Electrically Operated Vacuum Cleaner Equipped With Automatic Filter-cleaning Means

Abstract

An electrically operated vacuum cleaner having automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to be driven by the rotation of cord takeup means transmitted through power-transmitting means, the movement of the filter-cleaning member being utilized to apply deflection and impact to the filter for removing dusts therefrom.

Description

The present invention relates to an electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means.

According to the present invention, there is provided an electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means, said cleaner comprising, within a cleaner body having an intake and an outlet port, a filter having a plurality of pleats, a filter-cleaning member, an electrically operated blower, and cord takeup means, which are arranged in this order from the intake end of the cleaner body, the arrangement being such that the rotation of the cord takeup means is transmitted through power-transmitting means provided in the cleaner body to the filter-cleaning member, and the filter-cleaning member is adapted, upon movement, to beat the crests of the pleats to apply deflection and vibration to the filter so as to remove dusts therefrom.

In a conventional electrically operated vacuum cleaner, a rotatable brush is provided for brushing a dusted surface of a filter member to take the dust off the filter surface, the brush being rotatably connected with the rotatable shaft of cord takeup means. In this known arrangement, since the rotation of the cord takeup means is transmitted to the rotatable brush without being increased in speed, a highly efficient filter-cleaning operation cannot be expected. Further, since the rotatable brush is always maintained in forced contact with the filter surface, the frictional force between the filter and the rotatable brush is increased resulting in an increase in the force required for taking up or drawing out the power supply cord. This is disadvantageous in that the normal function of the cord takeup means is impeded and thus the rotational speed of the brush itself is correspondingly decreased, with the result that the filter-cleaning function is adversely affected.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to obtain a highly efficient operation of an electrically operated vacuum cleaner by preventing clogging of filter and to perform a filter-cleaning operation with ease and with a hygienically recommendable manner.

Another object of the present invention is to obtain a highly efficient filter-cleaning operation by transmitting, with a multiplied speed, the rotation of the cord takeup means to a filter-cleaning member through power transmission means which is conveniently provided by a large gear formed on the outer periphery of the reel frame of the cord takeup means, said gear being in meshing engagement with a small gear.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats on the filter at the side opposite to the surface of the filter on which dusts are normally accumulated, so as to apply deflection and vibration to the filter to prevent the dust from accumulating thereon and to make it possible to fully utilize the filtering area.

Still further object of the present invention is to provide a chamber below the filter for temporarily receiving the dust shaken off the filter, said chamber having a partition wall provided therein for preventing the cleaning air from flowing into the chamber, whereby the dust collected in the chamber is prevented from being recirculated toward the filter even when the cleaner is used without disposing the dust in the chamber, and thus the necessity for disposing the dust prior to using the cleaner can be minimized so that the advantageous feature of the automatic filter-cleaning means can be fully utilized.

Another object of the present invention is to transmit the rotation of cord takeup means in one direction of either the cord takeup movement or cord drawout movement to a filter-cleaning member by increasing in speed and converting into a reciprocating movement through power transmission means, so as to increase filter-cleaning efficiency without giving any adverse effects on the cord drawing-out or taking-up operation of the cord takeup means.

Still further object of the present invention is to transmit the rotation of the cord takeup means to a filter-cleaning member through power transmission means only when the power supply cord is being drawn out, so that the filter-cleaning operation can be positively performed without affecting the cord takeup operation of the electric cord takeup means.

According to the present invention, an electrically operated vacuum cleaner having automatic filter-cleaning means comprises a filter having a plurality of pleats each of substantially triangular shape in cross section, a filter cleaning member having at least one projection for thrusting into the pleats of the filter and adapted to move substantially perpendicularly to the pleats, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of cord takeup means during either the cord drawout movement or cord takeup movement to the filter-cleaning member by increasing in speed and converting into a reciprocating movement.

Thus, the filter-cleaning member is reciprocatingly moved with an increased speed through the transmission means to apply violent vibrations to the filter, whereby a highly efficient filter-cleaning operation can be performed.

