FILTER ASSEMBLY FOR A VACUUM CLEANER

Abstract

A filter assembly for a vacuum cleaner has a housing, a filter medium disposed in the housing, a recess formed in a surface of the housing, a tab movable between a first position and a second position, and a fixing member movable between a fixing position and a release position. The fixing member is engageable with the vacuum cleaner when in the fixing position to fix the filter assembly to the vacuum cleaner. The fixing member is disengageable from the vacuum cleaner when in the release position such that the filter assembly may be removed from the vacuum cleaner. The tab is movable between the first and second positions to move the fixing member between the fixing and release positions. The tab is disposed within the recess such that the tab is located below the surface of the housing in the first position.

Claims

1. A filter assembly for a vacuum cleaner, the filter assembly comprising a housing, a filter medium disposed in the housing, a recess formed in a surface of the housing, a tab movable between a first position and a second position, and a fixing member movable between a fixing position and a release position, wherein the fixing member is engageable with the vacuum cleaner when in the fixing position so as to fix the filter assembly to the vacuum cleaner, the fixing member is disengageable from the vacuum cleaner when in the release position such that the filter assembly can be removed from the vacuum cleaner, movement of the tab between the first and second positions causes the fixing member to move between the fixing and release positions, and the tab is disposed within the recess such that the tab is located below the surface of the housing when in the first position.

2. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the fixing member is integrally formed with the tab.

3. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the fixing member extends outwardly through a channel formed in the housing.

4. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the fixing member is disposed on a surface of the housing which is not exposed when the filter assembly is located in an operable position in a vacuum cleaner

5. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the recess is shaped and dimensioned to correspond to at least a finger or a thumb of a user.

6. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the tab is pivotably mounted within the recess.

7. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the tab is resiliently biased toward the first position.

8. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the tab is disposed within the recess such that a gap is formed between the tab and a lower surface of the recess in the first position.

9. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the tab is located above the surface of the housing in the second position.

10. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the tab pivots out of the recess when the tab is moved from the first position to the second position.

11. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter assembly comprises a further tab disposed within a further recess, and a further fixing member, the further tab is movable between a first position and a second position, the further fixing member is movable between a fixing position and a release position, the further tab is movable between its first and second positions to move the further fixing member between its fixing and release positions, and the further tab is disposed within the further recess such that the further tab is located below the surface of the housing in the first position.

12. The filter assembly of claim 11, wherein the tab and the further tab are movable toward one another from their respective first positions to their respective second positions.

13. A vacuum cleaner comprising a main body and the filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a filter assembly recess, the filter assembly is removably mounted within the filter assembly recess, the fixing member engages with the main body when in the fixing position so as to fix the filter assembly within the filter assembly recess, and the fixing member disengages from the main body when in the release position such that the filter assembly can be removed from the filter assembly recess.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the vacuum cleaner comprises a separating apparatus removably mounted to the main body, and the separating apparatus overlies the filter assembly when mounted to the main body.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14, wherein the separating apparatus rests upon the surface of the housing of the filter assembly.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the filter assembly recess is formed in a curved surface of the main body, and the surface of the housing of the filter assembly is curved and conforms to the curvature of the curved surface of the main body.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the surface of the housing of the filter assembly is flush with a surface of the main body that surrounds the filter assembly recess.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to better understand the present invention, and to show more clearly how the invention may be put into effect, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a front upper perspective view of a filter assembly according to a first aspect of the present invention in a fixing configuration;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a front upper perspective view of the filter assembly of FIG. 1 in a removal configuration;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a front lower perspective view of the filter assembly of FIG. 2;

[0030] FIG. 4 is a front rear perspective view of the filter assembly of FIG. 1;

[0031] FIG. 5 is a side view of a disassembled vacuum cleaner according to a second aspect of the present invention;

[0032] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a main body of the vacuum cleaner of FIG. 5 with the filter assembly removed;

[0033] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a filter assembly recess of the main body of FIG. 6; and

[0034] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the main body of FIG. 6 with the filter assembly in an operable position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] A filter assembly according to the present invention, generally designated 44, is shown in FIGS. 1-4.

[0036] The filter assembly 44 comprises a filter housing 52 having a filter inlet 54 and a filter outlet 56. The filter housing 52 is generally curved in form, and is substantially hollow. The filter inlet 54 comprises an aperture formed in a lower surface of the filter housing 52, and the aperture is in fluid communication with the interior of the filter housing 52. A wall of the filter housing 52 is substantially open to define the filter outlet 56, and the substantially open wall receives filter medium 58 such that the filter medium 58 defines channels within the interior of the filter housing 52. The filter outlet 56 has a larger surface area than the filter inlet 54, and hence may reduce noise in use.

[0037] An upper surface 60 of the filter housing 52 is curved and flared to form wings 62,64. The upper surface 60 comprises first 66 and second 68 recesses, within which are housed filter assembly removal tabs 70,72. By placing the filter assembly removal tabs 70,72 within the recesses 68,70, accidental activation of the tabs 70,72 may be avoided. The first 66 and second 68 recesses extend at least partially along the wings 62,64, and are shaped and dimensioned to correspond to a user's thumb and forefinger.

