Upright vacuum cleaner with cyclonic airflow pathway

Abstract

An upright vacuum cleaner includes an upright housing section and a nozzle base section. A cyclonic airflow dirt and dust separating chamber is defined in the upright housing section. A suction source pulls air and entrained dirt, dust, and other contaminants through a main suction opening formed in the underside of the nozzle base section and into the cyclonic airflow chamber. The cyclonic airflow chamber causes the suction airstream to travel in a cyclonic path such that the entrained contaminants are separated therefrom and deposited into a dirt container that defines the chamber. A main filter element filters residual contaminants from the suction airstream between the chamber and the suction source. An exhaust filter housing includes an airstream suction duct in fluid communication with an outlet of the airflow chamber and an inlet of the suction source. An outlet of the suction source is in fluid communication with an exhaust plenum of the exhaust filter housing. An exhaust filter is positioned radially outward of the exhaust plenum such that exhaust air is forcedly radially outward through the exhaust filter from the exhaust plenum to ensure that the air discharged into the atmosphere is contaminant free, including those contaminants introduced into the airstream by the suction source itself.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to the vacuum cleaner arts. More particularly, the present invention relates to upright vacuum cleaners that are used for suctioning dirt and debris from carpets and floors.[0002]Upright vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. Two types of upright vacuum cleaners are a soft bag-type vacuum cleaner and a hard shell-type vacuum cleaner. In a conventional soft bag-type vacuum cleaner, a vacuum source generates the suction required to pull dirt from the carpet or floor being vacuumed through a suction opening, through a motor / fan housing, and into a filter bag housed within a soft bag secured to a handle portion of the vacuum cleaner. The cleaned air is then exhausted through the porous walls of the filter bag and soft bag. In a conventional hard shell-type vacuum cleaner, a vacuum source generates the suction required to pull dirt from the carpet or floor being vacuumed through a suction opening and into a filter bag hou...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a new and improved upright vacuum cleaner with a cyclonic airflow chamber for separating dust and dirt from the suction airstream. The vacuum cleaner includes a main filtration chamber, an exhaust filter housing, and a suction source. The separation chamber, exhaust filter housing, and suction source work together to define an airflow pathway that extends axially downward from the separation chamber through the exhaust filter housing and into the suction source housing. The vacuum cleaner also includes a direct air path between the main filter chamber and the vacuum source, an annular exhaust filter, and a radial dirty air inlet into a dust separation chamber. The invention provides improved vacuum cleaning with a main filter that effectively filters residual contaminants from the suction airstream without unduly restricting airflow or premature clogging."

Problems solved by technology

For many of the known cyclonic airflow-type vacuum cleaners, the process of emptying a dirt collection container is inconvenient and often results in the spillage of the container contents.

Further, in some cyclonic airflow-type vacuum cleaners, the exhaust air is not sufficiently free of residual contaminants.

Such cyclonic airflow-type vacuum cleaners incorporating cartridge-type exhaust filters tend to have profiles that are bulky and less maneuverable for the user.

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