Portable vacuum cleaner

Claim 1

A portable vacuum cleaner for use in both dry and wet operations, comprising: a main body case housing a fan motor and having intake and discharge openings therefor, said intake opening being disposed about a first axis; a dust case having an intake portion and removably attached to the main body case around said intake opening; and a filter housing removably installed in said dust case, said filter housing having a filter accommodating portion wherein a filter is accommodated to cover said intake opening, said filter accommodating portion including a front plate and a frame provided along the outer periphery of said front plate, said front plate having a tubular portion projecting therefrom and disposed about a second axis, said tubular portion being substantially opposed to the intake portion of said dust case, the second axis of said tubular portion being out of alignment with the first axis of the intake opening, and wherein the front plate further includes filter holding plates provided on the side of said front plate opposite the tubular portion, said filter holding plates being radially arranged from the second axis of the tubular portion so as to direct drawn-in air over the entire front surface of the filter; said tubular portion being closed at an end opposed to said intake portion thereof and formed with apertures therethrough, and said dust case having a partition wall positioned under the intake portion thereof and extending from said intake portion toward said main body case for defining a water collection chamber at an interior lower portion of the dust case.