GB2412570A

GB2412570A - Nozzle unit with releasably secured extension pipe connector

Info

Publication number: GB2412570A
Application number: GB0420328A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Byung-Jo Lee; Dae-Yeoun Moon
Original assignee: Samsung Gwangju Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2004-04-02
Filing date: 2004-09-13
Publication date: 2005-10-05
Anticipated expiration: 2024-09-13
Also published as: KR100603208B1; GB2412570B; US20050217070A1; KR20050097834A; AU2004208654B2; GB0420328D0; AU2004208654A1

Abstract

A nozzle unit for a vacuum cleaner includes a casing assembly 110 comprising an upper casing 120 and a lower casing 140, an extension pipe connector 200 connected to the casing assembly, and a locking unit 300 formed on the casing assembly and the extension pipe connector for releasably connecting the casing assembly to the extension pipe connector. The locking unit may include a locking rib 314 formed on the extension pipe connector, and an aperture formed in the upper or lower casing. A locking projection 308 may be formed in the aperture, and a corresponding groove 318 may be formed on the locking rib to receive the projection when the locking rib is inserted into the aperture. The locking rib may comprise a flange extending from each side of the extension pipe connector, with a respective aperture formed in each side of the upper casing. Hooked flanges 128, 148 may be formed on the upper and lower casings to join them together.

Description

24 1 2570 Nozzle Unit for a Vacuum Cleaner This invention relates to a

nozzle unit for a vacuum cleaner, and in particular to an improved nozzle unit positioned between an extension pipe connector and a casing of a vacuum cleaner. T he invention also relates to a vacuum cleaner using the same.

A nozzle unit of a conventional vacuum cleaner comprises an upper casing, a lower casing, and an extension pipe connector. The upper and lower casings are connected to each other, and one of the casings is connected to the extension pipe connector. The extension pipe connector is connected to an extension pipe connected to a main body of the vacuum cleaner, so that air can flow to the main body.

The upper and lower casings are each provided with a fastening hole for engagement with a bolt. The fastening holes are formed at appropriate locations in the upper and lower casings so that they correspond to each other when the casings are connected together, and the casings are securely engaged by the bolt, thereby assembling the casings to provide a unitary housing. That is, by inserting the bolt through the fastening holes, the upper and the lower casings are connected together to form the unitary housing.

A bolt is usually used in attaching the extension pipe connector to the upper or lower casing in the conventional vacuum cleaner. Consequently, one of the upper and lower casings has a fastening hole for connection to the extension pipe connector, and the extension pipe connector also has a corresponding fastening hole. By passing the bolt through the fastening holes, the extension pipe connector is connected to one of the casings.

Thereafter, in the manufacturing process of the conventional vacuum cleaner, after one of the upper and lower casings is fastened to the extension pipe connector by the bolt passing through the respective fastening holes, the upper and lower casings are connected to each other by another bolt.

Accordingly, the upper and lower casings, and the extension pipe connector do not separate from each other when the nozzle unit experiences an impact. However, the bolt fastening structure requires a complicated manufacturing process, and also requires unnecessary use of extra materials.

An aim of the invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner nozzle unit having an improved arrangement for connecting upper and lower casings and an extension pipe connector, and to provide a vacuum cleaner including such an arrangement.

The present invention provides a nozzle unit for a vacuum cleaner, the nozzle unit comprising: a casing assembly comprising an upper casing and a lower casing; an extension pipe connector connected to the casing assembly; and a locking unit formed on the casing assembly and the extension pipe connector for releasably connecting the casing assembly to the extension pipe connector.

The locking unit may comprise a locking rib formed on at least one of the lower or upper casing or on the extension pipe connector, and an aperture formed in at least the other of the lower or upper casing or in the extension pipe connector.

The locking rib may be formed on the extension pipe connector, and the aperture may be formed on the lower or upper casing.

Advantageously, a locking projection is formed in the aperture, and the locking rib has a locking groove for receiving the locking projection, and the locking projection engages the locking groove upon insertion of the locking rib into the aperture.

Preferably, a respective locking rib extends as a flange on each side of the extension pipe connector, and a respective aperture is formed in each side of the upper casing.

In a preferred embodiment, the nozzle unit further comprises interengageable latching devices formed respectively on the upper casing and the lower casing.