Further, according to the present invention, the filter-cleaning member is caused to move along the filter surface by the rotation of the cord takeup means in only one direction of either the cord takeup or cord drawout movement, and by designing the device so that the filter-cleaning member is actuated when the power supply cord is being drawn out, the frictional force between the filter and the filter-cleaning member will not have any adverse effects on the cord takeup operation. Thus, the present invention is effective to facilitate the filter-cleaning function. Particularly, it should be noted that, since the rotation of the cord takeup means is transmitted to the filter-cleaning member with a multiplied speed, a sufficient filter-cleaning operation can be obtained even if the rotational speed of the cord takeup reel is low.

Further, if the arrangement is such that the filter-cleaning member is operated when the power supply cord is being taken up, the member will be reciprocated with much faster speed than the arrangement in which the member is moved when the power supply cord is being drawn out, whereby the filter will be subjected to a very intense vibration so that a highly efficient filter-cleaning operation can be expected.

According to the inventor's experiment, an excellent result could be obtained with 1.5 to 3.0 mm. of the depth of engagement between the pleats of the main filter and the projections of the filter-cleaning member and with the gear ratio of 5:1.

Further, according to the present invention, since the rotation of the cord takeup means is transmitted to the filter-cleaning member with a multiplied speed through the power transmission mechanism, the filter-cleaning member can be operated with an increased speed to obtain an effective result.

In a preferred mode of the present invention in which the power transmission means for multiplying the speed of the cord takeup means comprises a large gear formed on the outer periphery of the reel frame and an small gear which meshes with the large gear, the structure can be made simple with reduced number of parts. Further, in such a type of vacuum cleaner which comprises an electrically operated blower and a cord takeup means disposed behind the blower, the arrangement utilizing a large gear formed on the outer periphery of the cord takeup reel is advantageous in that the power transmission having a small gear for meshing engagement with the large gear can be disposed in the dead space formed around the blower, and that the rotation of the cord takeup means can be transmitted to the filter-cleaning member disposed in front of the blower without being interrupted by the existence of the blower. Thus, the automatic filter-cleaning means can be provided with a preferable manner without giving any adverse effects on the location of the blower itself.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the vacuum cleaner comprises a filter, a filter-cleaning member for removing the dust adhered on the filter, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member, the arrangement being such that the rotation of the cord takeup means is not transmitted to the filter-cleaning member when the power supply cord is being taken up, but is transmitted by the power transmission means only when the power supply cord is being drawn out. This arrangement provides the following advantages.

a. Since the vacuum cleaner cannot be put into operation unless the power supply cord is drawn out, the filter can be positively and readily cleaned every time when the cleaner is used irrespective of whether the operator intends to do so or not, whereby the vacuum cleaner can always be operated with the highest suction force.

b. The speed of movement of the filter-cleaning member can be controlled by controlling the speed in which the power supply cord is drawn out, so that the rate of the filter cleaning can be adjusted in accordance with the amount of filter clogging.

c. Since the power supply cord can be taken up without any frictional force between the filter and the filter-cleaning member, the cord takeup operation can smoothly and positively be performed while, on the other hand, the cleaning of the filter is also sufficiently performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the electrically operated vacuum cleaner comprises a filter having a plurality of pleats of substantially triangular cross section, a filter-cleaning member having at least one projection for thrusting into the pleats of the filter and adapted to move substantially perpendicularly to the pleats, and power transmission means for converting the rotation of the cord takeup means to a reciprocating movement and transmitting to the filter-cleaning member, said filter-cleaning member, said power transmission means and said cord takeup means being housed, together with an electrically operated blower, within a casing having an exhaust port, said filter being removably housed in a second casing which has an intake port and is removably connected to the first casing.

In this arrangement, when it is desired to dispose the dust shaken off the filter by the filter-cleaning member, the first casing can be disconnected from the second casing leaving only the filter within the second casing. Thus, the second casing can conveniently be carried and the dust collected therein can readily be disposed only by removing the filter.

