Vacuum cleaner filter bag

Claim 1

A vacuum cleaner filter bag for an upright vacuum cleaner comprising an elongated air pervious filter receptacle having an upper end provided with an inlet port, an air impervious feed tube disposed externally of said filter receptacle in a side-by-side arrangement, said feed tube having a lower inlet end for releasable connection to an outlet port of the vacuum cleaner and an upper outlet end secured in a face-to-face relationship to and in communication with said inlet port of said filter receptacle, said filter receptacle including opening means to provide access to a lower interior thereof, a collar of relatively rigid material disposed within said filter receptacle intermediate said upper end and a lower end thereof, said collar being configurated to conform to the interior of said filter receptacle when in operating condition, clamping means disposed externally of said filter receptacle in juxtaposition with an upper portion of said collar for securing and supporting said upper portion of said collar in position by a clamping engagement against side walls of said filter receptacle, said clamping means being disposed between said filter receptacle and said feed tube, said feed tube being connected to said filter receptacle above and below said clamping means to provide a space for receiving said clamping means, a dust receptacle removably disposed within said lower interior of said filter receptacle, said dust receptacle including an open mouth bag-like enclosure fabricated from an air impervious material and having its mouth portion disposed about a lower end of said collar, resiliently expandable ring means for releasably securing said dust receptacle mouth portion about said collar to maintain said dust receptacle in an open mouth suspended condition within said lower interior of said filter receptacle to receive and collect debris introduced into said filter receptacle, said collar being provided with a pair of axially spaced apart circumferential grooves in an external peripheral surface thereof to receive and removably retain said ring means, a lower one of said grooves being utilized for receiving said ring means to secure said dust receptacle in position against said collar, an upper one of said grooves being utilized for retaining the ring means while said dust receptacle is being removed and replaced, said opening means being dimensioned to permit insertion and removal of said dust receptacle from said filter receptacle, said filter receptacle being flared outwardly from its medial portion towards said upper and lower ends to funnel the debris downwardly towards said collar and to permit easier access to said collar through said opening means, and releasable sealing means for sealing said opening means when said filter receptacle is in said operating condition.