RU2344746C2 - Vacuum cleaner equipped with lid and lid control element - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: household goods and personal effects.

SUBSTANCE: vacuum cleaner consists basically of a housing containing chamber accessed through hole covered with lid placed onto the housing. To provide for the lit latch-up/unlatch there is an elastic turning control element attached to the lid equipped with at least one retaining pin that comes into a hitching contact with the mating part when the lid is latched-up. The control element is embedded into the lid outside surface. The lid has at least one notch located between the control element and the rest of the lid outside surface. The bowl-shaped control element is represented by a segment of the lid. The slotted notch has an exposed edge.

EFFECT: easy, uncomplicated and ergonomic latch-up/unlatch of the vacuum cleaner lid combined with enhanced visual attractiveness of the product.

11 cl, 2 dwg

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner according to the restrictive part of paragraph 1 of the claims.

State of the art

A vacuum cleaner of the corresponding class is known from DE 19804621 A1. It has a lid covering the chamber provided in the vacuum cleaner body. When the vacuum cleaner is closed, the lid is firmly held on the body of the vacuum cleaner. The lid is mounted on the vacuum cleaner body by means of fixing elements, with the help of which the lid is fixed in a predetermined position.

The disadvantage of vacuum cleaners known from the prior art is that the controls for locking and unlocking the lid are either located in a hidden place of the vacuum cleaner or are installed on the lid so clearly that the appearance noticeably suffers, i.e. device design. In the first case, the user often cannot immediately find the control, and he has to spend a lot of time searching before he can open the lid. In the second case, when choosing a model for purchase, the user often does not like the appearance of the vacuum cleaner.

Disclosure of invention

The objective of the invention is to create a vacuum cleaner of the appropriate class, having an attractive appearance. At the same time, unlocking and locking the lid should be easy, simple and ergonomic.

This task according to the invention is solved in that the control element becomes an integral part of the outer surface of the lid.

The outer surface of the lid determines the overall overall appearance of the vacuum cleaner as a whole. In the vast majority of cases, it is a dust collector cover that closes the compartment for dust collection devices, such as a filter bag or solid dust boxes. But it can also be the cover of the accessory compartment, in which, for example, nozzles for upholstered furniture and slotted nozzles are stored. So, to remove the filled filter bag, the user must unlock the lid using the control element and open the dust collector. If the control element is an integral part of the outer surface of the lid, then it is easy to detect and at the same time, the external appearance of the vacuum cleaner is not violated.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the control element is in a cup shape, forming a segment of the lid. With this design, the control becomes the structural part of the cover and fits particularly well into the geometry of the cover. Moreover, the control element is no longer perceived as a separate part, but as an integral part of the cover. When viewed from a distance, the functional purpose of the control recedes into the background and it harmoniously fits into the general view of the vacuum cleaner.

The shape of the outer surface of the control element should preferably correspond to the shape of the outer side of the cover. Alternatively or additionally, the control element may have a free edge forming part of the lid contour. At the same time, the control element is in particularly good agreement with the shape of the lid and the design determined by the lid is not violated.

An inner wall may be formed on the inner side of the lid, which surrounds the lower side of the control element facing the inner cavity, and when closing the lid, it closes the hole of the inner cavity with it. Such an inner wall is especially suitable if there is a gap between the cover and the control element, because of which it would be impossible to provide an airtight seal, for example, of a dust collector, without an inner wall. But if the gaps provided between the control element and the cover are separated by an internal wall by means of a kinematic closure, an airtight seal can be provided.

If there is an open edge on the inner wall, then it can be made so that when the lid is closed, it is pressed against the seal surrounding the opening of the inner cavity. This will provide an airtight lock with the lid closed, such as a dust collector. The so-called air-tight seal may also be appropriate if it is necessary to ensure that the noise produced by the blower penetrates as little as possible, i.e. provide acoustic insulation.

In a vacuum cleaner according to the invention, it is desirable that the cover has at least one gap that extends between the control element and the rest of the cover. Just with the controls proposed in the invention, which fit particularly well into the overall appearance of the vacuum cleaner, it may be difficult to notice the control.

To cope with this difficulty, it is proposed to provide at least one gap between the control element and the rest of the cover. This visually distinguishes between the control and the cover. Further, depending on the size or depth of the gap, various elastic properties can be given to the control element. Depending on the material used, preferably plastic, for example polypropylene, polyethylene, or other commonly used materials, the gap should be such that, on the one hand, sufficient lid stiffness is maintained, and on the other hand, the contact of the control element with the lid is sufficiently elastic. When locking and unlocking the cover, it is necessary to move the control element relative to the cover.

This at least one gap can be made with an open edge, i.e. one edge of it ends at the edge of the lid. In particular, it may have a slit-like shape. This ensures a very high elasticity, and in the manufacture of an integral plastic part by injection molding, open-ended gaps can be made using simple tools, and therefore, without high costs.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, two slit-like gaps are provided in the lid extending to the ends of the free edge of the control element. In this way, a control element is formed, which with its attached edge is molded to the lid with the formation of a hinge type connection. The free edge of the control element can be pulled out of the rest position by a slight effort and the latch is moved to the locked or unlocked position.

For greater convenience of influence on the control element, weakening of the material of the control element or cover at the place of their connection can be provided. Such a weakening of the material forms an elastic hinge. The advantage of this design is that the strength and path for moving the control element can be adjusted independently of the cover material and the shape of the control element and clearances. The setting is determined by the shape and thickness of the attenuation of the material.