Preferably, respective hooked flanges constitute the latching devices.

Advantageously, the upper and lower casings are each provided with at least one fastening boss, the or each boss of the upper casing complementing a respective boss of the lower casing.

Preferably, the extension pipe connector and the fastening bosses are provided at the rear of the casing assembly. In this case, the latching devices are provided at the front of the casing assembly.

The invention also provides a vacuum cleaner comprising: a cleaner body having means for generating suction; an extension pipe for directing dustcarrying air towards the cleaner body; an extension pipe connector connected to the extension pipe; a casing assembly connected to the extension pipe for drawing in dust-carrying air from a surface to be cleaned; and a locking unit formed on the casing assembly and the extension pipe connector for releasably connecting the casing assembly and the extension pipe connector together.

Advantageously, the locking unit comprises a locking rib formed on at least one of the casing assembly or the extension pipe connector, and an aperture formed in at least the other one of the casing assembly or the extension pipe connector.

The locking rib is formed preferably on the extension pipe connector, and the aperture is formed preferably in the casing assembly.

Preferably, a locking projection is formed in the aperture, and the locking rib has a locking groove for receiving the locking projection, and the locking projection engages the locking groove upon insertion of the locking rib into the aperture.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner constructed according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a nozzle unit forming part of the vacuum cleaner of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an upper casing of the nozzle unit of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the upper casing of the nozzle unit of Figure 2 ready for engagement with an extension pipe connector; Figure 5A is a cross-section taken on line SA-5A of Figure 1; and Figure 5B is a cross-section showing, in detail, the portion A of Figure 5A.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a vacuum cleaner having a cleaner body 10, a suction hose 12 shown in broken lines, a handle unit 16, an extension pipe 14, and a nozzle unit 100. The cleaner body 10 houses a motor (not shown) that generates a force to provide suction for the vacuum cleaner. The suction hose 12 is connected to the cleaner body 10 to guide air drawn into the nozzle unit 100, together with entrained dust and dirt (hereinafer referred to as "dust"), towards the cleaner body 10. The handle unit 16 is provided with various operation buttons (not shown), and is connected at one end to the suction hose 12, as shown. The extension pipe 14 is connected to the other end of the handle unit 16. The nozzle unit 100 is connected to that end of the extension pipe 14 opposite to that connected to the handle 16, and the bottom of the nozzle unit contacts, in use, a surface to be cleaned to draw in dust therefrom.

Referring to FIG. 2, the nozzle unit 100 comprises a casing 110, an extension pipe connector 200 engageable with the casing, and a locking unit 300 for securely connecting the casing to the extension pipe connector. The casing 110 is divided into an upper casing 120 and a lower casing 140. The lower casing 140 includes a suction port 142, two fastening bosses 144, a hooked flange 148, a turbine assembly 152, and a rotatable brush 154. The suction port 142, is formed in a bottom surface of the lower casing 140, and enables the nozzle unit 100 to draw in dust from the surface to be cleaned.

Each fastening boss 144 is formed on the lower casing 140 to correspond to a complementary fastening boss 124 (see Figure 3) disposed on the upper casing 120.

Each boss 144 is formed with an internal screw thread configured to receive a respective screw-threaded fastening member 146. Alternatively, each of the bosses 124 could be formed with an internal screw thread.

Bolts are preferably employed as the fastening members 146, each bolt being inserted through the respective boss 124 and screwed into the screw thread of the associated boss 144 to assemble the upper and the lower casings 120 and 140 together, thereby providing a unitary housing.

The hooked flange 148 is formed on the front end of the lower casing 140 to complement a hooked flange 128 formed on the upper casing 120. The flanges 148 and 128 are engagable with each other, thereby attaching the front ends of the upper and lower casings 120 and 140 to each other.

The turbine assembly 152 is formed at the rear portion of the lower casing 140, and rotates by a vacuum suction force generated by the motor (not shown) located in the cleaner body 10 (see Figure 1). Blades 153 disposed around the turbine assembly 152 are moved by the momentum of the drawn-in air, and accordingly the assembly 152 rotates about its axis, as shown.

