Surface cleaning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11478117-B2
Application number	US-202016801884-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2020
Priority date	Aug 29, 2016
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

A surface cleaning apparatus comprises a cyclone positioned in an air flow path having a tangential air inlet with an inlet end, an outlet end, a cross-sectional flow area in a direction of flow through the tangential air inlet, a height in a direction of the cyclone axis of rotation and a width in a direction transverse to the height of the tangential air inlet. The air flow path comprises an air flow conduit at the inlet end of the tangential inlet having a cross-sectional flow area in a direction transverse to a direction of flow through the air flow conduit. The cross-sectional flow area of the tangential air inlet is greater than the cross-sectional flow area of the air flow conduit and one of the width and height of the tangential air inlet is greater than the other of the width and height of the tangential air inlet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
(a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet provided at a front end of the surface cleaning apparatus to a clean air outlet;
(b) a cyclone positioned in the air flow path, the cyclone having a tangential air inlet, a cyclone air outlet and a cyclone axis of rotation, the tangential air inlet has an inlet end, an outlet end, and a cross-sectional flow area in a direction of flow through the tangential air inlet; and,
(c) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path,
wherein the surface cleaning apparatus has a central longitudinal axis that extends rearwardly from the front end of the surface cleaning apparatus, and
wherein the air flow path comprises an air flow conduit at the inlet end of the tangential inlet, the air flow conduit has a cross-sectional flow area in a direction transverse to a direction of flow through the air flow conduit, and,
wherein the tangential air inlet has a width in a direction of the central longitudinal axis and a height in a direction of the cyclone axis of rotation, the cyclone axis of rotation extending in a plane that is transverse to the central longitudinal axis and the height of the tangential air inlet is greater than the width of the tangential air inlet.

2. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the height of the tangential air inlet is 1.2 or more greater than the width of the tangential air inlet.

3. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the height of the tangential air inlet is 1.4 or more greater than the width of the tangential air inlet.

4. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein a cross-sectional shape of the tangential air inlet in a direction transverse to the direction of flow through the tangential air inlet is rectangular or ovaloid.

5. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the cross-sectional shape of the tangential air inlet is D shaped.

6. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a transition member extending between the air flow conduit and the tangential air inlet wherein an outlet end of the transition member has a cross-sectional area in a direction of flow through the transition member that is greater than a cross-sectional area of an inlet end of the transition member in the direction of flow through the transition member and the transition member extends linearly from the inlet end of the transition member to the outlet end of the transition member.

7. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 6 wherein the transition member extends linearly from an inlet end of the transition member to an outlet end of the transition member and the inlet end of the transition member has a circular cross-sectional area and the outlet end of the transition member has a non-circular cross-sectional area.

8. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein the inlet end of the tangential air inlet has a same cross-sectional shape in the direction of flow through the tangential air inlet as the outlet end of the transition member.

9. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 6 wherein the inlet end of the tangential air inlet has a same cross-sectional shape in the direction of flow through the tangential air inlet as the outlet end of the transition member.

10. A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
(a) an air flow path from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
(b) a cyclone positioned in the air flow path, the cyclone having a tangential air inlet, a cyclone air outlet and a cyclone axis of rotation, the tangential air inlet has an inlet end, an outlet end, a cross-sectional flow area in a direction of flow through the tangential air inlet, a height in a direction of the cyclone axis of rotation and a width in a direction transverse to the height of the tangential air inlet;
(c) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path; and,
(d) a transition member positioned at the inlet end of the tangential inlet, wherein an outlet end of the transition member has a non-circular cross-sectional area in a direction of flow through the transition member, an inlet end of the transition member has a circular cross-sectional area in the direction of flow through the transition member and the transition member extends linearly from the inlet end of the transition member to the outlet end of the transition member.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein the inlet end of the transition member has a circular cross-sectional area and the outlet end of the transition member has a non-circular cross-sectional area.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 11 wherein the inlet end of the tangential air inlet has a same cross-sectional shape in the direction of flow through the tangential air inlet as the outlet end of the transition member.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein the inlet end of the tangential air inlet has a same cross-sectional shape in the direction of flow through the tangential air inlet as the outlet end of the transition member.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein one of the width and height of the tangential air inlet is 1.2 or more greater than the other of the width and height of the tangential air inlet.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein a cross-sectional shape of the tangential air inlet in a direction transverse to the direction of flow through the tangential air inlet is rectangular or ovaloid.

16. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 15 wherein the cross-sectional shape of the tangential air inlet is D shaped.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein the height of the tangential air inlet is 1.2 or more greater than the width of the tangential air inlet.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein an outlet end of the transition member has a cross-sectional area in a direction of flow through the transition member that is greater than a cross-sectional area of the inlet end of the transition member in the direction of flow through the transition member.

19. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein the cross-sectional area of the outlet end of the transition member is ovaloid.

Assignees

• Omachron Intellectual Property Inc

Inventors

• Conrad Wayne Ernest
• Conrad Nina
• Petersen Dave

Classifications

• A47L5/36

  Suction cleaners with hose between nozzle and casing; Suction cleaners for fixing on staircases; Suction cleaners for carrying on the back · CPC title

• A47L9/16

  Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action · CPC title

• A47L5/28 Primary

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

• A47L9/1683

  Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles · 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