Vacuum cleaner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10791900-B2
Application number	US-201816114683-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2018
Priority date	Aug 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes an upright body mounted to a base that moves over a surface to be cleaned. A rotational coupling can be provided between the upright body and the base for coupling the upright body to the base for movement about at least one rotational axis. The rotational coupling can include at least a swivel joint. A cord rewinder can be provided above the swivel joint for storing and dispensing a power cord.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:
an upright body;
a base adapted for movement over a surface to be cleaned and comprising a suction nozzle opening;
a working air path which extends from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
a collection assembly provided on the upright body and defining a portion of the working air path and;
a rotational coupling between the upright body and the base, wherein the rotational coupling comprises a swivel joint permitting movement of the upright body about a first rotational axis relative to the base;
a power cord;
a suction motor electrically coupled to the power cord and defining a portion of the working air path, wherein the suction motor is located below the swivel joint; and
a cord rewinder located above the swivel joint and the suction motor.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the cord rewinder comprises a cord reel housing fixed relative to the upright body and a cord reel rotatably mounted within the cord reel housing for winding the power cord, wherein a portion of the power cord is secured to the cord reel and the cord reel is operable to rotate in a first direction to take up the power cord, and to rotate in a second, opposing direction to dispense the power cord.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 , wherein an upper surface of the cord reel housing defines a collection assembly platform on which the collection assembly is removably supported and comprises a locator feature, and wherein the collection assembly comprises a recess shaped correspondingly to the locator feature and configured to at least partially receive the locator feature.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the first rotational axis extends generally obliquely to the surface to be cleaned over which the base moves and generally along a direction the base travels during normal operation of the vacuum cleaner.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the rotational coupling further comprises a pivot joint permitting movement of the upright body about a second rotational axis relative to the base, wherein the second rotation axis is generally perpendicular to the first rotational axis.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the swivel joint comprises a swivel on the upright body and a swivel cover at least partially defining a cradle in which the swivel is rotatably mounted.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6 , wherein the cradle is further defined by a portion of a motor housing of the suction motor, such that the swivel is rotatably mounted between the motor housing and the swivel cover.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6 , wherein the swivel is at least partially hollow to form a portion of the working air path, and define a swivel air conduit therethrough in fluid communication with the collection assembly and the suction motor.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6 , wherein the clean air outlet is defined by an exhaust opening formed in the swivel cover, wherein the exhaust opening faces an underside of the cord rewinder when the upright body is reclined relative to the base.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the swivel joint includes at least one expandable seal, wherein the at least one expandable seal is configured to expand under vacuum.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the upright body comprises a motor housing which contains the suction motor, and wherein the swivel joint is located at an upper, forward side of the motor housing.

12. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the upright body comprises a motor housing which contains the suction motor, the upright body comprises a spine supporting the collection assembly, and the motor housing is provided at a lower end of the spine.

13. The vacuum cleaner of claim 12 , wherein the spine defines a cord rewinder platform on which the cord rewinder is mounted, and the cord rewinder platform is formed at a lower end of the spine, and protrudes forwardly above the swivel joint.

14. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the suction motor is provided in the upright body and the base comprises a brushroll, and the brushroll is operably coupled to and driven by the suction motor.

15. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein the collection assembly comprises a cyclone separator for separating contaminants from a working airstream and a dirt collector for receiving and collecting the separated contaminants from the cyclone separator, and wherein the collection assembly defines a longitudinal axis on which the cyclone separator and dirt collector are centered, and the cord rewinder defines a cord reel axis about which a cord reel rotates, wherein the cord reel axis is one of parallel to or coincident with the longitudinal axis of the collection assembly.

16. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the working air path extends through the swivel joint.

17. The vacuum cleaner of claim 16 , wherein the upright body comprises a motor housing which contains the suction motor and wherein the portion of the working air path extending through the swivel joint is fluidly connected to a motor air inlet of the motor housing via a working air chamber formed between the swivel joint and the motor housing.

18. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , and further comprising an air cooling pathway for the cord rewinder that includes a shroud guiding vacuum cleaner exhaust air to an air inlet in fluid communication with an interior of the cord rewinder.

19. The vacuum cleaner of claim 18 , wherein a portion of the air cooling pathway extends exteriorly to the upright body through the ambient environment.

20. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 , and further comprising a shroud located beneath a lower portion of the upright body and including a wall extending below the cord rewinder and in at least partial register with the clean air outlet.

Assignees

• Bissell Homecare Inc
• Bissell Inc

Inventors

• Tran Phong Hoang
• Vantongeren Todd Richard

Classifications

• A47L9/0494

  Height adjustment of dust-loosening tools · CPC title

• A47L9/0444

  for conveying motion by endless flexible members, e.g. belts · CPC title

• A47L9/122

  flat · CPC title

• A47L9/2857

  User input or output elements for control, e.g. buttons, switches or displays · CPC title

• A47L5/34

  with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools · CPC title