Upright vacuum cleaner with cyclonic airflow
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An upright vacuum cleaner (A) includes an upright housing section (B) and a nozzle section (C). A cyclonic airflow dirt and dust separating chamber (54) is defined in said upright housing section. A suction source (E) pulls air and entrained dirt, dust, and other contaminants through a main suction opening (26) formed in the underside (24) of the nozzle and into the cyclonic airflow chamber (54). The cyclonic airflow chamber causes the suction airstream to travel in a cyclonic path such that the entrained contaminants are separated therefrom and deposited into a dirt container (52) that defines the chamber (54). A main filter element (K) filters residual contaminants from the suction airstream between the chamber and the suction source. The main filter element is preferably made from high-density polyethylene porous filter media. A final filter assembly (F) filters the suction airstream discharged by the suction source to ensure that the air discharged into the atmosphere is contaminant free, including those contaminants introduced into the airstream by the suction source itself.
148 Citations
78 Claims
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1-20. -20. (canceled)
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21. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
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a housing including a suction source communicating with a nozzle;
a dirt cup selectively connected to said housing;
a flow path leading from said nozzle to said suction source, wherein said dirt cup communicates with said flow path at a location between said nozzle and said suction source;
a cyclonic particle separation chamber at least partially defined in said dirt cup for separating particles entrained in an airstream flowing from said nozzle to said suction source;
a filter located in said housing, wherein said filter is positioned downstream from said particle separation chamber and upstream from said suction source, said filter being removable from said housing for cleaning; and
,wherein said dirt cup comprises a side wall and an inlet opening of said particle separation chamber is located in said dirt cup side wall. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
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a housing including a suction source communicating with a cyclonic air separation chamber;
a handle connected to said housing to enable movement of the housing;
a nozzle mounted to said housing, said nozzle being in communication with said cyclonic air separation chamber; and
,a dirt cup selectively connected to said housing, said dirt cup comprising at least a portion of said cyclonic air separation chamber, said dirt cup including;
an open first end, a side wall, a closed second end, an inlet opening located in said side wall, and an outlet opening, wherein said inlet opening of said dirt cup is in fluid communication with said nozzle and said outlet opening of said dirt cup is in fluid communication with said suction source. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
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a nozzle section;
a housing including a suction source in fluid communication with said nozzle section;
a dirt cup selectively mounted to said housing, said dirt cup including a closed first end, a side wall and an open second end;
a cyclonic dirt separation chamber at least partially defined in said dirt cup for separating dirt and dust from an airstream flowing into said dirt cup;
a first filter element mounted to said dirt cup adjacent an outlet of said dirt separation chamber, wherein said first filter element is removable with said dirt cup from said housing; and
,wherein an inlet of said dirt separation chamber is located in said side wall of said dirt cup. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A dirt collecting system for a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner including:
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a motor-fan assembly with a suction inlet opening, an agitator chamber, a dirt collecting chamber, and a housing, the motor-fan assembly creating a dirt laden airstream from the agitator chamber to the dirt collecting chamber, wherein said dirt collecting chamber comprises a dirt cup for collecting dirt particles, the dirt cup including;
an end wall;
a side wall, wherein said side wall and said end wall define the dirt collecting chamber;
a lid selectively connected to said dirt cup side wall;
a dirty air inlet opening formed in one of said dirt cup and said lid;
a clean air outlet opening formed in one of said dirt cup and said lid; and
,a cyclonic airflow chamber defined between said dirt cup and said lid for separating dirt from the dirt laden airstream. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. In an improved dirt collecting system for a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner having a motor-fan assembly with a suction inlet opening, a dirt collecting chamber, and a housing, the motor-fan assembly creating a dirt laden airstream from the suction inlet opening to the dirt collecting chamber, the improvement comprising a dirt collecting chamber comprised of a dirt cup for collecting dirt particles, the dirt cup comprised of:
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an end wall;
a side wall, wherein said side walls and said end wall define the dirt collecting chamber;
a lid connected to said dirt cup;
a dirty air inlet opening formed in one of said dirt cup and said lid;
a clean air outlet opening formed in one of said dirt cup and said lid; and
,a cyclonic airflow chamber defined between said dirt cup and said lid for separating dirt from said dirt laden air stream. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. A removable dirt separation system for a vacuum cleaner, comprising:
a dirt cup including (i) a closed first end, comprising an end wall, and a side wall, (ii) an open second end to allow emptying of the dirt cup, and (iii) an inlet in fluid communication with a suction nozzle of the vacuum cleaner;
a lid for selectively sealing the open end of the dirt cup; and
an air path for routing air which exits a filter assembly, located adjacent an outlet end of said dirt cup, to said suction source.- View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78)
Specification