Vacuum Cleaner Filter Bag for an Upright Vacuum Cleaner

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner filter bag for an upright vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to the invention thereby has a greater length than width, one long side and one narrow side resulting. It is formed from two bag walls which are joined together circumferentially so that an internal space is configured between the two bag walls. One bag wall thereby has an inlet opening through which air to be cleaned can flow into the vacuum cleaner filter bag. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to the invention is distinguished by the bag wall in which the inlet opening is introduced having folding which extends in the longitudinal direction of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, as a result of which this bag wall has increased flexibility and the vacuum cleaner filter bag opens during folding-over of the retaining plate when inserting the filter bag in a vacuum cleaner such that the air can enter essentially unimpeded into the filter bag.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner filter bag for an upright vacuum cleaner which has a length (L) and a width (B) in a ratio of >1.5 so that the vacuum cleaner filter bag has a long side (LS) and a narrow side (SS), with a first bag wall comprising a filter material, a second bag wall comprising a filter material, the first and second bag wall being joined circumferentially an edge so that the vacuum cleaner filter bag is completely closed and, between the first and the second bag wall, an internal space is configured, an inlet opening introduced into the first bag wall through which air to be cleaned can flow into the vacuum cleaner filter bag and also a retaining plate enclosing the inlet opening, wherein at least the first bag wall has folding which comprises at least one first and one second side fold and extends in the longitudinal direction (L) of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, the first and second side fold extending parallel or substantially parallel to each other, the first side fold having two legs comprising a first leg and a second leg and a length ratio of the first leg to the second leg is 0.1 to 0.8.

2. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the retaining plate with the inlet opening is disposed close to the narrow side (SS) of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, so that a ratio of a minimum spacing (d) of the retaining plate to a narrow-side join of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, relative to a dimensioning (L6) of the retaining plate in a longitudinal direction (L) of the vacuum cleaner filter bag (1), is <0.5, or the narrow side (SS) of the vacuum cleaner filter bag is disposed projecting, so that a ratio of a projection (d) of the retaining plate to the narrow-side join of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, relative to the dimensioning (L6) of the retaining plate in the longitudinal direction (L) of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, is <0.5.

3. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the folding of the first bag wall of the filter material has at most eight.

4. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein at least the folding of the first bag wall has four side folds, the folding being configured symmetrically with respect to the first bag wall.

5. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the first leg is disposed on the side of the second leg which is orientated away from an interior and, in a storage state, is situated on the latter and a third side fold has two legs comprising a third leg and a fourth leg, the third leg being disposed on the side of the fourth leg orientated away from the interior and being situated on the latter in a storage state.

6. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 4, wherein the retaining plate with the inlet opening is disposed on a leg joining the second side fold and a fourth side fold.

7. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to, claim 6, wherein the leg is dimensioned to be at least as wide as a width (B6) of the retaining plate.

8. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein at least the folding of the first bag wall has eight side folds, the folding being configured preferably symmetrically with respect to the first bag wall.

9. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 8, wherein the folding is configured such that the respective legs of the respective side folds are situated one upon the other in the storage state and the retaining plate is disposed on an outermost leg which is dimensioned preferably to be at least as wide as the width of the retaining plate.

10. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of length (L) to width (B) is greater than 2.

11. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1 wherein the second bag wall has no folding.

12. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, wherein the filter material of the first and second bag wall is a nonwoven material.

13. canceled.

