VACUUM CLEANER ARRANGEMENT

• US 20110219566A1
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: Cox, Michael John, Dyson, James, Gammack, Peter David, Stickney, Timothy Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 9,155,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/323
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0063 External storing devices; Stands, casings or the like for the storage of suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

An arrangement including: a handheld suction unit in combination with an elongate suction wand to form a stick-vac cleaner, the arrangement further including a wall-mountable docking station for supporting the stick-vac cleaner on a wall in an upright, docked position when not in use. The arrangement provides for relatively stable storage of the stick-vac cleaner in the upright position, convenient for use.

Claims

1. An arrangement comprising a stick-vac cleaner, the stick-vac cleaner comprising a handheld suction unit which is connected to a floor tool by an elongate suction wand, the arrangement further comprising a wall-mountable docking station arranged for releasably locking the stick-vac cleaner on a wall in an upright, docked position when not in use.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the handheld suction unit is battery-powered and incorporates a set of exterior charging contacts connected to an onboard rechargeable battery, and the docking station comprises a respective set of charging contacts for connection to a mains supply, the charging contacts on the docking station being arranged for engagement with said exterior charging contacts on the handheld suction unit to form a battery-charging circuit when the stick-vac cleaner is in the upright, docked position.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the docking station is arranged for engaging the handheld suction unit in order directly to support the hand held suction unit in an upright, docked position.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the docking station comprises a catch for engaging the handheld suction unit to lock the stick-vac cleaner in the upright, docked position, the catch being arranged to hold the charging contacts on the handheld suction unit in engagement with the charging contacts on the docking station.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the catch is spring-loaded for urging the charging contacts on the handheld vacuum cleaner into engagement with the charging contacts on the docking station.

6. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the external charging contacts on the handheld suction unit are positioned so that they face upwards when the stick-vac cleaner is in the upright, docked position, and the charging contacts on the docking station are spring-biased for urging the charging contacts downwardly into engagement with said upward-facing charging contacts on the handheld suction unit.

7. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the docking station comprises an opposing pair of clamping members, at least one of the clamping members being resiliently biased towards the other clamping member for resiliently clamping the stick-vac against the other clamping member to lock the stick-vac in the upright, docked position.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein said pair of clamping members consists of a lower clamping member arranged for clamping upwardly against a respective lower part of the handheld suction unit and an opposing, upper clamping member arranged for clamping downwardly against a respective upper part of the handheld suction unit.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the lower clamping member is fixed in use, relative to the wall, and the upper clamping member is resiliently biased downwards towards the lower clamping member.

10. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the clamping members are arranged for relative sliding movement along a clamp axis to engage the stick-vac, and at least one clamping member is additionally arranged for movement into and out of clamping alignment with the other clamping member.

11. An arrangement according to claim 10, wherein said clamping member is arranged for pivoting movement into and out of clamping alignment with the other clamping member.

12. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein, in use with the docking station mounted on a wall, said pivotable clamping member is arranged for pivoting movement away from the wall.

13. An arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the upper clamping member is in the form of a docking cradle arranged to receive a first part of the handheld unit in a sliding fit, the docking cradle being slidable relative to the lower clamping member and resiliently biased towards the lower clamping member, the docking cradle additionally being pivotable away from the wall, in use, for movement out of clamping alignment with the lower clamping member in order to receive said first part of the handheld unit.

14. An arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the lower clamping member is a fixed clamping member comprising a locking element for engagement with a second part of the handheld unit to secure the stick-vac against lateral movement relative to the lower clamping member.

15. A docking station for use as said docking station in the arrangement according to claim 1.