Vacuum cleaner and docking station for use with the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11998150-B2
Application number	US-202016864538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2020
Priority date	May 1, 2019
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

A docking station for a vacuum cleaner may include a receptacle configured to engage at least a portion of the vacuum cleaner such that, in response to engaging the receptacle, a vacuum cleaner flow path extending within the vacuum cleaner is transitioned from a cleaning flow path to an evacuation flow path, a suction motor of the vacuum cleaner being configured to urge air along the vacuum cleaner flow path and a docking station dust cup configured to receive debris from a vacuum cleaner dust cup of the vacuum cleaner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A docking station for a vacuum cleaner having a cleaner dust cup with a filter, the docking station comprising:
a receptacle configured to engage at least a portion of the vacuum cleaner such that, in response to engaging the receptacle, a vacuum cleaner flow path extending within the vacuum cleaner is transitioned from a cleaning flow path to an evacuation flow path, wherein transitioning from the cleaning flow path to the evacuation flow path includes causing an evacuation hatch of the cleaner dust cup to open an evacuation opening of the cleaner dust cup and causing an inlet hatch of the cleaner dust cup to close an inlet of the cleaner dust cup, a suction motor of the vacuum cleaner being configured to urge air along the vacuum cleaner flow path, wherein air flowing along the evacuation flow path flows through the filter in a direction opposite to that of air flowing along the cleaning flow path; and
a docking station dust cup configured to receive debris from the cleaner dust cup through the evacuation opening in response to the suction motor of the vacuum cleaner urging air along the evacuation flow path.

2. The docking station of claim 1 , further comprising a base and an upright section extending from the base, the receptacle being coupled to the upright section.

3. The docking station of claim 1 , wherein the receptacle defines at least a portion of a bypass channel, the evacuation flow path extending through the bypass channel.

4. The docking station of claim 3 , wherein the bypass channel includes a turbine configured to be rotated in response to air moving along the evacuation flow path.

5. The docking station of claim 4 , wherein rotation of the turbine causes a wiper within the vacuum cleaner to move relative to the filter.

6. A vacuum cleaner configured to engage a docking station having a docking station dust cup, the vacuum cleaner comprising:
a vacuum assembly configured such that, in response to the vacuum assembly engaging the docking station, a vacuum cleaner flow path extending within the vacuum assembly transitions from a cleaning flow path to an evacuation flow path, the vacuum assembly including:
a vacuum cleaner dust cup having an inlet, an evacuation opening, an inlet hatch configured to selectively close the inlet, and an evacuation hatch configured to selectively close the evacuation opening, wherein, when the vacuum assembly is transitioned from the cleaning flow path to the evacuation flow path, the evacuation hatch is opened and the inlet hatch is closed;
a filter; and
a suction motor configured to urge air along the vacuum cleaner flow path, wherein, when the suction motor urges air to flow along the evacuation flow path, the air flows through the filter in a direction opposite to that of air flowing along the cleaning flow path and urges debris through the evacuation opening of the vacuum cleaner dust cup into the docking station dust cup.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6 , wherein the vacuum assembly includes a wiper, the wiper being configured to move relative to the filter.

8. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7 , wherein the wiper is configured to oscillate along an arcuate path, the arcuate path generally corresponding to a shape of the filter.

9. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7 , wherein the wiper defines a wiper channel, the wiper channel being configured to increase a velocity of air flowing therethrough.

10. The vacuum cleaner of claim 9 , wherein the evacuation flow path extends through the wiper channel.

11. The vacuum cleaner of claim 7 , wherein the wiper is configured to move in response to a rotation of a turbine.

12. A cleaning system comprising:
a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner including a vacuum assembly, the vacuum assembly including:
a vacuum cleaner dust cup having an inlet, an evacuation opening, an inlet hatch configured to selectively close the inlet, and an evacuation hatch configured to selectively close the evacuation opening;
a filter; and
a suction motor configured to urge air along a cleaning flow path; and

a docking station, the docking station including:
a receptacle configured to engage at least a portion of the vacuum cleaner such that, in response to at least a portion the vacuum cleaner engaging the receptacle, the cleaning flow path is transitioned to an evacuation flow path by transitioning the evacuation hatch to an open position and the inlet hatch to a closed position, the suction motor being further configured to urge air along the evacuation flow path, wherein air flowing along the evacuation flow path flows through the filter in a direction opposite to that of air flowing along the cleaning flow path; and
a docking station dust cup configured to receive debris from the evacuation opening of the vacuum cleaner dust cup in response to the suction motor of the vacuum cleaner urging air along the evacuation flow path.

13. The cleaning system of claim 12 , wherein the docking station further includes a base and an upright section extending from the base, the receptacle being coupled to the upright section.

14. The cleaning system of claim 12 , wherein the receptacle defines at least a portion of a bypass channel, the evacuation flow path extending through the bypass channel.

15. The cleaning system of claim 14 , wherein the bypass channel includes a turbine configured to be rotated in response to air moving along the evacuation flow path.

16. The cleaning system of claim 15 , wherein the vacuum assembly includes a wiper, the wiper being configured to move in response to rotation of the turbine.

17. The cleaning system of claim 16 , wherein the wiper defines a wiper channel, the wiper channel being configured to increase a velocity of air flowing therethrough.

18. The cleaning system of claim 17 , wherein the evacuation flow path extends through the wiper channel.

Assignees

• Sharkninja Operating Llc

Inventors

• Innes Daniel J
• Brown Andre D
• Thorne Jason B
• Xu Kai
• Liu Sam

Classifications

• A47L11/4025 Primary

  Means for emptying · CPC title

• A47L9/12

  Dry filters · CPC title

• A47L9/20

  Means for cleaning filters · CPC title

• A47L9/2873 Primary

  Docking units or charging stations (for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02) · CPC title

• A47L11/4033

  Means for cleaning filters · CPC title