Further, in contrast to a conventional structure in which a filter-cleaning member is actuated to shake the dust off the filter after the second casing is disconnected from the first casing, the aforementioned arrangement is convenient in cleaning the filter since the work is performed utilizing the rotation of the cord takeup means.

In such an arrangement in which the filter-cleaning member is connected with the filter and the member is actuated by utilizing the rotation of the cord takeup means, it is very difficult to removably connect the filter cleaning member and the power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means in order to allow the removal of one casing from the other. However, according to the present invention, the filter-cleaning member, the power transmission means and the cord takeup means are mounted in a single casing, so that it is not necessary to disconnect them once they are assembled and that they can be mounted with a simple and conventional manner.

Further, in the present invention, the filter can be washed in a more simple manner than in a conventional arrangement.

The other objects and the advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions relating to electrically operated vacuum cleaners having automatic filter-cleaning means made in accordance with the present invention and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which;

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing one embodiment of the electrically operated vacuum cleaner in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the cleaner shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the electrically operated vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1 with parts broken away to show the interior of the cleaner;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the filter-cleaning member and the filter in the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the cord takeup means, the power transmission means and the filter-cleaning member provided in the vacuum cleaner shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the power transmission means;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section of an electrically operated vacuum cleaner showing the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the cleaner shown in FIG. 7; and,

FIG. 9a and 9b are, respectively, a fragmentary sectional view of the filter-cleaning means, and a perspective view of the filter-cleaning member.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6 which show the first embodiment of the present invention, the reference numeral 1 shows a rear casing of cleaner body having an electrically operated blower 2 and cord takeup means 3 housed therein. The rear casing 1 is provided with a handle 4 on the upper surface, and exhaust port 5 on the rear surface, air passage hole 6 on the front surface, and wheels 7 on the lower surface. The numeral 8 shows a front casing of the cleaner body having a removable dust collector means 9 mounted at the rear opening thereof. The front casing 8 is provided with a handle 10 at the top surface and an intake port 11 at the front surface. The front casing 8 is removably secured to the front end of the rear casing 1 by detent and groove connection 12 and locking means 13. The cord takeup means 3 comprises a reel frame 15 for winding a length of power supply cord 14 therearound, a spiral spring 17 adapted to rotate the reel frame 15 about a fixed shaft 16 with an energy charged during withdrawal of the power supply cord 14, and a brake mechanism 18 for stopping the rotation of the reel frame 15. The numeral 19 shows a power transmission shaft rotatably supported in the rear casing 1. The shaft 19 is provided at its rear end with a small gear 20 which is in meshing engagement with a large gear 21 formed on the outer periphery of the reel frame 15, so that the rotation of the reel frame 15 is multiplied and transmitted to the shaft 19. The numeral 22 shows a clutch member secured to the front end of the power transmission shaft 19, and 23 a crankshaft which is rotatably supported on a support plate 26 and has an eccentric front end 24. The numeral 25 shows a filter-cleaning member having a central shaft 28 inserted into the slot 27 of the support plate 26. The member 25 is transversely movable along the slot 27 and has a plurality of substantially conically shaped projections 29 for beating a plurality of longitudinally extending pleats 31 substantially perpendicularly thereto at their crests so as to apply deflection and vibration to a main filter 30 to shake off the dust on the filter. The numeral 32 shows a crank arm having one end connected to the shaft 28 of the filter-cleaning member 25 and the other end pivotally connected to the front end 24 of the crankshaft 23. The arm 32 is transversely reciprocated in response to the rotation of the crankshaft 23 with an amplitude corresponding to the eccentricity of the front end 24 of the crankshaft 23, so that the filter-cleaning member 25 is correspondingly reciprocated. The numeral 33 shows a second clutch member mounted on the rear end of the crankshaft 23. The clutch member 33 is axially slidable relative to the crankshaft 23 but rotates therewith. A coil spring 34 biases the clutch member 33 toward the clutch member 22 so as to engage therewith. The clutch means constituted by the clutch members 22 and 33 is a one way clutch which transmit the rotation only when the power supply cord 14 is being drawn out but slips when the cord 14 is being taken out. Thus, when the power supply cord 14 is being taken out, the rotation of the reel frame 15 is transmitted through the gears 21 and 20, the power transmission shaft 19, the clutch members 22 and 33, the crankshaft 23 and the crank arm 32 to the filter-cleaning member 25 so as to transversely reciprocate it. On the other hand, when the power supply cord 14 is being taken up, the rotation of the reel frame 15 is transmitted through the gears 21 and 20, and the power transmission shaft 19 to the clutch member 22, however, since the clutch member 33 is rearwardly forced against the action of the coil spring 34 when the clutch member 22 is rotated, the members 22 and 33 slip with each other so that the rotation is not transmitted to the filter-cleaning member 25.

