GB2036544A

GB2036544A - Vacuum cleaner housing

Info

Publication number: GB2036544A
Application number: GB7936067A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Shop Vac Corp
Current assignee: Shop Vac Corp
Priority date: 1978-11-24
Filing date: 1979-10-17
Publication date: 1980-07-02
Also published as: ATA677779A; NL7907640A; DE2941941A1; AT368386B; JPS5573230A; IT1126367B; NO793816L; SE7909686L; GB2036544B; NO149873B; IT7927464A0; NO149873C

Abstract

A tank-type vacuum cleaner is characterised by port housing 60 provided with side-by-side ports 101, 102 which are arranged at an inclination to facilitate connection of a hose, such as hose 110, thereto. The port housing is fastened to lid 20 of tank 21. Motor housing 10 extends through opening 61 of the port housing and may be covered with cover 70. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vacuum cleaner housing and port construction The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to a vacuum cleaner head for a tank vacuum cleaner in which all of the operative elements including the hose connections for the vacuum cleaner are mounted on the lid of the tank.

A tank vacuum cleaner of the type to be adapted with the present invention essentially is comprised of the following elements. There is a hollow tank or can for containing collected materials. The tank is closed at its top by a lid. A motor housing of insulating material, preferably a polystyrene, is secured to the lid of the tank and is carried thereby. A motor in the motor housing drives a fan which communicates into the tank to suck air therefrom, thereby to enable the suctioning of materials into the tank inlet. The fan, the motor together with the appropriate motor power cord and a motor switch constitute the power head assembly for the vacuum cleaner.

A cover piece which may be referred to as a cap provides appropriate protection forthe motor and provides a finished appearance for the structure.

There is an appropriate inlet opening to the tank for connection of the hose or optional accessories such as wands or various types of nozzles. The inlet opening to the tank is typically on a vertical side of the tank or on the horizontal surface of the lid. For decorative purposes and for properly positioning the inlet hose, a separate housing may be provided atop the lid which housing has the inlet opening to the tank passing through it. When such a housing is provided, the inlet opening typically faces substantially vertically upward. The motor housing usually extends up through the separate housing and is covered by a cap.

Especially for larger size tank vacuum cleaners, the tank may be seated on a wheeled dolly, which enables the vaccum cleaner to be easily moved around.

A tank vacuum cleaner draws in materials, and may also be adapted to exhaust air, through a hose.

Typically, the operator of the vacuum cleaner moves the hose to where he wishes the vacuuming tool to be used. When the area to be vacuum cleaned is beyond the reach of the hose, the operator must move the tank, perhaps supported on a dolly, to where it is needed. The operator will pull on the hose to stretch it to its full length. He may also pull on the hose to draw the tank along to where it is needed.

When the hose is attached on the top side of the tank, pulling on the hose stresses the hose at the place at which it bends, and a strong enough pull may even tip over the tank. When the hose is attached on the side wall of the tank and the operator holds the hose above the height of the tank inlet, the hose again bends near the tank and is stressed there.

Furthermore, each bend in a hose, especially when it is a sharp one, slows the flow rate of the passing air and reduces the effectiveness of the vacuum cleaner.

It would be beneficial if the hose could be connected to the tank in a manner that would eliminate, or at least minimize, bending of the hose during operation of the vacuum cleaner and that would facilitate an operator drawing upon the hose without damaging the hose or tipping the vacuum cleaner tank.

The invention is directed to: Avacuum cleaner comprising: a tank for containing collected materials; said tank having a generally vertical sidewall; said tank having a top end; a lid for closing the said top end of said tank; said lid being generally horizontal; means for moving air out of said tank and being located at said lid; said lid supporting port defining means thereon for defining two ports; a first said port thus defined communicating with the inlet side of said means for moving air and said first port also communicating externally of said vacuum cleaner; the second said port thus defined communicating with the outlet side of said means for moving air and said second port also communicating externally of said vacuum cleaner; being characterized by said port defining means being shaped such that both said ports are tilted, with respect to said tank side wall and at an acute angle to said lid selected for reducing the bending of a hose, or the like, attached at either said port; said first and said second ports are parallel to one another and are next to one another, side-by-side.

