Cyclonic surface cleaning apparatus with a filtration chamber external to the cyclone

• US 8,677,558 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: GBD Corporation (G.B.D.)
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Muller, Bryan R
• Application Number:
  US12/675,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20100242210A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 15/353
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1625 for series flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/165 Construction of inlets
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1658 Construction of outlets
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1666 with filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/20 Means for cleaning filters
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/342 comprising at least a single wire, e.g. in the form of a winding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/3432 comprising several wires, e.g. in the form of several independent windings B29C65/3436, B29C65/344 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/3476 being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/12441 being a single wall
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1312 Single flange to flange joints, the parts to be joined being rigid the parts to be joined being flexible B29C66/133
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/244 said joint lines being non-straight, e.g. forming non-closed contours
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/949 characterised by specific time values or ranges
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/06 : PE, i.e. polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/12 : PP, i.e. polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 : ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2069/00 : Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3481 : Housings or casings incorporating or embedding electric or electronic elements
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7406 : Sponges; Cleaning equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/749 : Motors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1158 : Electromagnetic radiation applied to work for delamination [e.g., microwave, uv, ir, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/17 : Three or more coplanar interfitted sections with securing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/19 : Sheets or webs edge spliced or joined
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24488 : Differential nonuniformity at margin

Abstract

A surface cleaning apparatus comprises a filtration apparatus comprising a cyclone downstream from the dirty air inlet and an openable filtration chamber comprising a screen downstream from the cyclone and upstream from the suction motor. The filtration chamber is accordingly a separate volume to that of the cyclone chamber and accordingly may be accessed to clean the screen independently of opening the cyclone chamber.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a dirty air inlet;

(b) a filtration apparatus comprising a cyclonic cleaning stage downstream from the dirty air inlet and having a vortex finder provided in a cyclone chamber;

(c) a suction motor;

(d) a clean air outlet downstream from the suction motor;

(e) an openable filtration chamber comprising a screen, an upstream wall having an air inlet and a downstream wall having an air outlet, the filtration chamber is positioned downstream from the vortex finder and upstream from the suction motor; and

,

(f) an openable pre-motor filter chamber comprising a pre-motor filter positioned downstream of the downstream wall and comprising a door sealing the pre-motor filter chamber, the pre-motor filter chamber is openable independently of the filtration chamber by opening said door.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the filtration chamber is openable independently of the dirt collection chamber.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclonic cleaning stage comprises a cyclone and a dirt collection chamber that are openable independently of the filtration chamber.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the screen is moveably mounted in the filtration chamber.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the screen has a surface area that is at least twice the surface area of the cross sectional area of the cyclone air outlet.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the screen has a surface area that is at least about five times the surface area of the cross sectional area of the cyclone air outlet.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone air outlet comprises an inlet positioned inside a cyclone and the inlet is unobstructed.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclonic cleaning stage comprises a dirt collection chamber and a cyclone and the dirt collection chamber is positioned around at least a portion of the cyclone, the cyclone has a dirt collection area and the dirt collection chamber and the cyclone are concurrently openable.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein the dirt collection chamber has a dirt collection surface that is moveable, the cyclone has a cyclone wall that is moveable and is connected to the moveable dirt collection surface, whereby both the cyclone wall and the dirt collection surface are moveable concurrently such that the dirt collection chamber and the cyclone are concurrently emptyable.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein the dirt collection surface and the cyclone wall comprise a pivoting wall of the filtration apparatus.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the filtration chamber is transparent.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the filtration chamber has an access door that is at least partially transparent.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the filtration chamber is removably mounted to the filtration apparatus.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein the filtration chamber is mounted to the pivoting wall.

14. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a dirty air inlet;

(b) a filtration apparatus comprising a cyclonic cleaning stage downstream from the dirty air inlet and having a cyclone air outlet;

(d) a suction motor;

(e) a clean air outlet downstream from the suction motor; and

,

(f) an openable filtration chamber comprising a screen and an access door and the screen is directly attached to, and moveably mounted with respect to, the access door whereby the screen is moved when the access door is opened and the screen is also moveable relative to the access door.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the screen is pivotally mounted to the access door.

16. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a dirty air inlet;

(b) a filtration apparatus comprising a cyclone downstream from the dirty air inlet, the cyclone having a cyclone air outlet;

(c) a cyclone dirt collection chamber exterior to the cyclone, the dirt collection chamber having an openable end wall comprising a dirt collection surface, wherein the dirt collection chamber is emptyable when the end wall is opened;

(e) a suction motor;

(f) a clean air outlet downstream from the suction motor; and

,

(g) an openable filtration chamber comprising a filter housing enclosing the filtration chamber and having a screen, an air inlet and an air outlet, the filtration chamber is provided on the openable end wall and positioned downstream from the cyclone air outlet and upstream from the suction motor, the filtration chamber having a pivoting wall pivotally connected to the openable wall.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a pre-motor filter chamber which is openable independently of the filtration chamber.