Upright type vacuum cleaner

Abstract

An upright vacuum cleaner comprises a cleaner body, plural locking recesses in the cleaner body include a parallel position recess in which the locking protrusion is locked when the cleaner body rotates to a parallel position with respect to a surface to be cleaned. Additionally, a filter removal means, prevents a filter cover from being removed when the vacuum cleaner is being operated.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to an upright type vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaner body and a suction port assembly that are connected to each other and can rotate freely with respect to each other.

2. Description of the Related Art

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a general upright type vacuum cleaner 100 comprises a cleaner body 110 and a suction port assembly 130. The suction port assembly 130 has a dust suction hole (not shown) formed in the underside thereof, which is connected with the cleaner body 110 through an air passage, part of which includes connection pipe 138. The cleaner body 110 comprises a rotation shaft portion 115 protruding from two lower opposing sides of the cleaner body 110 and the suction port assembly 130 comprises two oppositely disposed rotation shaft holes 136, each of which is completely formed with a mounting cover 135 being mounted over the rotation shaft hole 136 to form a retainer for one each of the two ends of he rotation shaft portion 115. The cleaner body 110 and the suction port assembly 130 are connected to each other as the rotation shaft portion 115 is inserted into the rotation shaft hole 136, allowing the cleaner body 110 and the suction port assembly 130 to rotate freely with respect to each other. According to the upright type vacuum cleaner 100, a user can perform cleaning operations by varying the angle between the surface to be cleaned and the cleaner body 110 depending on the different cleaning surfaces.

The cleaner body 110 has one or more locking recesses 140 formed in a side thereof. The suction port assembly 130 is provided with a mounting portion 137 and a resilient pedal 150 that is pivotably mounted on the mounting portion 137. The resilient pedal 150 has a locking protrusion 154 protruding from a side thereof. The locking protrusion 154 is sequentially locked in the one or more locking recess 140 when the cleaner body 110 rotates relative to the suction port assembly 130.

The resilient pedal 150 also has a resilient support portion 155 in the shape of a plate that is formed integrally with a lower end of the resilient pedal 150. The resilient pedal 150 is mounted on the mounting portion 137 such that an end of the resilient support portion 155 is supported on an inner wall 137a of the mounting portion 137. Accordingly, the locking protrusion 154 resiliently presses a side surface of the cleaner body 110 and then is sequentially locked in the one or more locking recesses 140 when the cleaner body 110 rotates. In order for the cleaner body 110 to be released from the locking state in which the locking protrusion 154 is locked in the one or more locking recesses 140 and to once again be free to rotate, a resilient pedal portion 153 is pressed to pivot the resilient pedal 150, releasing the locking protrusion 154 from the one or more locking recesses 140.

The one or more locking recesses 140 preferably include an upright position recess 141 and an inclined position recess 142, which are formed along a portion to which the locking protrusion 154 contacts when the cleaner body 110 rotates. When the cleaner body 110 is in an upright position, the locking protrusion 154 is locked in the upright position recess 141. Accordingly, the cleaner body 110 does not rotate but is held in the upright portion when the upright type vacuum cleaner 100 is not in use. When the upright type vacuum cleaner 100 is in use, with the cleaner body 110 being rotated at a predetermined angle with respect to a surface to be cleaned, the locking protrusion 154 is locked in one of the inclined position recesses 142. Accordingly, when the vacuum cleaner 100 is lifted up over an obstacle such as a threshold during cleaning, the suction port assembly 130 rotates no more than the predetermined angle with respect to the cleaner body 110.

When in use, the cleaner body 110 of the upright type vacuum cleaner 100 can lie parallel or nearly parallel to the surface to be cleaned, as shown in FIG. 3. When used in this position, the locking protrusion 154 is pressed to the side surface of the cleaner body 110 such that the resilient support portion 155 remains subject to an external force that tends to deform the resilient support portion 155 (FIGS. 1 and 2). If the upright type vacuum clear 100 is used in this way for a long time, the resilient support portion 155 can become deformed. When the resilient support portion 155 deforms, it provides a reduced engagement force to the locking protrusion 154.

In addition, as described above, when the cleaner body 110 is used lying in parallel to the surface to be cleaned, the locking protrusion 154 presses against the side surface of the cleaner body 110. When the cleaner body 110 rotates about the rotation shaft portion 115, there is a contact resistance or friction generated where the surfaces of the locking protrusion 154 and the side surface of the cleaner body 110 make contact with each other. Because of this resistance, the cleaner body does not rotate smoothly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed to solve the above-described problems. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an upright type vacuum cleaner improved in construction so that it becomes capable of preventing deformation of a resilient pedal and reducing any rotation resist of the cleaner body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an upright-type vacuum cleaner capable of improving the convenience of a user by providing a filter cover which is not easily opened by the discharging pressure of the air, while the filter cover is easily opened and closed by the user.

