GB2305113A - Hand held vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A compact hand held vacuum cleaner 1 comprise a motor 3, an integral power supply means 16 and a two stage fan unit 6, 7. The vacuum cleaner 1 is charged by a charger unit 2 which has a wall bracket 51 and electrical connectors 52. Preferably the main unit 1 is fitted with two filters 13, 14 of different filtration size which are situated immediately before the motor-fan arrangement in the dust chamber 24. The filters 13, 14 may be made of stainless steel and be disposable.

Description

Compact Vacuum Cleaner The present invention which is the subject of this application relates to a vacuum cleaner for use principally, but not exclusively in a kitchen environment for picking up spilled liquid and solid matter.

At present, there are available conventional vacuum cleaners which are well known, but these vacuum cleaners can be difficult to handle in confined spaces and are designed to be upright and for use for cleaning carpet floors. Thus these conventional vacuum cleaners are not suited for use in kitchen or kitchen worktops due to their bulk.

Alternatively, there are available, medium sized hand held vacuum cleaners such as, for example, the Black & Decker (R) Dustbuster" (M) These are designed for light, general household duty and are designed accordingly in terms of size and capability. The suction power of this type of cleaner is very low compared to the conventional, mains powered, cleaners and therefore the actual cleaning capacity of the hand held cleaners is limited. Thus, this type of cleaner cannot be used to any great extent in relation to the cleaning of heavier volume or weight articles and substances around the household such as those which are found in kitchens such as, for example, breadcrumbs, onion skins, spills of sugar, rice, salt and the like.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner which is capable of picking up the majority of spills and mess to be found in the household, or retail premises such as restaurants, pubs etc such as those discussed above and to provide a unit which is self-contained, self-standing and can be hand held thereby allowing the device to be easily usable for periods of time and to provide the same with a suction power which allows these materials to be cleaned.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner, comprising a motor, a two stage fan unit and a power supply means as an integral part thereof, said power supply means and two stage fan unit provided to be capable of creating a vacuum which, in measurement on a manometer using a blocked nozzle test, equals at least 300 mm of water.

In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner which is hand held, has an integral power unit and includes at least two stainless steel filters of different filtration size therein.

Preferably the filters are dishwasher safe thereby allowing the same to be cleaned in the dishwasher.

In one embodiment the stainless steel can be provided in the form of fine wire mesh or, in an alternative embodiment in a "hollander cloth" format.

In other, alternative, aspects of the invention, the filters which are provided may be disposable, or bags may be used, and, in some embodiments a combination of the stainless steel filters and disposable filters or bags can be used depending on the application and the volume and type of materials which are commonly required to be picked up by the vacuum cleaner.

The device of the invention is small, cordless and powerful and it is intended to be provided for use for brief periods in and to be of particular use around domestic kitchens or in hotels, pubs and restaurants. The unit is designed to stand upright on work surfaces when not inserted on a bracket for charging and the integral handle is easy to hold with one hand even when greasy or wet. The device is designed so that it is easy to empty and clean, is hygienic and is robust and safe so that it can be used in kitchen environments if required, without risk to hygiene.

In a preferred embodiment the device is specifically designed to clear up mess and spills in kitchens of materials such as breadcrumbs, onion skins, spilled sugar, salt or rice.

Preferably the device is cordless and is mountable in a bracket between use and as it is mounted in the bracket, the integral power supply means of the device can be recharged, via a charger which is provided in the bracket and which is connected to the means supply.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 illustrates a cross-sectional elevation of one embodiment of the invention; Figures 2A to 2F illustrate sections through various components of the device, said sections indicated in drawing 2G; Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional elevation of the device according to the invention with the air flow indicated; Figures 4A to 4D illustrate elevation, plan and end elevation views of the device; Figures 5A to 5C illustrate elevation, plan and end elevation views of an alternative embodiment of the device; Figures 6A to 6D indicate elevation, plan and end elevation of a yet further embodiment of the device, with the device mounted for charging of the power supply means; Figure 7 illustrates a plan view of the base of the device in one embodiment;; Figures 7A to 7C illustrate the device with a further cleaning tool attached thereto; and Figures 9A to 9C illustrate the device with a cleaning brush attached thereto.

Referring firstly to Figure 1 there is shown in the main unit 1 of the device in section and charger unit 2. The main unit 1 interior comprises a motor 3 connected to a motor plate 4 which in turn is connected to rotors 6 and 7 along with the screw, washer and rotor top plate 8, 9 and 10. Intermediate the rotors 6 and 7 is provided the stator 11 and these in turn are concealed by the front plate 12. Provided in front of the motor unit components are filters 13 and 14 which can be provided of stainless steel and the filters are sealed by the filter seal 15 and in front of the filters is provided the dust chamber 24 which can be emptied when full. A nozzle latch 20 is provided to allow opening of the device and the nozzle 23 through which the material is lifted is connected directly to the dust chamber 24 and filters 13 and 14 as shown.The power supply means is in the form of NiCad Af Cells 16 which are mounted in the body of the device 1 and are connected for operation via the switch and switch button 17 and 18 which is of the push button variety.

