Upright vacuum cleaner

• US 5,659,919 A
• Filed: 08/30/1995
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kajihara, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US08/520,874
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 15/339, 15/325, 15/351, 15/352
• US Class Current: 15/325
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners

Abstract

An upright vacuum cleaner includes a suction port body and a handle body which incorporates a fan motor and a dust collecting case and which is mounted to the suction port body to be tiltable about the rotating shaft of the fan motor as the tilting fulcrum. The suction port body is constituted by a suction port base, having a substantially rectangular suction port at a front lower surface thereof through which a rotary brush is exposed, for rotatably axially supporting the rotary brush, and a suction port hood detachably mounted to the suction port base.

Claims

1. An upright vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a suction port body incorporating a rotary brush for cleaning a floor surface;

a suction fan motor assembly for generating a suction force for drawing dust by suction, and for supplying a driving force to said rotary brush;

a dust collecting portion for collecting the dust drawn by said suction fan motor assembly; and

a handle body incorporating said suction fan motor assembly, said assembly including a fan motor, and said dust collecting portion and mounted to said suction port body to be tiltable about a rotating shaft of said fan motor which serves as a tilting fulcrum,

wherein said suction port body comprises

a suction port base having a substantially rectangular suction port at a front lower surface thereof through which said rotary brush is exposed, for rotatably axially supporting said rotary brush, and at least one uprightly extending boss portion fixedly attached thereto, and

a suction port hood detachably mounted to said suction port base and having an opening portion disposed at a position corresponding to the position of each of said at least one boss portion when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base.

2. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one boss portion has a screw hole therein for receiving a screw when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base.

3. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising a microswitch connected in series with said fan motor, said microswitch having an upper surface at which an operation button is disposed, wherein

said suction port base includes a case body having an opening portion defined at an upper portion thereof, said microswitch being disposed within said case body, and

said suction port hood has a convex activation body, said activation body activating said operation button when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base.

4. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 3 wherein a surface of said pressing body is covered with a sealing member such that when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base said sealing member closes the opening portion of said case body.

5. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising a bumper mounted around said suction port base and said suction port hood, an end portion of said bumper being clamped between said suction port base and said suction port hood.

6. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of said at least one boss portion has a stepped locking body structure, each said locking body structure projecting through one of said opening portions when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base, and

said suction port hood has a locking device on a surface thereof corresponding to each of said at least one opening portion, said locking device having a notched portion slidable between an engaged position with said locking body structure and a disengaged position therewith, each said notched portion being engageable with said locking body structure projecting through each said opening portion.

7. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 6 further comprising a microswitch connected in series with said fan motor, said microswitch having an upper surface at which an operation button is disposed, wherein

said suction port base includes a case body having an opening portion defined at an upper portion thereof, said microswitch being disposed within said case body, and

said suction port hood has a convex activation body, said activation body activating said operation button when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base.

8. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 7 wherein a surface of said pressing body is covered with a sealing member such that when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base said sealing member closes the opening portion of said case body.

9. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 6 further comprising a bumper mounted around said suction port base and said suction port hood, an end portion of said bumper being clamped between said suction port base and said suction port hood.

10. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a microswitch connected in series with said fan motor, said microswitch having an upper surface at which an operation button is disposed, wherein

said suction port base includes a case body having an opening portion defined at an upper portion thereof, said microswitch being disposed within said case body, and

said suction port hood has a convex activation body, said activation body activating said operation button when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base.

11. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein a surface of said pressing body is covered with a sealing member such that when said suction port hood is mounted to said suction port base said sealing member closes the opening portion of said case body.

12. The upright vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a bumper mounted around said suction port base and said suction port hood, an end portion of said bumper being clamped between said suction port base and said suction port hood.