Vacuum cleaner

• US 10,278,557 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Techtronic Industries Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Techtronic Industries Company Limited
• Inventors: Rukavina, Douglas M
• Primary Examiner(s): Carlson, Marc
• Application Number:
  US15/300,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20170172366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/28 Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle A47L5/24 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• 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 9/1691 Mounting or coupling means for cyclonic chamber or dust receptacles

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner that includes a suction source, a main body, a dirt separator removably coupled to the main body, a pre-motor filter in contacting engagement with the main body in a vertically orientated plane, and a post-motor filter in contacting engagement with the main body along the vertically orientated plane.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a suction source;

a main body;

a dirt separator removably coupled to the main body;

a base including a suction nozzle, the base configured to move along a surface to be cleaned, the main body is pivotally coupled to the base and pivotable relative to the base between an upright storage position and an inclined operating position;

a pre-motor filter in contacting engagement with the main body in a vertically orientated plane; and

a post-motor filter in contacting engagement with the main body along the vertically orientated plane, wherein air flows through the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter in substantially the same direction,

wherein the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter are inaccessible for replacement when the dirt separator is coupled to the main body and the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter are accessible for replacement when the dirt separator in uncoupled from the main body.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the vertically orientated plane extends through post-motor filter.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the post-motor filter is generally parallel to the vertically orientated plane.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the post-motor filter is located in the vertically orientated plane.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the pre-motor filter includes a pre-motor filter face, the pre-motor filter configured to filter an airflow that travels through the pre-motor filter generally perpendicular to the pre-motor filter face, and wherein the pre-motor filter face defines the vertically orientated plane.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5, wherein the dirt separator includes a cyclonic separator and a dirt cup configured to receive debris separated by the cyclonic separator.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the main body includes a first side that generally faces the dirt separator and a second side opposed to the first side, wherein the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter are accessible from the first side of the main body.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, wherein the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter are generally inaccessible when the dirt separator is coupled to the main body and in fluid communication with the suction source.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter are generally accessible when the dirt separator is uncoupled from the main body.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the main body includes a post-motor filter chamber, the post-motor filter received within the post-motor filter chamber to couple the post-motor filter to the main body.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 10, further comprising a door that encloses and provides accesses to the post-motor filter chamber.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the door is pivotally coupled to the main body.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 11, wherein the door is coupled to the dirt separator and removable with the dirt separator from the main body.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the main body includes a handle configured to move the vacuum cleaner along the surface, wherein the main body includes a lower end adjacent the base and an upper end adjacent the handle, wherein the post-motor filter is coupled to the main body below the pre-motor filter, between the pre-motor filter and the lower end of the base, and wherein the pre-motor filter is coupled to the main body between the post-motor filter and the upper end of the main body.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the main body includes a duct that provides fluid communication between the dirt separator and the suction source and the pre-motor filter is located within the duct.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 15, wherein the duct includes an inlet adjacent the dirt separator, wherein the pre-motor filter is adjacent the inlet.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the pre-motor filter is removably coupled to the main body and the pre-motor filter is configured to be coupled to the main body in a first orientation and a second orientation.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, wherein the first orientation is 180 degrees from the second orientation.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dirt separator includes an outlet along an axis, and wherein the pre-motor filter intersects the axis.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein air flows through the pre-motor filter in a first direction and the post-motor filter in a second direction, wherein the first direction and second direction are substantially parallel.

21. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, further including a first face of the pre-motor filter and a second face of the post-motor filter, wherein the first face and the second face are substantially parallel.

22. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dirt separator further includes a dirt cup configured to be removed from the main body in order to access the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter.

23. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dirt separator further includes a dirt cup, wherein the pre-motor filter and the post-motor filter are positioned substantially adjacent a side of the dirt cup.

24. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the post-motor filter includes a door positioned between the post-motor filter and the dirt separator.

25. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the dirt separator further includes a dirt cup extending along a second vertically oriented plane, wherein the second vertically oriented plane is substantially parallel to the vertically oriented plane.