A port housing for a tank type vacuum cleaner comprising: an open bottomed shell for defining a hollow space therein when said port housing is situated over a lid; a sidewall of said port housing having a first port and a second port defined therein; being characterized by said side wall being oriented such that each said port is oriented at an acute angle to said shell open bottom, whereby said ports will be tilted, with respect to the lid on which said housing will be situated, at an acute angle selected for reducing the bending of a hose, or the like, attached at either said port; said ports being oriented parallel to each other and being next to each other, side-byside; a passage from one of said ports extending to beneath said shell bottom; an opening through said shell for receiving and sealing with another housing that will be passed through said opening.

The invention is based upon the realization that an operator holds the hose at a comfortable height, at or over 30 inches, for instance. A typical vacuum cleaner tank is shorter in height than the comfortable level at which the hose is held. In accordance with the invention, therefore, the inlet port and, if desired, the outlet port of the tank of the vacuum cleaner are inclined at an angle matching the angle, with respect to the vacuum cleaner, which the hose typically has in use. The hose is connected to the tank at an appropriate angle so that should the entire vacuum cleaner tank be pulled by the hose, as it occasionally is, the pull will be at a correct angle so as not to result in any substantial tilting force being exerted on the tank, whereby the vacuum cleaner as a whole will remain erect.Furthermore, the hose will not bend as it is being pulled, thereby not reducing air flow.

The motor housing may be independently fastened to the lid which is removably secured to the tank. There may be a separate port housing, which receives the motor housing and which also contains the opening for at least the inlet hose and preferably also for the exhaust hose. The separate port housing may also be secured to the lid of the tank.

The inlet port communicates through the port housing into the tank upstream of a filter that extracts particulate material from the air stream and upstream of the fan which is driven by the motor and which draws air through the filter and the tank. The exhaust opening is downstream of the filter and of the fan that draws air through the tank.

The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent in the following description and drawings.

Figure 1 is an exploded view in perspbctive showing a novel vacuum cleaner head of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the intermediate port housing of the head of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view of the intermediate port housing of the head of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the housing shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figures 2 and 3 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the vacuum intake port.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figures 2 and 3 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the exhaust port.

Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the vacuum cleaner head.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the head of Figure 7 along arrow 8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of a vacuum cleaner which is supported on a dolly and which utilizes the novel vacuum cleaner head of Figure 1 and 7.

Referring to Figures 1,7 and 9, the motor housing 10 is substantially cylindrical and includes an integral top plate 11 and a cylindrical side wall 12, which terminates in an integral annular base flange 13. Two internally threaded, downwardly depending wells 11a are defined underthetop plate 11 atthe front and rear sides of the top plate 11. Beneath and supported by the wells 11 a there is an annular flange 11 b which engages the body of the below described motor 30 and thereby positions it inside the housing 10. Flange 13 carries three equally spaced apart, downwardly depending, internally screw threaded mounting bosses 14. The bosses 14 sit on the three upstanding hollow posts 24 that project up from the lid 20 in alignment with the bosses 14.The bosses 14 receive the elongated bolts 15 that extend from below the lid 20 through the posts 24 to secure the motor housing 10 to the top or lid 20 of the tank 21.

Depending beneath the motor housing base flange 13 is a downwardly extending, annular flange 16 which bottoms against the top surface 42 of the below described fan casing 41. An annular, resilient gasket 1 6a sits on the fan casing 41 and the flange 16 is pressed down against that gasket.

The rear side of the motor housing 10 carries the rearwardly projecting welt 17 which is received in the cooperatingly shaped opening 61 in the below described port housing 60 for blocking rotation of the motor housing 10. The rear side of the housing 10 also has an opening 18 formed therein for receiving the electric plug cord 116.

The motor housing 10 is secured to the lid 20 of the tank The tank 21 is an empty open topped tank that is sealed closed at its top by the flat plate lid 20, which has a depending peripheral flange 22. The lid has appropriately placed opening through it permitting mounting and connection of various elements as described below. Bolts 15 are passed through the lid openings 23 in the lid. Above each opening 23, a hollow post 24 is formed on top of the lid. The bolts 15 are passed through the posts 24 and are tightened into the cooperatingly threaded openings in bosses 14, while the heads of the bolts engage the underside of the lid. This secures housing 10 to lid 20.

The tank 21 is supported on the dolly 25 having the three wheels 26.