14. A method for the production of a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 1, the method comprising: a) providing a web of a filter material for a first bag wall and also a web of a filter material for a second bag wall, the web of filter material for the first bag wall being dimensioned to be wider than the web of filter material for the second bag wall, b) introducing in at least the web of filter material for the first bag wall, folding comprising at least one first and one second side fold so that the side folds extend parallel or substantially parallel to each other, two legs comprising a first leg and a second leg being produced, c) placing the web of filter material for the first bag wall and also the web of filter material for the second bag wall one above the other and joined circumferentially at an edge so that a completely closed vacuum cleaner filter bag is produced, which bag has an internal space configured between the first and the second bag wall so that a length ratio of the first leg to second the leg is 0.1 to 0.8, and d) introducing an inlet opening and also a retaining plate into the web of filter material for the first bag wall, the web of filter material for the second bag wall having a width (B) and the web of filter material for the first bag wall and the web of filter material for the second bag wall having a length (L) in a ratio of >1.5 or a corresponding ratio being set by the joining step c).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the web of filter material for the first bag wall is dimensioned to be wider by at least 20%, than the web of filter material for the second bag wall.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the web of filter material for the first bag wall and the web of filter material for the second bag wall are dimensioned endlessly in a longitudinal direction and a ratio of length (L) to width (B) is produced by introducing the edge-side join in the longitudinal direction, whereupon an individual vacuum cleaner filter bag is cut to length.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the filter material for the first and second bag wall is a nonwoven material and a edge-side join is produced by welding.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein step d) is implemented before step a), step b) or step c).

19. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 3, wherein the folding of the first bag wall of the filter material has at most four side folds.

20. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to claim 7, wherein the width of the leg has 1.1 to 5 times the width (B6) of the retaining plate.

21. The vacuum clearner filter bag according to claim 10, wherein the ratio of length (L) to width (B) is greater than 3.

Description

[0048] The present invention is described in more detail with reference to the subsequent embodiments without restricting the invention to the illustrated special details.

[0049] FIG. 1 hereby shows a first, basic embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] FIGS. 2a and 2b show possible positions of the retaining plate on the vacuum cleaner filter bag.

[0051] FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] FIG. 5 clarifies the principle of the mechanical unfolding of the vacuum cleaner filter bag from a storage position into an operating state.

[0054] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 according to the invention. This has two long sides LS and two narrow sides SS, the lower narrow side SS illustrated in FIG. 1 being illustrated closed and, for clarification of the folding in the vacuum cleaner filter bag, the upper narrow side S being illustrated opened. In the finally manufactured state, the above-situated narrow side SS is however of course closed just as the lower-situated narrow side SS. The vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 according to the present invention comprises a first bag wall 2 and also a second bag wall 3, the first bag wall 2 in FIG. 1 being illustrated, in the present case, situated at the front. The length of the vacuum cleaner filter bag is indicated with L, the width with B. The two bag walls 2 and 3 are joined circumferentially, which is illustrated in FIG. 1 with the reference number 4. For example in the case of nonwoven materials which can be used as bag wall 2 or 3, the join 4 can be a weld seam. The first bag wall 2 comprises in addition an inlet opening 4, and also a retaining plate 6, with the retaining plate 6 the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 can be fixed in an upright vacuum cleaner. In addition, the first bag wall 2 has folding which comprises a first side fold 21 and also a second side fold 22. The folding of the wall hence extends in the longitudinal direction L of the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 and is configured over the entire length of the wall 2. The first fold thereby comprises two legs, namely a first leg 4-21 which is guided from the left join 4 of the vacuum cleaner filter bag to the first fold 21, and also a second leg 21-22 which joins the first fold 21 to the second fold 22. The second leg 21-22 of the first fold 21 represents, at the same time, the first leg of the second fold 22, in this respect the leg 21-22 is common to both folds 21 and 22. The second leg 22-4 of the second fold 22 leads from the second fold 22 towards the right join 4 of the vacuum cleaner filter bag.

[0055] FIG. 2a shows a first possibility for fitting a retaining plate 6 to the inlet opening 5 in the first wall 2 of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. FIG. 2a illustrates in this respect an enlarged section of the fitting region of the retaining plate 6 on the front wall 2 of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. The retaining plate thereby has a length L.sub.6 and also a width B.sub.6. The smallest spacing of the retaining plate 6 relative to the edge-side join 4 of the narrow side SS is thereby designated with d. According to this embodiment, it is provided that a certain spacing of the retaining plate relative to the edge-side join is not exceeded so that the retaining plate is disposed thereby as far as possible at the edge on the vacuum cleaner filter bag in order to enable uncomplicated mechanical unfolding during insertion of the vacuum cleaner filter bag into an upright vacuum cleaner. Details of the mechanical unfolding during insertion of the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 into the upright vacuum cleaner are explained subsequently in even more detail.

