that at least a part of the link assembly is inserted and configured to restrict the link assembly when the cover member is opened and thus to allow the cover member to be maintained in an opened state.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaner body;

a motor that is located in the cleaner body and configured to generate a suction force;

a dust container that defines a suction port, the dust container being configured to be coupled to a front portion of the cleaner body and to receive dust suctioned in through the suction port;

a cover member that is rotatably coupled to an upper end of the cleaner body and configured to selectively cover an upper portion of the dust container;

a suction hose that is configured to receive dust and connected to the cover member;

a link assembly that is configured to connect the cover member to the cleaner body; and

a link assembly accommodating portion that is provided to the cleaner body, the link assembly accommodating portion being configured to receive the link assembly and to, based on the cover member being in an opened state, restrict a movement of the link assembly to thereby maintain the cover member in the opened state,

wherein the link assembly comprises;

a rotating link that is rotatably connected to the cover member, and

a slider that is rotatably connected to the rotating link and configured to linearly guide the link assembly within the link assembly accommodating portion based on the cover member opening or closing.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cover member includes a cover member coupling portion that extends from the cover member and that is rotatably coupled to the link assembly.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the link assembly accommodating portion is configured to slidingly accommodate the link assembly such that the link assembly can be inserted and withdrawn, respectively, when the cover member is rotated to open and close.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the link assembly further comprises a spring that is located between the cover member and the slider and that is configured to provide an elastic force to the slider.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the rotating link includes:

a pair of supporting portions that extends toward the slider and is configured to accommodate the slider therebetween;

a slider fixing portion that protrudes inwardly from each of the pair of supporting portions to be rotatably coupled to the slider; and

a supporting protrusion that protrudes outwardly from each of the pair of supporting portions to be coupled to an interior of the link assembly accommodating portion.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the supporting portion defines a supporting slit at an end of the supporting portion between the slider fixing portion and the supporting protrusion, the supporting slit being configured to provide an outward elastic force to the supporting protrusion.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the interior of the link assembly accommodating portion includes an interference protrusion that protrudes inward, the interference protrusion being configured to restrict a movement of the supporting protrusion based on the cover member being opened to a set angle to thereby limit rotation of the cover member.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the slider defines a fixing groove that is configured to rotatably receive the slider fixing portion.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the slider defines a slider guide that is configured to slidably couple to a guide rib that is located at an inner side surface of the link assembly.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a connector that is located at a front end of the cover member, that is configured to receive the suction hose, and that is configured to communicate with the suction port of the dust container.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the suction hose includes a fitting portion that is configured to be coupled to the connector.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the fitting portion is configured to communicate with the suction port of the dust container based on being coupled to the connector.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is configured to open and close while the suction hose is connected to the cover member.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner body comprises:

a body part that defines space for receiving the dust container and the motor; and

an upper decoration that is coupled to an upper end of the body part and that defines an upper exterior of the cleaner body to which the cover member is rotatably coupled,

wherein the upper decoration defines a cover member coupling hole that is configured to receive the cover member, and

wherein the link assembly accommodating portion is located at the upper decoration.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising moving wheels that are located at each lateral side of the cleaner body, the moving wheels being configured to rotate about a rotation axis,

wherein the suction hose is located forward of and vertically above the rotation axis of the moving wheels.