Vacuum-cleaner filter bag for a hand-held vacuum cleaner

Abstract

The invention comprises a vacuum-cleaner filter bag (1) having a bag wall (2) and a retaining plate (3), the retaining plate (3) the retaining plate (3) comprising an least partially cylindrical connection piece (4) extending in the direction of the through opening (5) formed in the retaining plate (3), the bag wall (2) being connected to the lateral surface of the connection piece (4) along the periphery of the connection piece.

Claims

1. A vacuum-cleaner filter bag, comprising: a bag wall and a retaining plate, the retaining plate comprising an at least partially cylindrical connection piece extending in a direction of a through-opening formed in the retaining plate, and the bag wall being connected to a lateral surface of the connection piece along a periphery of the connection piece.

2. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag wall is bonded or welded to the lateral surface of the connection piece.

3. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the connection piece and the retaining plate are integrally formed.

4. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the retaining plate and the connection piece are arranged on a short side of the bag wall.

5. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag wall has a surface pleat with at least five pleats.

6. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 5, wherein the at least five pleats extend along a longitudinal axis of the vacuum-cleaner filter bag or transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vacuum-cleaner filter bag.

7. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 5, further comprising a fixing device which prevents at least one of the at least five pleats from unfolding completely.

8. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, further comprising at least one side pleat.

9. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein a side of the bag wall opposite the retaining plate is concave or convex.

10. A method of producing a vacuum-cleaner filter bag having a bag wall and a retaining plate, the retaining plate comprising an at least partially cylindrical connection piece extending in a direction of a through-opening formed in the retaining plate, and the bag wall being connected to a lateral surface of the connection piece along a periphery of the connection piece, the method comprising the steps of: a) forming a tubular bag of a filter material open at one side; b) arranging the retaining plate at a wide end of a conical guide element so that the connection piece of the retaining plate rests against a lateral surface of the conical guide element; c) slipping the tubular bag over the conical guide element; d) connecting the tubular bag to the lateral surface of the connection piece facing away from the conical guide member; and e) lifting the tubular bag connected to the connection piece from the conical guide element.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the bag wall is bonded or welded to the lateral surface of the connection piece.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the connection piece and the retaining plate are integrally formed.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the retaining plate and the connection piece are arranged on a short side of the bag wall.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein a side of the bag wall opposite the retaining plate is concave or convex.

15. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag wall is clamped between the lateral surface of the connection piece and a clamping element.

16. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 2, wherein the connection piece and the retaining plate are integrally formed.

17. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 2, wherein the retaining plate and the connection piece are arranged on a short side of the bag wall.

18. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 4, wherein the bag wall has a surface pleat with at least five pleats.

19. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 4, further comprising at least one side pleat.

20. The vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to claim 4, wherein a side of the bag wall opposite the retaining plate is concave or convex.

Description

[0086] Further features and advantages of the invention are described below with reference to the exemplary Figures.

[0087] FIG. 1 shows a cross-section through an exemplary vacuum-cleaner filter bag;

[0088] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an exemplary retaining plate with an at least partially cylindrical connection piece;

[0089] FIG. 3 shows a top view of an exemplary tubular bag open at one side for the production of a vacuum-cleaner filter bag;

[0090] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an exemplary conical guide member for the production of a vacuum-cleaner filter bag; and

[0091] FIG. 5 shows an illustration of a manufacturing step in the production of an exemplary vacuum-cleaner filter bag.

[0092] FIG. 1 shows a cross-section through an exemplary vacuum-cleaner filter bag 1 with a bag wall 2 and a retaining plate 3. The retaining plate 3, in particular its flat connecting plate, serves to fix the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 in a corresponding holder in a housing of a vacuum cleaner.

[0093] The bag wall is not directly connected to the flat part of the retaining plate 3, i.e. the connecting plate, as is usual in the prior art, but to an at least partially cylindrical connection piece 4 of the retaining plate 3. In particular, the connection piece extends in the direction of the through-opening 5 formed in the retaining plate 3, i.e. perpendicular to the plane in which the connecting plate lies. The bag wall 2 is connected along the circumference of the connection piece 4 to its lateral surface, which also extends in the direction perpendicular to the connecting plate.

[0094] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an exemplary retaining plate with an at least partially cylindrical connection piece 4. The connection piece 4 comprises a cylindrical section. The shape of the cylindrical section can be freely selected and is not limited to the shape of a circular cylinder. The axis of the cylindrical section defines the longitudinal axis of the connection piece 4. Along this longitudinal axis of the cylindrical section, the through-opening of the retaining plate is provided. This forms an inflow opening for the suction material into the filter bag, as can be seen in FIG. 1.

[0095] The exemplary retaining plate 3 of FIG. 2 comprises a second section 8 adjoining the cylindrical section and having an enlarged circumference compared to the cylindrical section.

[0096] In particular, the second section 8 projects radially outwardly beyond the lateral surface of the cylindrical section. This second section 8 may correspond to the connecting plate as shown in FIG. 1.

[0097] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the bag wall 2 is welded to the lateral surface of the cylindrical section of the connection piece 4. In particular, the ultrasonic welding seams 6 can be seen. In addition, a clamping ring 7 is shown in this embodiment, which clamps the bag wall 2 to the lateral surface of the cylindrical section of the connection piece 4. Such a clamping ring 7 can also alone provide the connection of the bag wall to the lateral surface.

[0098] Not shown here, a sealing lip can further be provided at the through-opening 5.

