US3193992A

US3193992A - Upright vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: US3193992A
Application number: US246041A
Authority: US
Inventors: Samuel A Findley; Robert B Meyer
Original assignee: Kingston Products Corp
Current assignee: Kingston Products Corp
Priority date: 1962-12-20
Filing date: 1962-12-20
Publication date: 1965-07-13
Anticipated expiration: 1982-07-13

Description

y 13, 1965 s. A. FINDLEY ETAL 3,193,992

UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1962 W /e R S 2 H MM M w /A 4 a a /w y W a X .11 1 \NNN m W JI M v W\ UH. \k N\ a N. w. 3 w M! \k m .rl, @N 3v m i 1 i i .v w a Q Hr July 13, 1965 s. A. FINDLEY ETAL UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1962 INVENTOR. f/f/Vflfi 4 7/4 0117 ATTO NEYS July 13, 1965 s. A. FlNDLEY ETAL 3, 3,

UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANER 4 Filed Dec. 20, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 E25 6 an INVENTOR. Jar/W12 ,4. mozzv A TTORNE United States Patent 3,193,992 UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANER Samuel A. Findley and Robert B. Meyer, Bronson, Mich, assignors to Kingston Products Corporation, Kokomo, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Dec. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 246,041 3 Claims. (Cl. 55-367) This invention relates generally to vacuum cleaner assemblies and more particularly to an upright vacuum cleaner having a rigid casing of lightweight impact-resisting plastic with an adjustable handle means by means of which the length of the unit can be selectively varied and including improved bag-retaining means for quickly and conveniently changing throw-away dirt separator bags associated with the cleaner.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved inlet end assembly wherein an inlet tube is supported concentrically inwardly of a thin shell by means of radial ribs.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an inlet end assembly for an upright vacuum cleaner wherein a thin shell ribbed reinforced casing member has an inlet tube extending therethrough and wherein an annular recess is formed between the ribs and a collar on the end of the tube by means of which a dirtseparating bag may be snapped over the inlet tube and into engagement with the recess.

Many other features, advantages and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description which follows and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment of an upright vacuum cleaner embodying the improvements of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.

On the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an upright vacuum cleaner incorporating the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view with parts broken away and with parts shown in cross-section illustrating additional details of construction of the handle assembly incorporated in the vacuum cleaner of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a broken elevational view of the cord retaining strap;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view with parts shown in elevation and with parts broken away illustrating additional details of construction of the rear casing or upper housing of the casing means;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a subassembly of the inlet end assembly and the main housing of the casing;

FIGURE 6 is a view taken on line VIVI of FIG- URE 1 and with the dirt-separating bag removed therefrom to illustrate additional details of construction of the inlet end assembly;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line VII-VII of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is an end elevational view of a dirt-separating bag provided for the cleaner of FIGURES 1-7.

As shown on the drawings:

An upright vacuum cleaner incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown generally at 10* and includes a floor tool assembly shown generally at 11, an inlet end assembly shown generally at 12, a main housing shown generally at 13, an upper housing assembly shown at 14 and a handle assembly shown generally at 16.

Referring, first of all, to the handle assembly 16, an elongated hollow handle 17 is provided which may take the form of a sheet metal tube having a hollow interior ice erally cylindrical sleeve which terminates in a boss 27 recessed as at 28 to receive and seat the edges 29 of an opening formed in the walls of the handle 17. Thus, the conductor cord 23 is protected against bending and flexure at the point of entry into thehollow interior of the handle 17. The wires from the cord 23 may be connected with the wires from the switch 20 by means of quick connecting means 30 located within the interior of the handle 17 At the extreme end of the handle 17, there is provided a handle grip shown generally at 31. The handle 31 comprises a sleeve made of plastic material which includes a reduced end portion 32 which snugly engages the handle 17 and conceals such parts as the connectors .22 and further includes a shaped portion 33 which is formed" to conform to the hand of an opeartor. An opening 34 is formed in the sleeve as at 34, thereby to permit the actuator button 21 to extend into a manually accessible position directly adajcent the handle grip portion 31.

The handle grip 31 is particularly characterized by the formation of an opening 36 which is adapted to engage with a hook and by means of which the entire cleaner 10 may be suspended for storage purposes, for example, on a clothes hook in a closet.

In order to retain the appliance cord 23 for storage purposes, the upright cleaner 10 of the present invention.

is provided with an improved cord retaining means which takes the form of a strap 40 made of a flexible material such as a flexible plastic. The cord-retaining strap 40. is a strip form member having on one end thereof an enlarged boss 41 which is recessed as at 42 in order to receive the edges of an opening formed in the walls of the handle 17 The boss 41 has a portion disposed on the outside of the handle 17 which is shown at 43 and which is particularly characterized by an outwardly projecting button having a shank portion 44 and an enlarged head 46.

