UPRIGHT TYPE CLEANER

Abstract

Disclosed is a fixing structure of a subsidiary suction device of an upright type cleaner. The upright type cleaner includes a base provided with a suction port; a main body connected to the base; and a wand assembly detachably attached to the main body, and the wand assembly is rotated in one direction under the condition that the wand assembly is supported by the main body, and thus is mounted on the main body.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2008-0067154, filed on Jul. 10, 2008, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Also, this application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 61/064,340, filed on Feb. 28, 2008, in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates to an upright type cleaner, and more particularly to a fixing structure of a subsidiary suction device of an upright type cleaner.

2. Description of the Related Art

Cleaners are apparatuses, which remove foreign substances, such as dust, and vacuum cleaners are mainly used at home. Vacuum cleaners suck dust using suction force generated by a blowing device and then filter out the dust through a filter, and are roughly divided into a canister type cleaner and an upright type cleaner.

Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-0065833 discloses an example of an upright type cleaner. The disclosed upright type cleaner includes a suction port body provided with a suction port, a main body rotatably connected to the suction port body, and a subsidiary suction device detachably attached to the main body and provided with a grip part and a pipe connected to the grip part. Here, the subsidiary suction device is connected to a dust collection chamber of the main body through a flexible hose, is inserted into a cylindrical pipe support part provided on the main body, and then is fixed to the main body. Thereby, a user uses the suction port body in order to clean a general carpet or a floor, and uses the subsidiary suction device in order to clean a ceiling, a wall, or a gap between a piece of furniture and a floor.

However, the conventional upright type cleaner has a low mounting convenience of the subsidiary suction device on the main body. Particularly, in order to insert the front end of the pipe into the cylindrical pipe support part provided on the main body, a user needs to lift up the subsidiary suction device to a height higher than user's shoulders, and take considerable precautions to insert the front end of the pipe into the pipe support part. Further, in order to separate the subsidiary suction device from the main body, the user needs to take the subsidiary suction device out of the pipe support part in the rectilinear direction as long as the length of the pipe support part, and thus parts of a user's body, such as shoulders, waist, etc., may be damaged. Further, in case that the pipe support part is located at the lower portion of the main body, the user needs to bend down to confirm an inlet of the pipe support part.

Further, in case that the pipe support part has a short length, the subsidiary suction device is easily separated from the main body even by a small external force and thus the mounting reliability of the subsidiary suction device is lowered.

SUMMARY

Therefore, one aspect of the invention is to provide an upright type cleaner, in which the mounting convenience and reliability of a subsidiary suction device is improved.

In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides an upright type cleaner including a base provided with a suction port; a main body connected to the base; and a wand assembly detachably attached to the main body, wherein the wand assembly is rotated in one direction under the condition that the wand assembly is supported by the main body, and thus is mounted on the main body.

The wand assembly may include a handle easily gripped by a user, and a pipe connected to the handle; and a portion of the wand assembly adjacent to the handle may be rotatably supported by the main body.

The lower end of the wand assembly may be rotated in a direction coming close to the main body, and thus the wand assembly may be locked with the main body.

The wand assembly may be rotated in the other direction, and thus be separated from the main body.

The upright type cleaner may further include rotary shafts provided on any one of the main body and the wand assembly; and rotary grooves, into which the rotary shafts are respectively inserted, provided on the other one of the main body and the wand assembly.

The rotary shafts or the rotary grooves provided on the main body may be disposed at the upper portion of the main body.

The rotary grooves may be formed in a curved shape.

The upright type cleaner may further include a locking hook provided on any one of the main body and the wand assembly; and a fastening part, to which the locking hook is fastened, provided on the other one of the main body and the wand assembly, and the locking hook or the fastening part may be elastically supported.

The upright type cleaner may further include a release button releasing the fastening between the locking hook and the fastening part to release the wand assembly from the main body.

The release button may be provided on the upper portion of the main body.

The wand assembly may include a tool, which is detachably provided.

The wand assembly may further include a handle easily gripped by a user; and the handle of the wand assembly may serve as a handle of the main body under the condition that the wand assembly is locked with the main body.

The upright type cleaner may further include an elastically supporting unit elastically supporting the wand assembly in the opposite direction to the locking direction under the condition that the wand assembly is locked with the main body.

The wand assembly may be mounted on the rear portion of the main body.

The wand assembly may be rotated in one direction under the condition that the lower portion of the wand assembly is supported by the main body, and thus be mounted on the main body.

In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides an upright type cleaner including a base provided with a suction port; a main body connected to the base; a wand assembly detachably attached to the main body; a rotating unit provided to rotate the wand assembly; and a locking unit provided to lock the wand assembly rotated in one direction with the main body.

The rotating unit may include rotary shafts provided on any one of the main body and the wand assembly, and rotary grooves, into which the rotary shafts are respectively inserted, provided on the other one of the main body and the wand assembly.

The rotating unit may include a bending part provided on the wand assembly, and a rotary groove, into which the bending part is inserted such that the wand assembly is rotatable, provided on the main body.

The locking unit may include a locking hook provided on any one of the main body and the wand assembly; and a fastening part, to which the locking hook is fastened, provided on the other one of the main body and the wand assembly, and the locking hook or the fastening part may be elastically supported.

In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention provides an upright type cleaner including a base provided with a suction port; a main body connected to the base; a wand assembly detachably attached to the main body; and a first mounting unit preliminarily mounting the wand assembly on the main body, and a second mounting unit completing the mounting of the wand assembly on the main body, the first mounting unit may be disposed above the second mounting unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of an upright type cleaner in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are respectively exploded perspective and longitudinal-sectional views illustrating a fixing unit of a subsidiary suction device in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A to 4C are perspective views illustrating the fixing of the subsidiary suction device in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention to a main body;

FIGS. 5A to 5D are perspective views respectively illustrating fixing structures of subsidiary suction devices in accordance with modified embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of an upright type cleaner in accordance with another modified embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of an upright type cleaner in accordance with a further modified embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention by referring to the annexed drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of an upright type cleaner in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The upright type cleaner in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention includes a brush assembly 110, a main body 120 rotatably connected to the brush assembly 110, and a subsidiary suction device 130 detachably attached to the main body 120.

The brush assembly 110 includes a base 111 provided with a suction port 112, a rotary brush 113 accommodated in the base 111 and rotated to brush away dust from a surface to be cleaned and induce the dust to the inside of the base 111, a driving motor 114 to drive the rotary brush 113, and a plurality of wheels 115 provided at the lower portion of the base 111. The brush assembly 110 is used mainly when a bottom surface, such as a carpet, a floor, or etc. is cleaned, and thus, suction force is transmitted to the brush assembly 110 through a suction pipe 191 connected to a suction fan (not shown), which will be described later.

The main body 120 includes a main body casing 121 connected to the base 111 of the brush assembly 110 such that the main body 120 can be rotated, the suction fan (not shown) accommodated in the main body casing 121 to generate suction force, a filter 122 located at the inlet side of the suction fan to filter out foreign substances, and a collection tank 123 provided around the filter 122 to collect the filtered-out foreign substances. Non-described reference numeral 124 represents an exhaust port, through which filtered air is exhausted to the outside.

The subsidiary suction device 130 includes a wand assembly 140, and a flexible hose 150 connecting the wand assembly 140 to the suction pipe 191 to transmit the suction force generated from the suction fan to the wand assembly 140.

The wand assembly 140 includes a handle 141 easily gripped by a user, and a pipe 142 provided at one side of the handle 141 and connected to the flexible hose 150. The wand assembly 140 may further include a tool 143 detachably connected to the front end of the pipe 142.

The tool 143 in this embodiment is an electric tool, which is driven by electricity. The tool 143 includes a housing 144 provided with a suction port 145, a rotary brush 146 accommodated in the housing 144 and rotated, and a driving motor 147 to drive the rotary brush 146. Thereby, the upright type cleaner in this embodiment actively sucks and removes foreign substances from a surface to be cleaned, even when a ceiling, a curtain, or a narrow gap is cleaned, and thus has a highly enhanced cleaning performance. Of course, the above-described tool 143 is exemplary, and thus various kinds of tools, such as an active tool and a passive tool, in addition to the electric tool may be mounted on the cleaner.

The subsidiary suction device 130 in this embodiment further includes an electric wire 194 extended to the flexible hose 150, the handle 141, and the pipe 142 to provide power to electric components of the tool 143 and electrically control the electric components of the tool 143, and connection parts 195 and 196 respectively provided at the tips of the pipe 142 and the tool 143.

The electric wire 194 may be buried under the pipe 142 such that the electric wire 194 is not exposed to the outside. Thereby, in case that the tool 143 is mounted on the pipe 142, the tool 143 is electrically connected to a power supply unit (not shown) and a control unit (not shown) of the cleaner.

The flexible hose 150 is connected to the main body casing 121 provided with the suction fan through the suction pipe 191 and a channel conversion device 192 to selectively transmit the suction force of the suction fan to the brush assembly 110 or the subsidiary suction device 130 is provided at the connection part between the flexible hose 150 and the suction pipe 191. The channel conversion device 192 in this embodiment is manipulated by turning a knob 193 by hand, but a separate actuator or a link structure to rotate the knob 193 may be provided.

Hereinafter, the fixing structure of the subsidiary suction device 130 in accordance with this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are respectively exploded perspective and longitudinal-sectional views illustrating a fixing unit of the subsidiary suction device in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4A to 4C are perspective views illustrating the fixing of the subsidiary suction device in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention to the main body.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and FIGS. 4A to 4C, the upright type cleaner in this embodiment includes a rotating unit 160 provided on the wand assembly 140 and the main body 120 such that the wand assembly 140 is supported by the main body 120 and is rotated, a locking unit 170 provided on the wand assembly 140 and the main body 120 such that the wand assembly 140 rotated in one direction is locked with the main body 120, and an elastically supporting unit 180 elastically supporting the wand assembly 140 in the opposite direction to the locking direction.

The rotating unit 160 includes rotary shafts 161 provided on the wand assembly 140, and rotary grooves 162, into which the rotary shafts 161 are inserted, provided on the main body 120. The rotary grooves 162 of the main body 120 may be provided at the upper portion of the main body 120 such that a user can easily observe the position of the rotary grooves 162. Further, the handle side of the wand assembly 140, i.e., a portion of the handle 141 or a portion of the pipe 142 being adjacent to the handle 141, may be rotatably supported by the main body 120.

The locking unit 170 includes a locking hook 171 provided on the main body 120, an elastic body 172 elastically supporting the locking hook 171 in one direction, a release button 173 formed integrally with the locking hook 171 to allow a user to press the locking hook 171 in the opposite direction to the elastically supporting direction of the locking hook 171, and a fastening part 174, to which the locking hook 171 is fastened, provided on the wand assembly 140. Non-described reference numeral 175 represents a cover to cover the front surface of the main body 120.

The elastically supporting unit 180 includes a support body 181 contacting the wand assembly 140, and an elastic body 182 elastically supporting the support body 181.

Through the above structure, when the rotary shafts 161 of the wand assembly 140 are inserted into the rotary grooves 162 of the main body 120 and then the wand assembly 140 is rotated in a direction of causing the lower end of the wand assembly 140 to come close to the main body 120, as shown in FIG. 3, the locking hook 171 moves in the opposite direction to the elastically supporting direction and then is returned to its original position. During this process, the fastening part 174 provided on the wand assembly 140 is fastened to the locking hook 171, and thus the wand assembly 140 is supported by the elastically supporting unit 180 and then fixed to the main body 120. That is, when a user inserts the rotary shafts 161 of the wand assembly 140 into the rotary grooves 162 of the main body 120 and then pushes the handle 141 of the wand assembly 140 toward the front of the cleaner, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the fixing of the subsidiary suction device 130 to the main body 120 is completed. In case that the rotating unit 160 and the locking unit 170 are respectively referred to as a first mounting unit and a second mounting unit, the user preliminarily fixes the wand assembly 140 to the main body 120 using the first mounting unit, which is located at a relatively high position and thus easily recognized, and then completes the fixing of the wand assembly 140 to the main body 120 using the second mounting unit.

On the other hand, when the release button 173 formed integrally with the locking hook 171 is pressed, the wand assembly 140 is released from the main body 120. The fastening between the locking hook 171 of the main body 120 and the fastening part 174 of the wand assembly 140 is released, and the wand assembly 140 is rotated in the opposite direction to the locking direction by the elastic force of the elastically supporting unit 180 and is released from the main body 120. Here, the release button 173 may be located at the upper portion of the main body 120 such that the user of the subsidiary suction device 130 can conveniently press the release button 173.

Therefore, the upright type cleaner in this embodiment has an enhanced mounting convenience of the subsidiary suction device 130. Specifically, a user rotates the wand assembly 140 in one direction to fix the wand assembly 140 to the main body under the condition that an arbitrary part between both ends of the wand assembly 140 is rotatably supported by the main body 140, and thus can easily fix the wand assembly 140 to the main body 120 without lifting up the wand assembly 140 or stooping down. Further, in case that the wand assembly 140 is separated from the main body 120, the user can easily separate the wand assembly 140 from the main body 120 by pressing the release button 173 of the main body 120.

Further, the upright type cleaner in this embodiment has an enhanced mounting reliability of the subsidiary suction device 130. Specifically, the movement of the wand assembly 140 is restricted in the locked state, and there is not much possibility of releasing the wand assembly 140 from the main body 120 by external force.

The wand assembly 140 in this embodiment may serve as a handle of the main body 120 in the fixed state of the wand assembly 140 to the main body 120. Specifically, in case that the wand assembly 140 is locked with the main body 120, the relative movement of the wand assembly 140 against the main body 120 is restricted. Thus, the user can use the brush assembly 110 or lift the cleaner to move the cleaner under the condition that the user grips the handle 141 of the wand assembly 140 or a part of the wand assembly 140.

Further, since the wand assembly 140 in this embodiment is rotated under the condition that the wand assembly 140 is supported by the main body 120, and thus is fixed to the main body 120, the wand assembly 140 can be fixed to the main body 120 under the condition that the tool 143 is mounted on the wand assembly 140. Thus, the upright type cleaner in this embodiment saves a user's trouble of attaching and detaching the tool 143 to and from the subsidiary suction device 130 whenever the user wants to use the subsidiary suction device 130.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are perspective views respectively illustrating fixing structures of subsidiary suction devices in accordance with modified embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of an upright type cleaner in accordance with another modified embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of an upright type cleaner in accordance with a further modified embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, some parts in these embodiments, which are substantially the same as those in the earlier embodiment, are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in the different drawings, and a detailed description thereof will thus be omitted because it is considered to be unnecessary.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the upper portions of rotary grooves 261 of a rotating unit 260 in this embodiment are opened, and a locking hook 271 of a locking unit 270 restricts a wand assembly 240 downwardly. Specifically, the locking hook 271 includes lever parts 273 elastically supported by a main body 220 such that the a lever part 273 is rotated around a central shaft 274 and provided with hooks 272 at one end thereof, and a road part 275 rotatably connected to the other end of the lever part 273. Non-described reference numeral 276 represents a torsion spring to elastically support the lever part 273 to the main body 220.

Thereby, when the wand assembly 240 is rotated in one direction under the condition that rotary shafts 262 of the wand assembly 240 are inserted into the rotary grooves 261 of the main body 220, the lever part 273 of the locking hook 271 is rotated in one direction and then is returned to its original position, and simultaneously, the wand assembly 240 is locked with the main body 220.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, a rotating unit 360 includes a bending part 361 provided on a wand assembly 340, and a rotary groove 362, into which the bending part 361 of the wand assembly 340 is inserted such that the wand assembly 340 is rotatable, provided on a main body 320. In this embodiment, a locking unit 370 restricts the upward movement of the wand assembly 340, and thus the relative moment of the wand assembly 340 in the locked state against the main body 320 is restricted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, rotary grooves 461 may be formed in a curved shape, and the shape of the rotary grooves 462 is not limited.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5D, rotary shafts 561 may be formed on a main body 520, and rotary grooves 562 may be formed on a wand assembly 540. The rotary shafts 561 may be formed on the upper portion of the main body 520.

An upright type cleaner in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, further includes a housing 644 provided with a suction port 645, a rotary brush 646 accommodated in the housing 644 and rotated, a driving motor 647 to drive the rotary brush 646, a power supply unit 648 to supply power to electric components including the driving motor 647, a first connection part 649 provided at one side of the housing 644 and electrically connected to the power supply unit 648, and a second connection part 650 provided on a main body 620 and electrically connected to the first connection part 649 of an electric tool 643 when a wand assembly 640 is locked with the main body 620.

Thereby, when the wand assembly 640 is locked with the main body 620, the power supply unit 648 is charged with power supplied from the main body 620, and thus it is possible to omit or reduce an electric wire provided in a subsidiary suction device 630. Further, the breaking-down of the wire generated during the use of the subsidiary suction device 630 is prevented.

Further, the upright type cleaner in this embodiment further includes a wireless control unit 660 provided on a handle 641 of the wand assembly 640 to control the electric tool 643 by wireless. A user can control the electric components of the subsidiary suction device 630 through the wireless control unit 660. Of course, the wireless control unit 660 may be disposed on other portions of the cleaner, such as the main body 620.

As shown in FIG. 7, a wand assembly 740 may be fixed to the rear portion of a main body 720.

Here, a rotating unit may be located below a locking unit, and a wand assembly may be rotated in one direction under the condition that the lower portion of the wand assembly is rotatably supported by the main body, and thus the upper portion of the wand assembly may be locked with the main body. That is, the lower portion of the wand assembly may be rotatably supported by the main body, and the upper portion of the wand assembly may be locked with the main body. In this case, since it is easy recognize the rotating unit formed on the rear surface of the cleaner, the mounting convenience of the wand assembly on the main body is enhanced.

The above modified embodiments are exemplary, it is apparent that the upright type cleaner of the present invention may be variously modified.

For example, a locking hook may be provided on the wand assembly and a fastening part may be provided on the main body. Further, although the embodiments of the present invention describe that the locking hook is elastically supported, the fastening part may be elastically supported.

As apparent from the above description, in an upright type cleaner in accordance with the present invention, the mounting convenience and reliability of a subsidiary suction device is improved.

Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An upright type cleaner comprising:

a base provided with a suction port;

a main body connected to the base; and

a wand assembly detachably attached to the main body,

wherein the wand assembly is rotated in one direction under the condition that the wand assembly is supported by the main body, and thus is mounted on the main body.

2. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, wherein:

the wand assembly includes a handle easily gripped by a user, and a pipe connected to the handle; and

a portion of the wand assembly adjacent to the handle is rotatably supported by the main body.

3. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the wand assembly is rotated in a direction coming close to the main body, and thus the wand assembly is locked with the main body.

4. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wand assembly is rotated in the other direction, and thus is separated from the main body.

5. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

rotary shafts provided on any one of the main body and the wand assembly; and

rotary grooves, into which the rotary shafts are respectively inserted, provided on the other one of the main body and the wand assembly.

6. The upright type cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the rotary shafts or the rotary grooves provided on the main body are disposed at the upper portion of the main body.

7. The upright type cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the rotary grooves are formed in a curved shape.

8. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

a locking hook provided on any one of the main body and the wand assembly; and

a fastening part, to which the locking hook is fastened, provided on the other one of the main body and the wand assembly,

wherein the locking hook or the fastening part is elastically supported.

9. The upright type cleaner according to claim 8, further comprising a release button releasing the fastening between the locking hook and the fastening part to release the wand assembly from the main body.

10. The upright type cleaner according to claim 9, wherein the release button is provided on the upper portion of the main body.

11. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wand assembly includes a tool, which is detachably provided.

12. The upright type cleaner according to claim 11, wherein:

the wand assembly further includes a handle easily gripped by a user; and

the handle of the wand assembly serves as a handle of the main body under the condition that the wand assembly is locked with the main body.

13. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising an elastically supporting unit elastically supporting the wand assembly in the opposite direction to the locking direction under the condition that the wand assembly is locked with the main body.

14. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wand assembly is mounted on the rear portion of the main body.

15. The upright type cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the wand assembly is rotated in one direction under the condition that the lower portion of the wand assembly is supported by the main body, and thus is mounted on the main body.

16. An upright type cleaner comprising:

a base provided with a suction port;

a main body connected to the base;

a wand assembly detachably attached to the main body;

a rotating unit provided to rotate the wand assembly; and

a locking unit provided to lock the wand assembly rotated in one direction with the main body.

17. The upright type cleaner according to claim 16, wherein the rotating unit includes rotary shafts provided on any one of the main body and the wand assembly, and rotary grooves, into which the rotary shafts are respectively inserted, provided on the other one of the main body and the wand assembly.

18. The upright type cleaner according to claim 16, wherein the rotating unit includes a bending part provided on the wand assembly, and a rotary groove, into which the bending part is inserted such that the wand assembly is rotatable, provided on the main body.

19. The upright type cleaner according to claim 16, wherein the locking unit includes:

a locking hook provided on any one of the main body and the wand assembly; and

a fastening part, to which the locking hook is fastened, provided on the other one of the main body and the wand assembly,

wherein the locking hook or the fastening part is elastically supported.

20. An upright type cleaner comprising:

a base provided with a suction port;

a main body connected to the base;

a wand assembly detachably attached to the main body; and

a first mounting unit preliminarily mounting the wand assembly on the main body, and a second mounting unit completing the mounting of the wand assembly on the main body,

wherein the first mounting unit is disposed above the second mounting unit.