US20070226947A1

US20070226947A1 - Vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit

Info

Publication number: US20070226947A1
Application number: US11/693,540
Authority: US
Inventors: Sang Kang
Original assignee: Daewoo Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: WiniaDaewoo Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-03-29
Filing date: 2007-03-29
Publication date: 2007-10-04
Also published as: WO2007111481A1; EP2007262A1; KR100730952B1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit that includes a dust container detachably mounted on a body of the vacuum cleaner and configured to perform vacuum cleaning via air suction in a detached state. The dust container of the vacuum cleaner permits vacuum cleaning not only in a state of being mounted in the body, but also in a state of being detached therefrom. Accordingly, the vacuum cleaner of the present invention can eliminate needs of separately buying a larger vacuum cleaner and a smaller vacuum cleaner, thereby being more economical for consumers.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit that includes a dust container detachably mounted on a body of the vacuum cleaner and configured to perform vacuum cleaning via air suction in a detached state.

BACKGROUND ART

According to shapes and usage postures, vacuum cleaners can be generally classified into a canister type vacuum cleaner, which provides convenience in corner cleaning and movement while allowing easy replacement of a brush or a nozzle, and an upright type vacuum cleaner, which provides convenience in storage and allows easy cleaning of a large space.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional vacuum cleaner. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional vacuum cleaner generally includes a suction unit 11 which will be brought into close contact with a floor, a pipe 12 connected to the suction unit 11 and having a predetermined length, a handle 13 connected to the pipe 12, a hose 14 connected to the handle 13, and a body 20 connected to the handle 14.
The suction unit 11 is provided at a lower surface with wheels to suck up foreign matter while moving on the floor, and the pipe 12 and the handle 13 are used to move the suction unit 11 to desired locations.
The pipe 12 and the hose 14 serve to guide air containing foreign matter into the body 20, which in turn sucks the air containing the foreign matter and collects the foreign matter while discharging filtered air to an outside of the body 20.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the body shown in FIG. 1. The body 20 is provided at a front side with a hose attaching part 21 for coupling with the hose 14.
The body 20 has a dust collection unit 22 positioned in a central region and connected to the hose attaching part 21.
Specifically, the dust collection unit 22 includes a dust container 24 that is inserted into an accommodation part 23 defined in the central region of the body 20 and has a filter 25 to filter foreign matter.
The dust container 24 is provided at an upper side with a knob 26 and is separated from the accommodation part 23 by means of a separation button 27 formed on the knob 26.
At this time, a motor 28 is positioned adjacent the accommodation part 23 inside the body 20 and driven by power supplied via a power cable 29.
Therefore, when the motor 28 is driven by power, air containing foreign matter is drawn into the dust container 24 and passes through the filter 25 in the dust container 24, so that the foreign matter is filtered by the filter 25 and collected in the container 24 while filtered air is discharged outside the vacuum cleaner.
Then, when filled with the foreign matter, the dust container 24 is separated from the insertion groove 24 by pushing the separation button 27, and opened to remove the foreign matter by means of a separate button.
However, since such a vacuum container has the motor installed inside the body, it is necessary to move the body when performing the vacuum operation at several locations on the floor.
Therefore, the conventional vacuum cleaner has problems in that the overall body must be moved even for corner vacuuming or partial vacuuming, and in that, in the case where a power cable has a short length, it must be plugged again into a wall socket near a vacuuming location.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an aspect of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner that includes a detachable dust container capable of performing vacuum cleaning via suction of foreign matter in a detached state to permit a user to perform vacuum cleaning not only with the body of the vacuum cleaner but also with the dust container detached from the body, improving vacuuming efficiency.
[Technical Solution]
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit, comprising: a body having a hose attaching part and an accommodation part opened partially; a dust container detachably mounted on the accommodation part and including a filter disposed in the dust container to collect foreign matter, the dust container having an inlet port formed at one side of the dust container and an exhaust port formed at the other side; a motor assembly disposed in the body to generate suction force; a power supply device to supply power to drive the motor assembly; and a separate assistant driving unit coupled to the dust container to generate suction force when the dust container is detached from the body.
The vacuum cleaner may further comprise an assistant hose coupled to the inlet port of the dust container to allow exterior air and foreign matter to be drawn into the dust container through the assistant hose.
The assistant driving unit may comprise: an assistant case having a suction hole formed at one side of the assistant case; an assistant motor assembly disposed in the assistant case to generate suction force; and an assistant power supply device to supply power to drive the assistant motor assembly.
The suction hole may be formed in the assistant case to be located near the exhaust port of the dust container when the assistant driving unit is coupled to the dust container.
The assistant power supply device may be a rechargeable battery or a power cable to be plugged into a wall socket.
The filter may be disposed near the inlet port of the dust container.
The filter may be disposed near the exhaust port of the dust container.
The dust container may further include a knob formed at an upper side of the dust container.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit, comprising: a body having a hose attaching part and an accommodation part opened partially; a dust container detachably mounted on the accommodation part and including a filter disposed in the dust container to collect foreign matter, the dust container having an inlet port formed at one side of the dust container and an exhaust port formed at the other side; a motor assembly disposed in the body to generate suction force; a power supply device to supply power to drive the motor assembly; and a separate assistant driving unit coupled to the dust container to generate suction force when the dust container is detached from the body, wherein, when the dust container is mounted on the accommodation part of the body, the assistant driving unit is seated in a space between a bottom surface of the accommodation part and a lower surface of the dust container.
The vacuum cleaner may further comprise an assistant hose coupled to the inlet port of the dust container to allow exterior air and foreign matter to be drawn into the dust container through the assistant hose.
The assistant driving unit may comprise: an assistant case having a suction hole formed at one side of the assistant case; an assistant motor assembly disposed in the assistant case to generate suction force; and an assistant power supply device to supply power to drive the assistant motor assembly.
When inserted and mounted on the accommodation part of the body, the assistant driving unit and the dust container may be in a state of being coupled by a coupling member.
Here, the coupling member may be a hinge allowing rotation of the assistant driving unit and the dust container with respect to each other around the hinge.
The suction hole may be formed in the assistant case to be located near the exhaust port of the dust container when the assistant driving unit is coupled to the dust container.
The assistant power supply device may be a rechargeable battery or a power cable to be plugged into a wall socket.
Here, the rechargeable battery may be disposed in the assistant case and charged by the power supply device connected to the battery.
The filter may be disposed near the inlet port of the dust container.
The filter may be disposed near the exhaust port of the dust container.
The dust container may further include a knob formed at an upper side of the dust container.
[Advantageous Effects]
As apparent from the above description, the dust container of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention permits vacuum cleaning not only in a state of being mounted in the body, but also in a state of being detached therefrom.
Accordingly, the vacuum cleaner of the present invention can eliminate needs of separately buying a larger vacuum cleaner and a smaller vacuum cleaner, thereby being more economical for consumers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional vacuum cleaner;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a body of the conventional vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view of a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which includes a power cable as an assistant power supply device;
FIG. 4 is a view of the vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which includes a battery as the assistant power supply device;
FIG. 5 is a view of a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which includes a battery as an assistant power supply device; and
FIG. 6 is a view of the vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention, which includes a power cable as the assistant power supply device.

