Central vacuum cleaner with detachable filter assembly

Claim 1

A cyclonic-separator type central vacuum cleaner comprising releasably secured sub-assemblies including: a motor/exhaust housing sub-assembly having an exhaust outlet, and housing a fan motor and a vacuum inducing fan operably connected in driven relation therewith, said housing having a substantially open bottom; a substantially open topped and open bottomed vacuum inlet sub-assembly, adapted to be secured to a vacuum cleaner-supporting horizontal surface, and releasably secured in axial register with said substantially open bottom of said motor/exhaust housing sub-assembly, said vacuum inlet sub-assembly comprising a cylindrical body having a tangential air inlet arranged adjacent the substantially open top thereof; a substantially open topped dust collecting sub-assembly releasably secured in axial register with the open bottom of said vacuum inlet sub-assembly; an in-line-filter-supporting vortex finder comprising a plate releasably secured in removable clamped relation intermediate between said motor/exhaust housing and vacuum inlet sub-assemblies, said plate defining a septum between the open base and the open top of the respective ones of the motor/exhaust housing and vacuum inlet sub-assemblies and having a generally centrally located aperture communicating between opposed sides of said plate and opening on one side thereof into a cylindrical vortex finder that is secured at a first end thereof to said one side of said plate, and extends downwardly from said one side into the interior of said vacuum inlet sub-assembly to terminate below said tangential air inlet at a second open end, in inlet airflow deflecting relation; wherein filter mounting means is fixed to said vortex finder with a demountable filter secured thereto in vortex finder supported relation, said filter being shielded by said cylindrical vortex finder and arranged therein in operative inline filtering relation of an airflow passing from within said cylindrical vortex finder and through said aperture, that is induced between said inlet and said exhaust outlet by the operation of said vacuum inducing fan. whereby, with the motor/exhaust housing sub-assembly removed from said vacuum cleaner and the plate thereby released from said secured clamped relation, said vortex finder is upwardly removable from said vacuum inlet sub-assembly with said filter transported therein in shielded relation, to permit said vortex finder to be inverted and the filter demounted from said filter mounting means without undue release of dust into a surrounding living space.