The motor housing 10 encloses the motor and fan assembly 30. The motor31 has and drives a motor shaft 32 that is supported for rotation in the housing by known bearings (not shown). A motor cooling fan 33 is carried on the upper end of the shaft 32 and it blows air down over the motor 31. Air is drawn in through the motor housing air inlets 35 in the top of the housing 10, moves down overthe motor 31 and is blown out through exhaust air outlets 36 on two opposite sides of the motor housing 10 (Fig. 8).

The motor 30 also drives the main vacuum cleaner fan 40 which is mounted on the motor shaft 32 below the motor 30. The fan 40 is in the fan casing 41, which is closed off by the separating wall 42 from the remainder of the motor housing 10 containing the motor 30 and fan 32. Thus, the air flow through the vaccum cleaner fan 40 is separate from the air flow past the motor cooling fan 32 and the motor 30. The fan 40 is above the air passage opening 43 through the lid 20. The annular periphery of the fan casing 41 has louvers 44 defined thereon for permitting exit of air from the casing 41. The fan 40 is known as a centrifugal fan in this art and it receives air axially through opening 43 in the direction indicated by the arrow 45 and exhausts air radtaliythrougfl louvers 44 in the direction indicated by the arrow 46.The fan 40 and motor30 combination comprise a well known by-pass motor in this art and are, therefore, not further described here. The essential aspect to note is that the intake of air for the vacuum cleaner fan 40 is from below the lid 20 while the exhausting of air from that fan at 46 is above the lid 20.

There is a separate port housing 60 above the lid 20. The port housing 60 is also made of a polystyrene electrical insulating material. The housing 60 has a main opening 61 through its top which receives the motor housing 10, and the housing 10 is pushed through the opening 61 to a point where the top surface of the periphery of the flange 13 engages the underside of the top 62 of the housing 60. Inside the port housing, three spaced apart, internally threaded bolt receiving posts 63 are defined. These posts sit on the top of the lid 20. Bolts 64 pass through lid openings 65 into the interiors of posts 63 and upon tightening of the bolts, the port housing is secured to the top of the lid 20.

A slightly conical, frustum shaped cap or top housing 70 may optionally be provided over the motor housing 10. This optional housing provides additional protection to the electrical components enclosed within the motor housing 10. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the cap 70 flares outwardly so that when it is positioned over the motor housing 10, there is considerable clearance for air flow, as described below, between the exterior of the housing 10 and the interior of the cap 70. As shown in Fig.

8, the cap 70 has vertical ribs 72,74,76 and 78 spaced apart inside it and extending in from its interior toward the motor housing 10 and engaging the housing, thereby defining, inside the cap 70 and between the cap 70 and the housing 10, the two motor cooling air inlet chambers 80,82 and the other two motor cooling air exhaust chambers 84, 86. The cap 70 is provided with a pair of bolt receiving sleeves 88 which are positioned over the threaded wells 1 la in the top plate 11 of the motor housing 10.

Threaded bolts 90 are passed through the sleeves 88 and are screwed into the wells 11 a. The sleeve 88 is widened at its top end to receive the heads of the bolts 90, whereby upon the bolts 90 being tightened into the wells 11 a, the cap 70 is securely held to the motor housing.

Cooling air is admitted in the area between the top surface 62 of the port housing 60 and the bottom edge 92 of the cap 70 through the chambers 80 and 82. The cooling air which has blown over the motor is then exhausted through the motor housing louvers 36 and is thereafter discharged through the communicating passages 84,86, which are defined between the motor housing 10 and the cap 70.

Because the cap 70 completely covers over the motor housing 10 and its inlet and outlet louvers, the cap 70 provides additional protection to the electrical components within the housing 10. rhis protection is obtained because the cooling airforthe motor travels through indirect passages, which are shielded by the optional cap 70.

The underside of the port housing 60 is closed, except as noted below, by the lid 20. The fan 40 is positioned above the opening 43 in the lid, but this opening is not as wide as the bottom of the housing 10. Therefore, the interior of the housing 60 is sealed closed to define an exhaust chamber 100. The outlet flow 46 from the centrifugal fan 40 is into this exhaust chamber. The exhaust chamber outlets only to the exhaust port 101 (Figs. 2,4 and 6).

The port housing 60 is also provided with an inlet port 102 (Figs. 2,4 and 5). Inlet port 102 connects with the short pipe 103, which extends in relatively tight fitting mannerthrough the opening 104 in the lid 20 21 into the tank 21, outside the below described filter 115.