[0038] The filter assembly removal tabs 70,72 are generally planar, having curved end lips, and are pivotally mounted within the recesses 66,68 by front 74,76 and rear mounting pins. The front mounting pins 74,76 extend through respective channels 82,84 in the filter housing 52, and define locking formations 74,76 of the filter assembly 44. The filter assembly removal tabs 70,72 are pivotable between a locking position in which the tabs 70,72 are entirely housed within the recesses 66,68, and a removal/insertion position in which the tabs 70,72 extend partially out of the respective recesses 66,68. The locking position and removal/insertion position are shown respectively in FIGS. 1 and 2. The filter assembly removal tabs 70,72 are resiliently biased toward the locking position by appropriate biasing springs (not shown).

[0039] As can be seen from FIG. 1, when the tabs 70,72 are in the locking position, the front mounting pins 74,76 are disposed at first opposing ends of their respective channels 82,84. The tabs 70,72 are entirely housed within the recesses 66,68, and a gap exists between each tab 70,72 and the bottom of the respective recess 66,68. When it is desired to move the tabs 70,72 from the locking position to the removal/insertion position, a user may place their thumb and forefinger into respective recesses 66,68, and grip the tabs 70,72. By applying a pinching force to the tabs 70,72, ie by moving the tabs 70,72 toward one another against the action of the biasing springs, the front mounting pins 74,76 move toward one another within their channels 82,84, and the tabs 70,72 are pivoted such that the tabs 70,72 extend partially out of the recesses 66,68. The surface area of the tabs 70,72 that is available for a user to grasp may be increased as the tabs 70,72 are pivoted from the locking position to the removal/insertion position.

[0040] A vacuum cleaner, generally designated 10, utilising the filter assembly 44 of the present invention, is shown in FIGS. 5-8.

[0041] The vacuum cleaner 10 comprises a main body 12, a separating apparatus 14, a flexible hose 16, a wand assembly 18, and a cleaner head 20. The main body 12 is shown in isolation from the other components of the vacuum cleaner 10 in FIGS. 6-8. The separating apparatus 14, flexible hose 16, wand assembly 18, and cleaner head 20, are conventional, and so will not be described here in any detail, save to say that the separating apparatus 14 is a cyclonic separating apparatus having a dirty air inlet formed in a lower surface thereof, and also having a clean air outlet.

[0042] The main body 12 is generally spherical and hollow in form, and comprises a separator recess 22, and a filter assembly recess 28.

[0043] The separator recess 22 is shaped and dimensioned to receive the separating apparatus 14, such that a portion of the separating apparatus 14 protrudes upwardly from the separator recess 22.

[0044] The filter assembly recess 28 is formed in a curved surface of the separator recess 22. The filter assembly recess 28 is shaped and dimensioned to receive the filter assembly 44. An internal surface 46 of the main body 12 in the region of the filter assembly recess 28 comprises first 48 and second 50 locking formations for engaging corresponding locking formations 74,76 of the filter assembly 44. The first 48 and second 50 locking formations comprise substantially L-shaped recesses formed on the internal surface 46.

[0045] When the filter assembly 44 is inserted in the filter assembly recess 28 such that the filter assembly 44 is in an operable condition, for example as a post-motor filter, the filter inlet 54 is in fluid communication with exhaust air from a motor-driven fan unit mounted within the main body 12. The curvature of the upper surface 60 conforms to the curvature of the separator recess 22, such that the upper surface 60 of the filter housing 52 defines part of the surface of the separator recess 22, as seen in FIG. 8. Thus the separating apparatus 14 may partially rest upon the upper surface 60 of the filter assembly 44 in use.

[0046] The front mounting pins 74,76 engage corresponding portions of the first 48 and second 50 locking formations of the internal surface 46 of the main body 12 to prevent removal of the filter assembly from the filter assembly recess 28. When it is desired to remove the filter assembly 44, for example for cleaning and/or replacement, the tabs 70,72 are moved to the removal/insertion position as described above, and the front mounting pins 74,76 are aligned with channels of the L-shaped locking formations 48,50 such that the front mounting pins 74,76 can be removed from the corresponding locking formations 48,50, and the filter assembly 44 can be removed from the filter assembly recess 28.

[0047] In use, a motor-driven fan unit creates a suction flow through the vacuum cleaner 10. Air is drawn into the cleaner head 20, and passes through the wand assembly 18 and flexible hose 16 into the separating apparatus 14 via a dirty air inlet duct.

[0048] Dirt and dust is removed from the airflow by the separating apparatus 14, and clean air passes from the separating apparatus 14 to the motor-driven fan unit housed internally of the main body 12. Airflow exhausted by the motor-driven fan unit passes through the filter inlet 54 of the filter assembly 44, through the filter medium 58, and out of the filter outlet 56. Airflow from the filter outlet 56 is exhausted to ambient atmosphere via an outlet duct.

[0049] If it is desired to remove the filter assembly 44 for cleaning and/or replacement, then a user may use the filter assembly removal tabs 70,72 in the manner described above to enable removal and/or reinsertion of the filter assembly 44.