At the opposite end of the strap 40 there is provided a reinforced portion 47 in which is formed a keyhole opening having an enlarged circular aperture 48 and a reduced slot 49 extending out of one Side thereof. The aperture 48 is sized to receive the head portion 46 of the button and the shank 44 is received in the slot 49 so that the strap 40 may be looped through the coils of the conductor wire 23, as shown in FIGURE 1, and the double backed end forms a closed loop by inserting the button with the head 46 extending through the aperture 48, the strap being moved in locked-closed position by moving the shank 44 into the slot 49.

The upper housing '14 has an enlarged end 50 which merges with the main housing 13 as at 51 and is fastened in firm assembly therewith by means of fastening means shown at 52. The upper housing then tapers as at 53 to a smaller configuration and the tapered portion 53- is characterized by the formation therein of a plurality of slots 54 (FIGURE 1) constituting air outlets through which clean air is discharged by a motor fan unit shown generally at 56.

The upper housing 14 has a boss 57 formed therein recessed as at 58 in order to receive and seat one end of the motor fan unit as at 59. At the smallest end of the upper housing unit 14, there is formed an elongated neck 60 having an opening 61 in which is telescopically received a coupling end 62 of the handle 17. The coupling end 62 is characterized by'the formation therein of plural embossed openings 63- adapted to be placed selectiveregister with openings64 each'receiving a screw fastener 66. Thus, by extending the handle 17 with the coupling portion 62 positioned either all the way into the opening 61 or partially out of the opening 61, the effective spacing dimension between the handle grip 31 and the floor tool assembly 11 may be selectively varied. Whenever the proper length desired by the operator is obtained, a corresponding set of embossed apertures 63 are placed in regisopening prescribed by the inner edges of the partition 68. isclosed by a permanent filter 70 held in place by a snap' ring71 engaged behind an edge of the partition 68, thereby separatingthe motor fan unit'56 from a dirt-separating compartment 72 formed in 'themain housing 13.

The main housing 13 is particularly characterized by a thin shell wall 73 having a plurality of circumferentially.

spaced radially inwardly extending strengthening ribs 74 which lend rigidity to the wall construction. v

' At the end of the main housing 13 there is formed a pair of locating bosses 76'each recessed to receive and seat an axially projecting locating lug 77 extending axially from a pair of bosses .78 formed on the inlet end assembly 12.

- tube 84.

The collar member 91 also has a radially inwardly extending flange 98 which overlies the inner end 87 of the inlet tube 84 and which has formed on the axially innermost surface thereof a radial valve seating surface 99 which circumscribes :the inlet provided by the inlet I The valve surface 99 is particularlycharacterized by the formation on one side thereof of three axially projecting lugs orrbuttons 100 which serve to retain a disk of elastic material such as rubber, thereby to form a flapper-type check valve 101.

,Preferably, the rubber disk 101 is suitably apertured and placed on the buttons 100 whereupon a thin retainer plate 102 made ofa rigid'material such as metal is placed overlthe buttons and (the buttons are then headed or flattened as at 103 to place the flapper-type check valve 101 in firmassembly with the collar 91.

The valve 101 is an ordinary diskof rubber-or a-sini-.

V ilar' elastic material and is selected to be. of'a size large enough to overlie the edges of a centralopening106 in the collar ,91, thereby to develop a valving function on the valve surface or valve seat 99. The face of the rubthrough the inlet tube a dirt-separating bag. is provided.

The"detent co operation betweenthe

bosses

76 and 78 serves not only'to properly align the housing parts but also to retain the same against angular'shifting. Thus, both housing parts can be locked together by appropriate toggle latches shown at 80' (FIGURE 1),

Theinlet end assembly 12 is particularly characterized by a thin shell wall 81 which tapers progressively inwardly towards an end wall 82 and which. is characterized by' formation therein of a boss 83 forming a generally cylin-z ber disk: is characterized'by a central strengthening rib 107 which servesto somewhat rigidity the disk 101 and which. also functions to urge the disk towards a normally closed. position, yet permitting the'disktoyield' in re-v sponse to the flow of dirt-laden air through the inlet tube. In orderto separate dirt from a stream of air directed shown generally at100 and consisting of a pouch-shaped container or gusseted bag 101 made of a' porous material suchas paper,- the mouth ofwhieh is connected as by I stitching at 102 to a stificardboard disk 103 sized to conformito the shape prescribed by the radial plane 89 and having a central opening formed therein as at 104 which is larger than the shoulder 96 on the flange 94, thereby to freely pass thereover.

Adhesively secured to one face of the cardboard disk "102 is a sheet form elastic means such as a sheet of drical inlet tube 84 which is spaced concentrically inwardly of the wall '81 and which extends axially to provide an outwardly projecting portion 86 and an inwardly projecting portion 87 extending intothe interior of the housing. In order to maintain the wall 81 of optimum thinness,

but yet to retain the strength advantages of high impact resistance,there is formed a plurality of ribs which are circumferentially spaced and which extend radially inwardly as at 88. Theribs 88 engagingly support the cylindrical tube 84. terized by a radially extending portion 89 spaced axially inwardly. of the end 87 of the tube 84. All of the edges 89 of the respective ribs 88 are disposed in coplanar relation and together with one another form spaced support points on a common plane. a r r i A metal tube 90 is fastened in firm assembly in the inlet tube'84,rfor example, by means of an adhesive such as an epoxy resin, or some other suitable fastening means and the floor tool assembly 11 which may be of any desired configuration is then swivably connected to the metal tube which bottoms against the surfaces 89 of the ribs 88..

