All in the head surface cleaning apparatus

• US 9,668,624 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2014
• 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:
  US14/573,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20160174788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/30 with driven dust-loosening tools, e.g. rotating brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/16 Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/1683 Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/22 Mountings for motor fan assemblies

Abstract

An all in the head surface cleaning apparatus may include a surface cleaning head having a brush positioned in a brush chamber. The brush chamber may have a dirty air inlet and a brush chamber outlet. The surface cleaning head may include a cyclone assembly comprising a cyclone chamber, the cyclone having a longitudinal cyclone axis, a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet. The surface cleaning head may include a first air flow path extending rearwardly from the brush chamber outlet to the cyclone chamber, and a suction motor having a suction motor air inlet, and a suction motor axis. The surface cleaning head may include a second air flow path extending laterally from the cyclone air outlet to the suction motor air inlet.

Claims

1. An all in the head surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a surface cleaning head comprising;

(i) a front end, a rear end, first and second laterally opposed sidewalls;

(ii) a brush positioned in a brush chamber, the brush chamber having a dirty air inlet and a brush chamber outlet;

(iii) a cyclone assembly comprising a cyclone chamber, the cyclone having a longitudinal cyclone axis, a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet;

(iv) a first air flow path extending rearwardly from the brush chamber outlet to the cyclone chamber;

(v) a suction motor having a suction motor air inlet, and a suction motor axis; and

,

a second air flow path extending laterally from the cyclone air outlet to the suction motor air inlet; and

(b) an upper portion moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between a storage position and a floor cleaning position, the upper portion comprising a drive handle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the brush chamber outlet comprises an opening in the wall of the brush chamber.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the opening extends at an axis to the vertical.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first air flow path has an inlet end that is disconnectable from the brush chamber outlet.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the inlet end of the first air flow path is moveable with the cyclone assembly.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first air flow path comprises a portion of the cyclone assembly.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first air flow path has an inlet end that is moveable from a cleaning position in which the inlet end abuts the brush chamber outlet to a cyclone assembly removal position in which the inlet end is spaced from the brush chamber outlet.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first air flow path extends generally linearly to a cyclone tangential air inlet.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cyclone assembly comprises a dirt collection chamber and at least a portion of the dirt collection chamber is positioned forward of the cyclone chamber, the surface cleaning head comprises a cavity in which the dirt collection chamber is positioned when the apparatus is in use and the first air flow path extends through the cavity.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the first air flow path comprises a portion of the cyclone assembly.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a per-motor filter chamber housing a pre-motor filter, the pre-motor filter chamber having an air inlet and an air outlet, and the pre-motor filter having an upstream face, a downstream face and a pre-motor filter axis that is generally parallel to the upstream and/or downstream face.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the second air flow path comprises a first portion that extends from the cyclone outlet to the pre-motor filter chamber air inlet and a second portion that extends from the pre-motor filter air outlet to the suction motor air inlet and the first and second portions extends generally linearly.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a centerline of the cyclone air outlet is offset from a centerline of the suction motor air inlet.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the upstream face of the pre-motor filter faces the cyclone air outlet, the downstream face of the pre-motor filter faces the suction motor air inlet and the upstream face is transverse to a direction of air flow from the cyclone air outlet to the pre-motor filter.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the cyclone assembly comprises a dirt collection chamber that is external to the cyclone chamber and the pre-motor filter overlies the cyclone chamber and at least a portion of the dirt collection chamber.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a brush motor and the pre-motor filter overlies at least a portion of the brush motor.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the suction motor comprises a motor and a fan assembly driven by the motor and the motor is positioned adjacent a portion of an outer wall of the surface cleaning head wherein the portion has a clean air outlet.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the clean air outlet is provided on an upper surface of the surface cleaning head.