Seal construction for a surface cleaning apparatus
First Claim
1. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
- (a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
(b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; and
,(c) a cyclone having a cyclone air inlet comprising a passage provided on a wall of the cyclone and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone being removable from the surface cleaning apparatus with the cyclone inlet the cyclone being positioned in the air flow path when mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction;
(d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage;
(e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the air inlet seal and the air outlet seal are concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone in the mounting direction.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A surface cleaning apparatus comprises an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet. A suction motor positioned in the air flow passage. A cyclone is removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus and positioned in the air flow path. The cyclone has a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet. The cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction. An air inlet seal is positioned in a first plane and seals the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage. An air outlet seal is positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and seals the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage. The air inlet seal and the air outlet seal are concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone in the mounting direction.
66 Citations
32 Claims
-
1. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet; (b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; and
,(c) a cyclone having a cyclone air inlet comprising a passage provided on a wall of the cyclone and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone being removable from the surface cleaning apparatus with the cyclone inlet the cyclone being positioned in the air flow path when mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction; (d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage; (e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the air inlet seal and the air outlet seal are concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone in the mounting direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet; (b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; (c) a cyclone having a cyclone air inlet comprising a passage provided on a wall of the cyclone and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone being removable from the surface cleaning apparatus with the cyclone inlet, the cyclone being positioned in the air flow path when mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction; (d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage; (e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the inlet seal and the outlet seal are configured to be concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone relative to the surface cleaning apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet; (b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; and
,(c) a cyclone removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus and positioned in the air flow path, the cyclone having a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction; (d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage; (e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the air inlet seal and the air outlet seal are concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone in the mounting direction wherein at least one of the cyclone and the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a cam member to direct the cyclone towards the other of the inlet seal and the outlet seal as the cyclone is mounted on the surface cleaning apparatus.
-
-
28. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet; (b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; and
,(c) a cyclone removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus and positioned in the air flow path, the cyclone having a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction; (d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage; (e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the air inlet seal and the air outlet seal are concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone in the mounting direction wherein one of the inlet seal and the outlet seal is at an acute angle to the mounting direction and has a wider seal surface than the other of the inlet seal and the outlet seal.
-
-
29. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet; (b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; and
,(c) a cyclone removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus and positioned in the air flow path, the cyclone having a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction; (d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage; (e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the air inlet seal and the air outlet seal are concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone in the mounting direction wherein the cyclone air inlet and the cyclone air outlet are at a common end of the cyclone.
-
-
30. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet; (b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; (c) a cyclone removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus and positioned in the air flow path, the cyclone having a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction; (d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage; (e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the inlet seal and the outlet seal are configured to be concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone relative to the surface cleaning apparatus wherein at least one of the cyclone and the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a cam member to direct the cyclone towards the one of inlet seal and the outlet seal is at an acute angle to the mounting direction as the cyclone is mounted on the surface cleaning apparatus.
-
-
31. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet; (b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; (c) a cyclone removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus and positioned in the air flow path, the cyclone having a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction; (d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage; (e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the inlet seal and the outlet seal are configured to be concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone relative to the surface cleaning apparatus wherein one of the inlet seal and the outlet seal is at an acute angle to the mounting direction and has a wider seal surface then the other of the inlet seal and the outlet seal.
-
-
32. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
-
(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet; (b) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; (c) a cyclone removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus and positioned in the air flow path, the cyclone having a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet, the cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction; (d) an air inlet seal positioned in a first plane and sealing the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage; (e) an air outlet seal positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and sealing the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage; and
,(f) the inlet seal and the outlet seal are configured to be concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone relative to the surface cleaning apparatus wherein the cyclone air inlet and the cyclone air outlet are at a common end of the cyclone.
-
Specification