Vacuum cleaner for using as both canister form and stick form

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner for use in either a canister form or a stick form is disclosed. The vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body, a suction unit having an air suction opening formed in a bottom surface of the cleaner body to drawn in air, a dust collecting unit disposed in the cleaner body to separate dust or dirt from the air and to collect and store the dust or dirt therein, and a mode selecting unit on the cleaner body to select one of a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is a mode where a handle member for moving the cleaner body is connected to the cleaner body and the suction unit and the dust collecting unit are communicated with each other. The second mode is a mode where an external accessory is connected to the cleaner body to communicate with the dust collecting unit.

1 . A vacuum cleaner for use in either a canister form or a stick form, comprising:
 a cleaner body;   a suction unit having an air suction opening formed in a bottom surface of the cleaner body to drawn in air;   a dust collecting unit disposed in the cleaner body to separate dust or dirt from the air and to collect and store the dust or dirt therein; and   a mode selecting unit disposed on the cleaner body to select one of a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being a mode where a handle member for moving the cleaner body is connected to the cleaner body and the suction unit and the dust collecting unit are communicated with each other so as to operate in the stick form and the second mode being a mode where an external accessory is connected to the cleaner body to communicate with the dust collecting unit so as to operate in the canister form.   
   
   
       2 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the dust collecting unit comprises:
 at least one cyclone; and   a dust bin unit to collect and store the dust or dirt separated by the cyclone therein.   
   
   
       3 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the cyclone comprises:
 a cyclone body disposed in such a manner that a longitudinal axis thereof is horizontally arranged and having an air inlet and an air outlet;   a guide member disposed on one side of the cyclone body in the cyclone body to guide the air flowing in through the air inlet;   an outflow pipe disposed on the other side of the cyclone body to communicate with the air outlet; and   a dust discharging opening formed to a portion of the other side of the cyclone body to face the dust bin unit.   
   
   
       4 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the dust bin unit comprises a dust bin detachably disposed on the cleaner body to be parallel thereto and having an opened end to communicate with the dust discharging opening. 
   
   
       5 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the dust bin comprises a dust spilling-prevention cover formed in such a size that at least a portion of the opened end of the dust bin is closed up, and elastically supported on a bottom portion of the opened end of the dust bin in such a manner that when the dust bin is mounted in the cleaner body, the dust spilling-prevention cover is folded in a direction of closing up the opened end of the dust bin and when the dust bin is removed from the cleaner body, the dust spilling-prevention cover is unfolded in a direction of opening the opened end of the dust bin. 
   
   
       6 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the mode selecting unit comprises;
 a handle connecting part disposed on the cleaner body to detachably fix the handle member; and   a passage switching part disposed on an air passage between the suction unit and the dust collecting unit, so that the external accessory can be connected thereto, the passage switching part selectively communicating one of between the external accessory and the dust collecting unit and between the suction unit and the dust collecting unit according to whether the external accessory is connected thereto.   
   
   
       7 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the handle member comprises one of a tube shape having a grip or an operating handle, a stick shape having a grip, a shape in which an extended tube and the operating handle are connected with each other, and a shape in which the extended tube, the operating handle and a flexible hose are connected to one another. 
   
   
       8 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the external accessory comprises one of a suction nozzle assembly in which a suction nozzle and a flexible hose are connected with each other, and a suction nozzle/handle assembly in which the suction nozzle, an extended tube, an operating handle and the flexible hose are connected with one another. 
   
   
       9 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the handle connecting part comprises:
 a pivot body disposed on one side of the cleaner body to be pivotable in a certain angle; and   a fixing member to detachably fix a lower end of the handle member to the pivot body.   
   
   
       10 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the fixing member comprises:
 a fixing protrusion formed on an upper end of the pivot body; and   a protrusion-accommodating hole formed in the lower end of the handle member to accommodate the fixing protrusion.   
   
   
       11 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the passage switching part comprises:
 a tube member connected to at least one of the suction unit and a connecting part of the external accessory to communicate one of the suction unit and the external accessory with the dust collecting unit: and   a blocking member disposed in the tube member to block an air passage between the external accessory and the dust collecting unit when a connection between the connecting part of the external accessory and the tube member is released.   
   
   
       12 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the tube member comprises a T-lettered or Y-lettered tube comprising a first tube part having one end connected with the connecting part of the external accessory, a second tube part having one end connected with the suction unit, and a third tube part having one end connected with the other ends of the first and the second tube parts and the other end connected with the dust collecting unit. 
   
   
       13 . The vacuum cleaner as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the blocking member comprises a blocking plate supported between an inlet portion of the third tube part toward the second tube part and an inlet portion of the third tube part toward the first tube part to be elastically pivotable, so that the blocking member closes up the inlet portion of the third tube part toward the second tube part when the connecting part of the external accessory is connected to the first tube part and closes up the inlet portion of the third tube part toward the first tube part when the connecting part of the external accessory is removed from the first tube part.