Vacuum cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10973381-B2
Application number	US-201715705532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner according to an aspect includes a case defining a dust collecting space in which dust is stored and having a boss, a dust container cover rotatably connected to the case and configured to open/close the dust collecting space, and an opening/closing part configured to open the dust container cover, wherein the dust container cover has a cover locker having a rib caught by the boss, the opening/closing part includes a pair of push parts installed in the case and elastically deformed by a user, and the rib is spaced apart from the boss as the cover locker is deformed while the pair of push parts are moved in a direction in which the push parts become closer to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a cleaner body;
a suction device configured to suction air and dust and to guide the suctioned air and dust to the cleaner body; and
a dust container configured to receive the dust that has been suctioned through the suction device, the dust container including:
a case defining a dust collecting space configured to receive the dust, the case including a first boss and a coupling boss that protrude from an outer surface of the case, the coupling boss extending in a horizontal direction,
a dust container cover rotatably connected to the case and configured to open and close the dust collecting space, the dust container cover including a cover locker configured to catch the coupling boss of the case,
an opening/closing part that is configured to open the dust container cover and that includes a pair of push parts the pair of push parts being coupled to the case and configured to deform to become closer to each other, and
a fixing part that couples to the case and that covers a portion of the opening/closing part, the fixing part including a second boss that faces the first boss of the case and that is configured to contact the first boss of the case to limit deformation of the fixing part toward the case,

wherein the cover locker is configured to deform to be released from the coupling boss based on the pair of push parts deforming to become closer to each other.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the opening/closing part further comprises a body part from which the pair of push parts extend in a direction transverse to the body part, and
wherein the pair of push parts are spaced apart from each other.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 , wherein the case includes a guide rib that defines a mounting position of the pair of push parts and that is configured to limit deformation of the pair of push parts becoming farther from each other.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3 , wherein the guide rib comprises:
a first rib that contacts the body part of the opening/closing part; and
a second rib and a third rib that extend from opposite sides of the first rib and that contact the pair of push parts, respectively.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4 , wherein the second rib and the third rib are parallel to each other, and
wherein the pair of push parts are located between the second rib and the third rib.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4 , wherein the opening/closing part further comprises a coupling part extending from the body part and defining a hole configured to receive a fastening member,
wherein the case further comprises a fastening boss that is spaced apart from the first rib and that is located between the second rib and the third rib, and
wherein the fastening boss is aligned to the hole of the coupling part and configured to receive the fastening member.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the fixing part defines cut grooves that expose portions of the pair of push parts to an outside.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the cover locker extends upward from the dust container cover with respect to ground.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the cover locker is configured to become farther from the case based on deformation of the pair of push parts that press the cover locker.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the cleaner body includes a seating part provided at a front side of the cleaner body and configured to mount the dust container, and
wherein the dust container defines a portion of a front surface of the cleaner body based on the dust container being mounted on the seating part.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10 , wherein the cleaner body comprises:
a main body; and
a cover member configured to cover at least a portion of the dust container based on the cover member covering an upper portion of the main body.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the dust container further includes a suction port that is defined at an upper portion of the dust container and that faces a front side of the dust container.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the dust container further includes an upper cover configured to open and close an upper opening at an upper portion of the case, and
wherein the dust container cover is configured to open and close a lower opening at a lower end of the case.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the pair of push parts are configured to elastically deform from a first positions based on an external force applied by a user, and to return to the first positions by a restoring force generated by the pair of push parts based on the external force being removed, wherein the cover locker comprises:
a rib that protrudes from an inner surface of the cover locker toward the case, that extends in the horizontal direction parallel to the coupling boss of the case, and that is configured to be seated on an upper end of the coupling boss of the case based on the dust container cover closing the dust collecting space, and
a guide that protrudes from the inner surface of the cover locker, that is located vertically above the rib, and that is configured to contact the pair of push parts, the guide of the cover locker including inclined guide surfaces that face toward the dust container and laterally outward of the cover locker, and
wherein the pair of push parts are configured to, based on moving closer to each other, slide on the inclined guide surfaces of the guide and cause the cover locker to move in a direction away from the case.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14 , wherein the opening/closing part further comprises a body part, and
wherein each of the pair of push parts comprises:
an extension extending from the body part, and
a contact part provided at an end of the extension and having a width larger than a width of the extension, and

wherein each contact part includes an inclined surface that contacts one of the inclined guide surfaces of the guide.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15 , wherein a minimum distance between contact parts of the pair of push parts is less than a minimum distance between extensions of the pair of push parts.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15 , wherein the inclined surface of each contact part slopes with respect to a surface of the case in a direction in which the inclined surface of each contact part becomes closer to the surface of the case toward an end portion facing space defined between the contact parts.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 14 , wherein the rib comprises:
a lower surface configured to be seated on the upper end of the coupling boss of the case; and
a rear surface configured to, based on the lower surface being seated on the upper end of the coupling boss of the case, face the outer surface of the case and be spaced apart from the outer surface of the case.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the fixing part comprises:
an upper end that contacts the outer surface of the case; and
a space cover that is disposed at a lower portion of the fixing part, that is spaced apart from the outer surface of the case, and that is configured to cover the pair of push parts, and
wherein the second boss protrudes from a rear surface of the space cover that faces the outer surface of the case.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 19 , wherein the first boss of the case is spaced apart from the coupling boss of the case and disposed vertically above the coupling boss of the case, and
wherein the space cover of the f

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lim Hwajin
• Park Seongho
• Kim Youngho

Classifications

• A47L9/165

  Construction of inlets · CPC title

• A47L9/242

  Hose or pipe couplings · CPC title

• A47L9/106

  Dust removal · CPC title

• A47L9/1481 Primary

  Means for removing bags in suction cleaners, e.g. ejecting means; Means for exchanging bags · CPC title

• A47L9/1641

  for parallel flow · CPC title