CN109068912B

CN109068912B - Method for producing a dust container and connecting plate for a dust container

Info

Publication number: CN109068912B
Application number: CN201680084627.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: B·斯赦芬; P·维利乌斯
Original assignee: Electrolux AB
Current assignee: Electrolux AB
Priority date: 2016-05-09
Filing date: 2016-05-09
Publication date: 2022-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 2036-05-09
Also published as: PL3454713T3; HUE068576T2; EP3454713B1; RU2709912C1; CN109068912A; WO2017194083A1; DK3454713T3; FI3454713T3; EP3454713A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a connection plate for a vacuum cleaner dust container, more particularly to a connection plate (3) surrounding an opening (9) in a dust bag (5). The web (3) can position the opening (9) in the vacuum cleaner and is produced by injection moulding a plastics material in a tool so that the web extends in a main plane. The connection plate comprises a flexible shield (21) formed in one piece with the connection plate and which is formed in the tool extending out of a main plane of the connection plate. This allows the shroud to extend in the same direction from the central portion of the web as the other portion (13) of the web.

Description

Method for producing a dust container and connecting plate for a dust container

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a method for producing a dust container connection plate for a vacuum cleaner.

More specifically, the dust container produced includes a dust bag made of a gas permeable material; and a connecting plate surrounding the opening in the dust bag such that by inserting the connecting plate into a holder of the vacuum cleaner, the connecting plate can correctly position the opening in the vacuum cleaner.

Background

An example of such a container is disclosed, for example, in DE-102008037409-a1, which proposes producing the connecting panel by injection moulding of a plastic material. Due to the connection plate, the opening of the dust bag can be reliably positioned and oriented to receive the dust-laden air flow from the vacuum cleaner inlet. Further, the connection plate may trigger a feedback switch in the holder of the vacuum cleaner to verify that the dust container has been correctly mounted in the holder, thus enabling to prevent the use of the vacuum cleaner without or incorrectly mounted dust container. Such use may otherwise damage the vacuum cleaner by injecting heavily dusty air into the fan/motor arrangement.

One problem associated with this type of dust container is how to make it easier for the end user to use the dust container and how to allow efficient production.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a method that allows for the efficient production of dust containers with improved features that allow for easy use of the end product. This object is achieved by a method as defined in claim 1. More specifically, in the initially mentioned method, the connection plate is produced by injection moulding a plastic material in a tool such that the connection plate extends in a main plane. The connecting plate further comprises a flexible shield formed in one piece with the connecting plate and formed in the tool at least partially extending out of the main plane of the connecting plate. This means that the cover can be provided together with other features in the area of the connecting plate and does not interfere with such other features during production. In this way, a greater freedom of configuring the connection plate can generally be achieved.

For example, the web may include a central portion that surrounds the opening; and an extension portion including lateral arm portions extending from the central portion and a bridge portion interconnecting the arms at distal ends thereof. The flexible shield may be attached to the central portion between the arm portions. This arrangement allows the shutter to be folded over the central portion and close the opening in the central portion by sliding away from the bridge portion. A locking feature may be provided on the bridge portion, which locking feature retains the connection plate in the retainer and may ensure that the opening is completely closed when such locking feature releases the connection plate.

Such locking features may be provided on the bridge portion as locking openings.

The connecting plate may include guide tabs on either side of the opening, and the shutter may be inserted behind the guide tabs in a subsequent step.

The shield may extend out of the main plane of the web by bending at the fold. This may facilitate further processing of the connecting plate, making it easier to fold the cover correctly over the connecting plate.

The shield may have a rib structure that guides the shield to bend, the rib extending transverse to the direction in which the shield extends from the remainder of the web.

The distal end of the shield may include a handle to facilitate use, and the web may be made of polypropylene (PP).

The disclosure also relates to producing a dust container comprising such a connection plate, and further to a correspondingly produced connection plate or dust container.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a dust receptacle of a vacuum cleaner.

Fig. 2 shows a connection plate of the dust container.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a connecting plate using a shutter.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the connecting plate, wherein the cover has not yet been folded over the opening of the connecting plate.

Fig. 5 shows a side view corresponding to fig. 4.

