Surface cleaning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10327609-B2
Application number	US-201815871689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2018
Priority date	Jul 30, 2009
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprises an upper section moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between a floor cleaning position, in which the upright surface cleaning apparatus is useable for cleaning a floor, and a storage position. The storage position includes a storage orientation of the upper section relative to the surface cleaning head wherein the upper section is stable in the storage position. The upright surface cleaning apparatus further comprises an anti-rotation locking mechanism that automatically engages when the upper section is moved into the storage position and inhibits changes in orientation of the upper section once the upper section is in the storage position. The upright surface cleaning apparatus further comprises a cleaning unit that is removably mounted to the upper section and is removable while the upper section is in the storage position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upright surface cleaning apparatus having a front, a rear and opposed lateral sides, the upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
a) a dirt inlet provided in a surface cleaning head, the surface cleaning head having a front end and a rear end, the surface cleaning head is moveable in a forward direction;
b) an upper section movably connected to the surface cleaning head via a coupling portion, the upper section is moveable between a floor cleaning position, in which the upright surface cleaning apparatus is useable for cleaning a floor, and a storage position in which the upright section is maintained in an upright position relative to the floor;
c) a cleaning unit removably mounted to the upper section, the cleaning unit comprising an air treatment member, a suction motor, a clean air outlet and a front side, wherein the cleaning unit is usable in both a mounted and an unmounted configuration;
d) an air flow path extending from the dirt inlet to the clean air outlet and comprising the air treatment member and the suction motor;
e) an anti-rotation locking mechanism that automatically engages when the upper section is moved into the storage position;
wherein the cleaning unit is removable while the upper section is in the storage position, and
wherein the upper section is also moveably mounted with respect to the surface cleaning head whereby a direction that the front side of the cleaning unit faces is adjustable with respect to a direction that the front end of the surface cleaning head faces and the storage position includes a storage orientation in which the front side of the cleaning unit faces the same direction as the front end of the surface cleaning head and,
wherein when the cleaning unit is mounted to the upper section and the upper section is in the floor cleaning position, the direction that the front side of the cleaning unit faces relative to the direction that the front end of the surface cleaning head faces is adjustable, and
wherein the anti-rotation locking mechanism inhibits changes in the direction that the front side of the cleaning unit faces relative to the direction that the front end of the surface cleaning head faces once the upper section is in the storage position.

2. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air flow path comprises a portion that extends between the dirty air inlet and the upper section and the portion comprises a flexible hose.

3. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the flexible hose is connected to the coupling portion.

4. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper section comprises a support structure having a bendable or pivotal construction that is drivingly connected to the surface cleaning head.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an alignment mechanism which guides the upper section into the storage orientation, relative to the surface cleaning head when the upper section is moved into the storage position.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an alignment mechanism whereby the upper section is moveable into the storage position when the upper section is in the storage orientation.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaning apparatus has at least two operating modes comprising:
a) a first operating mode in which the cleaning unit is mounted to the upper section and is in airflow communication with the dirt inlet and a flexible hose comprises a portion of the airflow path between the cleaning unit and the dirt inlet; and,
b) a second operating mode in which the cleaning unit is removed from the upper section and is in airflow communication with the dirt inlet and the flexible hose comprises a portion of the airflow path between the cleaning unit and the dirt inlet.

8. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein when the surface cleaning apparatus is in the first operating mode the cleaning unit is supported by the upper section.

9. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the upper section is movable between the storage position and the floor cleaning position when the surface cleaning apparatus is in the first operating mode and when the surface cleaning apparatus is in the second operating mode.

10. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the surface cleaning apparatus is changeable between the first operating mode and the second operating mode without interrupting the airflow communication between the dirt inlet and the cleaning unit.

11. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the surface cleaning apparatus is operable in a third operating mode in which the cleaning unit is detached from the upper section and is not in air flow communication with the surface cleaning head and is operable as a hand vacuum cleaner.

12. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper section comprises a rigid airflow conduit, and wherein the cleaning unit is supported on the rigid airflow conduit when mounted to the upper section.

13. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning unit is vertically removable from the upper section when the upper section is in the storage position.

14. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning unit is removable in the absence of adjusting a configuration of the upper section.

15. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper section is rotatably coupled to the surface cleaning head by a rotational coupling member and the rotational coupling member comprises a portion of the air flow path.

16. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper section comprises a rotational coupling member having a longitudinally extending member that comprises a portion of the airflow path and extends along a longitudinal axis, whereby the longitudinal axis extends through a portion of the airflow path.

17. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air flow path comprising a flexible hose having a downstream end coupled to the cleaning unit.

18. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air treatment member comprises at least a first cyclone chamber having an air inlet, an air outlet and a dirt outlet, and at least a first dirt collection chamber in communication with the dirt outlet.

19. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the first dirt collection chamber is external the first cyclone chamber.

20. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the first cyclone chamber comprises a cyclone axis about which air within the first cyclone circulates and the first dirt collection chamber is disposed at least partially axially between the first cyclone chamber and the suction motor.

Assignees

• Omachron Intellectual Property Inc

Inventors

• Conrad Wayne Ernest

Classifications

• A47L9/0054

  Stands or the like for temporary interruption of work · CPC title

• A47L9/242

  Hose or pipe couplings · CPC title

• A47L5/225 Primary

  Convertible suction cleaners, i.e. convertible between different types thereof, e.g. from upright suction cleaners to sledge-type suction cleaners · CPC title

• A47L5/28

  Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle (A47L5/24 takes precedence) · CPC title