Vacuum cleaner with cyclonic separating dirt cup and dirt cup door

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner. In one embodiment, a hand-held vacuum cleaner includes a housing having a first end and a second end, a suction nozzle located at the first end of the housing, and a suction fan and motor assembly located in the housing. A brushroll may be disposed within the suction nozzle. The hand-held vacuum cleaner further includes a dirt cup including an inlet, an outlet, a cyclonic flow chamber, a filter assembly, and a dirt cup door. The dirt cup is rotatably detachable from the housing. At least one nub cooperates with the at least one slot in the dirt cup to rotatably secure the dirt cup to the second end of the housing. In addition, the filter assembly includes at twist on filter cartridge.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 29 / 221,441, filed on Jan. 14, 2005, and Ser. No. 29 / 221,442, filed on Jan. 14, 2005, and Ser. No. 29 / 237,958, filed on Sep. 8, 2005.BACKGROUND [0002] The present invention relates to the field of vacuum cleaners. It finds particular application in conjunction with vacuum cleaners which employ cyclonic separation. [0003] Vacuum cleaners have become extremely popular for cleaning a variety of surfaces in homes, offices, cars or the like. One well known type of vacuum cleaner is a portable hand-held unit. Such units are utilized typically for small clean-up jobs or for cleaning in hard-to-reach places. These portable vacuum cleaner units are relatively light-weight and have a handle in order to enable a user to readily employ them in places where canister, upright, or shop-type vacuum cleaners cannot be used or are inconvenient to use. [0004] However, the above mentioned hand-held vacuum cleaners suffer a number ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is related to vacuum cleaners and provides several technical effects. \n\nFirstly, the invention provides a hand-held vacuum cleaner with a detachable dirt cup that can be easily mounted onto the housing of the vacuum cleaner. The dirt cup has an inlet and an outlet for fluid communication with the suction nozzle and the suction fan and motor assembly. The dirt cup is secured to the housing with a slot and a nub, which allows for easy rotation of the dirt cup. This design makes it convenient for users to empty the vacuum cleaner without having to detach the entire housing.\n\nSecondly, the invention provides a vacuum cleaner with a filter assembly that includes a filter support and a filter. The filter support has a segmented flange with a notch and a detent, which is positioned upstream from the suction fan and motor assembly. The filter has a tab with a ridge that cooperates with the notch and detent to securely mount the filter to the filter support. This design allows for easy replacement of the filter without having to detach the entire housing.\n\nLastly, the invention provides a vacuum cleaner with a housing that has a nub on its outer circumference. The dirt cup has a slot that matches the nub on the housing, which securely attaches the dirt cup to the housing. This design ensures that the dirt cup cannot rotate or become dislodged during use."

Problems solved by technology

However, the above mentioned hand-held vacuum cleaners suffer a number of disadvantages.

One disadvantage is that the filter elements are often small and tend to clog with debris relatively quickly.

This disadvantage arises as a result of the compact nature of these hand-held vacuum cleaners.

Thus, the overall vacuum and pickup efficiency of the cleaner is reduced as well.

Another disadvantage with prior hand-held vacuum cleaners is that they do not provide a convenient method of emptying the dirt which accumulates in the dirt cup of the cleaner.

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