GB2028112A - Improvements in upright vacuum cleaners - Google Patents

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner, particularly a mobile one, has a hollow, upwardly directed, shaft 1 (which serves also as a handle) up which air from a fan is directed to an air outlet connection 26 of the shaft. A dust bag 25 is connected to the air outlet connection and air passes, from the outlet connection on the shaft, downwardly into the bag. The outlet connection on the shaft has a retaining nose 28 and a resilient tongue 29 which together retain a retaining plate 27 of the outer dust bag, which plate has a cut-out so that it can be slipped over the projecting outlet connection. An inner, paper, bag can be secured by other projections 30, 31 on the outlet connection. The shaft may be in two parts connectable together by means of a cam on one part which snaps into a recess provided between two springy tongues on the other part. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in upright vacuum cleaners The invention relates to an upright vacuum cleaner, in particular a mobile one, in which air emerging from a fan is conducted through a hollow shaft upwards to an air outlet connection from which it flows downwards into an outer dust bag and an inner dust paper bag within the outer bag, the air outlet connection being provided with a number of projections for holding the inner dust bag and the outer dust bag.

In order to be able to keep the packing of such vacuum cleaners small and handy, they usually are made up of a number of parts which are first assembled by the user after purchase. In this connection the shafts employed are likewise divided up into two or more sections in view of their overall length, the sections having to be mechanically connected together in a secure manner in assembly of the vacuum cleaner as a whole.

It is an object of the invention to provide a vacuum cleaner constructed so that it can be assembled by a lay person easily and without special tools.

According to the invention there is provided an upright vacuum cleaner in particular a mobile one, in which air emerging from a fan is conducted through a hollow shaft upwards to an air outlet connection from which it flows downwards into an inner dust bag arranged within a suspended outer dust bag, the outlet connection being provided with a number of projections for the attachment of the inner bag and the outer bag, characterised in that the outer bag is provided with a retaining plate which is fitted over the air outlet connection and is held on the outlet connection by a retaining nose and resilient tongue. Projections can be provided on opposite sides of the connection, for retention of the inner bag, which has an opening matching the shape of the connection. The inner dust bag may be a paper bag.

In order to prevent the inner bag being damaged by a hard body sucked in during use of the vacuum cleaner, the air emerging from the outlet connection may be guided into the paper bag by an air outlet nozzle directed downwards; the nozzle may comprise a domeshaped downwardly directed guiding wall for guiding the emerging air stream.

The shaft in a vacuum cleaner according to the invention may comprise two parts of which the ends interengage and are retained by a cam arranged on the end of the one part and resilient tongues provided on the end of the other part, the tongues engaging over the cam and so connecting the other part rigidly to the one part.

Further advantageous features of the invention are revealed by the drawing in which an embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows the shaft of an upright vacuum cleaner with an attachment for the dust bag constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a section on the line ll-ll in Fig.

1 and Figure shows a connection between two mutually engaging parts of the shaft.

In the diagramatic illustration a shaft (which serves as a handle) of an upright vacuum cleaner of known type is shown at 1, being hollow, and the dust-laden air is carried through its interior and conducted to a dust bag secured to the shaft. The dust bag arrangement comprises an inner paper bag arranged, at the outlet of the shaft, within an outer dust bag.

In the drawing the shaft of such a dust cleaner is indicated at 1 and the outlet connection of the shaft is shown generally at 26.

The outer dust bag 25 can be opened and closed by means of a sliding-clasp fastener 2.

Within the outer dust bag 25 there is, on the outlet connection 26, also a paper inner dust bag (not shown), which receives the dust emerging from the outlet connection 26.

For attaching the outer dust bag 25, the bag 25 a retaining plate 27 on its inner rear face, which is fitted over the outlet connection 26 by means of a cut-out of a shape matching that of the outlet connection 26. The outlet connection is provided on its lower end with a with a retaining nose 28, which the cut-out in the retaining plate 27 slides over, and furthermore the outlet connection 26 has at its upper end a resilient tongue 29 which can be made of the material of the plate 27, in particular plastics, and can be matched to the cut-out or can be secured to the outlet connection 26 as a separate metal component.

When the retaining plate 27 is fitted over the outlet connection 26 the tongue 29 springs back and thereby holds the retaining plate on the connection 26.

The connection 26 is further provided at opposite sides (top and bottom) in the neighbourhood of its outlet end with two projections 30 and 31 which hold the inner dust bag of paper or the like when the latter is fitted over the outlet connection 26 by means of a corresponding cut-out.

The mounting of the dust bag 25 on the shaft can be done easily, namely by sliding the retaining plate 27 of the dust bag 25 over the connection 26, the cut-out of the retaining plate 27 being first fitted over the retaining nose 28 and then over the resilient tongue 29.

As shown in the drawing, the outlet connection 26 is in the form of an elongated oval and its actual outlet opening is provided by a downwardly directed nozzle of the connection with a guiding wall 3 of dome-like shape and directed downwards, so that the actual direction of emergence of the dust is downwards and into the paper bag. This effectively prevents any hard particles that are picked up by the vacuum cleaner from damaging the paper inner bag as they emerge from the outlet connection 26.

As stated, the shaft or handle of the vacuum cleaner is advantageously made up of a number of parts, two adjacent parts being indicated in Fig. 3 at 23 and 24. The lower part 23 in the example shown in Fig. 3 is provided with a reduced end 7 and a cam in the form of a projecting button 8, whilst the oposing end of the part 24 has a central cutout 9 and two lateral slits 10 which together define two spring tongues 11 and 1 2. These tongues 11 and 1 2 spring back when the reduced end 7 of the part 23 is inserted in the end of the part 24 and the button 8 is forced into the cut-out 9. In this way the individual parts of a vacuum cleaner handle can be assembled and held together in a way which can be performed by non-experts without the use of any tools.

Claims (6)

1. An upright vacuum cleaner, in particular a mobile one, in which air emerging from a fan is conducted through a hollow shaft upwards to an air outlet connection from which it flows downwards into an inner dust bag arranged within a suspended outer dust bag, the outlet connection being provided with a number of projections for the attachment of the inner bag and the outer bag, characterised in that the outer bag is provided with a retaining plate which is fitted over the air outlet connection and is held on the outlet connection by a retaining nose and resilient tongue.

2. A cleaner according to claim 1 characterised in that projections for retaining the inner bag are arranged at opposite sides of the connection.

3. A cleaner according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that an air outlet nozzle of the connection is directed downwards.

4. A cleaner according to claim 3 characterised in that the nozzle comprises a domeshaped downwardly directed guiding wall for guiding the emerging air stream.

5. A cleaner according to anyone of the foregoing claims characterised in that the shaft comprises two parts of which the ends interengage telescopically, the parts being held together by a cam on one part and two springy tongues on the other part engaging over the cam.

6. A vacuum cleaner constructed arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.