The brush 154 is rotatably mounted on its own axle at the front portion of the lower casing 140, and has a plurality of bristles 155 provided thereon. The brush 154 is connected to the turbine assembly 152 by a belt (not shown), and so rotates with the turbine assembly, thereby agitating any dust embedded on the surface to be cleaned.

An upper casing frame 136 and a lower casing frame 156 (see Figure 2) provide an additional enclosure to the upper and the lower casings 120 and 140, respectively.

Referring now to Figure 3, the upper casing 120 is formed with a pair of longitudinal partitions 125 and a pair of lateral partitions 126, which are attached to respective plates 304 disposed at the sides of the upper casing, so as to reinforce the strength of the upper casing. The hooked flange 128 is integrally formed with the upper casing 120 along the front edge of the upper casing. Each boss 124 is disposed at a rear portion of the upper casing 120, and is fastened to the corresponding boss 144 by the respective fastening member 146, so that the upper and the lower casings 120 and 140 are connected to each other. The number of bosses 124 and 144 is respectively at least one each, but it is not so limited. The flange 128 may, alternatively, be formed on the lower casing 140, and the flange 148 may be disposed on the upper casing 120.

Figure 4 shows the connection structure between the upper casing 120 and the extension pipe connector 200. As shown by dashed arrows, the extension pipe connector 200 is assembled with the upper casing 120 by sliding the connector onto the upper casing. Locking ribs 314, flanged on both sides of a front portion of the extension pipe connector 200, are inserted into respective apertures 302 (shown in more detail in Figures 5A and 5B) formed in the upper casing 120, as is described below. To facilitate the insertion, each locking rib 314 has a locking groove 318 for engagement with a complementary locking projection 308 formed on the respective plate 304.

Accordingly, assembly is effected by sliding the extension pipe connector 200 onto the upper casing 120 so that the locking projections 308 engage the grooves 318.

As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the locking unit 300 comprises the apertures 302, the plates 304, the locking projections 308, the locking ribs 314, and the locking grooves 318.

Each aperture 302 is defined in the upper casing 120, and is configured to receive its respective locking rib 314. Each aperture 302 is defined by the respective plate 304 defining its bottom wall, an inner surface 306 of the upper casing 120 defining its ceiling, the respective longitudinal partition 125 (see Figure 3) defining a sidewall, and the respective lateral partition 126 (see Figure 3) defining its front. The side opposite to each longitudinal partition 125 is open, and the rear of the corresponding aperture 302 is also open so as to receive the associated locking rib 314.

Each plate 304 is curved to enable smooth insertion of the respective locking rib 314 into the upper casing 120. One end of each plate 304 is integral with, or connected to, the corresponding longitudinal partition 125 (see Figure 3), and one side of that plate 304 is connected to the corresponding lateral partition 126. A part of the other end of each plate 304 is connected to the respective boss 124.

Each locking projection 308 is configured for engagement with the respective locking groove 318, and is rounded to ease the engagement with that groove. However, the configuration is not so limited. For example, each locking projection 308 may be formed on the upper casing 120.

The locking ribs 314 are provided at both sides of the front end of the extension pipe connector 200, and are configured to engage the respective curved plates 304 by a curved movement when being inserted. Each locking groove 318 is depressed onto the corresponding locking rib 314 to complement its shape in a mating relationship. In an alternative arrangement (not shown), each locking groove 318 may be constituted by a hole penetrating through the associated locking rib 314.

Although the nozzle unit 100 has been described above for use with the rotatable brush 154 which operates in association with the turbine assembly 152 and rotates as a result of the suction force generated by the motor in the cleaner body 10, the invention is not limited to this brush/turbine arrangement, but may be applicable to other nozzle unitfbrush assemblies.

The structure of the nozzle unit 100 will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5B in greater detail. The nozzle unit 100 comprises the releasably-connected upper and lower casings 120 and 140, as shown in Figure 2. The turbine assembly 152 is mounted between the upper and the lower casings 120 and 140, and rotates as a result of the force generated by the motor mounted in the rear portion of the lower casing. The rotatable brush 154 is connected to the turbine assembly 152 by a belt (not shown), and is disposed at the front of the lower casing 140.

