Portable hard surface cleaning appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10258207-B2
Application number	US-201614996652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2016
Priority date	Jul 18, 2013
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A portable hard surface cleaning appliance includes a suction nozzle with a suction opening on which at least one drawing-off lip is arranged, a suction unit in flow connection with the suction nozzle for sucking up a liquid-air mixture from the suction opening, a separation chamber arranged between the suction nozzle and the suction unit and having a separation device arranged within for separating liquid from the liquid-air mixture, and a tank accommodating compartment in which a dirty liquid tank for receiving the separated liquid is releasably held. The tank accommodating compartment includes at least one supporting element engaged under a lower tank section of the dirty liquid tank, and at least one holding element releasably connectable to an upper tank section of the dirty liquid tank. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance includes two holding elements which receive between them the upper tank section of the dirty liquid tank.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable hard surface cleaning appliance for drawing off and sucking up liquid from a hard surface, in particular, from a window pane, comprising a suction nozzle with a suction opening on which at least one drawing-off lip is arranged, a suction unit which is in flow connection with the suction nozzle for sucking up a liquid-air mixture from the suction opening, a separation chamber which is positioned in the flow path between the suction nozzle and the suction unit and in which a separation device is arranged for separating liquid from the liquid-air mixture, and a tank accommodating compartment in which a dirty liquid tank for receiving the liquid separated off in the separation chamber is releasably held, the tank accommodating compartment comprising at least one supporting element and at least one holding element, the at least one supporting element engaging under a lower tank section of the dirty liquid tank and the at least one holding element being releasably connectable to an upper tank section of the dirty liquid tank, wherein the hard surface cleaning appliance comprises two holding elements which receive between them the upper tank section of the dirty liquid tank.

2. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the portable hard surface cleaning appliance comprises a base part in which the suction unit is arranged.

3. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the base part forms the tank accommodating compartment.

4. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the portable hard surface cleaning appliance comprises a separation part in which the separation chamber is arranged.

5. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the portable hard surface cleaning appliance comprises a base part in which the suction unit is arranged, and wherein the separation part is releasably connected to the base part.

6. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the suction nozzle is releasably connected to the separation part.

7. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein when the hard surface cleaning appliance is vertically aligned, the lower tank section of the dirty liquid tank is insertable in the vertical direction into a supporting area of the tank accommodating compartment, and by pivoting the dirty liquid tank about a horizontal pivot axis, the upper tank section is then pivotable into a holding position in which the upper tank section is positioned between the two holding elements.

8. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the upper tank section is releasably latchable to the two holding elements.

9. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 8 , wherein first latching elements are arranged on the upper tank section on outer sides of the dirty liquid tank that face away from each other and second latching elements arranged on the holding elements are engageable behind the first latching elements.

10. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the dirty liquid tank protrudes at the sides from the tank accommodating compartment below the holding elements.

11. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the tank accommodating compartment has a rear wall against which the dirty liquid tank lies in areas thereof and which has at least one through-opening.

12. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the dirty liquid tank extends into at least one through-opening.

13. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the hard surface cleaning appliance comprises a grip, and arranged between the grip and the rear wall of the tank accommodating compartment is a grip opening into which at least one through-opening of the rear wall opens.

14. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 11 , wherein at least one through-opening extends into an area which is arranged between the two holding elements.

15. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the hard surface cleaning appliance comprises a filling device for filling the dirty liquid tank with the liquid separated off in the separation chamber, the filling device having a holding member which is positionable on the upper side of the dirty liquid tank and on which is held a filling channel which extends into the dirty liquid tank via a filler opening of the dirty liquid tank, the holding member being clampable between the separation chamber and the dirty liquid tank.

16. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 15 , wherein guide elements insertable in each other in the vertical direction are arranged on the upper side of the dirty liquid tank and on the holding member.

17. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the guide elements arranged on the upper side of the dirty liquid tank are configured as guide pins which are arranged at both sides of the filler opening.

18. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 17 , wherein the guide elements arranged on the holding member are configured as guide slots which receive the guide pins.

19. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the dirty liquid tank comprises a collar which is surrounded by a holding plate, and a closing plug for closing a drain opening of the dirty liquid tank is fixed to the holding plate.

20. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 19 , wherein the holding plate is clamped between the holding member and the dirty liquid tank.

21. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the holding member is of plate-shaped configuration.

22. The portable hard surface cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the holding member is of wedge-shaped configuration.

Assignees

• Kaercher Gmbh & Co Kg Alfred
• Kaercher Alfred Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Stewen Christian
• Oberländer Anne
• Bartel Sandra

Classifications

• A47L1/05 Primary

  Hand apparatus with built-in electric motors · CPC title

• A47L11/40

  Parts or details of machines not {provided for in} groups A47L11/02 - A47L11/38, {or not restricted to one of these groups}, e.g. handles, arrangements of switches, skirts, buffers, levers · CPC title

• A47L9/06

  with fixed, e.g. adjustably fixed brushes or the like · CPC title

• A47L5/24 Primary

  Hand-supported suction cleaners · CPC title