Bagless dustcup

• US 6,558,453 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2001
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Care Products Limited (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: White Consolidated Industries Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Thomas, Joyce, Muclahy, Joseph, Sepke, Arnold L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hopkins, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US09/759,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 553/37, 554/29, 554/591, 554/592, 554/82, 55D/IG.3, 153/50, 153/53
• US Class Current: 95/268
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/127 tube- or sleeve-shaped
• 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: B01D 2265/028 Snap, latch or clip connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2275/201 Conical shape
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/55 for cleaning appliances, e.g. suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2403 characterised by the physical shape or structure of the filtering element
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A bagless vacuum cleaner system dustcup assembly and method for using said system with a vacuum cleaner apparatus to separate dirt from a mixture of dirt and air inducted into said vacuum cleaner apparatus. Said bagless vacuum cleaner system generally comprises a dustcup assembly, a handle assembly and a motor intake adaptor.

Claims

1. A bagless vacuum cleaner system used for separation of a mixture of dirt and air drawn into a vacuum cleaner apparatus, said bagless vacuum cleaner system comprising:

a dust cup assembly removably secured to a housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

a handle assembly connected to a base portion of an upstanding handle, said handle assembly also secured to said housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

and a motor intake adaptor connected to said dustcup assembly and to an air intake of a suction motor of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

wherein said dustcup assembly includes a dustcup having a dustcup chamber and a dustcup passageway, said dustcup assembly includes a filter/cyclone assembly comprising a plenum chamber member, a cyclone module secured to said plenum chamber member and a filter assembly connected to said cyclone module, and said plenum chamber member has a handle.

2. A bagless vacuum cleaner system used for separation of a mixture of dirt and air drawn into a vacuum cleaner apparatus, said bagless vacuum cleaner system comprising:

a dust cup assembly removably secured to a housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

a handle assembly connected to a base portion of an upstanding handle, said handle assembly also secured to said housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

and a motor intake adaptor connected to said dustcup assembly and to an air intake of a suction motor of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

wherein said dustcup assembly includes a dustcup having a dustcup chamber and a dustcup passageway, said dustcup assembly includes a filter/cyclone assembly comprising a plenum chamber member, a cyclone module secured to said plenum chamber member and a filter assembly connected to said cyclone module, and said cyclone module includes a volute structure that defines volute passageway, said passageway having a first opening located in an upper wall of said cyclone module and second opening that is in fluid communication with said dustcup chamber.

3. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 2, wherein said cyclone module includes a frustoconical, cage-like structure that projects downwardly from a second opening located in said upper wall of said cyclone module.

4. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 3, wherein said frustoconical cage-like structure includes a plurality of elongated appendages and a disk-like member, said plurality of elongated appendages being connected to said second opening in said upper wall of said cyclone and to said disk-like member.

5. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 3, wherein said filter assembly includes a filter and a filter receptacle into which said filter is slidably received.

6. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 5, wherein said filter is a frustoconical structure having an opening at a large base end and being made of an open cell, flexible substance.

7. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 5, wherein said filter receptacle is a frustoconical receptacle structure that projects downwardly from said upper wall of said cyclone module.

8. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 7, wherein said frustoconical receptacle structure includes a large, top end portion having a top end opening, a plurality of elongated, rib-like appendages, and a cylindrical lower portion, said plurality of elongated, rib-like appendages being connected to said top end portion and to said cylindrical lower portion.

9. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 8, wherein said lower cylindrical portion includes an annular collar and said plurality of elongated, rib-like appendages are connected to said annular collar.

10. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 8, wherein said frustoconical receptacle structure includes a plurality of mounting hooks connected to said top end portion, said mounting hooks being circumferentially spaced about an upper edge of said top end portion.

11. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 10, wherein said frustoconical receptacle structure further includes a plurality of bump-like structures connected to said top end portion, said bump-like structures being circumferentially spaced about said upper edge of said top end portion between said mounting hooks.

12. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 11, wherein said upper wall of said cyclone member is provided with a first plurality of raised structures and a second plurality of raised structures, said first plurality of raised structures and said second plurality of raised structures being arranged in a circular pattern around said second opening in said upper wall, said first plurality of raised structures defining a first plurality of inverted channels having an opening in a bottom surface of said upper wall and said second plurality defining a second plurality of inverted channels also having an opening in said bottom surface of said upper wall.

13. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of mounting hooks are received by said first plurality of inverted channels and said plurality of bump-like structures are received by said second plurality of inverted channels and said filter assembly is secured to said cyclone channel by said an operator of said vacuum cleaner apparatus imparting a twisting force to said lower cylindrical portion of said frustoconical receptacle structure.

14. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 8, wherein said frustoconical receptacle further includes a screen element.

15. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 14, wherein said screen element is connected to said top end portion, said plurality of elongated, rib-like structures and to said cylindrical lower portion of said frustoconical receptacle.

16. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 8, wherein said cylindrical lower portion includes a gripping surface defined by plurality of ribs and a plurality of depressions defined by said plurality of ribs.

17. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 3, wherein said frustoconical, cage-like structure receives said filter assembly.

