Upright vacuum cleaner

• US 10,076,217 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Muller, Bryan R
• Application Number:
  US15/046,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20160227972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 15328, 15329, 15331, 15335, 15334, 15353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/225 Convertible suction cleaners, i.e. convertible between different types thereof, e.g. from upright suction cleaners to sledge-type suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/32 with means for connecting a hose hose couplings for suction cleaners A47L9/24
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/365 of the vertical type, e.g. tank or bucket type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/165 Construction of inlets

Abstract

Several embodiments of an upright surface cleaning apparatus are disclosed. The surface cleaning apparatus has a first cyclonic cleaning stage and comprises a surface cleaning head having a dirty fluid inlet. A fluid flow path extends from the dirty fluid inlet to a clean air outlet of the upright surface cleaning apparatus. A support member is mounted to the surface cleaning head. A portable cleaning unit is removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus.

Claims

1. An upright surface cleaning apparatus operable in an upright configuration, an above floor cleaning configuration and a portable configuration, the upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning head having a first dirty fluid inlet;

(b) a support member moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head;

(c) a cleaning and suction unit removably mounted to the support member and useable when removed from the support member, the cleaning and suction unit comprising a suction motor, a cleaning stage, a flexible hose having an air inlet end and an air outlet end and a hub having an upper section having an opening and a lower section having an opening for removably receiving an end of the support member;

(d) a rigid conduit having an upright section handle, wherein in the floor cleaning configuration, the upright section handle is at an upper end of the rigid conduit and is drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head; and

,

(e) a first fluid flow path extending from the first dirty fluid inlet to the hub and a second fluid flow path extending from the hub to a clean air outlet,

wherein, in the upright configuration, an upright assembly is provided that comprises the surface cleaning head, the support member, the rigid conduit and the cleaning and suction unit, and an inlet end of the second fluid flow path is engaged with the opening of the upper section and the support member is received in the opening of the lower section with the opening of the upper section and the opening of the lower section being substantially aligned with one another,

and, in the above floor cleaning configuration, the second air flow path comprises the rigid conduit positioned upstream from the flexible hose,

and, in the portable configuration, a portable assembly is provided that comprises the cleaning and suction unit.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hub is provided on a rear side of the cleaning and suction unit.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein, in the upright configuration, the rigid conduit is received in the opening of the upper section of the hub.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the support member comprises a rigid up flow duct.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cleaning and suction unit is vertically removeable from the support member.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the support member comprises a rigid up flow duct and the cleaning and suction unit is vertically removeable from the up flow duct.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cleaning stage has an air inlet in a side wall thereof.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein, in the floor cleaning configuration, the cleaning and suction unit is spaced from an upper surface of the surface cleaning head.

9. An upright surface cleaning apparatus operable in an upright configuration, an above floor cleaning configuration and a portable configuration, the upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning head having a first dirty fluid inlet and a support member moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a reclined in use position;

(b) a cleaning and suction unit removably mounted to the surface cleaning head and useable when removed from the surface cleaning head, the cleaning and suction unit comprising a hub, a suction motor and a cleaning stage, the cleaning stage being removable from the cleaning and suction unit for emptying when the cleaning and suction unit is mounted to the support member, wherein the support member terminates below an upper end of the cleaning and suction unit when the support member is in the upright storage position and the cleaning and suction unit is mounted to the support member;

(c) a rigid conduit having an upright section handle, wherein in the floor cleaning configuration, the upright section handle is at an upper end of the rigid conduit and is drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head; and

,

(d) a first fluid flow path extending from the first dirty fluid inlet to the hub and a second fluid flow path extending from the hub to a clean air outlet,

wherein the hub provides an interface for the rigid conduit and the support member, the support member is removably receivable in a lower end of the hub and a lowermost end of the rigid conduit is removably receivable in the hub and, when the rigid wand and the support member are received in the hub, the support member is longitudinally aligned with the rigid conduit, and

wherein, in the upright configuration, the cleaning and suction unit is mounted to the surface cleaning head with the cleaning and suction unit spaced from an upper surface of the surface cleaning head, the upright section handle is drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head, an inlet end of the rigid conduit is received in the hub and the support member is received in the hub and the rigid conduit is spaced from the support member,

and, in the above floor cleaning configuration, the second air flow path comprises the rigid conduit positioned upstream from the flexible hose,

and, in the portable configuration, a portable assembly is provided that comprises the cleaning and suction unit.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein the hub is provided on a rear side of the cleaning and suction unit.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein, in the upright configuration, the rigid conduit is received in an upper opening of the hub.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein the support member comprises a rigid up flow duct.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cleaning and suction unit is vertically removeable from the support member.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein the support member comprises a rigid up flow duct and the cleaning and suction unit is vertically removeable from the up flow duct.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cleaning stage has an air inlet in a side wall thereof.

16. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning head having a first dirty fluid inlet and an up flow duct extending along a duct axis and fluidly connected downstream from the first dirty air inlet;

(b) a cleaning and suction unit comprising a cleaning stage, a suction motor fluidly connected downstream from the cleaning stage, a clean air outlet fluidly connected downstream from the suction motor and a hub having a lower opening and an upper opening, the cleaning and suction unit being removably mounted to the surface cleaning head and usable when removed from the surface cleaning head, the up flow duct is received in the lower opening of the hub when the cleaning and suction unit is mounted to the surface cleaning head; and

,

(c) a rigid above floor cleaning wand extending along a wand axis and having an upstream end that is removably mounted to the cleaning and suction unit and a downstream end that is axially spaced apart from the upstream end and includes a handle;

wherein the surface cleaning apparatus is operable in;

(i) a floor cleaning mode in which the cleaning and suction unit is supported by the up flow duct being received in the lower opening of the hub, the cleaning stage is in fluid communication with the first dirty fluid inlet and the above floor cleaning wand is mounted to the cleaning and suction unit so that the wand axis is coaxial with the up flow duct axis and the handle is drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head;

(ii) an above floor cleaning mode in which the cleaning and suction unit is mounted on the surface cleaning head, the up flow duct is received in the lower opening, the upstream end of the wand is removed from the cleaning and suction unit and functions as a second dirty fluid inlet that is in fluid communication with the cleaning stage via a flexible hose; and

,

(iii) a portable mode in which the cleaning and suction unit is removed from the surface cleaning head.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 wherein, the upstream end of the rigid conduit is removably receivable in the upper opening of the hub.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 17 wherein, in the floor cleaning configuration, the cleaning and suction unit is spaced from an upper surface of the surface cleaning head.

19. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 wherein the hub is provided on a rear side of the cleaning and suction unit.

20. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 wherein the cleaning and suction unit is vertically removeable from the support member.