According to the present invention in order to achieve the above objects, an upright type vacuum cleaner comprises a suction port assembly, a cleaner body connected to the suction port assembly, the cleaner body and the suction port assembly being freely pivotable with respect to each other, the cleaner body comprising a frame having a duct formed at a side of the cleaner body in order to communicate with the motor driving chamber, a support member protruded to a predetermined dimension from an inside wall of the duct, a filter cover disposed in the duct, and a removal means provided at a side of the cleaner body to open and close the filter cover, at least one locking recess formed in a side of the cleaner body, and a resilient pedal pivotably mounted on the suction port assembly and having a locking protrusion which is sequentially locked in the at least one locking recess when the cleaner body pivots with respect to the suction port assembly such that the cleaner body pivots in a stepwise manner. The at least one locking recess includes a parallel position recess in which the locking protrusion of the resilient pedal is locked when the cleaner body pivots to a parallel position with respect to a surface to be cleaned, an upright position recess in which the locking protrusion is locked when the cleaner body is in an upright position with respect to the surface to be cleaned, and one or more inclined position recesses in which the locking protrusion is locked when the cleaner body pivots at a predetermined angle with respect to the surface to be cleaned. The removal means includes at least one hook formed at a front end of the filter cover, and a locking hole having a locking protrusion disposed at the frame placed at a position corresponding to the position of the hook. The hook includes a fixing portion extended from the filter cover, a flexible pressing portion bent in a direction approximately 180° from the fixing portion, and a pair of protrusions disposed at both sides of the flexible pressing portion for engagement with the locking protrusion of the locking hole.

The resilient pedal may further include a pedal body pivotably mounted on the suction port assembly, the pedal body comprising the locking protrusion protruding from a side toward the cleaner body and a pedal portion being subject to an external force to release the locking protrusion from the at least one locking recess, and a resilient support portion for resiliently pressing a side of the pedal body to pivot the pedal body in a direction where the locking protrusion presses the cleaner body.

The resilient support portion may further includes a plate element integrally protruding from a lower side of the pedal body, the plate element having a bending portion to be supported by an inner wall of the suction port assembly.

The at least one locking recess may have a slanted surface such that the locking protrusion is easily released from the at least one locking recess when the cleaner body pivots into the upright position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above objects and characteristic of the present invention will be more apparent by describing a preferred embodiment of the present invention in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional upright type vacuum cleaner;

FIG. 2 is an elevational rear view showing a detail of the upright type vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 in an assembled state;

FIG. 3 is an elevational side view showing the upright type vacuum cleaner of FIG. 1 in use;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an upright type vacuum cleaner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of the upright type vacuum cleaner of FIG. 4 showing the operation of the upright type vacuum cleaner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an upright vacuum cleaner according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail view showing an important part of FIG. 6 in greater detail; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken approximately along a line VI-VI of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. With respect to those components having constructions and functions similar to those of the conventional upright type vacuum cleaner described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, identical reference numerals are assigned. Therefore, a detailed description of like numbered parts will be omitted.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, an upright type vacuum cleaner 200 according to the present invention includes a cleaner body 110 and a suction port assembly 130 rotatably connected to the cleaner body 110. A driving shaft 116 rotates in association with the rotation of a suction motor (not shown) which is built within the cleaner body 110, and the reference numeral 138 refers to a connection pipe for connecting a dirt suction hole (not shown) to the cleaner body 1 10 to allow air to flow therethrough.

The cleaner body 110 has a plurality of locking recesses 240 formed in proximity to the suction port assembly 130. A resilient pedal 150, having a locking protrusion 154, is pivotably mounted on the suction port assembly 130. Accordingly, when the cleaner body 110 rotates with respect to the suction port assembly 130, the locking protrusion 154 is resiliently locked in one of the locking recesses 240, thereby sequentially restricting the cleaner body 110 from rotating.

