DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a cyclone vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] FIGS. 2 through 4 show a cyclone dust collector disposed between an operation handle and a flexible hose assembly. Portions having the same objective and structure and identifying essentially identical elements as the prior art will be referred to by the same reference numerals.

[0030] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] A cyclone dust collector 100 comprises a cyclone body 110, a dust receptacle 120, a dust separation grill 130, and first and second upstream prevention members 140, 150, respectively.

[0032] The cyclone body 110 forms an air whirlpool current with respect to air flowing into the body 110. It comprises an air inlet 111 fluidly communicating with the operation handle 23, and an air outlet 112 fluidly communicating with the main body 30 through a flexible hose assembly 24.

[0033] The dust receptacle 120 is removably connected to the cyclone body 110 by a locking unit 200. The locking unit 200 will be described in detail below.

[0034] The first upstream prevention member 140 is integrally formed with the dust receptacle 120 and provides a primary means for preventing dust collected in the cyclone body 110 from flowing into the main body 30.

[0035] The dust separation grill 130 extends downwardly in a direction away from the air outlet of the cyclone body 110, and has a plurality of fine holes 131 formed in a surface thereof.

[0036] The second upstream prevention member 150 is formed at the lower part of the dust separation grill 130, removed from the connection of the grill 130 to the cyclone body 110, and provides for providing secondary dust filtering, i.e., for separating dust which has not been filtered by the first upstream prevention member 140.

[0037] The cyclone dust collector 100 having the above structure is connected on one end of its structure to the operation handle 23 providing the air inlet 111, and at the other end is connected to the flexible hose assembly 24, providing the air outlet 112.

[0038] On the other hand, since the cyclone dust collector 100 is disposed between the operation handle 23 and the flexible hose assembly 24, the dust receptacle 120 may become obstructed by the operation handle 23 when separating the two. Therefore, the dust receptacle 120 is removably connected with the cyclone body 110 by the locking unit 200 so as to provide a structure not obstructed by the operation handle 23.

[0039] The locking unit 200 comprises a hinge projection 210 extending from the operation handle 23, and a hinge hole 220 formed in the dust receptacle 120 corresponding to the hinge projection 210 for cooperation therewith.

[0040] It is preferable that the hinge projection 210 extends from the lower surface of the operation handle 23. However, the hinge projection 210 can be formed on the side surface of the operation handle 23, if necessary or desired.

[0041] A connecting end of the dust receptacle 120 may be formed in the shape of an arc following an imaginary circle having a center or locus at the hinge projection 210, when viewed from above, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0042] It is preferable that the dust separation grill 130 does not exceed in length beyond the connecting end, so that the rotation of the dust receptacle 120 is not obstructed.

[0043] FIG. 4 illustrates in a side view a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cyclone dust collector 100 is disposed in the middle of the flexible hose assembly 24 between two separated sections of hose. Again, like or similar elements are identified by identical reference numerals.

[0044] In this embodiment, the flexible hose assembly 24 is comprised of a first flexible hose 24a, one end of which is connected to the operation handle 23, and a second flexible hose 24b, one end of which is connected to the main body 30 of the cleaner. The cyclone dust collector 100 is disposed between the first and second flexible hoses 24a, 24b.

[0045] Therefore, it is possible to removably connect the dust receptacle 120 to the cyclone body 110 by means of the locking unit 200, which is comprised of the hinge projection 210 and the hinge hole 220. However, other appropriate connection means, such as a rotation connection system, which is the subject an application by the present applicant, disclosed in Korean Patent 2001-0046138 may also be used.

[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cyclone dust collector 100 is directly connected to the main body 30 of the cleaner. In this embodiment, one end of the cyclone dust collector 100, which is the air inlet, is connected to the distal end of flexible hose assembly 24 furthest from the operation handle 23, and the other end, which is the air outlet, is connected to the main body 30. Since the cyclone dust collector 110 is fixed directly to the main body 30 in this case, cleaning work becomes easier since the combination of the cyclone dust collector 100 and main body 30 move together as one structure.

[0047] FIGS. 6 and 7 show a fourth and the fifth embodiments of the present invention, respectively.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a cyclone dust collector 300 comprises a cyclone body 310 and a dust receptacle 320. The cyclone dust collector 300 comprises an air inlet 311 connected to the flexible hose assembly 24, and an air outlet 312 connected to a suction port 31 of the main body 30. The dust receptacle 320 collects dust separated by an air whirlpool current, and is removably connected to the cyclone body 310, which itself is disposed above the main body 30.

[0049] In the cyclone body 310, as in FIG. 6, the air inlet 311 can be disposed in a coaxial orientation relative to the air outlet 312. The air inlet 311 can also be disposed in a non-coaxial orientation relative to the air outlet 312, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0050] Hereinafter, the operation of the cyclone vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] Suction force is generated by a suction motor as power is applied, and then air, including entrained dust, is drawn into the cyclone dust collector 100 through a brush 10, which draws in dust located on an area to be cleaned, and then through an operation handle 23. Then, the air is directed to the air inlet 111 of the cyclone body 110, which creates a downwardly directed whirlpool current guided by an air path forming body.

[0052] As the centrifugal rotation force of the air whirlpool current increases, even fine dust entrained in the air can be separated from the rotating air whirlpool current. The separated dust descends along the inside wall of the cyclone body 110 and is collected in the bottom of the dust receptacle 120.

[0053] The downwardly directed air whirlpool current, from which dust is now removed, reverses direction from the bottom of the cyclone body 110, and forms an ascending current rotating with a smaller radius within the outer, downwardly directed air current. Here, if the rotation force of the air whirlpool current increases, turbulence, which is normally generated in the bottom of the cyclone body 110 as the air current reverses direction, can be reduced. Accordingly, an air whirlpool current can be generated which can separate dust from the air more effectively. The ascending current passes through the dust separation grill 130, and then flows through the flexible hose assembly 24 into a dust collecting chamber (not shown) located in the main body 30 (FIG. 1).

[0054] Meanwhile, dust which is collected in the dust receptacle 120 may also ascend together with the ascending current. However, relatively large particles of dust cannot pass through the holes 131 of the dust separation grill 130, and the large dust particles drop to the bottom of the dust receptacle 120.

[0055] The remaining procedures at the dust collecting chamber in the main body 30 are performed in a conventional manner as those of a general vacuum cleaner, and are not further described herein.

[0056] When cleaning narrow spaces, accessory brushes 40, such as a crevice tool, can be directly connected to the operation handle 23 instead of being connected to an end of an extension pipe 11.

[0057] According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, accessory brushes can be directly connected to the operation handle 23, and therefore, inconvenience resulting from having to carry a heavy extension pipe can be reduced.

[0058] While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.