BEST MODE OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The drawings are not to precise scale and may be exaggerated in thickness of lines or size of components for descriptive convenience and clarity only.
Furthermore, terms used herein are defined by taking functions of the present invention into account and can be changed according to the custom or intention of users or operators.
Therefore, definition of such terms should be made according to overall disclosures herein.
FIG. 3 is a view of a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which includes a power cable as an assistant power supply device, and FIG. 4 is a view of the vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which includes a battery as the assistant power supply device.
In addition, FIG. 5 is a view of a vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which includes a battery as an assistant power supply device, and FIG. 6 is a view of the vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention, which includes a power cable as the assistant power supply device.
The first embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings hereinafter.
Although not shown in the drawings, the vacuum cleaner comprises a suction unit, a pipe, and a handle, which are assembled in sequence and connected to a hose 14. The vacuum cleaner comprises a body 30 that is formed with a body-inlet port 31 a for coupling with the hose 14 and has an accommodation part 32 opened partially.
The body-inlet port 51 a is formed at the front side of the body 50, and has a front portion to be coupled to the hose 14 and a rear portion extending in a tube shape to one side of the accommodation part 52.
The body 30 has a body-exhaust port 31 b formed at a location on a surface of the accommodation part 32 corresponding to the body-inlet port 31 a.
The dust container 41 is detachably inserted into the accommodation part 32 such that the dust container 41 can be integrated to the body 30 or separated therefrom.
The dust container 41 is formed at one side with an inlet port 41 a through which air is drawn into the dust container 41, and at the other side with an exhaust port 41 b through which air is discharged to the outside.
When the dust container 41 is inserted into the accommodation part 32 and mounted on the body 30, the inlet port 41 a of the dust container 41 is located near the body-inlet port 31 a of the body 30 and the exhaust port 41 b is located near the body-exhaust port 31 b of the body 30.
Although the hose 14 can be coupled not only to the body-inlet port 31 a but also to the inlet port 41 a, it is desirable that a separate assistant hose 14 a be coupled to the inlet port 41 a.
The dust container 41 has a knob 43 formed on the top of the dust container 41 such that a user can carry the dust container 41 by gripping the knob 43, and a filter 44 disposed therein to filter foreign matter.
A motor assembly 33 is disposed inside the body 30 to suck air through the body-inlet port 31 a.
The motor assembly 33 includes a motor and a fan not shown in the drawings, and is operated to suck air via rotation of the fan when power is applied to drive the motor.
The body 30 is provided with a power supply device 34, which is electrically connected to the motor assembly 33 and will be plugged into a wall socket to supply power to the motor assembly 33 when driving the motor assembly 33.
Here, the vacuum cleaner further comprises an assistant driving unit 45, which is mounted outside the body 30 or separately stored. The assistant driving unit 45 is coupled to the dust container 41 and serves to suck air when the dust container 41 is separated from the body 30.
The assistant driving unit 45 comprises an assistant case 46, an assistant motor 47, and an assistant power supply device 48 or 49.
The assistant driving unit 45 has a suction hole 46 a formed at one side thereof and is coupled to the dust container 41. When the assistant driving unit 45 is coupled to the dust container 41, the suction hole 46 a of the assistant case 46 is located near the exhaust port 41 b of the dust container 41.
The assistant motor assembly 47 is disposed in the assistant case 46 and serves to generate suction force.
At this time, the suction hole 46 b, exhaust port 41 b and inlet port 41 a are designed to be communicated with one another, allowing the suction force of the assistant motor assembly 47 to affect up to the inlet port 41 a.
The assistant power supply device 48 or 49 is electrically connected to the assistant motor assembly 47 and supplies power to the assistant motor assembly 47 when driving the assistant motor assembly 47.
The assistant power supply device 48 or 49 may be a rechargeable battery 49 or a power cable 48, which has a predetermined length and can be plugged into a wall socket. The rechargeable battery 49 can be disposed inside the assistant case 46.
The filter 44 can be attached to various parts of the dust container 41 depending on dust collection methods, and is preferably disposed near the inlet port 41 a in the case where a dust bag is provided as the filter 44.
Further, when such a filter 44 is applied to a cyclone type vacuum cleaner, it is desirable that the filter 44 be located near the exhaust port 41 b.
