Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02396023 2002-07-26
UPRIGHT TYPE VACUUM CLEANER
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. 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
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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
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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.
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When in use, the cleaner body 110 of the upright type
vacuum cleaner 100 may lie parallel to the surface to be
cleaned, as shown in FIG. 3, and accordingly the locking
protrusion 154 is pressed to the side surface of the cleaner
S body 110 such that the resilient support portion 155 remains
subject to an external force that deforms 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 may become deformed. When that
happens, there is a problem of reduced recovery force of the
resilient support portion 155.
In addition, as described above, when the cleaner body
110 is used lying in parallel to the surface to be cleaned, the
side surface of the cleaner body 110 is pressed by the locking
protrusion 154 such that there is a contact resist generated at
a contacting portion between the locking protrusion 154 and the
cleaner body 110 when the cleaner body 110 rotates.
Accordingly, there is also a problem that the cleaner body does
not smoothly rotate due to the contact resist.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed to solve the
above-described problems. Accordingly, it is a first object
of the present invention to provide an upright type vacuum
cleaner improved in construction so that it becomes capable of
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preventing deformation of a resilient pedal and reducing any
rotation resist of the cleaner body.
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
pivoting freely with respect to each other, 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, and the at least one locking recess comprises a
parallel position maintaining 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.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the at least one locking recess comprises a 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
maintaining 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.
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The resilient pedal preferably comprises a pedal body
pivotably mounted on the suction port assembly, the pedal body
comprising a 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 one
or more locking recesses and a resilient support portion for
resiliently pressing a side of the pedal body to rotate the
pedal body in a direction where the locking protrusion presses
the cleaner body.
The resilient support portion comprises a plate element
integrally protruding from a lower side of the pedal body, the
resilient member having a bending portion to be supported by
an inner wall of the suction port assembly.
One or more of the locking recesses may have a slanted
surface such that the locking protrusion is easily released
from the locking recess when the cleaner body rotates in 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
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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; and
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 the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE 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
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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
110 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
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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.
S 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
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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 modifications
and changes 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
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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. When the cleaner body 110 is
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rotated into an upright position, due to the presence of the
slanted surface 243a, the locking protrusion 154 is easily
released from the parallel recess 243. Accordingly, when the
locking protrusion 154 presses a side surface of the cleaner
body 110 it is moved along the slanted surface 243a of the
parallel position maintaining recess 243, since the plate
element 155 is in relaxed state to some extent, the load on the
plate element 155 is decreased. Therefore, there is an
effect of decreasing an operation resist, which is generated
when the locking protrusion 154 resiliently presses the side
surface of the cleaner body 110. It is preferred that the
inclined position recess 242 has a slanted surface 242a to
decrease the operation resist, generated when cleaner body 110
rotates.
According in the upright type vacuum cleaner 200
constructed as described above, the locking protrusion 154 is
locked in the locking recesses 240 such that 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 240. In order for the
locking protrusion 154 to be released from the locking
recesses 240, a user must press the pedal portion 153 to pivot
the resilient pedal 150. After the locking protrusion 154 is
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released from the locking recesses so that the cleaner body
110 rotates by pressing of the pedal portion 153, the
resilient pedal 150 automatically pivots due to a resilient
force of the resilient support portion 155 and allows the
locking protrusion 154 to contact with the cleaner body 110.
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.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention
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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.
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