FILTER AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVED SEALING ON A VACUUM CLEANER
First Claim
1. A filter system for a vacuum cleaner, comprising:
- a main filter support adapted to be fixedly coupled to a mounting assembly of the vacuum cleaner;
an outer filter support slidably coupled to the main filter support and extending at least partially around an outer periphery of the main filter support; and
a filter having a filter element and a lateral seal portion coupled to the filter element, the filter being removably coupled around at least a portion of the outer filter support, and the lateral seal portion being oriented radially inward toward a longitudinal axis of the filter, the lateral seal portion overlapping at least a portion of a periphery of the outer filter support to form an overlapping portion of the seal with the outer filter support, the overlapping portion being adapted to be compressed between the mounting assembly and the outer filter support for sealing.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure provides a filter for mounting in a vacuum cleaner, such as a wet and dry vacuum cleaner, having a seal at generally each end, and a corresponding mounting structure that focuses compressive sealing forces on specific seal components rather than the filter body as a whole. The sealing is directed primarily to portions of the seals on the filter ends that are compressed or “pinched” between adjacent surfaces. The concentrated compressive stress provides a well-defined region to consistently provide a sealing engagement. The compressive force can thereby remain relatively constant through multiple uses of the filter.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A filter system for a vacuum cleaner, comprising:
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a main filter support adapted to be fixedly coupled to a mounting assembly of the vacuum cleaner;
an outer filter support slidably coupled to the main filter support and extending at least partially around an outer periphery of the main filter support; and
a filter having a filter element and a lateral seal portion coupled to the filter element, the filter being removably coupled around at least a portion of the outer filter support, and the lateral seal portion being oriented radially inward toward a longitudinal axis of the filter, the lateral seal portion overlapping at least a portion of a periphery of the outer filter support to form an overlapping portion of the seal with the outer filter support, the overlapping portion being adapted to be compressed between the mounting assembly and the outer filter support for sealing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13)
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8. A filter for a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner having a mounting assembly and a filter support assembly coupled to the mounting assembly to support the filter, comprising:
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a filter element; and
a first lateral seal portion coupled to a first end of the filter element, the lateral seal portion being oriented radially inward toward a longitudinal axis of the filter, the lateral seal portion being dimensioned to overlap at least a portion of a periphery of the filter support assembly about which the filter is mounted to form an overlapping portion of the seal with the filter support assembly, the overlapping portion being adapted to be compressed between the mounting assembly and at least a portion of the filter support assembly for sealing the filter. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of sealing a filter to a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner having a mounting assembly and a filter support assembly coupled to the mounting assembly to support the filter, the filter support assembly comprising a main filter support fixedly coupled to the mounting assembly and an outer filter support slidably coupled around a peripheral portion of the main filter support, comprising:
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stretching a lateral seal portion of the filter outwardly around the outer filter support and sliding the filter toward an end of the outer filter support to a smaller cross sectional portion formed between the outer filter support and the mounting assembly;
allowing the lateral seal portion to at least partially resume an unstretched position in the smaller cross sectional portion thereby overlapping a portion of the outer filter support with the lateral seal portion; and
compressing the overlapping portion to effect a seal of the filter to the vacuum cleaner while avoiding substantially compressing a filter element of the filter coupled to the lateral seal portion.
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14. A filter for a wet and dry vacuum cleaner, comprising:
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a filter element having an opening on at least one end about a longitudinal axis of the filter;
a seal coupled to the filter element, the seal formed on the end with said opening, the seal comprising a longitudinal seal portion and lateral seal portion, the longitudinal seal portion protruding in a longitudinal direction from the filter element;
the lateral seal portion fixedly attached to the longitudinal seal portion, the lateral seal being oriented radially inward toward the longitudinal axis and having a minimum diameter that is less than the diameter of the filter element, and the lateral seal portion being adapted to be compressed and seal the filter to the vacuum cleaner. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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Specification