CASING MEANS OF RECYCLABLE MATERIAL FOR A CLEANING MACHINE
The invention relates to casing means for a cleaning machine .
Casings are known for cleaning machines comprising a containing body made of metal or of plastics. The containing body is shaped for receiving detritus, dust and liquids that the cleaning machine, for example a vacuum cleaner, removes from a surface to be cleaned and conveys inside the casing through a suction conduit. The suction conduit is connected, at an end thereof, to an inlet opening obtained in the containing body.
A drawback of known casings is that they are difficult to dispose of at the end of the life cycle.
An object of the invention is to improve the casings for cleaning machines .
Another object of the invention is to improve the disposal of the casings for cleaning machines.
According to the invention, there is provided casing means for a cleaning machine, comprising a containing body arranged for receiving waste materials removed by said cleaning machine, characterised in that said containing body is obtained from recycled and/or recyclable material of vegetable origin.
Owing to the invention it is possible to obtain casing means provided with an easily recyclable containing body the disposal of which does not substantially harm the environment .
Although some materials with which the known casings are made, such as metals or some types of plastics, can be recycled at the end of the life cycle, the costs incurred for recovering these materials are so high as to make recycling uneconomic. Known casings belong to the class of special waste and the corresponding recovery procedures are therefore rather complex and costly. Owing to the invention, it is possible to reduce significantly the costs associated with the recovery of materials at the end of the life cycle thereof. It is further possible to obtain casing means the recycling of which involves a significantly reduced environmental impact compared with known casings that are obtained from materials that are hardly environmentally compatible.
The containing body of the casing means according to the invention is made of a recycled and/or easily recyclable material and is therefore economically advantageous, since the disposal procedures are significantly simplified. The material of vegetable origin may comprise, for example, a material deriving from or consisting of cellulose, wood pulp, paper, cardboard, to which adhesives and/or ecologically natural glues may be added that give the containing body desired mechanical properties. The invention can be better understood and implemented with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate an embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of casing means for a c1eaning machine ; Figure 2 is a front view of the casing means in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a section taken along a longitudinal plane of the casing means in Figure 1.
Figures 1 to 3 show a casing 1 of a cleaning machine (not shown entirely) , such as a vacuum cleaner, an electric broom, etc.
The casing 1 comprises a containing body 2 which, in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, has a substantially cylindrical shape. Alternatively, the containing body may have any shape, for example a prismatic shape. The containing body 2 is shaped for internally receiving waste materials, such as detritus, dust, liquids, dirt in general that are sucked or swept by means of the cleaning machine . The containing body 2 comprises a side wall 3 and a bottom wall 4. The bottom wall 4 and the side wall 3 together define a containing cavity 5 inside which the waste materials are poured that are removed from the cleaning machine .
In an embodiment, the bottom wall 4 and the side wall 3 are obtained in a single piece. In a further embodiment, the bottom wall 4 and the side wall 3 are distinct from one another and are fixed together, for example glued, to obtain the containing body 2.
In an end of the containing body 2 opposite the bottom wall 4 there is provided an opening 6. The opening 6 is bounded by an edge zone 10 shaped for receiving a lid 20 suitable for closing the opening 6. On the containing body 2 there is provided locking means 7 that is used to lock the lid 20 on the containing body 2. In an embodiment of the cleaning machine there is provided a motor housed in a space provided in the lid 20.
In another embodiment of the cleaning machine the motor can be housed inside the containing cavity 5.
The motor generates a vacuum that enables the waste materials to be sucked that are removed from a surface to be cleaned. The waste materials are conveyed inside the containing body 2 through a suction conduit (not shown) . An end of the suction conduit is removably connected to the containing body 2 through a connecting element 8. The connecting element 8 is provided with a passage 11 through which the air bearing the waste penetrates inside the containing body 2.
The connecting element 8 is fixed to the containing body 2 in such a way that the passage 11 faces inlet opening means obtained in the containing body 2, in particular in the side wall 3.
The casing 1 is further provided with wheels 9 positioned near the bottom wall 4 that enable the casing 1, and therefore the cleaning machine to be moved easily. In an embodiment that is not shown, the locking means 7 is not obtained on the containing body 2, but is provided on the lid 20. In this case, the locking means 7 is such as to engage a portion of the containing body 2 so as to lock the lid 20 on the latter. Similarly, in a further embodiment that is not shown, the connecting element 8 and the inlet opening means can be provided on the lid 20 rather than on the containing body 2. Owing to these possible configurations, before disposal it is not necessary to remove accessories from the containing body 2 which may be the locking means 7 and/or the connecting element 8, so that the containing body 2 can act as a disposable object that is easily eliminable by a user.
The containing body 2 is made of a material of vegetable origin.
The material of vegetable origin may comprise, for example, a material deriving from or consisting of cellulose, wood pulp, paper, cardboard, to which adhesives and/or natural ecological glues may be added that are able to provide great mechanical resistance to the containing body. The surface of the containing body 2, for example the internal surface, can be impermeable in such a way as to retain possible liquids that are sucked by the cleaning machine .