Handheld surface cleaning apparatus

• US 10,506,904 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2017
• Issued: 12/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest, Conrad, Nina, Petersen, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Minh Chau T
• Application Number:
  US15/642,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20190008346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 15353, 15329, 153272, 15344, 15352, 15328, 55DIG 3
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/127 tube- or sleeve-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1641 for parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2884 Details of arrangements of batteries or their installation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2265/06 Details of supporting structures for filtering material, e.g. cores
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/55 for cleaning appliances, e.g. suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/16 generated by the winding course of the gas stream , the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0004 Details of removable closures, lids, caps or filter heads
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2403 characterised by the physical shape or structure of the filtering element
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 2009/002 with external filters
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 9/00 Combinations with other devices, e.g. fans, expansion chambers, diffusors, water lockswith filters B01D50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A hand vacuum cleaner has an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet. An air treatment member is positioned in the air flow path. A removable pre-motor filter assembly is positioned downstream of the air treatment member and upstream of a suction motor, the pre-motor filter assembly comprising a pre-motor filter and a filter support member, the filter support member having an outlet conduit wherein a terminal end of the outlet conduit extends at a first angle to a direction of air flow through the outlet conduit.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;

(b) an air treatment member positioned in the air flow path; and

(c) a removable pre-motor filter assembly positioned downstream of the air treatment member and upstream of a suction motor, the pre-motor filter assembly comprising a pre-motor filter and a filter support member, the filter support member having an outlet conduit which comprises a terminal end that terminates at an outlet port, wherein the terminal end comprises a linear extension of the outlet conduit, and wherein the outlet port of the terminal end extends at a first angle to a direction of air flow through the outlet conduit.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pre-motor filter comprises a generally cylindrical filter having a hollow interior positioned about a body portion of the filter support member having an internal filter conduit, wherein the outlet conduit is in air flow communication with the hollow interior via the internal filter conduit.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein the outlet conduit is aligned with the hollow interior.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 3 wherein the body portion of the filter support member includes a porous portion located in the hollow interior and positioned between a downstream surface of the pre-motor filter and the internal filter conduit.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein the hollow interior comprises a longitudinally extending passage having an outlet end from which the outlet conduit extends away and an opposed end wherein the opposed end is sealed.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 5 wherein the opposed end is sealed by a sealing member that extends into the hollow interior, the sealing member having a solid wall extending inwardly and located between a downstream surface of the pre-motor filter and the passage.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the filter support member has a body portion having an internal filter conduit that extends into a hollow interior of the pre-motor filter, the body portion having a solid wall extending inwardly and located between a downstream surface of the pre-motor filter and the internal filter conduit.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein the body portion of the filter support member includes a porous portion located in the hollow interior and positioned between a downstream surface of the pre-motor filter and the internal filter conduit and is upstream of the outlet conduit.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein the internal filter conduit comprises a longitudinally extending passage having an outlet end from which the outlet conduit extends away and a second end wherein the second end is sealed.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein the second end is sealed by a sealing member that extends into the hollow interior, the sealing member having a solid wall extending inwardly and located between a downstream surface of the pre-motor filter and the internal filter conduit.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein the sealing member and the body portion define a continuous member extending through the hollow interior.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a treated air conduit extending from the outlet conduit towards the suction motor wherein an inlet end of the treated air conduit also extends at about the first angle to a direction of air flow through the outlet conduit.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a treated air conduit extending from the outlet conduit towards the suction motor wherein an inlet end of the treated air conduit also extends at a second angle to a direction of air flow through the outlet conduit and the terminal end of the outlet conduit abuts the inlet end of the treated air conduit when the filter assembly is positioned in the air flow path.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first and second angles are about the same.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a gasket provided at an interface of the terminal end of the outlet conduit and the inlet end of the treated air conduit.

16. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the filter assembly is removable in a filter assembly removal direction that is at an angle to the direction of air flow through the outlet conduit.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 wherein the filter assembly is removable through an openable door and a side of the terminal end that is closest to the openable door extends further in the direction of air flow though the outlet conduit than an opposed side of the terminal end that is further from the openable door.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a treated air conduit extending from the outlet towards the suction motor wherein a side of the inlet end of the treated air conduit that is furthest from the openable door extends further in the direction of air flow though the outlet conduit than an opposed side of the inlet end that is closest to the openable door.