The purpose of this arrangement is, as briefly explained previously, to secure smooth rotation of the reel frame 25 when the power supply cord 14 is being taken up by reducing the frictional resistance between the filter-cleaning member 25 and the main filter 30 so that the electric cord 14 can be completely taken up. Thus, by this arrangement, the filter-cleaning operation can be performed without having any adverse effects on the function of the cord takeup means 3 since the filter-cleaning member 25 is actuated only when the power supply cord 14 is being drawn out.

The reference numeral 35 shows a guide shaft for the filter-cleaning member 25, and 36 shows a leaf spring secured at its intermediate portion to the rear surface of the filter-cleaning member 25 and having end portions 37 curved toward the support plate 26 and pressed onto the surface of the support plate 26. Thus, the leaf spring 36 biases the filter-cleaning member 25 toward the filter 30 with a biasing force which is smaller than the force acting on the member 25 from the filter 30 when the projections 29 of the member 25 pass on the pleats 31 of the filter 30.

Therefore, when the projections 29 of the filter-cleaning member 25 pass over the crests of the pleats 31 of the filter 30, the main filter 30 is deflected and, at the same time, the leaf spring 36 is deformed as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 4. After the projections 29 of the member 25 pass through the crests of the filter pleats 31, the member 25 is returned under the action of the leaf spring 36 from the position shown by dotted lines to that shown by solid lines in FIG. 4. Thus, as the projections 29 of the member 25 pass through the crest portions of the filter pleats 31, they apply transverse and forward beats to the filter 30. Accordingly, if the filter-cleaning member 25 is reciprocated with a high speed, the main filter 30 is subjected to an intense vibration.

The reference numeral 38 shows a stopper provided on the shaft 28 of the filter-cleaning member 25 for maintaining a minimum distance between the member 25 and the support plate 26. The numeral 39 shows a primary filter which is coarser than the main filter and removably mounted on the front opening of a dust hopper 40. The numeral 41 shows a packing ring for supporting the periphery of the rear end of the hopper 40 as well as the upper and lower ends of the main filter 30, so that the primary filter 39, the dust hopper 40 and the main filter 30 are connected together. The numeral 42 shows a dust collecting chamber provided within the hopper 40 for collecting the dust removed from the main filter 30 by the member 25 and dropped through the space between each pleat 31. The numeral 43 shows a partition wall interrupting the front opening of the dust collecting chamber 42 for preventing the air flow from entering said chamber. Thus, the partition wall 43 serves to prevent the dust in the chamber 42 from being flown up by the air flow toward the main filter 30. By this arrangement, the necessity for disposing the dust collected in the chamber 42 can be reduced, since it would only be necessary to dispose the dust only when the chamber 42 became full of the dust. Accordingly, the usage of the dust-collecting chamber 42 can be promoted.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show the second embodiment of the present invention, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals used in the first embodiment and the detailed explanations thereof are omitted. The specific features of this embodiment will now be described.

