Vacuum cleaner

• US 7,854,782 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2007
• Issued: 12/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Hyun-Ju, Oh, Jang-Keun, Kim, Min-Ha, Kim, Hyoun-Soo, Cha, Seung-Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Greene; Jason M
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, DUNG H
• Application Number:
  US11/975,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20080264016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 554/28, 554/29, 553/37, 554/30, 554/32, 554/33, 554/66, 55D/IG.3, 153/53
• US Class Current: 55/429
• 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 9/108 Dust compression means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a vacuum cleaner body, a cyclone unit which is mounted at the vacuum cleaner body, and separates dust from drawn air, a dust separating unit which is engaged with a lower end of the cyclone unit, said dust separating unit being configured to collect separated dust, said dust separating unit being detachable from the cyclone, and said dust separating unit comprising a compressing plate compressing the collected dust; and a driving unit which is disposed at a lower end of the dust separating unit, said driving unit being configured to ascend and descend the dust separating unit to be detachably connected to the cyclone unit and drives the compressing plate.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum cleaner body;

a cyclone unit which is mounted at the vacuum cleaner body, and separates dust from drawn air;

a dust separating unit which is engaged with a lower end of the cyclone unit, said dust separating unit being configured to collect separated dust, said dust separating unit being detachable from the cyclone unit, and said dust separating unit comprising a compressing plate compressing the collected dust; and

a driving unit which is disposed at a lower end of the dust separating unit, said driving unit being configured to detachably couple the dust separating unit to the cyclone unit and to simultaneously drive the compressing plate.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dust separating unit further comprises:

a dust separating casing which is detachably connected at a lower end of the cyclone unit, and comprises a dust separating space of a cylinder shape therein; and

an axis member which is straightly disposed according to the center axis of the dust separating space,

wherein the compressing plate is engaged with the axis member to rotate integrally with the axis member.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the driving unit comprises:

a lever portion which is disposed at a lower end of the dust separating casing to be rotatably operated, and configured to ascend and descend the dust separating unit according to the rotation of the driving unit, the dust separating unit being configured to be received on a separating unit receiving surface of the vacuum cleaner body; and

a rotating force transfer portion which is configured to transfer a part of a rotating force of the lever portion to the axis member when the lever portion is rotated.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein at least one elevating protrusion is formed on the separating unit receiving surface, the elevating protrusion having a slope surface, and

wherein the lever portion comprises:

a lever body of a circular shape in which at least one elevating groove corresponding to a shape of the elevating protrusion is formed in a side of the lever body, and said lever body is connected with the rotating force transfer portion; and

a lever which is protruded from the side of the lever body, and is rotatably operated, and

wherein the elevating protrusion is configured to be inserted in the elevating groove if the lever body is rotated by an operation of the lever,

wherein the lever body is configured to ascend and descend according to a circumferential direction of movement of the lever body, and wherein the rotating force transfer portion connected to the lever body is configured to be driven by operation of the lever.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4, wherein the rotating force transfer portion comprises:

a main gear which is engaged with the upper surface of the lever body, and the main gear being configured to rotate integrally with the lever body; and

a sub gear which is configured to rotate in mesh with the main gear, and which has a center engaged with a lower end of the axis member.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the main gear has more teeth than the sub gear to rotate the compressing plate to exceed an angle at which the lever is rotated.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the dust separating unit further comprises:

a fixing wall which is fixedly mounted to occupy a space between the axis member and an interior wall of the dust separating casing; and

an upper cover which covers an upper portion of the dust separating space, and comprises a dust slot through which the dust separated by the dust separating unit flows into the dust separating casing.

8. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum cleaner body;

a cyclone unit which is mounted at the vacuum cleaner body, and separates dust from drawn air;

a dust separating unit which is engaged with a lower end of the cyclone unit, said dust separating unit being configured to collect separated dust, said dust separating unit being detachable from the cyclone unit, and said dust separating unit comprising a compressing plate compressing the collected dust and a dust separating casing that is detachably connected at a lower end of the cyclone unit; and

a driving unit which is disposed at a lower end of the dust separating unit, said driving unit being configured to ascend and descend the dust separating unit to be detachably connected to the cyclone unit and drive the compressing plate,

wherein the dust separating unit further comprises an upper cover which covers an upper portion of the dust separating space, and comprises a dust slot through which the dust separated by the dust separating unit flows into the dust separating casing.