Surface cleaning apparatus

Inventor: Wayne Ernest Conrad (Hampton, CA)

Assignee: Omachron Intellectual Property Inc.

A47L5/24 A47L9/102 A47L9/1409 A47L9/16 A47L9/1666 A47L9/1683 A47L9/2884 A47L9/322 B01D45/08 B01D45/16 B01D50/20 A47L9/2842 B01D2279/55

View Patent ↗

Loading inventors, assignments & file history…

Monitor This Case

Get email alerts when status or documents change.

Order Certified Copies

Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.

Order via The Patent Place →

Pre-filled with this patent's details

Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12678000
App. No.: 18/103,222
Filed: Jan 30, 2023
Granted: Jul 14, 2026
Kind: B2
Examiner: GUMP, MICHAEL ANTHONY
Art Unit: 3723
USPC: 15/344

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

A hand vacuum cleaner has an air treatment chamber comprising an air inlet, an air outlet, a front end comprising a front door and a rear end. The front door is moveable between an open position in which the air treatment chamber is opened and a closed position. The air treatment chamber further comprises a stationary portion and a moveable portion, the moveable portion is moveable with respect to the stationary portion between an open position in which the air treatment chamber is opened and a closed position.

Claims (25)

1 . A hand vacuum cleaner having a front end, a rear end and a longitudinal axis extending between the front and rear ends, the hand vacuum cleaner comprising:

(a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;

(b) an air treatment assembly comprising a front end, a rear end, and an air treatment chamber, the air treatment chamber comprising an air inlet and an air outlet, the front end of the air treatment assembly comprising a front door; and,

wherein, the front door is moveable between an open position in which the air treatment assembly is opened and a closed position, and

wherein the air treatment assembly further comprises a sidewall extending longitudinally between the front and rear ends of the air treatment assembly, a stationary portion comprising a first portion of the sidewall and a moveable portion comprising a second portion of the sidewall, the moveable portion is moveably connected to the stationary portion, and

wherein, with the front door in the closed position, the moveable portion is moveable with respect to the stationary portion in a single motion during which the moveable portion moves in a single direction from a closed position in which an inner surface of the first and second portions of the sidewall surround the air treatment assembly, to an open position, in which the air treatment assembly is opened at an opening other than the air inlet and dirt collected in the air treatment assembly is emptiable through the opening whereby, upon completion of the single motion, the moveable portion remains connected to the stationary portion and the air treatment assembly is open at the opening.

2 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the front end of the air treatment assembly comprises a front wall and the front door comprises part of the front wall.

3 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the air flow passage comprises an air inlet conduit extending downstream from the dirty air inlet and the air inlet conduit remains in position when the front door is opened.

4 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the air treatment assembly has an air treatment assembly axis that extends from a front wall provided at the front end of the air treatment assembly to a rear wall provided at the rear end of the air treatment assembly and the front door comprises the front wall, wherein, when the front door is in the open position, the front end of the air treatment assembly has an opening and the opening has a cross sectional area in a plane transverse to the air treatment assembly axis that is comparable to a cross sectional area in a second plane transverse to the air treatment assembly axis of the rear wall.

5 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 4 wherein the air flow passage comprises an air inlet conduit extending downstream from the dirty air inlet and the air inlet conduit remains in position when the front door is opened.

6 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 5 wherein the dirty air inlet is provided at an upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner, and the front door is moveable mounted at a location below the air inlet conduit and the hand vacuum cleaner further comprises a pistol grip handle that extends downwardly from another sidewall of the hand vacuum cleaner.

7 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the air treatment assembly has an air treatment assembly axis that extends from a front wall provided at the front end of the air treatment assembly to a rear wall provided at the rear end of the air treatment assembly and the first portion of the sidewall partially surrounds at least a first portion of an axial length of the air treatment assembly and the second portion of the sidewall partially surrounds a second portion of the axial length of the air treatment assembly.

8 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the moveable portion is rotatably mounted.

9 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 8 wherein a rear end of the moveable portion is rotatably mounted.

10 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the second portion of the sidewall comprises laterally opposed side walls and a bottom wall of the air treatment assembly and the first portion of the sidewall comprises an upper wall of the air treatment assembly.

11 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 10 wherein the second portion of the sidewall comprises all of the laterally opposed side walls of the air treatment assembly that are downstream from the air inlet of the air treatment chamber.

12 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the moveable portion is generally U-shaped in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis.

13 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein, when the hand vacuum cleaner is in use to clean a floor, the hand vacuum cleaner has an upper end, and a front end of the moveable portion moves downwardly from the closed position to the open position.

14 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the air treatment assembly has an air treatment assembly axis that extends from a front wall provided at the front end of the air treatment assembly to a rear wall provided at the rear end of the air treatment assembly, the front end of the air treatment assembly comprises the front wall and the front door comprises part of the front wall and the first portion of the sidewall partially surrounds at least a first portion of an axial length of the air treatment assembly and the second portion of the sidewall partially surrounds a second portion of the axial length of the air treatment assembly.

15 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the front end of the air treatment assembly comprises a rotatably mounted front door and the moveable portion comprises a rotatably mounted bottom wall of the air treatment assembly.

16 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 15 wherein the air outlet of the air treatment chamber is located at the rear end of the air treatment assembly and a rear end of the moveable portion is rotatably mounted.

17 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 16 wherein the front door is rotatably mounted at a location below the dirty air inlet.

18 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 15 wherein the air treatment assembly has an air treatment assembly axis that extends from a front wall provided at the front end of the air treatment assembly to a rear wall provided at the rear end of the air treatment assembly, and the moveable portion surrounds at least a first portion of an axial length of the air treatment assembly and the stationary portion surrounds a second portion of the axial length of the air treatment assembly.

19 . The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the moveable portion is rotatably connected to the stationary portion and the single motion is a rotational motion.