Complex type cleaner

• US 7,703,171 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2005
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Yong Woo, Chung, Choon Myun, Jung, Young Gyu, Rew, Ho Seon, Nam, Hyeun Sik
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas; David B
• Application Number:
  US11/028,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 15320-322, 153/28, 153/31, 153/53, 153/02, 153/271
• US Class Current: 15/320
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/34 Machines for treating carpets in position by liquid, foam, or vapour, e.g. by steam
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4091 Storing or parking devices, arrangements therefor; Means allowing transport of the machine when it is not being used
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/225 Convertible suction cleaners, i.e. convertible between different types thereof, e.g. from upright suction cleaners to sledge-type suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/32 with means for connecting a hose hose couplings for suction cleaners A47L9/24

Abstract

A cleaner includes a body provided with a dust collecting container for storing dust, a fan motor installed at the body and generating a suction force; a vacuum cleaning head disposed at a lower side of the body, into which dust is sucked when the cleaner performs vacuum cleaning. A water cleaning head is mounted at the vacuum cleaning head, for spraying cleaning water onto a region to be cleaned, sucking contaminated water after completing water cleaning, and storing the sucked contaminated water, when water cleaning. By implementing both a vacuum cleaning function for sucking dust and a water cleaning function in one cleaner, a cleaner capable of reducing the cost and, increasing convenience of use is provided.

Claims

1. A composite cleaner, comprising:

a body having a dust collecting container that receives and stores dust;

a fan motor installed in the body so as to generate a suction force;

a dry cleaning head coupled to a lower end portion of the body, wherein dust is drawn into the cleaner by the suction force through the dry cleaning head in a dry cleaning mode; and

a wet cleaning head mounted on the dry cleaning head, wherein the wet cleaning head is configured to spray cleaning fluid onto a region to be cleaned, to draw in contaminated fluid in a wet cleaning mode, and to store the contaminated fluid, wherein the wet cleaning head comprises;

a storage container mounted on an upper surface of the dry cleaning heads; and

a suction nozzle provided at an upper surface of the storage container, wherein the suction nozzle is configured to draw in contaminated fluid in the wet cleaning mode, wherein the storage container is divided into a first chamber that receives and stores unused cleaning fluid in the wet cleaning mode, and a second chamber that receives and stores contaminated fluid in the wet cleaning mode.

2. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the body includes a container mounting portion that receives the dust collecting container therein, a dry cleaning switch and a wet cleaning switch.

3. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dry cleaning head comprises a dust suction opening, provided at a lower surface thereof, and a hose connection portion provided at a rear portion of the dry cleaning head, wherein the hose connection portion is connected to a suction hose that guides dust drawn in through the dust suction opening into the dust collecting container.

4. The cleaner of claim 3, wherein the suction hose is connected to the dry cleaning head in the dry cleaning mode and is connected to the water cleaning head in the wet cleaning mode.

5. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dry cleaning head further comprises a brush rotatably installed in the dry cleaning head and configured to sweep up dust from a region to be cleaned in the dry cleaning mode, and to rub the region to be cleaned onto which cleaning fluid has been sprayed in the wet cleaning mode.

6. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a cleaning fluid supply device provided at the first chamber and configured to spray cleaning fluid stored in the first chamber onto the region to be cleaned.

7. The cleaner of claim 6, wherein the cleaning fluid supply device comprises:

a cleaning fluid supply hose connected to the first chamber and so as to supply cleaning fluid stored in the first chamber to the region to be cleaned;

a pump provided at the cleaning fluid supply hose so as to pump the cleaning fluid stored in the first chamber through the cleaning fluid supply hose; and

a spray nozzle provided at an end of the cleaning fluid supply hose and configured to spray cleaning fluid pumped by the pump onto the region to be cleaned.

8. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second chamber includes an inlet in communication with the suction nozzle so as to guide contaminated fluid into the second chamber and a discharge opening that discharges air from the second chamber as contaminated fluid flows in through the inlet.

9. The cleaner of claim 8, wherein the discharge opening is connected to the fan motor and to a suction hose.

10. The cleaner of claim 8, further comprising a float provided on the second chamber wherein the float is lifted and closes the discharge opening in response to a buoyant force generated by contaminated fluid in the second chamber so as to prevent fluid flowing into the second chamber from being discharged through the discharge opening.

11. The cleaner of claim 8, further comprising a blocking plate provided in the second chamber, wherein the blocking plate prevents contaminated fluid in the second chamber from flowing into an area near the discharge opening until the contaminated fluid reaches a predetermined level.

12. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction nozzle of the wet cleaning head comprises:

a nozzle portion;

through which contaminated fluid is drawn into the wet cleaning head; and

a guide passage portion integrally formed with the nozzle portion so as to guide the contaminated fluid drawn in through the nozzle portion to an inlet into the second chamber.

13. The cleaner of claim 12, wherein the nozzle portion is provided with an entrance portion configured to smoothly guide the contaminated fluid into the wet cleaning head.

14. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein in the dry cleaning mode, dust is deposited into the dust collecting container by the dry cleaning head, and in the wet cleaning mode, air drawn in by the suction nozzle together with contaminated fluid flows into the dust collecting container and is discharged therefrom.

15. The cleaner of claim, 1, wherein the fan motor is configured to draw air into the dust collecting container in both the dry and wet cleaning modes.

16. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a suction hose, one end of the suction hose being selectively connectable to the dry cleaning head in the dry cleaning mode, and to an air discharge opening of the wet cleaning head in the wet cleaning mode.

17. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the suction nozzle is coupled to the wet cleaning head and extends across at least a portion of each of the first and second chambers.

18. The cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a brush rotatably installed within the dry cleaning head, wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are spaced along a direction of an axis of rotation of the brush.

19. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the wet cleaning head is positioned beneath the dust collecting container.

20. The cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a spray device provided in the wet cleaning head adjacent to the suction nozzle, wherein the spray device sprays cleaning fluid onto a region to be cleaned.