A key feature of the invention is that both of the ports 101 and 102 on the side 105 of the port housing 60 are angled obliquely so that any hose 110 or other device that may be connected to either port in a manner which is well known in the art e.g. by being snap fitted to the port, is angled so that in normal use, the hose is unlikely to be bent. For a typical approximately 2 foot tall tank vacuum cleaner, that angle has been selected at 300 from the horizontal.

Other angles may be appropriate for other height vacuum cleaners. In the illustrated housing 60, the ports 101, 102 are tilted simply by tilting the side wall 105 of the housing 60 and by the ports 101, 102 simply being cut into the wall 105.

As detailed in Figs. 4 and 5, inlet port 102 extends downwardly th rough the lid 20. A strengthening rib 106 defines its rear wall. As detailed in Figs. 4 and 6, the entrance to port 101 is blocked by a baffle plate 107 that is supported by a plurality of ribs 108. The plate 107 prevents undesirable finger access into the exhaust chamber 100 while the open spaces between the ribs permit free passage of air.

Referring to Fig. 9 after a hose 110 is attached to either port 101, 102 for example, an operator may use the hose to pull and move the entire vacuum cleaner. But, the pulling force will be directed at such an angle as to ensure that the pull will not cause the tank to fall over and to minimize or eliminate bending of the hose. In Figure 9, a vacuum cleaning hose 110 and a vacuum intake tool 111 are shown connected to the intake port 102.

When air is drawn through the tool 111 and the hose 110 and the intake port 102 down through the pipe 103 into the tank 21, the air then flows through the conventional paper, or the like, basket shaped filter 115 and axially in the direction indicated by the arrow 45 through the vacuum cleaner fan 40 and the air is exhausted radially into the exhaust chamber 100 of the port housing 60 and thereafter through the exhaust port 101. The airfilter 115 has been indicated only schematically since any known type of air filter may be used.

An additional or alternative hose connection (not shown) may be made to the exhaust port 101. The air flow pathway through the vacuum cleaner would still be the same. A hose may thus be connected as desired to either port 101, 102 in order for the unit to serve as a vacuum cleaner orto serve as an air blower.

The port housing 60 is provided with hand grippable recesses 114 on each side in order to facilitate lifting of the entire unit shown in Fig. 1, plus the lid 20, from the top of the tank 21 when it is desired to empty the collected contents of the tank 21.

The assembly of the motor housing 10 with the motor power cord 116 and switch 117 constitutes the power head assembly for a three wire grounded vacuum cleaner. To construct a two wire double insulated unit, the housing 60 remains the same while the motor housing 10 may be molded of a non-flammable or self extinguishing plastic material.

Such a change in material may be required to meet UL requirements for a double insulated wiring enclosure.

In the foregoing, the present invention has been described solely in connection with a preferred illustrative embodiment thereof. Since many variations and modifications of the present invention will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, it is preferred that the scope of this invention be defined not by the specific disclosures herein contained but only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Avacuum cleaner comprising: a tank for containing collected materials; said tank having a generally vertical side wall; said tank having a top end; a lid for closing the said top end of said tank; said lid being generally horizontal; means for moving air out of said tank and being located at said lid; said lid supporting port defining means thereon for defining two ports; a first said port thus defined communicating with the inlet side of said means for moving air and said first port also communicating externally of said vacuum cleaner; the second said port thus defined communicating with the outlet side of said means for moving air and said second port also communicating externally of said vacuum cleaner; being characterized by said port defining means being shaped such that both said ports are tilted, with respect to said tank side wall and at an acute angle to said lid selected for reducing the bending of a hose, orthe like, attached at either said port; said first and said second ports are parallel to one another and are next to one another, side-by-side.

2. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 1, being further characterized by said port defining means comprising a port housing supported on said lid; said port housing having a side wall and said ports being defined in said port housing side wall; said housing side wall being oriented so as to direct both said ports at an acute angle to said lid.

3. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 2, being further characterized by comprising passage means through said lid and said port housing for permitting communication of said first port through said port housing and said lid into said tank.

4. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 3 being further characterized by comprising said port housing seated over said lid and comprising a shell defining a hollow space inside the body of said port housing and over said lid; said hollow space defined inside said port housing communicating, on the one hand, with said means for moving air at the side of that said means from which air is exhausted from said tank and communicating, on the other hand, with said second port from said port housing; whereby air exhausted from said means for moving air is exhausted through said port housing to said second port; said first port communicating through said lid into said tank at the side of said means for moving air where air is inducted into said means for moving air.

5. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 4 being further characterized by said means for moving air comprising a motor, a motor housing for containing said motor and a fan connected with said motor and being driven by said motor; said fan being located at the side of said motor housing that faces into said tank; an intake to said fan at the side thereof facing into said tank; an opening through said lid and establishing communication through said lid and past said fan between said tank and the interior of said motor housing; an outlet from said motor hous ing at the side of said fan from which air is exhausted; said motor housing outlet communicat ing into said hollow space of said port housing which, in turn, communicates with said second port through which air is exhausted.

6. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 5 being further characterized by said motor housing having separate cooling air inlets for admitting cooling air into said motor housing and has separate cooling air outlets for cooling air to exit from said motor housing; said motor being in the path of cooling air between said cooling air inlets and outlets; a cap over said motor housing for creating an indirect path for air to and from said cooling air inlets and outlets, thereby for shielding said cooling air inlets and outlets against entry by undesired materials.

7. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 5 being further characterized by comprising separating means for separating said fan from said motor, thereby for creating a substantially sealed chamber for said fan in said motor housing, and said motor housing outlet communicating with said sealed chamber of said motor housing.

8. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 7 being further characterized by said motor being in a separate respective section of said motor housing; said motor housing section having separate cooling air inlets for admitting cooling air into said motor housing and has separate cooling air outlets for cooling air to exit from said motor housing sections; said motor being in the path of cooling air between said cooling air inlets and outlets; a cap over said motor housing shaped for extending over and past, while being spaced away from, said cooling air inlets and outlets, for creating an indirect path for air to and from said cooling air inlets and outlets, and for shielding said cooling air inlets and outlets against entry by undesired materials.

9. The vacuum cleaner of Claim 8 being further characterized in that said motor housing section is above said fan chamber; said motor housing section having a top and having sides; said cap seating on said motor housing and covering over said top and extending down outside said sides of said motor housing; said cap being spaced from said motor housing to create internal pathways inside said cap leading to and from said cooling air inlets and outlets.

10. A port housing for a tank type vacuum cleaner comprising: an open bottomed shell for defining a hollow space therein when said port housing is situated over a lid; a sidewall of said port housing having a first port and a second port defined therein; being characterized by said side wall being oriented such that each said port is oriented at an acute angle to said shell open bottom, whereby said ports will be tilted, with respect to the lid on which said housing will be situated, at an acute angle selected for reducing the bending of a hose, or the like, attached at either said port; said ports being oriented parallel to each other and being nextto each other, side-byside; a passage from one of said ports extending to beneath said shell bottom; an opening through said shell for receiving and sealing with another housing that will be passed through said opening.

11. In combination the port housing of Claim 10, a lid for a tank and a motor housing; being further characterized by said port housing open bottom being situated over said lid; said motor housing being situated over said lid and sealingly passing through said opening through said shell; a lid opening passing through said lid and communicating into said motor housing; an outlet from fro said motor housing into said port housing; and the second said port of said port housing communicating from inside said shell to the exterior thereof; a motor in said motor housing; a fan connected with said motor to be driven thereby, said fan communicating on the one hand with said lid opening and on the other hand with said motor housing outlet into said port housing.

12. The combination of Claim 11 being further characterized by further comprising separating means for separating said fan from said motor, thereby creating a substantially sealed chamber for said fan in said motor housing, and said motor housing outlet being for said sealed fan chamber of said motor housing.

13. The combination of Claim 12, being further characterized by said motor being in a separate respective section of said motor housing; said motor housing section having separate cooling air inlets for admitting cooling air into said motor housing and has separate cooling air outlets for cooling air to exit from said motor housing sections; said motor being in the path of cooling air between said cooling air inlets and outlets; a cap over said motor housing shaped for extending over and past, while being spaced away from, said cooling air inlets and outlets, for creating an indirect path for air to and from said cooling air inlets and outlets and for shielding said cooling air inlets and outlets against entry by undesired materials.

14. The combination of Claim 13 being further characterized in that said motor housing section is above said fan chamber; said motor housing section having a top and having sides; said cap seating on said motor housing and covering over said top and extending down outside said sides of said motor housing; said cap being spaced from said motor housing to created internal pathways inside said cap leading to and from said cooling air inlets and outlets.

15. A vacuum cleaner substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

16. A port housing for a tank type vacuum cleaner substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.