Operation and effect of the vacuum cleaner according to the first embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration as described above are described hereinafter.
First, by pushing an operation button (not shown) with the power supply device 34 plugged into a wall socket, the motor assembly 33 is driven to force air containing foreign matter to be drawn into the dust container 41 through the hose 14, and air filtered through the filter 44 is discharged to the outside.
To use the dust container 41 as a carriable handy cleaner when vacuuming, the dust container 41 is separated from the accommodation part 32 of the body 30 by pushing a separation button 35, and the assistant hose 14 a is connected to the inlet port 41 a of the dust container.
And, the dust container 41 is coupled to the assistant driving unit 45 such that the suction hole 46 a is located near the exhaust port 41 b of the dust container 41.
Then, by pushing an operation button (not shown), power is supplied to the assistant motor assembly 47 via the assistant power supply device 48 or 49, so that the assistant motor assembly 47 is driven.
In this way, as suction force is generated by the assistant motor assembly 47, air containing foreign matter is drawn into the assistant hose 14 a coupled to the inlet port 41 a.
Therefore, the user can perform vacuum cleaning while carrying the dust container 41 by gripping the knob 43 of the dust container 41.
At this time, if the power cable 48 is used as the assistant power supply device, it is plugged into the wall socket to supply power to the assistant motor assembly 47.
If the rechargeable battery 49 is used as the assistant power supply device, the battery 55 is charged by means of a separate charging device and supplies power to the assistant motor assembly 47 in response to a signal from the operation button (not shown).
Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings hereinafter.
Although not shown in the drawings, the vacuum cleaner comprises a suction unit, a pipe, and a handle, which are assembled in sequence and connected to a hose 14. The vacuum cleaner comprises a body 50 that is formed with a body-inlet port 51 a for coupling with the hose 14 and has an accommodation part 52 opened partially.
The body-inlet port 51 a is formed at the front side of the body 50, and has a front portion to be coupled to the hose 14 and a rear portion extending in a tube shape to one side of the accommodation part 52.
The body 50 has a body-exhaust port 51 b formed at a location on a surface of the accommodation part 52 corresponding to the body-inlet port 51 a.
The dust container 61 is detachably inserted into the accommodation part 52 such that the dust container 61 can be integrated to the body 50 or separated therefrom.
The dust container 61 is formed at one side with an inlet port 61 a through which air is drawn into the dust container 61, and at the other side with an exhaust port 61 b through which air is discharged to the outside.
When the dust container 61 is inserted into the accommodation part 52 and mounted on the body 50, the inlet port 61 a of the dust container 61 is located near the body-inlet port 51 a of the body 50 and the exhaust port 61 b is located near the body-exhaust port 51 b of the body 50.
Although the hose 14 can be coupled not only to the body-inlet port 51 a but also to the inlet port 61 a, it is desirable that a separate assistant hose 14 a be coupled to the inlet port 61 a.
The dust container 61 has a knob 63 formed on the top of the dust container 61 such that a user can carry the dust container 61 by gripping the knob 63, and a filter 44 disposed therein to filter foreign matter.
A motor assembly 53 is disposed inside the body 50 to suck air through the body-inlet port 51 a.
The motor assembly 53 includes a motor and a fan not shown in the drawings, and is operated to suck air via rotation of the fan when power is applied to drive the motor.
The body 50 is provided with a power supply device 54, which is electrically connected to the motor assembly 53 and will be plugged into a wall socket to supply power to the motor assembly 53 when driving the motor assembly 53.
Here, the vacuum cleaner further comprises an assistant driving unit 65, which is detachably mounted to the accommodation part 52. The assistant driving unit 65 is coupled to the dust container 61 and serves to suck air when the dust container 61 is separated from the body 50.
In other words, when the dust container 61 is mounted on the accommodation part 52 of the body 50, the assistant driving unit 65 is mounted in a space defined between a bottom surface of the accommodation part 52 and a lower surface of the dust container 61.
The assistant driving unit 65 comprises an assistant case 66, an assistant motor 67, and an assistant power supply device 68 or 69.
The assistant case 66 has a suction hole 66 a formed at one side thereof and is coupled to the dust container 61 by a coupling member, such as a hinge 71, which can permit rotation of the assistant case and the dust container with respect to each other.