[0099] FIG. 3 shows a top view of an exemplary tubular bag open on one side, as can be used in the manufacture of a vacuum-cleaner filter bag according to FIG. 1. The bag wall 2 of the exemplary bag of FIG. 3 comprises two longitudinal weld seams 12, 13 and a transverse weld seam 14. At the transverse side 15, the bag is open, i.e. without a weld seam, in order to enable a connection there with a connection piece as exemplarily shown in FIG. 2.

[0100] The transverse weld seam 14 could also be configured with a concave or convex curvature for better utilization of installation space. A bottom, for example in the form of a block bottom, or a side pleat would also be conceivable in the area of the transverse weld seam 14.

[0101] In addition, the bag wall 2 in FIG. 3 comprises a plurality of surface pleats 16 which extend along the longitudinal weld seams 12, 13. At the open end 15, the pleats are fixed in position by a fixing device 17.

[0102] As stated above, the term pleat in the sense of the present invention is defined as a sequence of two or a plurality of pleats, a single pleat in the sense of the present invention being defined by two pleat legs and a pleat hinge, respectively.

[0103] A pleat hinge is the point of a pleat with the smallest radius of curvature. A so-called pleat axis is obtained by the imaginary connection of the pleat hinges. The pleat axis is also referred to as the pleat back. The pleat axis may correspond to the longitudinal axis of a pleat. Areas of a pleat with a radius of curvature greater than the minimum radius of curvature of the pleat are called pleat legs. The area lying between the pleat legs of a pleat is called the pleat core. The pleat legs of a pleat can therefore also have a curvature in particular.

[0104] Pleats can also have inflection points. Inflection points are those points of a pleat, in particular the pleat legs, at which the curvature of the pleat changes from concave to convex. A line connecting several inflection points of a pleat is called an inflection line (helix line).

[0105] Two adjacent pleats can also share a pleat leg. If a plurality of pleats are provided in this way, a pleat pack or a pleat band can be realized.

[0106] A plurality of pleats can also be arranged in a zigzag pattern.

[0107] Pleats may also have legs that run parallel to the bag wall. Such legs may be located between pleats that protrude from the plane of the bag wall and thus have an upstream opening with respect to the bag wall. In particular, the width of the parallel leg may be less than, preferably less than half of, or most preferably less than a quarter of, the width of the opening of the pleat protruding from the bag wall.

[0108] The pleat legs of the pleats can in particular be smooth. “Smooth” in this context means that the pleat legs do not have any compactions and/or structuring, in particular which is intended to stabilize the shape of the pleats.

[0109] One or a plurality of pleat legs of one or a plurality of pleats may comprise one or a plurality of embossed structures, in particular wherein the embossed structures do not serve to stabilize the shape of the pleats. In this way, a further increase in the area available for filtration can be achieved.

[0110] In particular, the bag wall 2 may have more than 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 pleats, and in particular folds of these pleats.

[0111] The pleats of the bag wall may have a substantially regular spacing between them. In other words, the distance between the backs of the pleats of each two adjacent pleats may be substantially constant.

[0112] Pleats can be horizontal or vertical. Horizontal pleats are pleats whose pleat legs are arranged essentially parallel to the bag wall 2. Vertical pleats are pleats whose pleat legs enclose an angle greater than 0° and less than 180°, in particular greater than 20° or greater than 45°, with the bag wall 2.

[0113] A vertical pleat is also understood to be a pleat in which a plane in which both the pleat axis and the inflection line of the pleat lie encloses an angle greater than 45°, in particular greater than 30° particular greater than 10°, with a flat, horizontal surface on which the first and/or second bag wall is arranged. In this case, a horizontal pleat can be understood as a pleat in which the plane encloses with this surface an angle smaller than 45°, in particular smaller than 30°, in particular smaller than 10°.

[0114] To measure or determine the above angles, the vacuum-cleaner filter bag, in particular the pleated nonwoven material, is arranged on a flat, horizontal surface. For this purpose, the vacuum-cleaner filter bag can also be cut open and, in particular, arranged on the surface in such a way that the upstream side or inner side of the original vacuum-cleaner filter bag rests on the surface.

[0115] Horizontal pleats may be mutually overlapping, non-overlapping and/or partially overlapping.

[0116] For the manufacture of an exemplary vacuum-cleaner filter bag, as shown in FIG. 1, it is necessary to connect the bag wall 2 to the connection piece 4. Although the connection piece 4 is made of plastics and has a certain strength, in the case of a connection by welding it would be advantageous if an anvil were provided to form an abutment. FIG. 4 shows such an anvil in the form of a conical guide element 18.

[0117] As shown in FIG. 5, the conical guide element 18 can be arranged vertically on a worktable. The conical guide element 18 is configured in such a way that its outer diameter at the wide end corresponds to the inner diameter of the cylindrical section of the connection piece 4. The retaining plate 3 with connection piece 4 is then slipped over the conical guide element 18 as shown in FIG. 5. A robot gripper can then grip a tubular bag open on one side, as shown for example in FIG. 3, and likewise slip it over the conical guide element 18. Here, too, the conical shape of the guide element 18 is advantageous. Thereupon, a welding of the bag wall 2 to the lateral surface of the cylindrical section of the connection piece 4 can take place, and this from the outside. The latter has the advantage that the welding result can be checked, for example via image processing.

[0118] Finally, the retaining plate 3 and the bag wall 2 connected to it are pulled off the conical guide element 18.

[0119] It is understood that features mentioned in the previously described embodiments are not limited to these particular combinations and are also possible in any other combinations. Furthermore, it is understood that geometries shown in the Figures are only exemplary and are also possible in any other embodiments.