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged portion of fig. 5.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure relates to a dust container 1 for a vacuum cleaner, as shown by way of example in fig. 1. The dust receptacle has a dust bag 5, which is schematically indicated and is made of a gas-permeable material, as is well known per se. The web 3 is attached to the dust bag 5 (e.g. by gluing to the dust bag) and has an opening 9 which coincides with the opening in the dust bag 5, so that the opening of the web as a whole also becomes the opening of the dust bag. The attachment plate 3 is configured for positioning the opening 9 of the dust bag in a correct manner with respect to the air inlet in the vacuum cleaner body. This may be achieved by sliding the connecting plate into a holder or socket in the vacuum cleaner. This operation positions the opening 9 to receive a dusty airflow whereby it enters the bag which removes most of the dust from the airflow. A gasket 7 may be attached to the web 3 at the opening 9 to provide a sealing function to reduce leakage in the flow from the inlet hose to the bag 9.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the connection plate 3. In the present disclosure, the web 3 includes a central portion 11 that is central with respect to the opening 9 around which it surrounds, and that may be substantially flat and rectangular. Further, the web 3 comprises an extension 13, which may protrude from an edge of the central portion 11.

When using the connection plate 3 in a vacuum cleaner, the connection plate can be slid into a holder in the vacuum cleaner, with the extension part leading in the insertion direction and the central part as the subsequent part. The width of the central portion 11 and the extension 13 may be a substantially uniform width from the distal edge 29 of the extension that is inserted first to the edge 31 of the central portion 11 opposite the distal edge 29. This allows the holder to guide the insertion of the connection plate. A tab 14 extending transversely from the central portion 11 at the corner furthest from the extension 13 may be provided to rest outside the holder at the entry point of the holder.

The central and

extension portions

11, 13 may extend in a common plane and may be made in one piece, for example by injection moulding polypropylene (PP). The central portion and the

extensions

11, 13 together provide a secure fixation of the dust bag opening 9 in the vacuum cleaner. In addition, the extension 13 may provide a locking function that retains the connection plate in the holder; and an indicating function which triggers a sensor or switch in the holder so that the vacuum cleaner is aware that the dust bag is being correctly inserted, thereby allowing the vacuum cleaner to disable the suction function unless the dust bag is correctly fitted.

As further illustrated in fig. 2, the extension portion 13 may include lateral arm portions 17 extending from the central portion 11 and a bridge portion 15 interconnecting the arms at their distal ends. This serves to leave free space between the arm portions 17, which free space is available to the shutter arrangement as will be shown. The bridge portion 15 may comprise locking openings 19 which interact with locking means of the holder which snap into the openings when the connection plate is assembled, whereby a predetermined pulling force is required in a direction opposite to the insertion direction in order to remove the dust bag. Thereby, the dust bag is not unintentionally taken out.

The present disclosure relates to a shutter 21 which may be used to close the opening 9 once the dust bag 5 is full and the dust container 1 is to be replaced. Since the shutter 21 substantially seals the opening 9, leakage of collected dust from the dust bag when being handled for disposal can be prevented to a large extent.

In the present disclosure, the shield is connected to the central portion 11 between the lateral arm portions 17 and is made in one piece with the rest of the connecting plate. Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the shutter 21 has an opening 33 and is folded to the top of the central portion 11 such that the shutter opening 33 coincides with the opening 9 of the dust bag 5, which is shown in fig. 2. The shutter is tucked under the guide tabs 25 provided on both sides of the opening and is still slidable under the guide of the guide tabs 25 and the rear surface 27 behind the guide tabs. Thus, the shutter may be slid upwards in fig. 2, so that the shutter opening 33 is moved away from the dust bag opening 9, thereby effectively closing the opening. This state is shown in the perspective view of fig. 3. The distal end of the shutter may include a handle 23 to facilitate such manipulation.

The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing method suitable for producing a dust container having a connection plate as shown in fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the connecting plate 3, wherein the cover has not yet been folded over the opening of the connecting plate. This is the state of production of the connecting plate, i.e. reflects the shape of the injection moulding tool used. As is evident in fig. 4, the web 3 extends in a main plane and the flexible shutter 21 is formed in one piece with the rest of the web 3. The shutter 21 extends beyond the main plane of the connection plate during production. In the case shown, the shutter is produced with a fold 55 that is approximately 90 degrees out of the main plane, near a location that would otherwise interfere with the bridge.