The charger unit 2 comprises a wall mounting bracket 51 for the device and contact 52 by which electrical contact is made between the charger unit 2 and a matching contact on the base of the main unit 1 such that when the main unit is held in the charging bracket 51, contacts between the power supply means on the unit and the charger is made. The charge unit 2 is connectable to the main supply via plug 53. The charge unit 2 is also provided with a label 54 to allow the instructions for charging to be indicated and any safety warnings to be shown.

Figures 2A to 2F illustrate cross-sectional elevations of various components of the device and the lines of crosssection are indicated in Figure 2G. Figures 2A, 2D and 2E all illustrate sectional views of the rotors 6 and 7 and indicate the relationship between the two and the shaping of the rotor blades. Figure 2C illustrates the stator 11 which lies between the first and second rotors 6 and 7. Figure 2B illustrates the dust chamber 24 of the device in which the material which is earned by the air suction through the nozzle is collected. Finally, Figure 2F illustrates the arrangement of the power supply means in the form of battery cells 16 and the motor 3.

Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the device works by indicating the air flow 30 through the device. The air flow enters the device through the nozzle 23 and as it does so picks up any material which is to be cleaned off the surface.

the material is then carried into the dust chamber 24 by the air flow 30 as shown and dust and other material which has been picked up is collected in this chamber. The provision of the filters 13 and 14 prevent the material and dust from entering the vacuum creating components. The air flow then passes through the filters with any dust or other material removed therefrom to pass between the rotors 6, stators 11 and second rotor 7 to then escape from the device via a vent.

Figures 4A to 4D, 5A to 5C, 6A to 6D all illustrate various embodiments of the device in terms of the external shape of the same. In each embodiment, the main unit 1 is provided having a body section 40 in which the filters 6 and 7, dust chamber 24 and vacuum creating components are housed and access is prevented to the same by the body. Depending from the body 40 is a carry handle 42 which is sufficiently wide and long to allow the device to be held at various positions along the handle 42 depending on the required angle at which the device is to be held. This allows the device angle to be altered to suit specific requirements and this is particularly useful where the space to be cleared is limited.

On the handle, the switch button 18 is mounted to allow ease of use of the device and at one end of the body the nozzle 23 is provided. Preferably the distribution of weight in the body is such that the nozzle 23 can be easily placed at a lower position than the remainder of the body 40 when holding the device via the handle 42 as this allows an increased ease of use of the device.

The nozzle latch 20 is provided to allow removal of the nozzle and cleaning of the dust chamber.

In Figures 6A to 6D, the main unit 1 is shown in a charging position on the charger unit 2 with the contact means 52 of the charger unit 2 in contact with contact means 60 provided on the body 40 of the main unit 1 of the device. Thus, in this position, the vacuum cleaner device is recharged in between uses. Although in Figure 6A the device is shown on a horizontal plane, it should be noted that the charger unit 2 is provided with screws 62 to allow the same to be wall mounted and the unit is provided with a wedge section 64 to maintain the device on the charger unit 2 when the same is wall mounted.

Figures 8A to 8C and 9 to 9C indicate the device of the invention with additional tools attached thereto. The nozzle 23 of the device is provided with attachment means 64 which allow additional tools to be connected thereto. In Figures 8A to 8C the additional tool is a narrower nozzle to allow the device to be usable to remove materials from crevices or small or narrow areas. This narrow nozzle 66 can be carried on the device when not in use or may be stored separately as required. In Figures 9A to 9C the additional tool shown is a brush 68 as sometimes it is necessary to brush materials on surfaces to release the same from the surface whereupon the same can be lifted using the suction provided by the nozzle 23.

Thus the present invention provides a vacuum cleaner device which has considerable lifting and cleaning capacity due to the suction which can be created yet is still relatively small in size, is hand held, rechargeable and is therefore ideal for use in relatively brief spells but can be used for relatively heavy duty cleaning.

Claims (8)

1. A vacuum cleaner, comprising a motor, a two stage fan unit and a power supply means as an integral part thereof, said power supply means and two stage fan unit provided to be capable of creating a vacuum which, in measurement on a manometer using a blocked nozzle test, equals at least 300 mm of water.

2. A vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 wherein the device is cordless and is mountable in a bracket between use and, when mounted on the bracket, the integral power supply means can be recharged via a charger.

3. A vacuum cleaner according to Claim 2 wherein the device is recharged when in place on the bracket via a charger provided integral with the bracket.

4. A vacuum cleaner according to Claim 1 wherein said cleaner includes at least two stainless steel filters of different filtration size.

5. A vacuum cleaner according to Claim 4 wherein the stainless steel filters are provided with stainless steel in the form of a fine wire mesh.

6. A vacuum cleaner according to Claim 4 wherein the stainless steel is provided in a hollander cloth form.

7. A vacuum cleaner according to Claim 1 wherein the said vacuum is provided with filters which are disposable

8. A vacuum cleaner as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.