[0056] FIG. 2b showed a further possibility for fitting the retaining plate on the vacuum cleaner filter bag. The retaining plate 6 hereby protrudes beyond the vacuum cleaner filter bag, i.e. is guided out over the join 4 of the above-situated narrow side SS of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. It must thereby be taken into account that the inlet opening 5 is still introduced completely into the first wall 2 of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. All the reference numbers, which were used also for FIG. 2a, apply without restriction for FIG. 2b. The projection of the retaining plate 6 is hereby the length of the greatest projecting path, measured from the point of the retaining plate 6 which is furthest removed from the join to the narrow side SS. In FIG. 2b, this stretch is characterised with d.

[0057] FIG. 3 shows a particularly preferred embodiment of the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 according to the invention. This is in principle configured similarly to the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 according to FIG. 1. However, the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1 has a third fold 21 and also a fourth fold 22 and is configured, with respect to the folding, mirror-symmetrically to an imaginary, centrally extending longitudinal axis in longitudinal direction L of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. The second and fourth fold thereby joins a common leg 22-22, the fourth fold and the third fold have a common leg 21-22 whilst the third fold is joined via a further leg 4-21 to the right-hand, edge-side join illustrated in FIG. 3. The retaining plate 6 is thereby accommodated in the leg 22-22 which joins the second fold 22 to the fourth fold 22.

[0058] A further possibility for configuration of folding in the vacuum cleaner filter bag is illustrated in FIG. 4. Instead of the four explicitly present folds of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the vacuum cleaner filter bag illustrated in FIG. 4 has in total 8 folds which are characterised with 21, 22, 23, 24, 21, 22, 23, 24. The vacuum cleaner filter bag according to FIG. 4 is likewise configured mirror-symmetrically with respect to a centrally extending longitudinal axis in longitudinal direction L of the vacuum cleaner filter bag 1. The folds, amongst each other, thereby have common legs. The retaining plate is disposed for example in legs 24-24 joining the fold 24 and the fold 24.

[0059] In FIG. 5, the mode of operation of the mechanical unfolding of the vacuum cleaner filter bag during insertion into an upright vacuum cleaner is illustrated. The illustration illustrated on the left in FIG. 5 shows a vacuum cleaner filter bag according to the invention as illustrated for example in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 in the storage state. The plan view on the left-hand longitudinal side LS of the vacuum cleaner filter bag illustrated in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 is illustrated. The rear wall of the vacuum cleaner filter bag 3 in which no fold is introduced is detectable, and also the front wall of the vacuum cleaner filter bag in which the retaining plate and also the folding with the side folds 21 and 22 are introduced situated at the top. In FIG. 5, the vacuum cleaner filter bag is represented in the position of use, i.e. mechanically unfolded, on the right-hand side. The retaining plate is hereby pivoted upwards by approx. 90 so that a discharge connection piece of a corresponding upright vacuum cleaner (not illustrated) can be introduced through the inlet opening (not illustrated) into the interior volume of the vacuum cleaner filter bag. By means of the folding which is present, consisting of side folds 21 and 22, the first wall 2 of the vacuum cleaner filter bag has a certain flexibility so that, when folding up the retaining flap 6 in the operating position of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, the wall 2 together with the retaining plate 6 are pulled upwards. Unfolding of the folding, hence turning out of the vacuum cleaner filter bag, hereby takes place so that the front wall 2 is detached from the rear wall 3 and the vacuum cleaner filter bag is entirely opened up. A flexible deformation of the vacuum cleaner filter bag possibly thereby takes place in the upper and lower region so that, compared with the storage position, the length L of the vacuum cleaner filter bag in the operating state finishes up being somewhat shorter. The vacuum cleaner filter bag is hence already completely unfolded before the first operation so that clogging etc. can be effectively prevented.