In other words, when the dust container 61 and the assistant driving unit 65 are mounted in the body 50, a right-side lower end of the dust container 61 is coupled to a right-side upper end of the assistant case 66 via the hinge 71.
Therefore, when the dust container 61 is separated from the body 50, the assistant driving unit 65 coupled at one side to the dust container 61 via the hinge 71 is also separated from the body 50. Then, the assistant driving unit 65 is rotated around the hinge 71 and coupled at the other side to the dust container 61 via a separated fastening component (not shown).
When the assistant driving unit 65 is coupled to the dust container 61, the suction hole 66 a of the assistant case 66 is located near the exhaust port 61 b of the dust container 61.
The assistant motor assembly 67 is disposed in the assistant case 66 and serves to generate suction force.
At this time, the suction hole 66 a, exhaust port 61 b and inlet port 61 a are designed to be communicated with one another, allowing the suction force of the assistant motor assembly 67 to affect up to the inlet port 61 a.
The assistant power supply device 68 or 69 is electrically connected to the assistant motor assembly 67 and supplies power to the assistant motor assembly 67 when driving the assistant motor assembly 67.
The assistant power supply device 68 or 69 may be a rechargeable battery 69 or a power cable 68, which has a predetermined length and can be plugged into a wall socket. The rechargeable battery 69 can be designed to be disposed inside the assistant case 46.
When the rechargeable battery 69 is disposed in the assistant case 46, the accommodation part 52 and the rechargeable battery 69 of the assistant case 66 are provided with ground terminals 72 to contact each other, and such ground terminals 72 are connected to the power supply device 54 to charge the battery 69.
The filter 64 can be attached to various parts of the dust container 61 depending on dust collection methods, and is preferably disposed near the inlet port 61 a in the case where a dust bag is provided as the filter 64.
Further, when such a filter 64 is applied to a cyclone type vacuum cleaner, it is desirable that the filter 64 be located near the exhaust port 61 b.
Operation and effect of the vacuum cleaner according to the second embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration as described above are described hereinafter.
First, by pushing an operation button (not shown) with the power supply device 54 plugged into a wall socket, the motor assembly 53 is driven to force air containing foreign matter to be drawn into the dust container 61 through the hose 14, and air filtered through the filter 64 is discharged to the outside.
When the dust container 61 is separated from the accommodation part 52 of the body 50 by pushing a separation button 55 to use the dust container 61 as a carriable handy cleaner for vacuuming, the dust container 61 and the assistant driving unit 65 coupled to the dust container 61 by the hinge 71 are separated from the body 50.
In this state, the assistant driving unit 65 and the dust container 61 are coupled to each other such that the suction hole 66 a is located near the exhaust port 61 b of the dust container 61, and the assistant hose 14 a is connected to the inlet port 61 a of the dust container 61.
Then, by pushing an operation button (not shown), power is supplied to the assistant motor assembly 67 via the assistant power supply device 68 or 69, so that the assistant motor assembly 67 is driven.
In this way, as suction force is generated by the assistant motor assembly 67, air containing foreign matter is drawn into the assistant hose 14 a coupled to the inlet port 61 a.
Therefore, the user can perform vacuum cleaning while carrying the dust container 61 by gripping the knob 63 of the dust container 61.
At this time, if the power cable 68 is used as the assistant power supply device, it is plugged into the wall socket to supply power to the assistant motor assembly 67.
If the rechargeable battery 69 is used as the assistant power supply device, it is charged through the ground terminals 72 via the power supply device 54 and supplies power to the assistant motor assembly 67 in response to a signal from the operation button (not shown).
After the vacuum cleaning using the dust container 61, with the dust container 61 and the assistant driving unit 65 coupled to each other by the hinge 71, coupling between the dust container 61 and the assistant driving unit 65 by the fastening member (not shown) is released.
With the assistant driving unit 65 contacting the lower side of the dust container 61 by rotating them around the hinge 71, the dust container 61 and the assistant driving unit 65 are inserted into the accommodation part 52 of the body 50, so that the dust container 61 and the assistant driving unit 65 are received in the body 50.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes and that various equivalent modifications and other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this invention.
Therefore, the scope and spirit of the invention is limited only by the claims set forth herein as follows.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit, comprising:

a body having a hose attaching part and an accommodation part opened partially;

a dust container detachably mounted on the accommodation part and including a filter disposed in the dust container to collect foreign matter, the dust container having an inlet port formed at one side of the dust container and an exhaust port formed at the other side;

a motor assembly disposed in the body to generate suction force;

a power supply device to supply power to drive the motor assembly; and

a separate assistant driving unit coupled to the dust container to generate suction force when the dust container is detached from the body.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising:

an assistant hose coupled to the inlet port of the dust container to allow exterior air and foreign matter to be drawn into the dust container through the assistant hose.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the assistant driving unit comprises:

an assistant case having a suction hole formed at one side of the assistant case;

an assistant motor assembly disposed in the assistant case to generate suction force; and

an assistant power supply device to supply power to drive the assistant motor assembly.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the suction hole is formed in the assistant case to be located near the exhaust port of the dust container when the assistant driving unit is coupled to the dust container.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the assistant power supply device is a power cable to be plugged into a wall socket.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein the assistant power supply device is a rechargeable battery.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the filter is disposed near the inlet port of the dust container.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the filter is disposed near the exhaust port of the dust container.

9. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the dust container further includes a knob formed at an upper side of the dust container.

10. A vacuum cleaner with an integrated handheld vacuum cleaner unit, comprising:

a body having a hose attaching part and an accommodation part opened partially;

a motor assembly disposed in the body to generate suction force;

a power supply device to supply power to drive the motor assembly; and

a separate assistant driving unit coupled to the dust container to generate suction force when the dust container is detached from the body,

wherein, when the dust container is mounted on the accommodation part of the body, the assistant driving unit is seated in a space between a bottom surface of the accommodation part and a lower surface of the dust container.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, further comprising:

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the assistant driving unit comprises:

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein, when inserted and mounted on the accommodation part of the body, the assistant driving unit and the dust container are in a state of being coupled by a coupling member.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 13, wherein the coupling member is a hinge allowing rotation of the assistant driving unit and the dust container with respect to each other around the hinge.

15. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the suction hole is formed in the assistant case to be located near the exhaust port of the dust container when the assistant driving unit is coupled to the dust container.

16. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the assistant power supply device is a power cable to be plugged into a wall socket.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the assistant power supply device is a rechargeable battery.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein the rechargeable battery is disposed in the assistant case and charged by the power supply device connected to the battery.

19. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the filter is disposed near the inlet port of the dust container.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the filter is disposed near the exhaust port of the dust container.

21. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 10, wherein the dust container further includes a knob formed at an upper side of the dust container.