US20060218741A1

US20060218741A1 - Multi-functional vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: US20060218741A1
Application number: US11/390,569
Authority: US
Inventors: Sang Kang
Original assignee: Daewoo Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: WiniaDaewoo Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-03-29
Filing date: 2006-03-28
Publication date: 2006-10-05
Also published as: CN101150975A; EP1871208A4; EP1871208A1; WO2006104321A1; JP2008534116A; KR100627903B1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a multi-functional vacuum cleaner, which can be used as a combined vacuum cleaner of a canister type vacuum cleaner which is easy to move and convenient to use when cleaning narrow areas, and of an upright type vacuum cleaner when is easy to use when cleaning wide areas. The vacuum cleaner comprises a body comprising a dust collection unit and a driving unit, a handle part separably connected with the body, and a brush detachably attached to the body to suck foreign matter. The brush supports the body when being attached to the body. The handle part and/or the brush can be independently and detachably attached to the body. Thus, the vacuum cleaner can be freely moved, and used for cleaning narrow areas as well as wide areas.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-functional vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a multi-functional vacuum cleaner, which can be used as a combined vacuum cleaner of a canister type vacuum cleaner and an upright type vacuum cleaner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus which cleans a room in such a way of removing foreign matter such as dust on a floor by sucking the foreign matter along with air into a body of the vacuum cleaner by generating suction force using a motor positioned in the body, and then collecting the foreign matter in a dust collection unit while allowing the air having the foreign matter removed therefrom to be discharged to an outside of the body. The vacuum cleaner is generally classified into a canister type, an upright type, a drum type, a handy type, and the like.
The canister type vacuum cleaner comprises a body, a dust collection unit, a driving unit, and wheels to allow free movement of the cleaner. The canister type vacuum cleaner further comprises a plurality of connection pipes connected with the dust collection unit of the body, an extension pipe connected with one of the connection pipes to allow adjustment in cleaning range of the cleaner, and suction devices having various shapes, one of which is connected with a distal end of the connection pipe depending on utilities and locations. Thus, with the canister type vacuum cleaner, foreign matter is sucked along with air into the dust collection unit through the suction device, the extension pipe and the connection pipe by generating suction force using a motor within the driving unit, and is collected into a dust bag positioned in the dust collection unit.
The canister type vacuum cleaner has a merit in that the extension pipe serving to connect the body and the suction device enables easy movement and replacement of the cleaning apparatus so that it is convenient to use when cleaning a narrow area. However, the canister type vacuum cleaner has problems in that, it is very difficult to move the body, the extension pipe and suction device connected by the connection pipe at the same time, cleaning efficiency is reduced in a large area, and in that it is inconvenient to maintain the canister type vacuum cleaner due to the long extension pipe.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional upright type vacuum cleaner, which will now be described briefly in view of problems of the conventional technique.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional upright type vacuum cleaner comprises a body 100 having a dust collection unit and a driving unit positioned therein, a handle 110 connected with an upper end of the body 100, a brush 120 connected with a lower end of the body 100 to suck foreign matter, and a wheel 130 attached to the brush 120 to allow easy movement of the body 100.
The upright type vacuum cleaner is convenient to use for cleaning wide areas, since the body can be freely moved using the handle connected with the upper end of the body. However, the upright type vacuum cleaner is inconvenient to use for cleaning narrow areas or corners, and fails to remove dust therefrom due to a space occupied by the brush supporting the body. Furthermore, the upright type vacuum cleaner has a problem in that it is difficult to change a direction of the brush since the body and the brush are heavy, causing difficulty in adjustment of the handle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-functional vacuum cleaner, which can be used as a combined vacuum cleaner of a canister type vacuum cleaner and an upright type vacuum cleaner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the multi-functional vacuum cleaner, which allows a handle part and a brush to be separated from a body, thereby enabling convenient use of the vacuum cleaner depending on utility of the vacuum cleaner.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide the multi-functional vacuum cleaner, which allows a hose connecting a first connection part formed on an upper portion of the body with a third connection part extending from one side of a lower portion of the brush to be separated from the third connection part, and to be connected with the handle part, a distal end of which is connected with one of various suction devices, thereby ensuring free movement of the vacuum cleaner while enabling cleaning of a narrow area.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a multi-functional vacuum cleaner, comprising: a body comprising a dust collection unit and a driving unit; a handle part detachably attached to an upper portion of the body; and a brush detachably attached to the body to support the body.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a multi-functional vacuum cleaner comprises: a body comprising a dust collection unit, a driving unit, a first connection part connected with one end of a hose, and a second connection part to which a handle part can be inserted, the first and second connection parts being formed on an upper portion of the body; the handle part separably connected with the second connection part of the body, and comprising a handle to be gripped by a user and a fourth connection part connectable with the other end of the hose; and a brush comprising a third connection part connected with the other end of the hose, the one end of which is connected with the body, and wheels mounted to lower opposite sides of the brush to enable easy movement of the vacuum cleaner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a conventional multi-functional vacuum cleaner;