The extension pipe connector 200 is connected to the upper casing 120, as shown in Figure 4. The locking ribs 314, flanged on both sides of the extension pipe connector 200, are inserted into the apertures 302 at either side of the upper casing 120. During the insertion process, the locking projections 308 formed on the plates 304, and forming the bases of the apertures 302, engage the locking grooves 318 of the locking ribs 314, thereby releasably connecting the upper casing 120 and the extension pipe connector 200. Each plate 304 is connected to the extension pipe connector 200 by insertion using a curved movement, required by its curved shape. Accordingly, the upper casing and the extension pipe connector 200 can be releasably connected to each other easily. This is to be compared to using a complicated bolt-fastening structure according to the conventional method. Therefore, the assembly procedure is simplified, and the number of parts requiring assembly is reduced.

As shown in Figure 5A, after the connection of the upper casing 120 and the extension pipe connector 200, the upper and the lower casings 120 and 140 are assembled by engaging the hooked flanges 128 and 148. The flange 128 and the flange 148 may be interchanged in position, and the number of the flanges 128 and 148 is preferably at least one, but there may be a plurality of each. The flanges 128 148 may be integrally formed respectively with the frames 136 and 156 (as shown in Figures 2 and 5A) of the upper and lower casings 120 and 140 respectively. Also, in an alternative arrangement, the upper casing 120 may have both a flange 128 and a flange 148 on its frame 136, while the lower casing 140 has a corresponding flanges 148 and 128 on its frame 156.

After assembling the casings 120 and 140 by attaching the flanges 148 and 128 as described above, the upper and the lower casings are fixed together using the bosses 124 and 144, by means of the fastening members 146.

It will be apparent that, by engaging one side of the upper and lower casings 120 and with the extension pipe connector 200 by using the locking unit 300 rather than a bolt, the assembly procedure is simplified, and the number of parts can be reduced.

Furthermore, by using the simplified assembly procedure, the casings 120, 140 and the extension pipe connector 200 are not easily separated from each other when the nozzle unit 100 experiences an impact.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in fonn and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A nozzle unit for a vacuum cleaner, the nozzle unit comprising:

a casing assembly comprising an upper casing and a lower casing; an extension pipe connector connected to the casing assembly; and a locking unit formed on the casing assembly and the extension pipe connector for releasably connecting the casing assembly to the extension pipe connector.
2. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking unit comprises: a locking rib formed on at least one of the lower or upper casing or on the extension pipe connector; and an aperture formed in at least the other one of the lower or upper casing or in the extension pipe connector.
3. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the locking rib is formed on the extension pipe connector, and the aperture is formed in the lower or upper casing.
4. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein a locking projection is cornier in the aperture, and the locking rib has a locking groove for receiving the locking projection, and the locking projection engages the locking groove upon insertion of the locking rib into the aperture.
5. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein a respective locking rib extends as a flange on each side of the extension pipe connector, and a respective aperture is formed in each side of the upper casing.
6. A nozzle unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising interengageable latching devices formed respectively on the upper casing and the lower casing.
7. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein respective hooked flanges
8. A nozzle unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the upper and lower casings are each provided with at least one fastening boss, the or each boss of the upper casing complementing a respective boss of the lower casing.
9. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein the extension pipe connector and the fastening bosses are provided at the rear of the casing assembly.
10. A nozzle unit as claimed in claim 9 when appendant to claim 6, wherein the latching devices are provided at the front of the casing assembly.
11. A vacuum cleaner comprising: a cleaner body having means for generating suction; an extension pipe for directing dust-carrying air towards the cleaner body; an extension pipe connector connected to the extension pipe; a casing assembly connected to the extension pipe for drawing in dust-carrying air from a surface to be cleaned; and a locking unit formed on the casing assembly and the extension pipe connector for releasably connecting the casing assembly and the extension pipe connector together.
12. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 11, wherein the locking unit comprises: a locking rib formed on at least one of the casing assembly or the extension pipe connector; and an aperture formed in at least the other one of the casing assembly or the extension pipe connector.
13. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 12, wherein the locking rib is formed on the extension pipe connector, and the aperture is formed in the casing assembly.
14. A vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 10, wherein a locking projection is formed in the aperture, and the locking rib has a locking groove for receiving the locking projection; and the locking projection engages the locking groove upon insertion of the locking rib into the aperture.
15. A vacuum cleaner nozzle unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the drawings.
16. A vacuum cleaner substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, the drawings.