Surface cleaning apparatus

• US 10,624,513 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2019
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Original Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): Hopkins, Robert A
• Application Number:
  US16/269,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20190167056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: 554591, 55429, 55433, 55DIG 3
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1608 Cyclonic chamber constructions
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1658 Construction of outlets
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/12 by centrifugal forces centrifuges B04B; cyclones B04C
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/16 generated by the winding course of the gas stream , the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/00 Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours filtering elements B01D24/00-B01D35/00; filtering material B01D39/00; their regeneration outside the filters B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 11/00 Accessories, e.g. safety or control devices, not otherwise provided for , e.g. regulators, valves in inlet or overflow ductingwith electrostatic precipitating arrangements B03C3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 2009/004 with internal filters, in the cyclone chamber or in the vortex finder
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/00 Apparatus in which the axial direction of the vortex is reversed combined with other devices B04C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/04 Tangential inlets
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/08 Vortex chamber constructions

Abstract

A surface cleaning apparatus comprises a cyclone bin assembly having a sidewall surrounding a contiguous interior volume and comprising multiple segments of different profile and width.

Claims

1. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet;

b) an upper section moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between a storage position and an in use position;

c) an airflow passage extending from the dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet and including a suction motor;

d) the upper section having an air treatment housing, wherein when the upper section is in the storage position, the air treatment housing has an upper end and an lower end, the upper end comprises an openable lid and the lower end comprises an openable lower end wall, the air treatment housing comprising a cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber that is below the cyclone chamber when the upper section is in the storage position;

e) the cyclone chamber including an upper cyclone end, a lower cyclone end spaced apart from the upper cyclone end in an axial direction and a cyclone sidewall extending between the upper and lower cyclone ends, the cyclone chamber comprising a dirt outlet, a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet, the dirt outlet comprising a slot provided in the cyclone sidewall wherein the cyclone sidewall has a first portion having a first axial length at the location of the dirt outlet that is shorter than an axial length of a second portion of the cyclone sidewall that is adjacent the dirt outlet;

f) the dirt collection chamber comprising a radial outer wall that has a larger diameter than the diameter of the cyclone sidewall; and

,

g) a transition wall, wherein when the upper section is in the storage position the transition wall has an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of the transition wall is provided on the cyclone sidewall at a location between the upper cyclone end and the lower cyclone end, and the lower end of the transition wall extends to an upper end of the radial outer wall of the dirt collection chamber whereby the transition wall directly connects the cyclone sidewall to the radial outer wall of the dirt collection chamber.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lower end wall has a cross sectional area in a direction transverse to the axial direction that is larger than a cross sectional area of the lid in the transverse direction.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the lower end wall is in an open position, the dirt collection chamber is opened.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein when the lid is in an open position, the cyclone chamber is opened.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4, wherein the dirt outlet is at an opposed end of the cyclone chamber from an end of the cyclone chamber having the air inlet of the cyclone chamber and the air outlet of the cyclone chamber.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the air treatment housing is removably mounted to the upper section.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transition wall is an outer wall of the air treatment housing.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radial outer wall of the dirt collection chamber is an outer wall of the air treatment housing.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein a portion of the cyclone sidewall, which is located above the transition wall when the upper section is in the storage position, is an outer wall of the air treatment housing.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8, wherein the transition wall is an outer wall of the air treatment housing.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10, wherein a portion of the cyclone sidewall, which is located above the transition wall when the upper section is in the storage position, is an outer wall of the air treatment housing.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the lid and the lower end wall are each in an open position, an opening is provided that extends from the upper end of the air treatment housing to the lower end of the air treatment housing.