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaner in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view illustrating the multi-functional vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaner in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the multi-functional vacuum cleaner of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaner in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout the drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments and the accompanying drawings are provided for illustrative purposes, and do not limit the scope of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaner in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view illustrating the multi-functional vacuum cleaner in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. The multi-functional vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the multi-functional vacuum cleaner of the first embodiment comprises a body 200, a handle part 300 detachably attached to an upper portion of the body 200, and a brush 400 detachably attached to the body 200 to support the body 200.
The body 200 comprises a dust collection unit 202 to collect dust through a suction port, and a driving unit (not shown) in which a motor is positioned. The body 200 is formed at the upper portion with a first connection part 206 to which a hose 208 is connected, and with a second connection part 207 to which the handle part 300 is connected. The dust collection unit 202 has a structure separable from the body 200, and may be provided with a gripper 204, which enables easy attachment or detachment of the dust collection unit 202 to the body 200. The gripper 204 is preferably formed in a longitudinal direction of the dust collection unit 202. In addition, the dust collection unit 202 is formed at one end with a suction port through which foreign matter is sucked into the dust collection unit 202, and at the other end with a cover. The cover can be opened and closed for removal of the foreign matter collected in the dust collection unit. The body 200 is formed at the upper portion with the first connection part 206 to which the hose 208 is connected, and with the second connection part 207 to which the handle part 300 is connected.
One end of the first connection part 206 is connected with the dust collection unit 202, and the other end thereof protrudes from the upper portion of the body 200 so as to enable connection with the hose 208. The protrusion of the first connection part 206 is configured to allow attachment or detachment of the hose 208. The second connection part 207 has a hole shape having a predetermined depth to receive the handle part 300 inserted thereto, and serves to secure the handle part 300 when the handle part 300 is inserted to the second connection part 207. The second connection part 207 is preferably in parallel with a rear side of the first connection part 206 in order to enable convenient movement of the vacuum cleaner and to enhance performance thereof. The body 200 has wheels attached to a rear side thereof to allow free movement of the body 200 when the body 200 is separated from the brush 400. The wheels may comprise first wheels 209 attached to opposite lower sides of the body, and more preferably further comprise second wheels attached to opposite upper sides of the body.
The body 200 comprises a connection part formed on a lower end of the body 200 to allow the body 200 to be detachably mounted to the brush 400. The body 200 can be seated on a seat 407 (see FIG. 5) of the brush 400 via the connection part such that the vacuum cleaner can be used as an upright type vacuum cleaner.
The handle part 300 comprises a handle 302 to allow easy gripping by a user and easy movement of the vacuum cleaner, and a fourth connection part 303 which can be connected with the hose 208 when the handle part 300 is separated from the body 200. In addition, the handle part 300 may comprise an adjustment part 304 to adjust a length of the handle part 300. The adjustment part 304 can adjust the length sequentially, and comprises a structure which can maintain the length of the handle after determining the length of the handle part 300. When using the vacuum cleaner as the upright type vacuum cleaner, the handle part 300 is inserted into the second connection part 207, and gripped by the user. On the other hand, when using the vacuum cleaner as a canister type vacuum cleaner, the handle part 300 is separated from the body 200, and used as an extension pipe of the canister type vacuum cleaner.
The brush 400 comprises a base 402 and a cover 404 separated upward and downward. The base 402 and the cover 404 may be assembled to each other by screws, and the like. The brush 400 may further comprise a flexible protection member, which is provided at a leading end between the base 402 and the cover 404 to prevent damage of the brush 400 due to collision against objects.
The brush 400 is formed at one side with a third connection part 406, which is connected with the other end of the hose 208, one end of which is connected with the first connection part 206. The brush 400 comprises third wheels 408 provided to rear opposite sides to allow free movement of the brush 400. In addition, preferably, the brush 400 further comprises fourth wheels, which are provided to a lower end thereof, and have a smaller diameter than that of the third wheels 408. The third connection part 406 extends from one side of the brush 400 to the suction port formed at a lower side of the brush 400. One end of the third connection part is adapted to allow the hose 208 to be detachably attached thereto, and the other thereof is connected with the suction port of the brush 400.
FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaner according to a second embodiment of the invention, which will be described hereinafter. The second embodiment comprises the same components as those of the first embodiment. Thus, the components of the second embodiment will be denoted by the reference numerals of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 4, in the multi-functional vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment, a handle part 300 is separated from a body 200, and a hose 208 connected at one end with a first connection part 206 formed on an upper portion of the body 200 and at the other end with a third connection part 406 extending from one side of a brush 400 is separated from the third connection part 406. Then, the hose 208 is connected at the other end with a fourth connection part 303 of a handle part 300.
With the fourth connection part 303 of the handle part 300 connected with the hose 208, a distal end of the handle part 300 can be connected with various suction devices. Although a general brush type suction device is illustrated as the suction device connected with the distal end of the handle part 300 in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this suction device. For example, a blade brush, a dusting brush or the like may be used. In this embodiment, the handle part 300 comprises an adjustment member, which can adjust the length of the handle part 300, and serves as an extension pipe.
According to the second embodiment of the invention, there are characteristics in that, with the brush 400, the hose 208, and the handle part 300 coupled to the body 200 of the vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner is conveniently used to clean various areas in a room, such as corners, a top surface of a table, and the like, considered difficult to clean using the upright type vacuum cleaner.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a disassembled structure of the multi-functional vacuum cleaner of the present invention, which will now be described as follows.
As shown in FIG. 5, according to the invention, the handle part 300 is separated from the second connection part 207 formed on the upper portion of the body 200, and the body 300 is separated from the seat 407 of the brush 400. In addition, the hose 208 is separated from the third connection part 406 extending from the one side of the brush 400. Then, the one end of the hose 208 is connected with the first connection part 206 of the body 200, and the other end thereof is connected with the fourth connection part 303 of the handle part 300. The body 300 can be freely moved with the first wheels 209 contacting the floor.
FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a multi-functional vacuum cleaner according to a third embodiment of the invention, which will be described hereinafter. The third embodiment comprises the same components as those of the first embodiment. Thus, the components of the third embodiment will be denoted by the reference numerals of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the multi-functional vacuum cleaner according to the third embodiment, a handle part 300 is separated from an upper portion of a body 200, and a brush 400 serving to support the body 200 is separated from the body 200. Here, first wheels 209 of the body 200 face the floor. A hose 208 connected at one end with a first connection part 206 formed on the upper portion of the body 200 and at the other end with a third connection part 406 extending from one side of the brush 400 is separated from the third connection part 406. Then, the hose 208 is connected at the other end with a fourth connection part 303 of the handle part 300.
With the fourth connection part 303 of the handle part 300 connected with the hose 208, a distal end of the handle part 300 can be connected with various suction devices. Although a general brush type suction device is illustrated as the suction device connected with the distal end of the handle part 300 in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this suction device. For example, a blade brush, a dusting brush or the like may be used. In this embodiment, the handle part 300 comprises an adjustment member which can adjust the length of the handle part 300, and serves as an extension pipe.
According to the third embodiment of the invention, there are characteristics in that, after being is separated from the handle part 300 and the brush 400, the body 200 is coupled to the hose 208 and the extension part, and used to clean various areas in a room, such as corners, a top surface of a table, and the like, while being freely moved and changed in direction.
As apparent from the above description, the multi-functional vacuum cleaner of the present invention has an advantageous effect in that it can be used as a combined vacuum cleaner of the canister type vacuum cleaner which is easy to move and convenient to use when cleaning a narrow area, and of the upright type vacuum cleaner which is easy to use when cleaning a wide area.
In addition, since the handle part and/or the brush can be independently and detachably attached to the body, the user can conveniently use the vacuum cleaner of the invention depending on the utility.
In addition, the hose connected at one end with the first connection part formed on the upper portion of the body can be separated from the third connection part, and then connected at the other end with the handle part, a distal end of which is connected with one of various suction devices, thereby enabling the vacuum cleaner to be conveniently used to clean the narrow area while being freely moved.
It should be understood that the embodiments and the accompanying drawings have been described for illustrative purposes and the present invention is limited by the following claims. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are allowed without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention according to the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A multi-functional vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a body including a dust collection unit and a driving unit;

