Vacuum cleaner and device having ion generator

• US 7,591,043 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2002
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2001
• 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: Ninomiya, Kohji, Nishikawa, Kazuo, Yagi, Mikio, Nojima, Hideo, Yagi, Hisaharu, Hayashi, Kazumasa, Yoshimura, Hiroshi, Hato, Shigenori, Ohtani, Tetsuyuki, Shimizu, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Lee D
• Application Number:
  US10/487,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20050000054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,577 Days
• Field of Search: 153/39, 153/15, 15/15.1, 153/31, 154/15
• US Class Current: 15/339
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/04 for using the exhaust air for other purposes, e.g. for distribution of chemicals in a room, for sterilisation of the air spraying or atomising in general B05
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/16 using physical phenomena
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/22 Ionisation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2267/40 Different types of filters
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/55 for cleaning appliances, e.g. suction cleaners suction cleaners comprising filters A47L9/10
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0028 provided with antibacterial or antifungal means
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0038 with means for influencing the odor, e.g. deodorizing substances
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/50 Means for discharging electrostatic potential
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/007 by irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/26 using ozone
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/30 by ionisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01T 23/00 Apparatus for generating ions to be introduced into non-enclosed gases, e.g. into the atmosphere

Abstract

When the electrically driven fan (14) of a vacuum cleaner is driven, air containing dust is drawn into the cleaner main body (1) through a hose (7) connected to a hose socket (8) and is exhausted into the outside of the cleaner main body (1) through an exhaust port (1b) via first and second suction passageways (10, 13). Disposed outside the first suction passageway (10) is an ion generator (23), it being arranged that plus and minus ions generated in the ion generator (23) are fed to the air stream flowing in the first suction passageway (10). Since the plus and minus ions kill floating germs in the air stream, the exhaust can be purified.

Claims

1. An electric vacuum cleaner, comprising:

an electric vacuum cleaner body including an air intake opening and an exhaust opening with a suction air passage therebetween;

a dust collector removably attached to the body along the suction air passage such that air containing dust which is sucked in through the air intake opening passes through the dust collector;

a nozzle unit coupled to an air intake opening of the body and through which the air containing dust is provided to the air intake opening;

handle coupled to the nozzle unit enabling a user to guide the nozzle along a surface to be vacuumed;

an electric blower for creating suction through the suction air passage; and

an ion generator which is disposed near the exhaust opening and which simultaneously generates H⁺(H₂O)_n as positive ions and O₂⁻

(H₂O)_m as negative ions which kill airborne germs; and

an ion discharge port so formed as to discharge H⁺(H₂O)_n as the positive ions and O₂⁻

(H₂O)_m as the negative ions out of the body through a position thereof different from the exhaust opening.

2. The electric vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the air sucked into the electric vacuum cleaner is discharged out of the electric vacuum cleaner after being passed through a purification filter, and the air is mixed with the ions after being passed through the purification filter.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein, when air is fed to an ion generating part of the ion generator at a rate of 50 cm/s or more, concentrations of the positive and negative ions are each 10,000 ions/cm³ or more at a position 10cm away from the ion generating part.