18. A bagless vacuum cleaner system used for separation of a mixture of dirt and air drawn into a vacuum cleaner apparatus, said bagless vacuum cleaner system comprising:

a dust cup assembly removably secured to a housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

a handle assembly connected to a base portion of an upstanding handle, said handle assembly also secured to said housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

and a motor intake adaptor connected to said dustcup assembly and to an air intake of a suction motor of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

wherein said dustcup assembly includes a dustcup having a dustcup chamber and a dustcup passageway, said dustcup assembly includes a filter/cyclone assembly comprising a plenum chamber member, a cyclone module secured to said plenum chamber member and a filter assembly connected to said cyclone module, said plenum chamber has an inlet passageway that is in fluid communication with said handle assembly and with said cyclone, and said handle assembly connected to said base portion of said upstanding handle comprises a rear handle bracket connected to said upstanding handle;

a front handle bracket connected to said rear handle bracket;

a top-hinged support pivotably connected to said front handle bracket;

a top cover connected to said top-hinged support; and

a latch connected to said top-hinged support.

19. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 18, wherein said top-hinged support includes a chimney extension, said chimney extension having a top opening at a top portion and a bottom opening at a bottom portion, said top portion of said chimney extension projecting through an opening included in said top cover and bottom portion being received by said inlet passageway of said plenum chamber member.

20. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 18, wherein said latch is a spring-loaded latch having a latch projection, said latch projection being slidably received by a latch projection receptacle included in said top-hinged assembly.

21. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 20, wherein said handle assembly further includes a compression spring, said compression spring being connected to said front handle bracket and to said top-hinged support.

22. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 21 wherein when said latch projection of said spring-loaded latch is slidably removed from said latch projection receptacle, said compression spring causes said top-hinged support and said top cover to pivot upwardly relative to said front handle bracket and to said dustcup assembly.

23. A bagless vacuum cleaner system used for separation of a mixture of dirt and air drawn into a vacuum cleaner apparatus, said bagless vacuum cleaner system comprising:

a dust cup assembly removably secured to a housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

a handle assembly connected to a base portion of an upstanding handle, said handle assembly also secured to said housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

and a motor intake adaptor connected to said dustcup assembly and to an air intake of a suction motor of said vacuum cleaner apparatus;

wherein said dustcup assembly includes a dustcup having a dustcup chamber and a dustcup passageway, and said motor intake adaptor includes a walled structure defining a passageway having a top opening and a bottom opening, said top opening being in fluid communication with said dustcup passageway and said bottom opening being in fluid communication with said air intake of said suction motor.

24. A bagless vacuum cleaner system according to claim 23, wherein said motor intake adaptor further includes an adaptor base portion, a mounting flange, and a vane-like structure, said base portion, said mounting flange and said vane-like structure engaging said housing portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus and thereby securing said walled structure between said dustcup and said intake of said suction motor.

25. A method for separating a mixture of dirt and air inducted into a vacuum cleaner apparatus by a suction motor, said method comprising the steps of:

directing said mixture of dirt and air to a bagless dustcup assembly comprising a handle assembly secured to an upstanding handle of said vacuum cleaner apparatus, a dustcup connected to said handle assembly and to a body portion of said vacuum cleaner apparatus, and a motor intake adaptor connected to said dustcup and to said suction motor;

drawing said mixture of dirt and air through a chimney extension included in a top-hinged support included in said handle assembly;

further drawing said mixture of dirt and air from said chimney extension through an inlet passageway provided in a plenum chamber member of a filter/cyclone assembly included in said dustcup;

drawing said mixture of dirt and air from said inlet passageway of said plenum chamber through a volute passageway defined by a volute structure having a first opening provided in a cyclone module included in said filter/cyclone assembly and a second opening included in said volute passageway, said second opening being in fluid communication with a dustcup chamber;

directing said mixture of dirt and air from said second opening of said volute passageway tangentially against an inner wall of a circular upper region of said dustcup chamber;

allowing said mixture of dirt and air to flow around inner wall of said circular upper region to a downward-ramped, spiral portion of said volute structure;

allowing said mixture of dirt and air to contact and flow along said downward-ramped, spiral portion of said volute structure and to thereby be caused to spirally flow downward to a closed bottom portion of said dustcup chamber;

allowing said mixture of dirt and air to contact said closed bottom portion of said dust cup chamber and thereby cause a portion of the dirt contained said mixture of dirt and air to become separated from said mixture by contact with said closed bottom portion;

inducing an upward flow of said mixture of dirt and air in a central region of said dustcup chamber toward a filter assembly connected to said cyclone module;

passing said mixture of dirt and air through said filter assembly and thereby producing a stream of substantially clean air;

passing said stream of substantially clean air through a plenum chamber defined by said cyclone module and by said plenum chamber member included in said filter/cyclone assembly;

directing said stream of substantially clean air from said plenum chamber to a dustcup passageway provided in said dustcup;

passing said stream of substantially clean air through said dustcup passageway and to a walled structure included in said motor intake adaptor; and

passing said stream of substantially clean air through a passageway defined by said walled structure and into an intake of said suction motor.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein said said step of allowing said mixture of dirt and air to contact said bottom portion of said dustcup chamber further includes causing said mixture of air and dirt to impinge a step-like barrier structure included in said bottom portion of said dustcup chamber.

27. A method according to claim 25, wherein said step of passing said mixture of dirt and air through said filter assembly connected to said cyclone module further includes causing said mixture of dirt and air to through a screen element connected to a filter receptacle included in said filter assembly and through a filter contained in said filter receptacle.

28. A method according to claim 25, wherein said step of passing said stream of substantially clean air through said walled structure included in said motor intake adaptor further includes passing said stream of substantially clean air through a filter included inside said passageway defined by said walled structure.