The resilient pedal 150 includes a pedal body 151 and a resilient support portion 155. The pedal body 151 includes the locking protrusion 154 protruding from a side thereof, a rotation shaft 152 formed through a center thereof, and a pedal portion 153 formed on an upper portion thereof. The pedal body 151 is pivotably mounted on the suction port assembly 130 in such a manner that the rotation shaft 151 is rotatably connected to a mounting portion 137 of the suction port assembly 130. At this point, the pedal portion 153 is exposed in an upward direction from the suction port assembly 130. Accordingly, a user presses a top of the pedal portion 153 to pivot the pedal body 150 during use of the upright type vacuum cleaner 200.

The resilient support portion 155 resiliently urges the pedal body 151 to pivot the pedal body 151 in a predetermined direction. In this embodiment, the resilient pedal 150 is provided with a resilient support portion comprising a plate member 155, which protrudes from a lower end of the pedal body 151. The plate member 155 is integrally formed with the pedal body 151 and has a bending portion formed at a center thereof.

As described above with reference to FIG. 2, the pedal body 151 is mounted on the mounting portion 137 such that an end of the plate member 155 is supported on an inner wall 137a (FIG. 2) of the mounting portion 137. When the pedal portion 153 is subject to an external force, the pedal body 151 pivots and thus the plate member 155 is deformed. As a result of its resilient characteristics, the plate member 155 is subject to a recovering force. Being released from the external force, the plate member 155 has a tendency to recover its original shape due to the recovering force, and accordingly, the pedal body 151 is automatically returned to its initial position. The initial position of the pedal body 151 is a position where the locking protrusion 154 resiliently presses a side of the cleaner body 110.

Meanwhile, the resilient pedal 150 is not limited to the described preferred embodiment. That is, various changes and modifications can be made if the resilient pedal 150 includes the pedal body 151 pivotably mounted on the suction port assembly 130 to pivot by a pressure of a user, and the resilient support portion 155 for resiliently pressing the pedal body 151.

A lower side of the cleaner body 110, which contacts with the locking protrusion 154 of the resilient pedal 150 when the cleaner body 110 rotates, has a partially concave configuration to form the plurality of the locking recesses 240. The locking recesses 240 include an upright position recess 241, an inclined position recess 242, and a parallel position recess 243, as shown in FIG. 4.

The upright position recess 241, on which the locking protrusion 154 is locked, allows the cleaner body 110 to maintain its upright position with respect to a surface to be cleaned. Accordingly, when the upright type vacuum cleaner 200 is not in use, generally with the cleaner body 110 being in the upright position with respect to the surface to be cleaned, the locking protrusion 154 is locked in the upright position recess 241 such that the cleaner body 110 is prevented from rotating regardless of an external force or of its own weight.

The inclined position recess 242 restricts the cleaner body 110 from rotating beyond a predetermined angle between the cleaner body 110 and the suction port assembly 130. That is, when the cleaner body 110 rotates at the predetermined angle with respect to the suction port assembly 130, the locking protrusion 154 is locked in the inclined position recess 242, thereby preventing the cleaner body 110 from further rotating beyond the predetermined angle. Accordingly, when there is a small obstacle such as a threshold ahead, the upright type vacuum cleaner 200 is easily lifted to avoid the obstacle during cleaning. The plural inclined position recesses 242 can be provided, if necessary.

The parallel position recess 243, on which the locking protrusion 154 may be locked, allows the cleaner body 110 to maintain its parallel position with respect to the surface to be cleaned. When the cleaner body 110 lies in a position parallel to the surface to be cleaned, the plate member 155 is in relaxed state. Accordingly, even when the upright type vacuum cleaner 200 is used with the cleaner body 110 lying in a position parallel to the surface to be cleaned for a long time, permanent damage to plate member 155 is prevented.

The parallel position recess 243 has a slanted surface 243a formed on a side thereof, which facilitates the release of the locking protrusion 154 from the parallel position recess 243 thereby allowing the cleaner body 110 to be returned to a working position. When the cleaner body 110 is in an upright position, and when the locking protrusion 154 is engaged in the parallel position recess 243, the locking protrusion 154 can be easily released from the parallel position recess 243 with little or no force required on the pedal portion 153 because the slanted surface 243a allows the locking protrusion 154 to slide out of the parallel position recess. Accordingly, as the locking protrusion 154 presses against the side surface of the cleaner body 110 it can be moved along the slanted surface 243a of the parallel position maintaining recess 243. Moreover, since the plate element 155 is in a more relaxed state when the locking protrusion 154 is in the parallel position recess 243, the load on the plate member 155 is decreased to some extent. Therefore, there is an effect of decreasing the resistance or friction generated when the locking protrusion 154 resiliently presses the side surface of the cleaner body 110. In a preferred embodiment, the inclined position recess 242 also has a slanted surface 242a to decrease the operation resist, which is generated when cleaner body 110 rotates.

