Vacuum cleaner with removable dust collector, and methods of operating the same
First Claim
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1. A dust container for a vacuum cleaner having a main body with a suction motor and a dust separator that separates dust contained in the air, the dust container comprising:
- a container body that defines a dust chamber and includes a bottom wall that defines a bottom of the dust chamber and supports dust stored in the container body;
a movable plate rotatably provided within the dust container body;
a stationary plate fixedly coupled to the bottom wall of the container body; and
at least one gear coupled to the movable plate and configured to exert a force to rotate the movable plate, wherein a rotational center line of the movable plate extends vertically with respect to the bottom wall of the container body.
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Abstract
A vacuum cleaner includes a dust collector that compresses dust stored inside a dust container to minimize the volume of the dust. The dust collector would include one or more pressing plates that are used to compress the dust stored in dust collector. Various methods are used to control movements of the movable pressing plates to facilitate the compression operations. Also, various methods are used to determine when the dust collector is full and needs to be emptied.
95 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A dust container for a vacuum cleaner having a main body with a suction motor and a dust separator that separates dust contained in the air, the dust container comprising:
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a container body that defines a dust chamber and includes a bottom wall that defines a bottom of the dust chamber and supports dust stored in the container body; a movable plate rotatably provided within the dust container body; a stationary plate fixedly coupled to the bottom wall of the container body; and at least one gear coupled to the movable plate and configured to exert a force to rotate the movable plate, wherein a rotational center line of the movable plate extends vertically with respect to the bottom wall of the container body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
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a main body having a suction air stream inlet and a suction air stream outlet; a dust separator that communicates with the main body and that separates dust and dirt from a suction air stream, wherein the dust separator includes an air inlet and air outlet, and wherein the suction air stream inlet and the suction air stream outlet are in fluid communication with, respectively, the air inlet and the air outlet of the dust separator; a dust container configured to receive and store dust separated from the dust separator, including a bottom wall that supports dust separated from the air; at least one plate rotatably provided at an upper side of the bottom wall; and a drive mechanism comprising at least one gear coupled to the at least one plate and configured to exert a force to rotate the at least one plate, wherein the drive mechanism is provided at an under side of the bottom wall of the dust container and is coupled to the at least one plate. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21)
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17. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
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a main body having a suction motor; a dust separator that communicates with the suction motor and that separates dust and dirt from a suction air stream, the dust separator including an air inlet and an air outlet; a dust container configured to store dust separated from the dust separator; at least one plate rotatably provided within the dust container; a rotational shaft connected to the at least one plate; a guide member configured to guide rotation of the rotational shaft; and a drive mechanism comprising at least one gear coupled to the rotational shaft and configured to exert a force to rotate the at least one plate. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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22. A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
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a main body having a suction air stream inlet and a suction air stream outlet; a dust separator that communicates with the main body and that separates dust and dirt from a suction air stream, wherein the dust separator includes an air inlet and an air outlet, and wherein the suction air stream inlet and the suction air stream outlet are in fluid communication with, respectively, the air inlet and the air outlet of the dust separator; a dust container that defines a dust chamber, including a bottom wall that defines a bottom of the dust chamber and supports dust stored in the dust chamber; a dividing plate that partitions an inner space of the dust separator from an inner space of the dust container; first and second plates provided between the dividing plate and the bottom wall of the dust container, the first plate being rotatably provided in the dust container; and a drive mechanism comprising at least one gear coupled to the first plate and provided at an outside of the dust chamber, the drive mechanism being configured to exert a force to rotate the first plate. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification