Configuration of a surface cleaning apparatus

• US 8,739,359 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2011
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: GBD Corporation (G.B.D.)
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Hail, Joseph J
• Assistant Examiner(s): HONG, HENRY Y
• Application Number:
  US13/039,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20120222246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 153/271, 153/272, 153/273, 153/274, 153/275, 153/276, 153/277, 153/62, 154/12, 153/47, 153/50, 154/10
• US Class Current: 15/347
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/362 of the horizontal type, e.g. canister or sledge type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles

Abstract

A surface cleaning apparatus comprises an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet. The surface cleaning apparatus comprises a main body comprising a front end, a rear end, first and second opposed sidewalls, and a suction motor provided in the air flow path. At least one of the first and second opposed sidewalls may have a compartment that houses an operating component of the surface cleaning apparatus or a portion of the air flow path. A cyclone bin assembly may be provided in the air flow path. The cyclone bin assembly may have opposed end walls.

Claims

1. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet and including a suction motor;

(b) a main body comprising a front end, a rear end, first and second opposed sidewalls, and a suction motor provided in the air flow path, at least one of the first and second opposed sidewalls has a compartment that houses at least one of, batteries, a power cord reel and control electronics, wherein the compartment is exterior to the airflow path; and

,

(c) a cyclone bin assembly provided in the air flow path, the cyclone bin assembly having opposed end walls

wherein the suction motor and the cyclone bin assembly are external to the compartment

and wherein the surface cleaning apparatus further comprises a filter, the first sidewall comprises a first side wheel and the second sidewall comprises a second side wheel, wherein the compartment is defined between the first side wheel and the first sidewall and the filter is accessible when the second side wheel is moved to an open position.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone bin assembly comprises a cyclone chamber and the suction motor and the cyclone chamber extend transversely.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the compartment is openable.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first sidewalls is moveable to reveal the compartment.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sidewalls overlie at least 75% of end walls of the cyclone bin assembly.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sidewalls overlie essentially all of end walls of the cyclone bin assembly.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a generally U shaped cavity having an absence of an upper closure member positioned between the first and second opposed side walls and the cyclone bin assembly is removably mounted in the cavity.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the cyclone bin assembly seats on a platform in the cavity and the platform comprises a portion of a housing for the suction motor.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 5 wherein the cyclone bin assembly is positioned on at least a portion of the suction motor.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the cavity has an open front end and an open rear end.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone bin assembly comprises a cyclone chamber and each of the first and second opposed sidewalls comprises a wheel having a diameter larger than a diameter of the cyclone chamber.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second side wheels is substantially the same size as the sidewall on which the wheel is provided.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second side wheels has a cross sectional area larger than a transverse cross sectional area of the cyclone bin assembly.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone bin assembly comprises a cyclone chamber and an openable dirt collection chamber, wherein one of the end walls is an openable wall of the dirt collection chamber.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone bin assembly comprises a cyclone chamber that extends transversely, the cyclone chamber comprising a tangential inlet that is provided at the front end of the surface cleaning apparatus.

16. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the main body comprises a suction hose connector upstream of the tangential inlet.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the main body comprises a suction hose connector upstream of the cyclone bin assembly.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone bin assembly comprises a cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber and the dirt collection chamber is provided exterior to the cyclone chamber and extends at least partially collinearly therewith.

19. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone bin assembly comprises a cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber and the filter is a pre-motor filter which has a cross sectional area that is larger than a transverse cross sectional area of the cyclone chamber.

20. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 17 wherein the pre-motor filter has a cross sectional area that is at least 60% of a cross sectional area of the sidewall.

21. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 17 wherein the pre-motor filter has a cross sectional area that is proximate the cross sectional area of the sidewall.

22. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the main body further comprises a platform positioned at a lower end of the first and second sidewalls and enclosed volumes of the main body are defined by the sidewall and the respective side wheel and the platform and the cyclone bin assembly is removably from a cavity provided between the first and second sidewalls.

23. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 22 wherein the cavity has an open front end and an open rear end.