Surface cleaning apparatus with enhanced operability

• US 9,668,631 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUNG V
• Application Number:
  US14/960,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20160143497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/225 Convertible suction cleaners, i.e. convertible between different types thereof, e.g. from upright suction cleaners to sledge-type suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• 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 9/242 Hose or pipe couplings

Abstract

An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprises a floor cleaning head having a dirty air inlet and an upright section moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head. The surface cleaning apparatus also includes an air flow passage extending from the dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet. The air flow passage includes a conduit section. The surface cleaning apparatus also includes a suction motor and an air treatment member positioned in the air flow passage, provided in one of the floor cleaning head and the upright section. The conduit section has an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end is rotatably connected to the air flow passage about an axis parallel to air flow through the inlet end, and the outlet end is rotatably connected to the air flow passage about an axis parallel to air flow through the outlet end.

Claims

1. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet at a front end thereof and an upright section moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and an inclined use position;

b) the upright section having a filtration member housing that is removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus, the filtration member housing comprising a cyclone chamber, a dirt collection chamber exterior to the cyclone chamber, an openable top, an openable bottom, a front face and a latch releasably securing the openable top in a closed position, the latch is provided on the front face, the cyclone chamber having a lower air inlet, a lower air outlet and an upper dirt outlet wherein when the openable top is open, an upper end of the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber are opened and when the openable bottom is opened, a lower end of the dirt collection chamber is opened; and

,

c) an air flow passage extending between the dirty air inlet and a clean air outlet.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein a carry handle is provided on the openable top.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 the filtration member housing is removable mounted on a suction motor housing and the filtration member housing is vertically removable from the suction motor housing.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 3 wherein the filtration member housing is securable to the suction motor housing by locking members provided on the exterior of the filtration member housing and the suction motor housing.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the locking members are provided on lateral sides of the filtration member housing and the suction motor housing.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 5 wherein the locking members comprise pivotally mounted latches.

7. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet, a cleaning head air outlet and an upright section moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and an inclined use position;

b) an air flow passage extending between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet; and

,

c) a surface cleaning unit removably connected to the floor cleaning unit, the upright surface cleaning apparatus reconfigurable between an upright configuration wherein the surface cleaning unit is provided on the floor cleaning unit and a second configuration wherein the surface cleaning unit is removed from the floor cleaning unit, in the upright configuration the surface cleaning unit is moveable with the upright section between the upright storage position and the inclined use position, the surface cleaning unit comprising;

i) a suction motor disposed in a motor housing and positioned in the air flow passage, wherein when the surface cleaning unit is in the upright configuration and the upright surface cleaning apparatus is in the upright storage position, a first end of the motor housing defines an upper end; and

ii) a cyclone unit positioned in the air flow passage and removably seated on the upper end of the motor housing, the cyclone unit having first engagement members detachably connectable to second engagement members on the motor housing, the cyclone unit comprising a first cyclone unit end, a second cyclone unit end that is axially spaced apart from the first cyclone unit end along a longitudinal axis and a cyclone chamber, the second cyclone unit end being a lower end when the surface cleaning unit is in the upright configuration and the upright surface cleaning apparatus is in the upright storage position wherein the lower end seats on the first end of the motor housing; and

,

iii) a pre-motor filter disposed at the first end of the motor housing, the pre-motor filter having a side facing towards the cyclone unit and sealed by the lower end of the dirt collection chamber when the dirt collection chamber seats on the motor housing, and the pre-motor filter remaining with the motor housing when the cyclone unit is removed.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein the cyclone unit further comprises a cyclone air inlet, an air outlet and a cyclone dirt outlet in communication with a dirt collection chamber exterior to the cyclone.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein the cyclone chamber and the dirt collection chamber are concurrently openable.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein the cyclone air inlet and the air outlet are at a lower end of the cyclone chamber and the cyclone dirt outlet is at an upper end of the cyclone chamber.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first end of the motor housing has an exposed outer surface comprising two spaced apart housing engagement members, and when the lower end of the dirt collection chamber has an outer surface comprising two corresponding cyclone unit engagement members and wherein when the lower end of the dirt collection chamber is seated on the first end of the suction motor housing the cyclone unit is secured to the suction motor housing by engaging the housing engagement members with the cyclone unit engagement members.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first end of the cyclone unit comprises an openable lower door of the cyclone unit and a cyclone unit air outlet is provided in the openable lower door.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first end of the motor housing comprises a perimeter laterally surrounding the pre-motor filter and when the cyclone unit is connected to the first end of the motor housing the cyclone unit seats on and seals the perimeter, and wherein removing the cyclone unit from the first end of the motor housing reveals the pre-motor filter.

14. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet, a cleaning head air outlet and an upright section moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and an inclined use position;

b) an air flow passage extending between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet;

c) a surface cleaning unit comprising a cyclone unit and a suction motor, the upright surface cleaning apparatus reconfigurable between an upright configuration wherein the surface cleaning unit is provided on the floor cleaning unit and a second configuration wherein the surface cleaning unit is removed from the upright section;

d) the cyclone unit is positioned in the air flow passage and has a longitudinal axis about which air in the cyclone unit can rotate, and when the surface cleaning apparatus is in the upright configuration and the upright section is in the upright storage position, the cyclone unit comprises a cyclone chamber having an upper end and a lower end longitudinal spaced apart from the upper end and a cyclone unit air outlet located in the lower end of the cyclone unit; and

;

e) the suction motor is positioned in the air flow path in a suction motor housing, and when the surface cleaning apparatus is in the upright configuration and the upright section is in the upright storage position, the suction motor housing has an upper end having an exposed outer surface comprising two spaced apart housing engagement members, and the lower end of the cyclone unit has an outer surface comprising two corresponding cyclone unit engagement members and wherein when the lower end of the cyclone unit is seated on the upper end of the suction motor housing the cyclone unit is secured to the suction motor housing by engaging the housing engagement members with the cyclone unit engagement members.

15. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet, a cleaning head air outlet and an upright section comprising a handle drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head, the upright section moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and an inclined use position;

b) an air flow passage extending between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet; and

c) a surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the upright section, and one end of the surface cleaning unit defining an uppermost surface when the upright section is in the upright storage position and the surface cleaning unit is mounted to the upright section, the surface cleaning unit comprising;

i) a housing having a first housing end, the housing containing a suction motor that is positioned in the air flow path, the suction motor having an inlet end that is disposed toward the first housing end and is laterally surrounded by a perimeter of the first housing end;

ii) a cyclone unit positionable in the airflow passage and having a first cyclone unit end with a first cyclone unit end wall and a second cyclone unit end with a second cyclone unit end wall that is axially spaced apart from the first cyclone unit end along a longitudinal axis about which air in the cyclone unit can rotate, the cyclone unit comprising a cyclone chamber having an upper end, a lower end longitudinally spaced apart from the upper end and a cyclone unit air outlet that is located in the first cyclone unit end wall, wherein the first end of the cyclone unit is removably seated on the first housing end and when the cyclone unit is seated on the housing, the second cyclone unit end wall comprises the uppermost surface of the surface cleaning unit and the first cyclone unit end wall seals the perimeter of the first housing end thereby establishing fluid communication between the cyclone unit air outlet and the suction motor inlet end, and the cyclone unit is removable in a closed configuration from the housing.

16. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a pre-motor filter disposed at the first end of the motor housing, the first housing end having a first housing air inlet and the pre-motor filter overlies all of the first housing air inlet, the pre-motor filter being exposed and remaining with the first housing end when the cyclone unit is removed from the first housing end.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 15 wherein the cyclone unit has an air inlet located toward the first end of the cyclone unit, a sidewall extending longitudinally between the lower end of the cyclone chamber and the upper end of the cyclone chamber and a cyclone unit air inlet is provided in the sidewall, a dirt outlet that is provided at the upper end of the cyclone chamber, and a dirt collection chamber that is exterior to the cyclone and surrounds at least a portion of the cyclone chamber.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first cyclone unit end wall comprises an openable lower door of the cyclone unit and the cyclone unit air outlet is provided in the openable lower door.

19. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet, a cleaning head air outlet and an upright section comprising a handle drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head;

b) an air flow passage extending between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet;

c) a cyclone unit positioned in the air flow passage and having a cyclone unit upper end and a cyclone unit lower end spaced apart from the cyclone unit upper end in a first direction along a longitudinal axis about which air in the cyclone unit can rotate, the cyclone unit comprising a cyclone chamber and a cyclone unit air outlet comprising an opening provided in the cyclone unit lower end;

d) a housing containing a suction motor positioned in the air flow path and having a housing upper end and a housing lower end spaced apart from the upper end in the longitudinal direction, the suction motor having an inlet end towards the upper end of the housing, the cyclone unit lower end being removably seated on the housing upper end, and the cyclone unit being securable to the housing;

e) a pre-motor filter disposed at and covering the upper end of the motor housing, the pre-motor filter having a side facing towards the cyclone unit and sealed by the lower end of the cyclone unit when the cyclone unit seats on the motor housing, and the pre-motor filter remaining with the motor housing when the cyclone unit is removed; and

f) a surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the upright section wherein the surface cleaning unit comprises the cyclone unit, housing and the suction motor.

20. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 19 wherein a portion of the handle is positioned above the cyclone unit when the surface cleaning unit is mounted to the handle, the handle comprising a portion of the air flow path and the portion of the handle comprises the portion of the air flow path when the surface cleaning unit is mounted to the handle and when the surface cleaning unit is removed from the handle.

21. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 19 wherein the suction motor has an axis that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cyclone chamber.

22. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 19 wherein the lower end of the cyclone unit comprises an openable lower door of the cyclone unit.