In general, a method for producing a dust container with a connecting plate 3 surrounding an opening 9 in a dust bag 5 is disclosed, wherein the connecting plate 3 is produced by injection moulding of a plastic material in a tool such that the connecting plate extends over a main plane, and wherein the connecting plate further comprises a flexible shield 21 formed in one piece with the connecting plate, and wherein the shield is formed in the tool at least partly extending out of the main plane of the connecting plate.

One advantage of this method (see fig. 2) is that it is possible, for example, to obtain a connecting plate, wherein the shutter 21 is activated by pulling the shutter 21 (with the connecting plate 3 locked in the holder) away from the extension 13 with the bridge portion 15, thereby closing the opening 9. This means that the opening can be completely closed without starting to remove the connection plate 3 from the holder. The sliding resistance of shutter 21 may be less than the force required to unlock bridge portion 15 from the retainer. Thus, when the user pulls the handle 23, the connecting plate 3 does not disengage from the holder until the opening is completely closed, thereby preventing dust from leaving the dust bag (which might otherwise be the result of removing the dust receptacle).

Fig. 5 shows a side view corresponding to fig. 4. As shown, fold 55 is disposed proximate bridge portion 15. One advantage of this configuration is that the fold 55 can be used to complete the web 3 by further folding the shutter 21 at the fold 55 and using guide tabs to attach the distal portion of the shutter 21 at the central portion 11, as previously described.

However, the crease may also be arranged closer to the central portion 11, although this may require larger tools since the shutter extends more from said main plane, and may require folding the shutter also at another location when the production of the connecting plate 3 is completed.

In fig. 5, the fold 55 is arranged at about 90 ° to the main plane of the web 3. However, the shutter may be allowed to tilt at a different angle (e.g., 60 °) to the main plane.

Fig. 6 shows an enlarged portion of fig. 5. As shown, the shutter may have a ribbed structure that guides the shutter to bend in the direction of its deformation as it slides over the central portion. Thus, the ribs extend transversely to the direction in which the shroud 21 extends from the remainder of the web 3.

The disclosure is not limited to the examples described above and may be varied and altered in different ways within the scope of the appended claims. For example, other plastic materials may be suitable for this purpose, such as Polyethylene (PE).

Claims

1. A method for producing a web (3) of a dust container (1) of a vacuum cleaner, wherein the dust container comprises a dust bag (5) made of a gas-permeable material; and the connecting plate (3) surrounding the dust bag (5) and the opening (9) in the connecting plate, whereby the connecting plate can correctly position the opening (9) within the vacuum cleaner by inserting the connecting plate (3) into a holder of the vacuum cleaner, characterized in that the connecting plate is produced by injection moulding a plastic material in a tool such that at least a part of the connecting plate (3) extends over a main plane, wherein the connecting plate further comprises a flexible shield (21) formed in one piece with the connecting plate, and wherein the flexible shield (21) is formed in the tool by being produced together with a fold and bent at said fold out of the main plane of the connecting plate,

wherein the web comprises a central portion (11) which surrounds the opening (9); and an extension portion (13) comprising lateral arm portions (17) extending from the central portion (11) and a bridge portion (15) interconnecting the lateral arm portions (17) at distal ends thereof, wherein the flexible shield (21) is attached to the central portion between the lateral arm portions (17),

wherein the bridge portion comprises a locking opening (19).

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the connecting plate comprises guide tabs (25) on either side of the opening (9), behind which the flexible shutter (21) is inserted in a subsequent step.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the flexible shutter (21) has a rib structure guiding the flexible shutter (21) to bend, the ribs running transversely to the direction in which the flexible shutter (21) extends from the rest of the connection plate (3).

4. The method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the distal end of the flexible shutter (21) comprises a handle (23).

5. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the connection plate is made of polypropylene (PP).

6. A method for producing a dust container (1) for a vacuum cleaner, the dust container comprising a dust bag (5) made of a gas-permeable material; and a web (3) produced with the method according to any one of claims 1-5, surrounding an opening (9) in the dust bag (5).

7. A web for a vacuum cleaner dust container, wherein the web is produced according to the method of any one of claims 1-5.

8. A dust container for a vacuum cleaner, wherein the dust container is produced according to the method of claim 6.