According to the upright type vacuum cleaner 200 described above, the locking protrusion 154 can be sequentially locked into one of the locking recesses 241, 242 or 243 in a stepwise manner, as the cleaner body 110 rotates such that when the locking protrusion 154 engages one of the recesses the cleaner body 110 is prevented from rotating further toward the cleaning surface. For a further rotation of the cleaner body 110 toward the cleaning surface, the locking protrusion 154 has to be released from the locking recesses it is engaged with. In order for the locking protrusion 154 to be released from the locking recesses 241, 242, 243, a user presses the pedal portion 153 to cause the pedal portion 153 to pivot the resilient pedal 150. After the locking protrusion 154 is moved away from a locking recess 241, 242 or 243 the cleaner body 110 can rotate on the rotation shaft portion. When pressure on the pedal portion 153 is released, resilient force provided by the resilient support portion 155 causes the resilient pedal 150 to automatically pivot back against the side of the cleaner body and which causes the locking protrusion 154 to contact with the cleaner body 110. The locking protrusion 154 can then re-engage a locking recess.

As shown in FIGS. 6 through 8, the upright-type vacuum cleaner further comprises a frame 262 having a duct 261 formed at a side of the cleaner body 110 in a lengthwise direction in order to communicate with the motor driving chamber 112, a support member 263 protruding to a predetermined dimension from an inside wall of the duct 261, and a filter 264 for insertion into the duct 261. A filter cover 265 having a grill portion 265a is disposed adjacent to the frame 262 for rotation to allow the frame 262 to be opened and closed, and a removal removal means 270 for opening and closing the filter cover 265.

The removal means 270 includes a hook 280 integrally formed at a front end of the filter cover 265, and a locking hole 290 having a locking protrusion 290a disposed at the frame 262 placed at a position generally corresponding to the position of the hook 280.

The hook 280 comprises a fixing portion 281 extended in an inner direction from the filter cover 265, a flexible pressing portion 282 bent in a direction approximately 180° from the fixing portion 281 and extended outwardly from the filter cover 265, and a pair of protrusions 283 disposed at both sides of the flexible pressing portion 282 for providing a connection to the locking protrusion 290a of the locking hole 290.

The flexible pressing portion 282 is flexibly biased in a direction of opening of a free end in regard to the fixing portion 281. Thus, the filter cover 265 will be inhibited from opening by the discharging pressure of the air while a user is using the vacuum cleaner, since the protrusion 283 of the hook 280 and the locking protrusion 290a of the locking hole 290 are firmly engaged, when the discharging pressure of the air affects the filter cover 265 in the closing state of the filter cover 265. In other words, the filter cover 265 is firmly held in the closed position when the hook 280 is inserted into the locking hole 290 of the frame 262, and the protrusion 283 of the hook 280 is locked with the locking protrusion 290a of the locking hole 290.

To open the filter cover 265, the user slightly presses the flexible pressing portion 282 of the hook 280, and the protrusion 53 of the hook 280 is released from engagement with the locking protrusion 290a of the locking hole 290. Thus, the filter cover 265 is easily opened.

On the other hand, a cut away portion 284 can be formed in a bent portion of the fixing portion 281 of the hook 280 and the flexible pressing portion 282 in order to increase the elasticity of the flexible pressing portion 282 with respect to the fixing portion 281. Moreover, the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described and illustrated having two hooks 280 and 280′ and two locking holes 290 and 290′, but one hook and one locking hole can also be used.

In the upright-type vacuum cleaner according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention having the above elements, the air discharged to the motor driving chamber 112 is blown into the duct 261, and the air is again discharged to the outside through the filter 264 and the grill portion 265a of the filter cover 265. At this time, the dust and dirt included in the air is filtered at the filter 264. When the filter cover 265 is opened from the frame 262 for cleaning or changing of the filter 264 after the vacuum cleaner is used a long time, the user just presses the flexible pressing portion 282 of the hook 280 disposed at the filter cover 265. The protrusion 283 disposed at the flexible pressing portion 282 is flexibly engaged with the locking protrusions 290a of the locking hole 290 disposed at the frame 262 when the filter cover 265 is closed, thus the filter cover 265 is not easily opened since the filter cover 265 is not affected by the discharging pressure of the air. When the flexible pressing portion 282 is pressed in the closed state of the filter cover 265, the filter cover 265 can be easily opened as the protrusion 283 of the hook 280 is released from the flexible engagement with the locking protrusion 290a of the locking hole 290. In other words, great force is not required to pull the filter cover 265, in order to open the filter cover 265, unlike with the conventional upright vacuum cleaner.

