Vacuum cleaner base assembly and air passage system
First Claim
1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
- a handle having a first handle side and a second handle side opposite the first handle side;
a dirt separator mounted to the handle and having a separator inlet for receiving dirt-laden air and a separator outlet for discharging cleaned air;
a suction motor mounted in the handle and having a suction motor inlet, the suction motor being configured to generate a suction airflow into the suction motor inlet;
a nozzle having a bottom face, a first side region that extends along the first handle side, and a second side region that extends along the second handle side to thereby locate at least a portion of the handle between the first side region and the second side region;
a suction inlet passing through the bottom face of the nozzle, the suction inlet comprising an opening that is elongated along a suction inlet axis extending from the first side region to the second side region;
a pivot joining the nozzle to the handle at a pivot axis that extends from the first side region of the nozzle to the second side region of the nozzle and in parallel with the suction inlet axis, the pivot comprising a first pivot connection joining the first side region to the first handle side, and a second pivot connection joining the second side region to the second handle side;
wherein the nozzle comprises an upper shell and a lower shell that are joined together, the upper shell comprising an upper arm having a lower surface, the lower shell comprising a lower arm having an upper surface, wherein the lower surface of the upper arm faces the upper surface of the lower arm and the lower surface and the upper surface are connected at respective edges thereof to form an enclosed rigid base air passage extending from the suction inlet to the first pivot connection;
a first handle air passage located in the handle and extending from the first pivot connection to the separator inlet, the first handle air passage being fluidly connected to the base air passage through the first pivot connection;
a second handle air passage located in the handle and extending from the separator outlet to the suction motor inlet;
a carriage mounted to the nozzle and the handle to rotate relative to the nozzle and the handle, the carriage being configured to support the nozzle and the handle on a horizontal plane the carriage comprising a first side region adjacent to the first side region of the nozzle and a second side region adjacent to the second side region of the nozzle; and
a storage lock assembly comprising a resiliently-deformable crossbeam and a protrusion,wherein the crossbeam comprising at least a portion that is substantially linear in shape and longitudinally extending between the first side region of the carriage and a second side region of the carriage, the portion of the crossbeam being deformable from the substantially linear shape, and the protrusion comprises an extension of the handle and rotates with the handle, the protrusion presses against and temporarily deforms the crossbeam when the handle is moved from an upright position to a reclined position or from the reclined position to the upright position.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vacuum cleaner having a handle, a dirt separator and suction motor on the handle, and a nozzle. An elongated suction inlet passes through the bottom face of the nozzle, and a pivot joins the nozzle to the handle at a pivot axis that extends parallel to the elongated suction inlet. The pivot includes first and second pivot connections joining the base to either side of the handle. A base air passage extends from the suction inlet to the first pivot connection, and is fluidly connected, through the first pivot connection, to a first handle air passage located in the handle and extending from the first pivot connection to an inlet of the separator. A second handle air passage located in the handle extends from the separator outlet to the suction motor inlet.
106 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
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a handle having a first handle side and a second handle side opposite the first handle side; a dirt separator mounted to the handle and having a separator inlet for receiving dirt-laden air and a separator outlet for discharging cleaned air; a suction motor mounted in the handle and having a suction motor inlet, the suction motor being configured to generate a suction airflow into the suction motor inlet; a nozzle having a bottom face, a first side region that extends along the first handle side, and a second side region that extends along the second handle side to thereby locate at least a portion of the handle between the first side region and the second side region; a suction inlet passing through the bottom face of the nozzle, the suction inlet comprising an opening that is elongated along a suction inlet axis extending from the first side region to the second side region; a pivot joining the nozzle to the handle at a pivot axis that extends from the first side region of the nozzle to the second side region of the nozzle and in parallel with the suction inlet axis, the pivot comprising a first pivot connection joining the first side region to the first handle side, and a second pivot connection joining the second side region to the second handle side; wherein the nozzle comprises an upper shell and a lower shell that are joined together, the upper shell comprising an upper arm having a lower surface, the lower shell comprising a lower arm having an upper surface, wherein the lower surface of the upper arm faces the upper surface of the lower arm and the lower surface and the upper surface are connected at respective edges thereof to form an enclosed rigid base air passage extending from the suction inlet to the first pivot connection; a first handle air passage located in the handle and extending from the first pivot connection to the separator inlet, the first handle air passage being fluidly connected to the base air passage through the first pivot connection; a second handle air passage located in the handle and extending from the separator outlet to the suction motor inlet; a carriage mounted to the nozzle and the handle to rotate relative to the nozzle and the handle, the carriage being configured to support the nozzle and the handle on a horizontal plane the carriage comprising a first side region adjacent to the first side region of the nozzle and a second side region adjacent to the second side region of the nozzle; and a storage lock assembly comprising a resiliently-deformable crossbeam and a protrusion, wherein the crossbeam comprising at least a portion that is substantially linear in shape and longitudinally extending between the first side region of the carriage and a second side region of the carriage, the portion of the crossbeam being deformable from the substantially linear shape, and the protrusion comprises an extension of the handle and rotates with the handle, the protrusion presses against and temporarily deforms the crossbeam when the handle is moved from an upright position to a reclined position or from the reclined position to the upright position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