The elastic hinge can be located in the plane in which the control element and / or cover lie. This design of the elastic hinge has little effect on the appearance of the cover and control element. An almost continuous surface of the entire lid is formed.

But the elastic hinge can also act as a fold from the plane in which the control element and / or cover lie. Such a design may be particularly useful when the lid material is very rigid or when it is desired that the control mechanism operate with very little force. If you want the weakened area to be very long, and the control element, nevertheless, fit into the cover as best as possible without disturbing its shape, then it is advisable to bend the elastic hinge so that it protrudes in the form of a fold from the plane of the cover. In the simplest form, the bend can be made in the form of a U-shaped groove or half loop, drawn in the direction of the inner side of the cover. But various bends in the form of a snake may also be useful if particularly great elasticity is required.

Brief List of Drawings

The invention is described in more detail using the references to figures 1 and 2. They depict:

figure 1 is a perspective image of a vacuum cleaner with an open lid of the dust collector, on which the control element according to the invention is located;

figure 2 is a front view of the lid of the dust collector of figure 1.

The implementation of the invention

The vacuum cleaner shown in figure 1, has a housing 1. Inside the housing 1 is a chamber 2, closed by a cover 3. Chamber 2 serves as a dust collector. Dusty air entering the dust collector 2 from the suction hose not shown in the drawing through the inlet 4 can be trapped in the filter bag 5 or the dust box not shown and accumulate there. The cover 3 serves as a dust collector cover, it is mounted on the vacuum cleaner body 1 and can be tilted by a hinge 6. When the cover 3 is closed, the hole 7 through which access to the dust collector 2 is provided from the outside is closed. The outer edge 8 of the cover 3 is adjacent to the seal 9 installed in the housing 1, providing an airtight seal of the dust bag 2.

On the cover 3 near the inlet fitting 4 is a control element 10. The control element 10 is molded on the lid 3. The control element 10 has a leaf-shaped outline, and its surface is curved in the shape of a bowl. The control element 10 is made in the form of a segment of the cover 3. In this case, the surface shape of the control element 10 largely corresponds to the shape of the surface of the cover 3. The position and shape of the free edge 11 of the control element 10 correspond to the outlines of the contour 12 of the cover 3. Directly on the free edge 11 or at least, several latches 14 are molded close to it to the control element 10. Response elements 15 corresponding to the latches 14 are molded to the housing 1. When the cover 3 is closed, the latches 14 enter tnye elements 15, preventing the accidental opening of the cover 3. Only after lifting the control member 10 over the surface of the lid 3 the latches 14 come out of engagement with the mating elements 15 and the cover 3 can recline.

The movement of the control element 10 relative to the cover 3 is possible due to the presence of the transition zone, which holds the control element 10 on the cover 3 and at the same time allows its rotation. This transition zone has a smaller material thickness compared to the control element 10 and the cover 3. Thus, the transition zone forms an elastic hinge 17.

Between the control element 10 and the cover 3 there are two gaps 16 with open edges. Gaps 16 with open edges extend from the contour 12 of the cover 3 and, accordingly, from the free edge 11 of the control element 10 to the transition zone between the control element 10 and the cover 3, i.e. to elastic joint 17.

In figure 2, the cover 3 with the control element 10 is shown in front. The gaps 16 with open edges in this image have the form of slots. The width of the slit-like gaps 16 is exaggerated in the drawing. In one preferred embodiment, the gaps 16 are narrowed to a few tenths of a millimeter. The gaps 16 are shown in FIG. 2 very wide so that it can be shown in this figure the inner wall 18, molded to the inner side of the cover 3. The inner wall 18 is lowered under the control element 10 and overlaps the gaps 16 with open edges. The lower free edge 19 of the inner wall 18 shown in FIG. 2, with the cover on the vacuum cleaner body 1 closed, is adjacent to the seal 9 shown in FIG. 1. Thanks to the inner wall 18, the chamber 2 (FIG. 1) is airtightly sealed even if there are open edges 16 in the lid. .

Claims (11)

1. A vacuum cleaner with a housing comprising a chamber, which is accessed externally through an opening closed by a lid located on the vacuum cleaner, on which an elastic rotary control element is formed to unlock and / or lock the lid, having at least one latch, which when the lid is locked, it engages with the mating element, the control element being an integral element of the outer surface of the lid (3), characterized in that the lid has at least one gap located between the element ohm control and the rest of the outer surface of the cover, and the control element has a cup shape and is made as a segment of the cover. 2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one gap is made with an open edge. 3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one gap has a slit-like shape. 4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, characterized in that two slit-like gaps are formed in the lid, reaching the ends of the free edge of the control element. 5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, characterized in that the control element has an outer surface, the shape of which is consistent with the outer surface of the cover. 6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 5, characterized in that the control element has a free edge, which forms part of the lid contour. 7. A vacuum cleaner according to one of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that an inner wall is molded to the inner surface of the lid, which is located above the lower part of the control element facing the camera and, together with the lid, closes the chamber opening when it is closed. 8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 7, characterized in that the free edge of the inner wall when the lid is closed is adjacent to the seal surrounding the chamber opening. 9. A vacuum cleaner according to one of claims 1 and 2, 4-6, 8, characterized in that the control element is connected to the lid by a section with a reduced thickness of the lid or control element, forming an elastic hinge. 10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, characterized in that the elastic hinge is flush with the plane in which the control element and / or cover are located. 11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, characterized in that the elastic hinge acts as a fold from the plane in which the control element and / or cover are located.

Images