Electric vacuum cleaner and cyclonic dust collecting apparatus

• US 20060016043A1
• Filed: 07/21/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takai, Kei, Tsuchida, Hideya, Ushio, Shozo, Matsuhashi, Hiromichi, Fujiyoshi, Toshiyuki
• Application Number:
  US11/185,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20060016043A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1427 Means for mounting or attaching bags or filtering receptacles in suction cleaners; Adapters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1472 combined with security means, e.g. for preventing use, e.g. in case of absence of the bag
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/165 Construction of inlets
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/20 Means for cleaning filters

Abstract

In an inventive electric vacuum cleaner, a filter 20 through which air discharged from an air outlet port 19 is passed is provided on a rear face of a casing 18 of a cyclonic dust collecting apparatus 7, and held by a filter holder 18B. A rear face of the filter 20 is spaced from vertical ribs 32A of the filter holder 18B to define a guide passage 35 for guiding air discharged from a portion of the air outlet port 19 not opposed to an opening 33 through the filter 20 toward the opening 33. The guide passage 35 allows the air to pass through the portion of the air outlet port 19 not opposed to the opening 33.

Claims

1. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a main body including an electric fan incorporated therein; and

a dust collecting apparatus removable from the main body, wherein

the dust collecting apparatus comprises a suction port, a cyclonic flow path for swirling air sucked from the suction port to separate dust from the air by a centrifugal force, a dust collecting chamber in which the separated dust is collected, an air outlet port provided in a wall of the dust collecting chamber for discharging the air sucked from the suction port, and a filter attached to the air outlet port,

the main body has a wall opposed to the wall of the dust collecting chamber and having an opening smaller than the air outlet port in opposed relation to the air outlet port for feeding the air downstream by the electric fan,

the air outlet port has a region opposed to the opening and a region not opposed to the opening, and

a guide passage is provided for guiding air discharged from the region of the air outlet port not opposed to the opening toward the opening.

2. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the dust collecting apparatus has a filter cover abutting against the wall of the main body downstream of the filter, and

the guide passage is defined between the filter cover and the filter.

3. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the filter cover has a frame rib which intrudes into the filter in opposed relation to a peripheral edge of the air outlet port.

4. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 3, wherein

the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus further includes a filter holder which holds the filter, and

the filter cover is provided on the filter holder.

6. An electric vacuum cleaner comprising:

a main body including an electric fan incorporated therein; and

a dust collecting apparatus removable from the main body, wherein

a cyclonic dust collecting apparatus and a disposable dust collecting apparatus are selectively usable as the dust collecting apparatus, the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus comprising a suction port, a cyclonic flow path for swirling air sucked from the suction port to separate dust from the air by a centrifugal force, a dust collecting chamber in which the separated dust is collected, an air outlet port provided in a wall of the dust collecting chamber for discharging the air sucked from the suction port, and a filter attached to the air outlet port, the disposable dust collecting apparatus comprising a mouth cardboard and a filter bag attached to the mouth cardboard, and

the main body has an accommodating portion for accommodating either of the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus and the disposable dust collecting apparatus, the accommodating portion having a fixing member for fixing the disposable dust collecting apparatus when the disposable dust collecting apparatus is accommodated in the accommodating portion.

5. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 11 wherein

a portion of the dust collecting chamber of the dust collecting apparatus not opposed to the opening is narrower than a portion of the dust collecting chamber opposed to the opening.

7. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 6, wherein

the accommodating portion is provided with a packing which includes an annular resiliently deformable portion which is resiliently deformable in abutment with a peripheral edge of an inlet of the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus when the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus is accommodated in the accommodating portion, and an annular projection which bites an inner peripheral edge of an inlet of the disposable dust collecting apparatus when the disposable dust collecting apparatus is fixed to the fixing member.

8. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 7, wherein

the annular projection has a convexly curved cross section.

9. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 7, wherein

the annular resiliently deformable portion is disposed outward of the annular projection, and

the annular resiliently deformable portion has a guide portion formed by outwardly extending at least a part of an outer peripheral portion thereof and having a distal portion curved away from the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus or the disposable dust collecting apparatus accommodated in the accommodating portion.

10. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 9, wherein

the fixing member has a pair of engagement projections for fixing the disposable dust collecting apparatus, and

an inlet pipe defining the inlet of the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus is inserted between the pair of engagement projections when the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus is accommodated in the accommodating portion.

11. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 10, wherein

the fixing member includes an engagement member formed with the pair of engagement projections and pivotally retained, and

the disposable dust collecting apparatus is engaged with the pair of engagement projections by pivoting the engagement member when the disposable dust collecting apparatus is fixed to the fixing member.

12. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 10, wherein

the pair of engagement projections guide opposite edges of the disposable dust collecting apparatus in a direction of insertion of the disposable dust collecting apparatus, the opposite edges being opposed to each other perpendicularly to the insertion direction.

13. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

an accommodating portion cover which openably covers the accommodating portion; and

a stopper which prevents the accommodating portion cover from being closed when the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus is not accommodated in the accommodating portion and the disposable dust collecting apparatus is not fixed to the fixing member, and permits the accommodating portion cover to be closed when the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus is accommodated in the accommodating portion or the disposable dust collecting apparatus is fixed to the fixing member.

14. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 13, wherein

the stopper is disposed in the accommodating portion, and is displaced from an initial position by an action force from the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus when the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus is accommodated in the accommodating portion and by an action force from the disposable dust collecting apparatus when the disposable dust collecting apparatus is fixed to the fixing member, and

the stopper prevents the accommodating portion cover from being closed when the stopper is located at the initial position, and permits the accommodating portion cover to be closed when the stopper is displaced from the initial position by the action force from one of the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus and the disposable dust collecting apparatus.

15. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 13, wherein

the stopper is attached to the accommodating portion cover so as to be brought into contact with the fixing member,

if an attempt is made to close the accommodating portion cover when the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus is not accommodated in the accommodating portion and the disposable dust collecting apparatus is not fixed to the fixing member, the stopper is brought into abutment against the fixing member to prevent the closing of the accommodating portion cover,

if an attempt is made to close the accommodating portion cover with the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus accommodated in the accommodating portion, the stopper is displaced by an action force from the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus to permit the closing of the accommodating portion cover without the abutment of the stopper against the fixing member, and

with the disposable dust collecting apparatus fixed to the fixing member, the fixing member is displaced to a fixing position to fix the disposable dust collecting apparatus, thereby permitting the closing of the accommodating portion cover without the abutment of the stopper against the fixing member.

16. An electric vacuum cleaner as set forth in claim 6, wherein

the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus includes a hollow casing prepared by bonding a plurality of components to each other,

the cyclonic flow path for swirling the air sucked from the suction port is provided in the casing,

the components of the casing respectively have bonding ribs projecting from mating portions thereof, and

the casing has a cleaning device retaining portion defined by parts of the bonding ribs for retaining a cleaning device usable for cleaning the cyclonic dust collecting apparatus.

17. A dust collecting apparatus to be removably mounted in an electric vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a hollow casing having a suction port and an air outlet port;

a cyclonic flow path defined in the casing for swirling air sucked from the suction port to separate dust from the air by a centrifugal force;

a dust collecting chamber defined in the casing for collecting the separated dust;

the air outlet port being formed in a wall of the dust collecting chamber as having a great size;

a filter attached to the air outlet port; and

a leg provided integrally with the casing for keeping the casing in a predetermined upright state when the dust collecting apparatus is removed from the electric vacuum cleaner.

18. A dust collecting apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein

the leg keeps the casing upright with the suction port oriented generally horizontally or upward.

19. A dust collecting apparatus as set forth in claim 17, further comprising:

a filter holder for holding the filter; and

a press frame which presses a peripheral portion of a pre-filter disposed upstream of the filter to hold the pre-filter between the casing and the filter holder.

20. A dust collecting apparatus as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the press frame has a pair of pivot shafts for pivotally attaching the press frame, and

one of the casing and the filter holder has a pair of through-holes through which the respective pivot shafts extend, and the other of the casing and the filter holder has a pair of insertion holes in which distal end portions of the respective pivot shafts extending through the through-holes are inserted.