Surface cleaning apparatus

1 . A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

(a) a first air flow path from a first dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;

(b) a suction motor in the first air flow path; and,

(c) an air treatment member provided in the first air flow path,

wherein the air flow path comprises a rigid wand having a longitudinally extending wand axis and an internal flow conduit volume, the rigid wand comprises an expandable conduit that is adjustable from a first configuration, which has a first cross-sectional area, to a second configuration, which has a second cross-sectional area that is different to the first cross-sectional area, and

wherein the expandable conduit comprises a first longitudinally extending wand portion that is moveable with respect to a second longitudinally extending wand portion whereby the expandable conduit is adjustable from the first configuration to the second configuration and,

wherein the first longitudinally extending wand portion is moveable with respect to the second longitudinally extending wand portion in a direction transverse to the direction of air flow through the air flow path.

2 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the expandable conduit is removably receivable in a second conduit.

3 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the expandable conduit is positioned upstream of the air treatment member.

4 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaning apparatus is operable in a floor cleaning mode and an above floor cleaning mode, in the floor cleaning mode the expandable conduit has the first cross-sectional area and in the above floor cleaning mode the expandable conduit has the second cross-sectional area, the second cross-sectional area is larger than the first cross-sectional area.

5 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second cross-sectional area is at least 15 % larger than the first cross-sectional area.

6 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein, in an above floor cleaning mode, a flexible hose is in air flow communication with the air treatment member at a location upstream of the air treatment member and the expandable conduit is adjustable to provide a cross-sectional area that is approximately equal to a cross-sectional area of the flexible hose.

7 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaning apparatus is operable in a floor cleaning mode and an above floor cleaning mode, in a first cleaning mode, the first air flow path extends from the first dirty air inlet to the clean air outlet and includes the expandable conduit and the air treatment member, in a second cleaning mode, a second air flow path extends from a second dirty air inlet to the clean air outlet and includes the expandable conduit, a flexible hose and the air treatment member.

8 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 7 wherein the expandable conduit is adjustable to provide a cross-sectional area that is approximately equal to a cross-sectional area of the flexible hose.

9 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the expandable conduit comprises a resilient member.

10 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaning apparatus comprises:

(a) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head having the first dirty air inlet, an upper section and a floor cleaning unit air flow path extending from the first dirty air inlet to a floor cleaning unit air outlet, the upper section being moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and an inclined floor cleaning position; and,

(b) a portable surface cleaning apparatus that is removably mountable to the floor cleaning unit, the portable surface cleaning apparatus comprising a portable surface cleaning apparatus air flow path extending from a portable surface cleaning apparatus dirty air inlet to the clean air outlet, the portable surface cleaning apparatus air flow path including the air treatment member, the suction motor, an upstream portion extending from the portable surface cleaning apparatus dirty air inlet to the air treatment member and a downstream portion extending from the air treatment member to the clean air outlet,

wherein the surface cleaning apparatus is operable in a floor cleaning mode in which the portable surface cleaning apparatus is mounted to the floor cleaning unit and an above floor cleaning mode in which the portable surface cleaning apparatus is removed from the floor cleaning unit.

11 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 wherein the expandable conduit is part of the floor cleaning unit air flow path.

12 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 wherein the resilient member is positioned inside the expandable conduit.

13 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 12 wherein the resilient member forms an inner surface of the expandable conduit.

14 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second longitudinally extending wand portions form an adjustable exterior rigid frame.

15 . The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first longitudinally extending wand portion is at least partially nested in the second longitudinally extending wand portion in the first configuration, and the first longitudinally extending wand portion is positioned outwardly with respect to the second longitudinally extending wand portion in the second configuration.