Dust container for a vacuum cleaner

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing dust containers for vacuum cleaners are not optimized for use with compact vacuum cleaners, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage due to incorrect installation and space constraints.

Innovation Solution

A dust container with a connector plate featuring a central portion and an extending portion with lower bending stiffness, allowing for curved insertion into the vacuum cleaner holder, combined with living hinges, material differences, or perforations to facilitate bending and secure sealing, while maintaining reliable positioning and sealing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the connector plate is made rigid to ensure reliable sealing, then sealing reliability is improved, but the connector plate cannot be inserted into curved holders in compact vacuum cleaners

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing reliabilityVSAvoidadaptability to curved holders
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The connector plate is divided into two functional segments: a rigid central portion that maintains sealing reliability, and a flexible extending portion that can bend to accommodate curved holders. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different parts of the connector plate have different mechanical properties: the central portion is made rigid for reliable sealing, while the extending portion is made flexible for adaptability. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between sealing reliability and adaptability to curved holders.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If the connector plate is made flexible to fit curved holders, then adaptability is improved, but sealing reliability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to curved holdersVSAvoidsealing reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The connector plate is divided into two functional segments: a rigid central portion that maintains sealing reliability, and a flexible extending portion that can bend to accommodate curved holders. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different parts of the connector plate have different mechanical properties: the central portion is made rigid for reliable sealing, while the extending portion is made flexible for adaptability. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between sealing reliability and adaptability to curved holders.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Volume of moving object

If the dust container design is optimized for compact vacuum cleaners with curved holders, then space efficiency is improved, but installation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespace efficiencyVSAvoidinstallation ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The extending portion of the connector plate is designed to be dynamically flexible, allowing it to bend and conform to the curved shape of the holder during installation. This dynamic flexibility simplifies the installation process by enabling the connector plate to automatically adapt to the curved geometry without requiring complex alignment procedures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3884833B1Dust container for a vacuum cleaner
Publication Date: 2024.07.10 AB ELECTROLUX
  • EP3884833B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3884833B1 patent drawingFigure 3~7
  • EP3884833B1 patent drawingFigure 8~9

AI summary

The invention relates to a dust container (1) for a vacuum cleaner. The dust container (1) comprises a dust bag (5), made of an air permeable material, and a connector plate (3), surrounding an opening (9) in the dust bag (5), whereby the connector plate (3) is configured to correctly position the opening (9) within a vacuum cleaner by the connector plate being slid into a holder of the vacuum cleaner, characterized by the connector plate (3) comprising a central portion (11) surrounding said opening, and an extending portion (13) projecting from the central portion (11) in the plane thereof, wherein the extending portion (13) is configured to have a lower bending stiffness about an axis perpendicular to the direction in which it extends from the central portion than has the central portion (11), such that the extending portion can be bent out of the plane of the central portion (11) into a step-wise or continuous curvature without bending the central portion (11).