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a handle having an upper end, a lower end, a first handle side, and a second handle side opposite the first handle side; a dirt separator mounted to the handle, the dirt separator having a separator inlet for receiving dirt-laden air and a separator outlet for discharging cleaned air; a handle air passage formed in the handle, the handle air passage having a handle air passage inlet located at the first handle side at the lower end of the handle, and a handle air passage outlet connected to the separator inlet; a suction motor mounted in the handle, the suction motor having a suction motor inlet connected to the separator outlet; a nozzle shell having; a bottom face with an elongate suction inlet passing through the bottom face of the nozzle shell; a first side arm that extends backwards from the suction inlet and forms a first pivot connection to pivotally connect the nozzle shell to the first handle side at the lower end of the handle; a second side arm that extends backwards from the suction inlet and pivotally connects the nozzle shell to the second handle side at the lower end of the handle; and the nozzle shell including an upper shell and a lower shell that are joined together to form a rigid nozzle air passage, the rigid nozzle air passage formed in the first side arm by the joining of the upper shell and the lower shell, the rigid nozzle air passage extending backwards from the suction inlet to the first pivot connection of first handle side at the lower end of the handle and having a nozzle air passage inlet connected to the elongate suction inlet, and a nozzle air passage outlet connected to the handle air passage inlet, whereby the suction motor draws dirt-laden air into the suction inlet, through the nozzle air passage and the handle air passage and into the dirt separator; and a first nozzle mounting boss provided as part of the nozzle shell, the first nozzle mounting boss having a nozzle flange formed outside the first nozzle mounting boss, the nozzle flange defining a nozzle flange gap; and a carriage mounted to the nozzle shell and the handle to rotate relative to the nozzle shell and the handle, the carriage being configured to support the nozzle shell and the handle on a horizontal plane, the carriage having a first side region adjacent to the first side region of the nozzle and a second side region adjacent to the second side region of the nozzle and a first mounting ring with a ring flange formed within the first mounting ring, the ring flange defining a ring flange gap; wherein the nozzle flange, the nozzle flange gap, the ring flange, and the ring flange gap are configured such that upon rotating the nozzle to a predetermined position relative to the carriage the nozzle flange is oriented to pass through the ring flange gap and the ring flange is oriented to pass through the nozzle flange gap, such that the first nozzle mounting boss is permitted to be removed from the first mounting ring by passing the nozzle flange through the ring flange gap and the ring flange through the nozzle flange gap; and a storage lock assembly comprising a resiliently-deformable crossbeam and a protrusion, wherein the crossbeam comprising at least a portion that is substantially linear in shape and longitudinally extending between the first side region of the carriage and a second side region of the carriage, the portion of the crossbeam being deformable from the substantially linear shape, and the protrusion comprises an extension of the handle and rotates with the handle, the protrusion presses against and temporarily deforms the crossbeam when the handle is moved from an upright position to a reclined position or from the reclined position to the upright position. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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33. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
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a handle having a first handle side and a second handle side opposite the first handle side; a dirt separator mounted to the handle and having a separator inlet for receiving dirt-laden air and a separator outlet for discharging cleaned air, a suction motor mounted in the handle and having a suction motor inlet, the suction motor being configured to generate a suction airflow into the suction motor inlet, a nozzle having a bottom face, a first side region that extends along the first handle side, and a second side region that extends along the second handle side to thereby locate at least a portion of the handle between the first side region and the second side region; a suction inlet passing through the bottom face of the nozzle, the suction inlet comprising an opening that is elongated along a suction inlet axis extending from the first side region to the second side region; a pivot joining the nozzle to the handle at a pivot axis that extends from the first side region of the nozzle to the second side region of the nozzle and in parallel with the suction inlet axis, the pivot comprising a first pivot connection joining the first side region to the first handle side, and a second pivot connection joining the second side region to the second handle side; wherein the nozzle comprises an upper shell and a lower shell that are joined together, the upper shell comprising an upper arm having a lower surface, the lower shell comprising a lower arm having an upper surface, wherein the lower surface of the upper arm faces the upper surface of the lower arm and the lower surface and the upper surface are connected at respective edges thereof to form an enclosed rigid base air passage extending from the suction inlet to the first pivot connection, a first arm in the first side region, and a second arm in the second side region, the enclosed rigid nozzle air passage being formed in the first side arm by joining together the upper shell and the lower shell; a first handle air passage located in the handle and extending from the first pivot connection to the separator inlet, the first handle air passage being fluidly connected to the base air passage through the first pivot connection, the first side region of the nozzle including a first nozzle mounting boss, the first nozzle mounting boss having a nozzle flange formed outside the first nozzle mounting boss, the nozzle flange defining a nozzle flange gap; and a second handle air passage located in the handle and extending from the separator outlet to the suction motor inlet; a carriage mounted to the nozzle and the handle to rotate relative to the nozzle and the handle, the carriage being configured to support the nozzle and the handle on a horizontal plane, the carriage having a first side region adjacent to the first side region of the nozzle and a second side region adjacent to the second side region of the nozzle and a first mounting ring with a ring flange formed within the first mounting ring, the ring flange defining a ring flange gap; wherein the nozzle flange, the nozzle flange gap, the ring flange, and the ring flange gap are configured such that upon rotating the nozzle to a predetermined position relative to the carriage the nozzle flange is oriented to pass through the ring flange gap and the ring flange is oriented to pass through the nozzle flange gap, such that the first nozzle mounting boss is permitted to be removed from the first mounting ring by passing the nozzle flange through the ring flange gap and the ring flange through the nozzle flange gap; and a storage lock assembly comprising a resiliently-deformable crossbeam and a protrusion, wherein the crossbeam comprising at least a portion that is substantially linear in shape and longitudinally extending between the first side region of the carriage and a second side region of the carriage, the portion of the crossbeam being deformable from the substantially linear shape, and the protrusion comprises an extension of the handle and rotates with the handle, the protrusion presses against and temporarily deforms the crossbeam when the handle is moved from an upright position to a reclined position or from the reclined position to the upright position.
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Specification