Dirt cup latch mechanism for vacuum cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9706889-B1
Application number	US-201414165731-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 28, 2014
Priority date	Feb 26, 2010
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A latch mechanism for selectively fastening a dirt cup to a vacuum cleaner having a locking recess. The latch mechanism can include a latch member having a portion that is selectively received in the locking recess and a latch actuator comprising at least one button. When the latch mechanism is actuated, the latch actuator bears against the latch member, which initiates vertical movement of the latch member relative to the latch actuator. The latch member is thereby moved from a latched position in which the portion of the latch member is received within the locking recess to an unlatched position in which the portion of the latch member is removed from the locking recess, thereby allowing the dirt cup to be removed from the vacuum cleaner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a main body having a locking recess;
a dirt cup removably mounted to the main body and having an outwardly-facing side wall and a hand grip on the side wall; and
a latch mechanism carried by the dirt cup for selectively fastening the dirt cup to the main body, comprising:
a vertically-extending guide track formed on one of the side wall of the dirt cup or an interior surface of the hand grip that faces the side wall of the dirt cup;
a latch member with structure provided thereon for engaging with the guide track for sliding movement relative to the side wall of the dirt cup and comprising:
a medial vertical axis; and
a locking portion aligned with the medial vertical axis that is selectively received by the locking recess;
wherein the latch member is restricted to vertical translational movement along the medial vertical axis by the guide track; and

a latch actuator carried on the hand grip of the dirt cup and comprising at least one button;

wherein, when the at least one button is pressed, the latch actuator bears against the latch member to initiate vertical translational movement of the latch member relative to the latch actuator, which moves the latch member from a latched position in which the locking portion is received within the locking recess to an unlatched position in which the locking portion is removed from the locking recess, thereby allowing the dirt cup to be removed from the vacuum cleaner; and
wherein a user can grip the hand grip and actuate the latch mechanism to lift dirt cup away from main body using a single hand.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the latch member comprises a first cam follower surface and the at least one button comprises a cam surface facing the first cam follower surface.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 , wherein:
the at least one button comprises a pair of juxtaposed buttons each having a cam surface thereon; and
the first cam follower surface comprises a segmented cam follower surface, wherein each segment of the first cam follower surface is in register with a corresponding cam surface on one of the pair of juxtaposed buttons; and
wherein, during movement of the pair of juxtaposed buttons relative to the latch member, the cam surface on each one of the pair of juxtaposed button bears against the corresponding segment of the first cam follower surface and moves the latch member vertically with respect to the latch actuator.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3 , wherein the movement of the pair of juxtaposed buttons is limited to an opposed lateral direction, whereby inward lateral movement of each button toward the medial vertical axis of the latch member causes the actuation of the latch member.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 , wherein the first cam follower surface comprises a pair of ramped surfaces.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5 , wherein the ramped surfaces terminate at a common edge positioned along the medial vertical axis of the latch member.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the hand grip comprises a cover that at least partially mounts and encloses the latch member and the latch actuator on the side wall of the dirt cup.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7 , wherein each the interior surface of the hand grip and the side wall of the dirt cup comprises a vertically-extending guide track formed thereon.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8 , wherein the guide track of the interior surface of the hand grip receives said structure on the latch member in the form of first rails to restrict the movement of the latch member to vertical translational movement along the medial vertical axis, and prevent lateral movement of the latch member with respect to the cover.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the guide track of the side wall of the dirt cup receives said structure on the latch member in the form of second rails to restrict the movement of the latch member to vertical translational movement along the medial vertical axis, and prevent lateral movement of the latch member with respect to the dirt cup.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7 , wherein the cover comprises at least one aperture for receiving the at least one button therein.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , further comprising a spring biasing the locking portion of the latch member into the locking recess on the main body.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 12 , wherein the spring is formed integrally with the latch member as at least one resilient arm extending laterally from the latch member relative to the medial vertical axis.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 13 , wherein the at least one resilient arm comprises a pair of resilient arms extending laterally from opposing sides of the latch member relative to the medial vertical axis.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the at least one button comprises a pair of juxtaposed buttons, and wherein the movement of the pair of juxtaposed buttons is limited to an opposed lateral direction relative to the medical vertical axis, whereby inward lateral movement of each button toward the medial vertical axis of the latch member causes the actuation of the latch member.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15 , wherein the hand grip comprises a front wall and two opposing side walls, wherein one of the pair of juxtaposed buttons is provided in each side wall of the hand grip.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein:
the latch member comprises a pair of resilient arms extending laterally from opposing sides of the latch member relative to the medial vertical axis and biasing the locking portion of the latch member toward the locking recess on the main body; and
the interior surface of the hand grip comprises a pair of bosses that interact with the resilient arms to limit the vertical translational movement of the latch member relative to the hand grip.

Assignees

• Bissell Homecare Inc

Inventors

• Lee Wai Man
• Xiaoming Yu
• Jiangping Zhu

Classifications

• A47L9/106

  Dust removal · CPC title

• A47L9/1691 Primary

  Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles · CPC title

• Y10T292/096

  Sliding · CPC title

• Y10T292/0977

  Cam · CPC title

• Y10T403/602

  by separate spring · CPC title