VACUUM CLEANER WITH A DIVIDER

• US 20070209340A1
• Filed: 03/08/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: GBD Corporation (G.B.D.)
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 7,803,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 55/345
• 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 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 9/165 Construction of inlets
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1658 Construction of outlets
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/30 Arrangement of illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/12 by centrifugal forces centrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

An indoor vacuum cleaner comprises a dirty air inlet, a handle, a cyclone separator having an outer wall, a fluid inlet downstream from the dirty air inlet and a fluid outlet, a plate having a cyclone chamber surface and positioned to substantially divide the cyclone separator into a cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber, each of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber having an outer wall, the outer wall of each of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber having an outer perimeter, the dirt collection chamber having a cyclone chamber end spaced from a dirt collection floor, a passage extending between the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber, the passage configured such that separated dirt travels at least outwardly as the dirt travels through the passage and, an air flow motor.

Claims

1. An indoor vacuum cleaner comprising:

(a) a dirty air inlet;

(b) a handle;

(c) a cyclone separator having an outer wall, a fluid inlet downstream from the dirty air inlet and a fluid outlet;

(d) a plate having a cyclone chamber surface and positioned to substantially divide the cyclone separator into a cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber, each of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber having an outer wall, the outer wall of each of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber having an outer perimeter, the dirt collection chamber having a cyclone chamber end spaced from a dirt collection floor;

(e) a passage extending between the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber, the passage configured such that separated dirt travels at least outwardly as the dirt travels through the passage; and

,

(f) an air flow motor.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the passage is formed between the cyclone chamber surface of the plate and an outwardly extending portion of the outer wall of the cyclone separator.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection chamber and the cyclone chamber each have an outer perimeter, the plate is positioned below the outwardly extending portion and the outer perimeter of the dirt collection chamber is larger then the outer perimeter of the cyclone chamber.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein the plate comprises a disc positioned adjacent the cyclone chamber end of the dirt collection chamber and the dirt collection chamber extends under at least a portion of the disc.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein the plate comprises a floor of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber does not extend under all of the floor.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein the plate comprises a floor of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber does not extend under the floor.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 further comprising a flow director having a flow directing surface that extends inwardly and downwardly into the cyclone chamber from the outer wall of the cyclone chamber to a position above the plate and the passage is formed between the flow director and the cyclone chamber surface of the plate.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 further comprising an annular dirt collection region collinear with the cyclone chamber and separated therefrom by an inner annular wall that has a terminal end spaced from the plate and the passage is formed between the terminal end and the cyclone chamber surface of the plate.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein fluid outlet comprises a tube having an inlet and the tube extends along the axis of the cyclone chamber to a position below the fluid inlet and has an end that is spaced from the plate.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 further comprising a screen in covering relation to the inlet of the air flow tube and the screen is spaced from the plate.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the cyclone separator has a diameter adjacent the fluid inlet and the passage has a height that is less than ⅓

the diameter.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 wherein the passage has a height that is less than ⅙

the diameter.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 wherein the passage has a height that is less than 1/10 the diameter.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11 wherein the passage has a height that is less than 1/20 the diameter.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection chamber has a bottom that is openable.

16. A cyclone separator comprising:

(a) an outer wall, a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the fluid outlet comprises a tube having an inlet and the tube extends along the axis of the cyclone separator to a position below the fluid inlet;

(b) a plate having a cyclone chamber surface and positioned to substantially divide the cyclone separator into a cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber, each of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber having an outer wall, the outer wall of each of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber having an outer perimeter, the dirt collection chamber having a cyclone chamber end spaced from a dirt collection floor, the fluid outlet has an end that is spaced from the plate; and

,

(c) a passage extending between the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber, the passage configured such that separated dirt travels at least outwardly as the dirt travels through the passage.

17. The cyclone separator of claim 16 wherein the passage is formed between the cyclone chamber surface of the plate and an outwardly extending portion of the outer wall of the cyclone separator.

18. The cyclone separator of claim 16 wherein the dirt collection chamber and the cyclone chamber each have an outer perimeter, the plate is positioned below the outwardly extending portion and the outer perimeter of the dirt collection chamber is larger then the outer perimeter of the cyclone chamber.

19. The cyclone separator of claim 16 wherein the plate comprises a disc positioned adjacent the cyclone chamber end of the dirt collection chamber and the dirt collection chamber extends under at least a portion of the disc.

20. The cyclone separator of claim 16 wherein the plate comprises a floor of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber does not extend under all of the floor.

21. The cyclone separator of claim 16 further comprising a flow director having a flow directing surface that extends inwardly and downwardly into the cyclone chamber from the outer wall of the cyclone chamber to a position above the plate and the passage is formed between the flow director and the cyclone chamber surface of the plate.

22. The cyclone separator of claim 16 further comprising an annular dirt collection region collinear with the cyclone chamber and separated therefrom by an inner annular wall that has a terminal end spaced from the plate and the passage is formed between the terminal end and the cyclone chamber surface of the plate.

23. The cyclone separator of claim 16 further comprising a screen in covering relation to the inlet of the tube and the screen is spaced from the plate.

24. The cyclone separator of claim 16 wherein the cyclone separator has a diameter adjacent the fluid inlet and the passage has a height that is less than ⅓

the diameter.

25. The cyclone separator of claim 24 wherein the passage has a height that is less than ⅙

the diameter.

26. The cyclone separator of claim 24 wherein the passage has a height that is less than 1/10 the diameter.

27. The cyclone separator of claim 24 wherein the passage has a height that is less than 1/20 the diameter.

28. The cyclone separator of claim 16 wherein the dirt collection chamber has a floor that is openable.

29. The cyclone separator of claim 16 wherein the cyclone separator is used in a surface cleaning apparatus having a dirty air inlet upstream from the fluid inlet of the cyclone separator, a handle and an air flow motor.

30. A cyclone separator comprising:

(a) an outer wall, a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the cyclone separator has a diameter adjacent the fluid inlet;

(b) a plate having a cyclone chamber surface and positioned to substantially divide the cyclone separator into a cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber, each of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber having an outer wall, the outer wall of each of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber having an outer perimeter, the dirt collection chamber having a cyclone chamber end spaced from a dirt collection floor; and

,

(c) a passage extending between the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber, the passage configured such that separated dirt travels at least outwardly as the dirt travels through the passage, the passage has a height that is less than ⅓

the diameter.

31. The cyclone separator of claim 30 wherein the passage has a height that is less than ⅙

the diameter.

32. The cyclone separator of claim 30 the passage has a height that is less than 1/10 the diameter.

33. The cyclone separator of claim 30 wherein the passage has a height that is less than 1/20 the diameter.

34. The cyclone separator of claim 30 wherein the passage is formed between the cyclone chamber surface of the plate and an outwardly extending portion of the outer wall of the cyclone separator.

35. The cyclone separator of claim 30 wherein fluid outlet comprises a tube having an inlet and the tube extends along the axis of the cyclone chamber to a position below the fluid inlet and has an end that is spaced from the plate.

36. The cyclone separator of claim 35 further comprising a screen in covering relation to the inlet of the air flow tube and the screen is spaced from the plate.

37. The cyclone separator of claim 30 wherein the dirt collection chamber and the cyclone chamber each have an outer perimeter, the plate is positioned below the outwardly extending portion and the outer perimeter of the dirt collection chamber is larger then the outer perimeter of the cyclone chamber.

38. The cyclone separator of claim 37 wherein the plate comprises a disc positioned adjacent the cyclone chamber end of the dirt collection chamber and the dirt collection chamber extends under at least a portion of the disc.

39. The cyclone separator of claim 37 wherein the plate comprises a floor of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber does not extend under all of the floor.

40. The cyclone separator of claim 30 further comprising a flow director having a flow directing surface that extends inwardly and downwardly into the cyclone chamber from the outer wall of the cyclone chamber to a position above the plate and the passage is formed between the flow director and the cyclone chamber surface of the plate.

41. The cyclone separator of claim 30 further comprising an annular dirt collection region collinear with the cyclone chamber and separated therefrom by an inner annular wall that has a terminal end spaced from the plate and the passage is formed between the terminal end and the cyclone chamber surface of the plate.

42. The cyclone separator of claim 30 wherein the dirt collection chamber has a floor that is openable.

43. The cyclone separator of claim 30 wherein the cyclone separator is used in a surface cleaning apparatus having a dirty air inlet upstream from the fluid inlet of the cyclone separator, a handle and an air flow motor.