Vacuum cleaner

• US 20030208875A1
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Koichi, Nishimura, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,210,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/327.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/26 Incorporation of winding devices for electric cables devices specially adapted for repeatedly paying-out or re-storing cables B65H75/34; arrangements of electrical cables or lines between relatively-movable parts H02G11/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner has a suction air inlet disposed in front of an electric blower and a dust chamber detachably installed to the rear of the electric blower. The vacuum cleaner further embodies a swivel caster and wheels for facilitating transportability thereof, wherein the swivel caster is provided in front of the electric blower. By not having the dust chamber above the swivel caster, regardless of the amount of dust accumulated in the dust chamber, the load that is distributed on the swivel caster stays substantially unchanged, thereby enhancing durability of the swivel caster. Furthermore, in such configuration loading and unloading of the dust chamber can be carried out without being interfered with a hose due to the placement of the suction air outlet connected with the hose and the dust chamber on opposite ends of the vacuum cleaner.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:

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.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the axis of rotation of the wheels is directed toward lateral sides of the dust chamber.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising:

a pedestal for supporting a bottom surface of the dust chamber, wherein the pedestal has a descending slant toward the suction air inlet.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, further comprising:

a pedestal for supporting a bottom surface of the dust chamber, wherein the pedestal has a descending slant toward the suction air inlet.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, further comprising:

a cord retracting chamber placed above the dust chamber for storing therein an electrical power cord, wherein the cord retracting chamber has a descending slant toward the suction air inlet.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, further comprising:

a cord retracting chamber placed above the dust chamber for storing therein an electrical power cord, wherein the cord retracting chamber has a descending slant toward the suction air inlet.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, further comprising:

a support under the pedestal,

wherein a bottom of the support includes a descending slant toward the suction air inlet to allow the support to get in touch with a surface on which the main body resides when a front portion of the main body is lifted.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, further comprising:

a support under the pedestal,

wherein a bottom of the support includes a descending slant toward the suction air inlet to allow the support to get in touch with a surface on which the main body resides when a front portion of the main body is lifted.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust chamber is made of a transparent or a semi-transparent material.

10. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a main body including 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.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein the dust chamber is made of a transparent or a semi-transparent material.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein the pedestal is joined with a rear outer wall that forms the rear of the main body.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, wherein one of the pedestal and the dust chamber has a protrusion and the other thereof has a groove into which the protrusion is inserted.