Vacuum cleaner sound reducing device

• US 8,650,707 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Midea America, Corp. (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Care Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Thomas W., Davidshofer, Donald J., Chenoweth, Bradley E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCRUGGS, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/567,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 153/47, 153/23, 153/26, 153/277, 154/12, 154/13
• US Class Current: 15/347
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0411 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0455 Bearing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0494 Height adjustment of dust-loosening tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/26 Incorporation of winding devices for electric cables devices specially adapted for repeatedly paying-out or re-storing cables B65H75/34; arrangements of electrical cables or lines between relatively-movable parts H02G11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/325 for wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner is disclosed having a motor inlet conduit and sound deadening material disposed within the motor inlet conduit for reducing the overall noise level of the vacuum cleaner. The motor inlet conduit fluidly connects a dirt receptacle chamber and a motor inlet, and may have a generally continuous cross-sectional profile and one or more expanded regions for housing the sound deadening material. With the sound deadening material installed in the one or more expanded regions, the motor inlet conduit may form a smoothly changing profile along its entire length and reduce the overall noise level of the vacuum cleaner.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a base adapted for movement over a surface to be cleaned;

a rear housing pivotally mounted to the base at a first end thereof, and having a motor housing therein;

a dirt receptacle chamber located in the rear housing, the dirt receptacle chamber having an outlet;

a motor mounted in the motor housing for driving a vacuum fan, the motor having an inlet;

a motor inlet conduit fluidly connected between the outlet of the dirt receptacle chamber and the inlet of the motor, the motor inlet conduit having interior wall surfaces comprising one or more expanded regions; and

one or more sound deadening blocks, each sound deadening block being disposed within one of the one or more expanded regions, the interior wall surfaces and the one or more sound deadening blocks collectively defining a passage through the motor inlet conduit fluidly connecting the dirt receptacle chamber outlet and the motor inlet, the sound deadening blocks being formed from a material selected to reduce a noise level of the vacuum cleaner.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the motor inlet conduit is formed by two shell halves that are ultrasonically welded together.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the one or more expanded regions and the one or more deadening blocks are collectively configured so that the passage through the motor inlet conduit has a smoothly changing cross-sectional profile.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the material of the one or more sound deadening blocks is a foam material.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more sound deadening blocks is formed as planar structure having a surface defining a portion of the passage through the motor inlet conduit.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more sound deadening blocks is formed as an annular structure defining a portion of the passage through the motor inlet conduit.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the motor inlet conduit is positioned and structured so that air is drawn from the dirt receptacle chamber through the annular sound deadening block and toward the motor inlet.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further comprising a seal at an upper end of the motor inlet conduit to seal the motor inlet conduit against the dirt receptacle chamber.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the one or more sound deadening blocks comprise two sound deadening blocks positioned perpendicular to each other.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the motor inlet conduit is mounted to the rear housing and positioned behind the motor at a first side of the rear housing.