As described so far, when the user pushes the filter cover 265 to close the filter cover 265 after cleaning and changing the filter 264 in the opened state of the filter cover 265, the closed state of the filter cover 265 is maintained, since the hook 280 of the filter cover 265 is inserted into the locking hole 290 of the frame 262, and the protrusion 283 of the hook 280 is flexibly locked with the locking protrusion 290a of the locking hole 290.

According to the present invention as described above, the resilient support portion 155 is in relaxed state even when the cleaner body 110 is in a parallel position with respect to the surface to be cleaned, since the locking protrusion 154 is locked in the parallel position recess 243 which is formed on the side surface of the cleaner body 110.

Accordingly, the resilient support portion 155 is in relaxed state even when the cleaner body 110 is in parallel to the surface to be cleaned for a long time, and as a result, the resilient support portion 155 is prevented from being deformed permanently.

Also, when the cleaner body 110 rotates and the locking protrusion 154 moves in proximity to the parallel position recess 243, the resilient support portion 155 is subject to a lesser load due to the presence of the slanted surface 243a formed on the parallel position recess 243. Therefore, there is an effect of decreasing the operation resist of the rotating operation of the cleaner body 110.

According to the above-described present invention, the closed state of the filter cover is maintained since the protrusion of the flexible pressing portion disposed at the hook of the filter cover is flexibly connected to and in engagement with the locking protrusion of the locking hole disposed at the frame, thus the filter cover is not easily opened by the discharging pressure of the air. In addition, the opening and the closing of the filter cover is easily operated, as the filter cover is opened by releasing the locking state of the protrusion of the flexible pressing portion and the locking protrusion of the locking hole, with the simple method of pressing the flexible pressing portion of the hook. In other words, according to the present invention, the opening and the closing of the filter cover is very easy, while the filter cover cannot be unintentionally opened by the force of the discharged air while the user is using the vacuum cleaner. Therefore, the convenience of the vacuum cleaner will be improved.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is understood that the present invention should not be limited to these preferred embodiments but various changes and modifications can be made by one skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the present invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. An upright type vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a suction port assembly;

a cleaner body connected to the suction port assembly, the cleaner body and the suction port assembly being freely pivotable with respect to each other,

the cleaner body comprising, a frame having a duct formed at a side of the cleaner body in order to communicate with the motor driving chamber, a support member protruded to a predetermined dimension from an inside wall of the duct, a filter cover disposed in the duct, and a removal means provided at a side of the cleaner body to open and close the filter cover;

at least one locking recess formed in a side of the cleaner body; and

a resilient pedal pivotably mounted on the suction port assembly and having a locking protrusion which is sequentially locked in the at least one locking recess when the cleaner body pivots with respect to the suction port assembly such that the cleaner body pivots in a stepwise manner,

wherein the at least one locking recess includes a parallel position recess in which the locking protrusion of the resilient pedal is locked when the cleaner body pivots to a parallel position with respect to a surface to be cleaned, an upright position recess in which the locking protrusion is locked when the cleaner body is in an upright position with respect to the surface to be cleaned; and one or more inclined position recesses in which the locking protrusion is locked when the cleaner body pivots at a predetermined angle with respect to the surface to be cleaned, and

wherein the removal means includes at least one hook formed at a front end of the filter cover; and a locking hole having a locking protrusion disposed at the frame placed at a position corresponding to the position of the hook, and

wherein the hook includes:

a fixing portion extended from the filter cover;

a flexible pressing portion bent in a direction approximately 180° from the fixing portion; and

a pair of protrusions disposed at both sides of the flexible pressing portion for engagement with the locking protrusion of the locking hole.

2. The upright type vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the resilient pedal further comprises:

a pedal body pivotably mounted on the suction port assembly, the pedal body comprising the locking protrusion protruding from a side toward the cleaner body and a pedal portion being subject to an external force to release the locking protrusion from the at least one locking recess; and

a resilient support portion for resiliently pressing a side of the pedal body to pivot the pedal body in a direction where the locking protrusion presses the cleaner body.

3. The upright type vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein the resilient support portion further comprises a plate element integrally protruding from a lower side of the pedal body, the plate element having a bending portion to be supported by an inner wall of the suction port assembly.

4. The upright type vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the at least one locking recess has a slanted surface such that the locking protrusion is easily released from the at least one locking recess when the cleaner body pivots into the upright position.