There is also formed on the collar 91 a radially outwardly projecting flange 94, thereby forming a radial shoulder 96 which is spaced axially from the surfaces 89 in order to form an annular recess97.

Each rib 88 is particularly charac-u rubber 105. The rubbersheet 105 is provided with a central opening 106 smaller than the shoulder 96 so that the elastic means wil snap into the annular recess 97,

therebyto seal the bag 100 on the inlet tube and also retain the bag inassembly with the inlet tube. 7

' It will be noted from examining the assembly arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 5, that the flapper-type check valve 101 actually. opens up within the interior of the dirt-separating bag-100 and when closed prevents dirt from re-entering the inlet tube 90.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood and we wish to embody within the scope of the patentwarranted hereon all such modifications, as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art. 1

j We claim as our invention:

1.' In an upright vacuum cleaner, a casing having an inlet end assembly comprising a cup-shaped member made offplastic and having a thin peripheral wall taperingtowards one end,

said one end having a generally cylindrical inlet tube Jextending axially therethrough concentrically inwardly of said wall, a and plural circumferentially spaced ribs extending radially inwardly from said peripheral wall and engaging said inlet tube, a a each rib on the side facing the other end of said inlet endassembly including a radially extending portion axially inwardly of one end of said tube and together with .one another forming spaced parts on a common radial plane, and a collar on said one endof said tube forming a radially outwardly extending circumferentially con.- tinuous annular shoulder spaced axially from said plane, thereby to'form an annular recess inwardly of the end of Said inlet tube,

and a dirt-separating bag having elastic sheet form means forming an inlet opening of lesser diameter than said shoulder,

and a stiif disk carrying said elastic sheet form means and sized to conform to the shape prescribed by said plane, and having an opening larger than said annular shoulder,

said elastic sheet form means snapping on said collar into said recess when said disk is engaged against said ribs.

2. In an upright vacuum cleaner as defined in claim '1,

said collar having a radial valve seat at said one end of said inlet tube and a rubber disc on said seat forming a flapper-type check valve to control the flow of dirt-laden air into said bag.

3. In an upright vacuum cleaner as defned in claim 1,

said collar being made of plastic and being integrated with said tube, said collar having axially projecting retainer lugs extending through apertures formed in one side of said flapper valve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,219,756 3/17 Meredith-Jones 55-377 9/25 Arthur 248-407 2/26 Laganke 15-250.35 7/31 Paine 55-377 3/32 Finnell 15-320 X 11/33 Riebel et al. 15-410 4/44 Vose 15-344 10/44 Nuffer et al. 15-344 8/45 Trafton 24-16 3/49 Kelly.

1/53 Kelly et al. 14-344 X 10/53 Flora 24-16 5/55 Kelly et al. 15-344 7/59 Hershberger et al. 248-71 5/62 Smith 15-412 X 3/63 Yonkers et al. 15-344 X 5/ 63 Orenick et al. 248-71 FOREIGN PATENTS 9/ 57 Australia.

3/59 France.

2/61 France.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. IN AN UPRIGHT VACUUM CLEANER, A CASING HAVING AN INLET END ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CUP-SHAPED MEMBER MADE OF PLASTIC AND HAVING A THIN PERIPHERAL WALL TAPERING TOWARDS ONE END, SAID ONE END HAVING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL INLET TUBE EXTENDING AXIALLY THERETHROUGH CONCENTRICALLY INWARDLY OF SAID WALL, AND PLURAL CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RIBS EXTENDING RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM SAID PERIPHERAL WALL AND ENGAGING SAID INLET TUBE, EACH RIB ON THE SIDE FACING THE OTHER END OF SAID INLET END ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A RADIALLY EXTENDING PORTION AXIALLY INWARDLY OF ONE END OF SAID TUBE AND TOGETHER WITH ONE ANOTHER FORMING SPACED PARTS ON A COMMON RADIAL PLANE, AND A COLLAR ON SAID ONE END OF SAID TUBE FORMING A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CONTINUOUS ANNULAR SHOULDER SPACED AXIALLY FROM SAID PLANE, THEREBY TO FORM AN ANNULAR RECESS INWARDLY OF THE END OF SAID INLET TUBE, AND A DIRT-SEPARATING BAG HAVING ELASTIC SHEET FORM MEANS FORMING AN INLET OPENING OF LESSER DIAMETER THAN SAID SHOULDER, AND A STIFF DISK CARRYING SAID ELASTIC SHEET FORM MEANS AND SIZED TO CONFORM TO THE SHAPE PRESCRIBED BY SAID PLANE, AND HAVING AN OPENING LARGER THAN SAID ANNULAR SHOULDER, SAID ELASTIC SHEET FORM MEANS SNAPPING ON SAID COLLAR INTO SAID RECESS WHEN SAID DISK IS ENGAGED AGAINST SAID RIBS.