In this embodiment, a gear 20' is provided at the front end of the power transmission shaft 19 and meshes with teeth 45 formed on the outer periphery of a circular filter-cleaning member 25' which is rotatably supported on the support plate 26 by a shaft 44 formed thereon. Thus, the rotation of the cord takeup means 3 is transmitted through the gear 20, the power transmission shaft 19 and the gear 20' to the filter-cleaning member 25'. The numeral 29' shows a plurality of conical projections provided on the member 25' for beating the crests of the pleats 31 of the main filter 30 so as to give deflection and vibration to the filter. In this case, the filter-cleaning member 25' is rotated and beats, by its projections 29', the crests of the pleats 31 of the filter 30. Since the pleats are of substantially triangular cross section and extend longitudinally, the projections 29' of the member 25' abut the pleats 31 substantially perpendicularly thereto. Thus, by this arrangement, a similar operation to the first embodiment can be obtained. In this embodiment, it is preferred to make the outer diameter of the filter-cleaning member 25' as small as possible, because an excessively large diameter of the filter-cleaning member 25' will not provide a sufficient multiplication of the speed. Even if the diameter of the member 25' is small, a sufficient result will be obtained by increasing the number of the projections 29'.

In the first embodiment, when the blower 2 is started, the air is taken into the front casing 8 through the intake port 11 as shown by an arrow in FIG. 2, and passes through the primary filter 39, the main filter 30, the air passage holes 6 and the blower 2, and exhausted through the exhaust port 5. The arrows in FIG. 2 show the air flow path.

The dust contained in the intake air is captured by the primary filter 39 which captures large particles of the dust to collect them in the front casing 8 and thereafter by the main filter 30 which captures fine particles passed through the primary filter 39.

The dust collected by the dust-collecting means 9 is removed as follows.

When the power supply cord 14 is drawn out, the reel frame 15 is rotated, and the rotation is transmitted through the gears 21 and 20, the crankshaft 23 and the crank arm 32 to the filter-cleaning member 25. Thus, the member 25 is reciprocatingly moved with an amplitude corresponding to the eccentricity of the front end 24 of the crankshaft 23 and beats, by its projections 29, the crests of the pleats 31 of the main filter 30 to cause the vibration of the filter. The dust on the main filter 30 is thus removed therefrom and collected in the dust-collecting chamber 42 of the hopper 40.

The large particles collected in the front casing 8 and the fine particles in the chamber 42 are disposed as follows.

The locking means 13 of the body is unlocked and the front casing 8 is disconnected from the rear casing 1. Then, the front casing 8 is carried to a desired location with the main filter 30 and the primary filter 39 housed therein. Thereafter, the main filter 30 and the primary filter 39 are taken out of the casing 8 and the large particles are disposed from the rear opening of the casing. Then, the primary filter 39 is opened and the fine particles in the chamber 42 are disposed.

It should be noted that the fine dusts in the chamber 42 should not necessarily be disposed every time when the large particles are disposed.

According to this embodiment of the present invention, as the power supply cord 14 is drawn out to operate the vacuum cleaner, the rotation of the reel frame 15 is utilized to move the filter-cleaning member 25 so that the fine dusts on the main filter 30 is removed therefrom. Since the fine dusts removed from the main filter are collected in the chamber 42 and they are prevented, by the partition wall 43, from being flown up by the air flow, the vacuum cleaner can be used without disposal of the collected fine dusts until the chamber 42 becomes full of fine dusts.

Further, by providing the chamber 42 below the hopper 40 having the main filter 30 housed therein and by providing the partition wall 43 with the frame of the primary filter 39 closing the front opening of the hopper 40, the structure can be made very simple and, since the fine particles are not disposed simultaneously when the large particles are captured by the primary filter 39 the cleaner can be handled without dusting.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means, said cleaner comprising a filter housed within a cleaner body having an intake and an exhaust port, an electrically operated blower, and automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats formed on said filter to cause deflection and vibration thereof so that dusts are removed therefrom, cord takeup means for taking up a power supply cord of the cleaner, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member.

2. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means, said cleaner comprising a filter housed within a cleaner body having an intake and an exhaust port, an electrically operated blower, and automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats formed on said filter to cause deflection and vibration thereof so that dusts are removed therefrom, cord takeup means for taking up a power supply cord of the cleaner, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member, said power transmission means including a gear formed on the outer periphery of a reel frame of said cord takeup means and another gear of smaller diameter meshing with said first mentioned gear for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means with a multiplied speed.

3. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means, said cleaner comprising a filter housed within a cleaner body having an intake and an exhaust port, an electrically operated blower, and automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats formed on said filter to cause deflection and vibration thereof so that dusts are removed therefrom, cord takeup means for taking up a power supply cord of the cleaner, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member, said filter-cleaning member being disposed between said filter and said blower at the side opposite to the filter surface on which dusts are accumulated.

4. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means, said cleaner comprising a filter housed within a cleaner body having an intake and an exhaust port, an electrically operated blower, and automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats formed on said filter to cause deflection and vibration thereof so that dusts are removed therefrom, cord takeup means for taking up a power supply cord of the cleaner, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member, a chamber being provided below said filter for receiving dusts removed from said filter, said chamber having a partition wall for preventing intake air from flowing into said chamber.

5. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means, said cleaner comprising a filter housed within a cleaner body having an intake and an exhaust port, an electrically operated blower, and automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats formed on said filter to cause deflection and vibration thereof so that dusts are removed therefrom, cord takeup means for taking up a power supply cord of the cleaner, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member, said power transmission means including a large gear formed on the real frame of the cord takeup means, a small gear meshing with said large gear and a rotatable shaft having one end connected to said small gear and extending within said cleaner body along the side of said blower.

6. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 2, in which said filter-cleaning member has at least one projection for thrusting into the pleats on the filter and is so arranged that it moves substantially perpendicularly to said pleats, said power transmission means serves, in response to either one of cord takeup or cord drawout movements of said cord takeup means, to transmit the rotation with a multiplied speed to said filter cleaning member so as to reciprocate it.

7. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1 in which said power transmission means transmits the rotation of the cord takeup means only when the power supply cord is being drawn out.

8. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means said cleaner comprising a filter housed within a cleaner body having an intake and an exhaust port, an electrically operated blower, and automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats formed on said filter to cause deflection and vibration thereof so that dusts are removed therefrom cord takeup means for taking up a power supply cord of the cleaner, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member, said blower, said cord takeup means and said power transmission means being mounted within a rear casing of the cleaner body having said exhaust port, said filter-cleaning member being movably mounted at the front face of said rear casing provided with air passage means, the projection of said member being so arranged that it thrusts into the pleats of the filter formed on the face opposite to the one on which dusts are accumulated, said filter being removably mounted within a front casing of the cleaner body which is removably connected with the rear casing, said power transmission means comprising a large gear formed on the outer periphery of the reel frame of the cord takeup means, a small gear meshing with said large gear, a rotatable shaft having one end connected to the small gear and disposed along the side of said blower, and means for converting the rotation of said shaft into a reciprocating movement and transmitting to said filter-cleaning member.

9. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means, said cleaner comprising a filter housed within a cleaner body having an intake and an exhaust port, an electrically operated blower, and automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats formed on said filter to cause deflection and vibration thereof so that dusts are removed therefrom, cord takeup means for taking up a power supply cord of the cleaner, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member, said power transmission means including a large gear formed on the reel frame of the cord takeup means, a small gear meshing with said large gear and a rotatable shaft having one end connected to said small gear and extending along the side of said blower, said filter-cleaning member being so arranged with respect to its support member that a gap is formed therebetween and provided with a resilient member which can yield when the projection of said filter cleaning member passes over the crests of the filter pleats.

10. An electrically operated vacuum cleaner equipped with automatic filter-cleaning means, said cleaner comprising a filter housed within a cleaner body having an intake and an exhaust port, an electrically operated blower, and automatic filter-cleaning means, said means comprising a filter-cleaning member adapted to beat the crests of pleats formed on said filter to cause deflection and vibration thereof so that dusts are removed therefrom, cord takeup means for taking up a power supply cord of the cleaner, and power transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the cord takeup means to said filter-cleaning member, said power transmission means including a gear formed on the outer periphery of the reel frame of said cord takeup means and another gear of a smaller diameter whereby the rotation of the cord takeup means is transmitted with a multiplied speed to the filter-cleaning member to rotate it.