Steam vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A steam vacuum cleaner. The steam vacuum cleaner includes a suction port assembly comprising a dust receptacle formed therein and an impeller driven by a motor to draw in air and dust from an object being cleaned through a suction port formed on a lower portion of the suction port assembly and to discharge the suctioned air and dust into the dust receptacle, a main body comprising a water tank and a heater unit to receive water from the water tank and generate steam, wherein a lower portion of the main body is hinged to a portion of the suction port assembly, and a floorcloth plate formed on a lower portion of the suction port assembly and comprising at least one floorcloth attached thereto.

1 . A steam vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a suction port assembly comprising a dust receptacle formed therein and an impeller driven by a motor to draw in air and dust from an object being cleaned through a suction port formed on a lower portion of the suction port assembly and to discharge the suctioned air and dust into the dust receptacle;   a main body comprising a water tank and a heater unit to receive water from the water tank and generate steam, wherein a lower portion of the main body is hinged to a portion of the suction port assembly; and   a floorcloth plate formed on a lower portion of the suction port assembly and comprising at least one floorcloth attached thereto.   
   
   
       2 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the heater unit consumes from about 1200 W to about 1900 W of power and the motor consumes from about 80 W to about 100 W of power. 
   
   
       3 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 2 , wherein the heater unit includes a sheath heater housed therein. 
   
   
       4 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the heater unit is a large-capacity unit that holds from about 700 cc to about 900 cc of water therein. 
   
   
       5 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 2 , wherein the motor includes an AC motor. 
   
   
       6 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the impeller is formed within a passage between the suction port and the dust receptacle. 
   
   
       7 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 6 , wherein the passage includes:
 a first passage in which a first end is formed adjacent to the suction port and a second end opposite to the first end is formed adjacent to the impeller;   an impeller casing part surrounding the impeller, the impeller casing part being in fluid communication with the second end of the first passage; and   a second passage in which a first end is in fluid communication with the impeller casing part and a second end opposite to the first end is in fluid communication with the dust receptacle.   
   
   
       8 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 7 , further including a drum brush rotatably disposed in the suction port, the drum brush receiving a driving force from the motor and moving the dust of the object being cleaned to the first end of the first passage. 
   
   
       9 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , further including a partition member engaged with a lower portion of the suction port assembly to divide a space defined between the lower portion of the suction port assembly and the surface being cleaned into a vacuum cleaning are a  and a steam cleaning area so that dust being drawn in through the suction port at a lower front portion of the suction port is not mixed with steam being emitted from a lower rear portion of the suction port assembly. 
   
   
       10 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , further comprising a rotating unit arranged inside the suction port assembly to rotate the floorcloth plate. 
   
   
       11 . The steam vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , further comprising an operating handle comprising a stick part to slide into the main body or slide out of the main body along the length direction of the main body.