Vacuum cleaner and disposable vacuum cleaner bag

• US 20070251049A1
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Great Star Tools USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Shop-Vac Corporation (Hangzhou Great Star Industrial Company Limited)
• Inventors: Wolfe, Melvin
• Granted Patent: US 8,087,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/347
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/14 Bags or the like; Rigid filtering receptacles; Attachment of, or closures for, bags or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1436 Connecting plates, e.g. collars, end closures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 15/02 Car cleaning plants

Abstract

The disclosed disposable vacuum cleaner has a disposable bag with a collar at the bottom, rather than on the sides. Dirty air enters the bag vertically, rather than horizontally, through a duct that is positioned near the floor, separate from the handle on the vacuum cleaner. An elongated, light-weight tube is disposed within the bag, and has a lower end that is connected to the collar. The tube is made of a thin, lightweight, lay-flat tubing with opposed creases, and is flexible and collapsible. It has a length that is greater than half the height of the sides of the bag. The collar has a seal that is trapped between two pieces of mounting material and extends around the periphery of the duct, providing an elastic seal. The bag has a top that is reinforced with a cardboard support. Extending flanges on the support can be used to suspend the bag from arms in the vacuum cleaner.

Claims

1. A disposable bag for a vacuum cleaner, the bag comprising:

one or more relatively large sides with a bottom edge;

a relatively small base that adjoins the bottom edge of the sides;

a collar on the base; and

an elongated, light-weight tube that is disposed within the bag and has a lower end that is connected to the collar.

2. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the sides of the bag are free of inlet apertures.

3. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the base is generally planar.

4. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the collar has an elastic seal.

5. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which a lower end of the bag has tabs that extend between opposed layers in the collar.

6. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the tube is made of a material that has a thickness of less than 5/100'"'"'s of an inch.

7. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the tube is made of a material that weighs less than ½

ounce per square foot.

8. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the tube is flexible.

9. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the tube is collapsible.

10. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the tube has opposed lateral creases.

11. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the tube has a length that is greater than half the height of the sides of the bag.

12. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the tube is made of lay-flat tubing.

13. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the bag has a top that has a portion that is stronger than the sides.

14. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the bag has a reinforced top.

15. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the bag has a top that is reinforced with a cardboard support.

16. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the bag is reinforced with a support that covers no more than half the top of the bag.

17. A disposable bag as recited in claim 1, in which the bag is reinforced with a support that has an extending flange.

19. A vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 17, and further comprising a handle that is remote from the duct.

20. A vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 17, in which the upper end of the duct is positioned no more than 8 inches above the floor.

21. A vacuum cleaner as recited in claim 17, in which the duct opens in an upward direction.

18. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a cleaning head;

a duct on the head through which airflow from the head passes; and

a disposable bag that has one or more relatively large sides with a bottom edge, a relatively small base that adjoins the bottom edge of the sides, a collar on the base that detachably engages the duct on the cleaning head, and an elongated tube that is disposed within the bag and has a lower end that is connected to the collar.