Upright vacuum cleaner with cyclonic airflow
DCFirst Claim
1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
- a housing having a cyclonic airflow chamber for separating contaminants from a suction airstream, said housing including a floor, a top wall, a suction airstream inlet, and a suction airstream outlet, said airstream inlet and said airstream outlet being in fluid communication with said cyclonic airflow chamber;
a suction opening defined on said housing, said suction opening being fluidically connected with said airstream inlet;
an airstream suction source located on said housing, said suction source having an inlet fluidically connected to said airstream outlet and a suction source exhaust outlet, said suction source selectively establishing and maintaining a suction airstream from said suction opening to said suction source exhaust outlet;
a main filter support extending upwardly from the floor of the housing for releasably securing a main filter element centrally in said cyclonic airflow chamber;
a main filter element secured to said main filter support; and
,a dirt cup selectively positioned in said housing, said main filter element being positioned in said dirt cup.
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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 lower portion of the chamber (54). A main filter element (H) 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.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
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a housing having a cyclonic airflow chamber for separating contaminants from a suction airstream, said housing including a floor, a top wall, a suction airstream inlet, and a suction airstream outlet, said airstream inlet and said airstream outlet being in fluid communication with said cyclonic airflow chamber; a suction opening defined on said housing, said suction opening being fluidically connected with said airstream inlet; an airstream suction source located on said housing, said suction source having an inlet fluidically connected to said airstream outlet and a suction source exhaust outlet, said suction source selectively establishing and maintaining a suction airstream from said suction opening to said suction source exhaust outlet; a main filter support extending upwardly from the floor of the housing for releasably securing a main filter element centrally in said cyclonic airflow chamber; a main filter element secured to said main filter support; and
,a dirt cup selectively positioned in said housing, said main filter element being positioned in said dirt cup. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An upright vacuum cleaner comprising:
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an upright housing section including a handle; a nozzle base section hingedly interconnected with the upright housing section, said nozzle base section including a main suction opening formed in an underside thereof; a cyclonic airflow chamber defined in said upright housing section for separating dust and dirt from a suction airstream; a suction source located in one of said upright housing section and said nozzle base section and having a suction airflow inlet in fluid communication with said cyclonic airflow chamber and a suction airflow outlet; and
,a main filter element located in said cyclonic chamber upstream from said suction source for filtering residual dust and dirt from a suction airstream passing through said cyclonic airflow chamber, said main filter element extending upwardly within said cyclonic airflow chamber from a floor of said housing section, wherein a lower portion of said cyclonic airflow chamber is defined by a dirt container for receiving and retaining dirt and dust separated from said suction airstream. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
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a nozzle section; a housing section connected to said nozzle section and in fluid communication with said nozzle section; a cyclonic airflow chamber located in said housing section for separating dirt and dust from a suction airstream flowing into said housing section between an inlet located at a periphery of said housing section and an outlet located along a longitudinal centerline of said housing section; an upper conduit depending from a top wall of said cyclonic airflow chamber and including a passage therein in communication with said outlet of said housing section; and
,a main filter element extending upwardly from a floor of said cyclonic airflow chamber in a central portion of said chamber so that an annulus is defined between said main filter element and the housing portion defining said chamber, said main filter element sealingly engaged with said passage in said upper conduit and adapted for filtering residual dust and dirt from said suction airstream prior to said suction airstream exiting said cyclonic airflow chamber. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification