Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner comprises a rigid dirt receptacle 14 having an outlet at one end, through which the collected dirt and dust can be emptied, a flap 16 for closing the outlet, and an actuator 58 for moving the flap 16 between a closed position and an open position, the actuator 58 being operable to control the position of the flap 16 between the open and closed positions. A location is provided at a partially opened position of the flap 16, at which position fine dirt and dust can be emptied through the restricted outlet in a controlled manner. The restricted size of the outlet retains any coarse and fibrous dirt inside the receptacle 14. Once the fine dirt has been emptied, the flap 16 can be moved to its fully open position to allow the coarse dirt and fibrous matter to be emptied from the receptacle 14 separately from the fine dust.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner. [0003] 2. Related Background Art [0004] Vacuum cleaners conventionally comprise a permeable dust bag, which filters and retains the dirt and dust drawn into the vacuum cleaner by the induced air flow. Nowadays, it has become popular to provide vacuum cleaners, in which the separated dirt and dust is collected in a rigid dirt receptacle that can be emptied and re-used. Such so-called bagless cleaners alleviate the need to purchase and replace the dust bags. However, a disadvantage of re-usable dirt receptacles is that the receptacles are often dirty to handle and clouds of dirt and dust can be emitted into the atmosphere when the receptacles are emptied, with the obvious health risks and resultant contamination of the vacuum cleaner and the user's environment with a layer of dust. [0005] Many bagless vacuum cleaners nowadays comprise a cyclonic separator, which deposits the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] The present invention thus provides a clean and hygienic way of empting the receptacle by allowing the fine and coarse dirt to be emptied in two distinct operating stages, thereby avoiding the problem of dust contamination when all of the dirt is released in an uncontrolled single stage.

[0016] The restricted size of the opening also allows a more controlled release of the fine dirt and avoids the problem of dust contamination caused by a sudden release of the dirt.

[0017] The receptacle is simple and inexpensive in construction and is straightforward to use.

Problems solved by technology

However, a disadvantage of re-usable dirt receptacles is that the receptacles are often dirty to handle and clouds of dirt and dust can be emitted into the atmosphere when the receptacles are emptied, with the obvious health risks and resultant contamination of the vacuum cleaner and the user's environment with a layer of dust.

One of the main disadvantages of known cyclonic vacuum cleaners is that the procedure for emptying their dirt receptacles is a potentially dirty and unhygienic process.

This problem is exacerbated because fine dirt typically collects at the base of the dirt receptacle, with coarse and fibrous dirt lodging in the upper region of the receptacle.

When the dirt receptacle is inverted for emptying, the entire mass of dirt falls in an uncontrolled manner into the vessel used for its final disposal, typically a dustbin or refuse bag.

This uncontrolled discharge usually results in the lighter dirt fractions being disturbed by the movement of the heavier fractions, whereupon the clothing and anatomy of the vacuum cleaner user may become contaminated with dust.

The attendant escape of dust into the user's home environment is equally undesirable.

In either case, dust and fibres suddenly fall out of the dirt receptacle when the flap opens.

This flap-type emptying system exacerbates the problem of contamination, since the fine dust falls out of the bottom of the receptacle closely followed by the coarse and fibrous dirt, which falls through and / or lands on top of the fine dust causing clouds of fine dust to become airborne and contaminate the environment during the emptying process.

Although the dirt receptacle emptying arrangement disclosed in EP 1 199 023 constitutes a considerable improvement over the emptying arrangements of most commercially available cyclonic cleaners, the receptacle is complicated and expensive in construction and is difficult to use.

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