a handle part separably connected with the body; and

a brush detachably attached to the body to suck foreign matters, the brush supporting the body when being attached to the body.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the body comprises a first connection part with which a hose is connected at one end thereof, and a second connection part to which the handle part is inserted.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the first connection part has one end protruding from the body so as to be connected with the hose, and the other end connected with the dust collection unit.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the second connection part has a hole shape having a predetermined depth to receive the handle part inserted thereto.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, further comprising wheels mounted to lower opposite sides of the body to enable easy movement of the body when the body is separated from the brush.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the handle part comprises a handle to be gripped by a user, and a fourth connection part connected with the other end of the hose when the handle part is separated from the body.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the handle part comprises an adjustment part to adjust a length of the handle.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein, when the handle part is separated from the body, one end of the handle part is connected with the other end of the hose, the one end of which is connected with the body, and the other end of the handle part is connected with a suction device.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the brush comprises a base and a cover separated upward and downward.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the brush comprises a third connection part connected with the other end of the hose, the one end of which is connected with the body.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the third connection part has one end extending from one side of the brush so as to allow the hose to be connected therewith, and the other end connected with a suction port formed at a lower side of the brush.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the brush comprises wheels mounted to rear opposite sides to allow free movement thereof.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the brush comprises a seat on which the body is seated when the body is coupled to the brush.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 2, wherein, when the brush is separated from the body, the brush is separated from the other end of the hose, the one end of which is connected with the body.

15. A multi-functional vacuum cleaner, comprising:

a body including a dust collection unit and a driving unit, the body comprising a first connection part with which a hose is connected at one end thereof, and a second connection part;

a handle part detachably attached to the second connection part and including a handle to be gripped by a user and a fourth connection part connectable with the other end of the hose, the one end of which is connected with the body; and

a brush comprising a third connection part connected with the other end of the hose, the one end of which is connected with the body, and wheels mounted to rear opposite sides of the brush to allow free movement thereof.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the body further comprises wheels mounted to lower opposite sides of the body to enable easy movement of the body when the brush is separated from the body.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein, when the handle part is separated from the body and the other end of the hose is separated from the third connection part of the brush, the other end of the hose is connected with the fourth connection part.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the handle part comprises an adjustment part to adjust a length of the handle.

19. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the brush comprises a seat on which the body is seated when the body is coupled to the brush.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the third connection part has one end extending from one side of the brush, and the other end connected with a suction port formed at a lower side of the brush.