Surface cleaning apparatus with enhanced operability

1. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a floor cleaning head having a dirty air inlet;

b) an upright section movably mounted to the surface cleaning head and movable between a storage position and an in use position;

c) a portable cleaning unit detachably mounted to the upright section and comprising a suction motor and an air treatment member positioned in the air flow passage, wherein the cleaning unit is operable in a first configuration wherein the cleaning unit is mounted to the upright section and is in air flow communication with the floor cleaning head, and a second configuration in which the cleaning unit is detached from the upright section; and

d) the air treatment member comprising a filtration member housing having a housing air inlet, a housing air outlet, at least one cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber, and the filtration member housing being sealed when detached from the cleaning unit except for the housing air inlet and the air outlet;

wherein the filtration member housing is detachable from the portable cleaning unit when the portable cleaning unit is in the first configuration and when the portable cleaning unit is in the second configuration.

2. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the portable cleaning unit comprises a motor housing containing the suction motor and wherein the filtration member is positioned on the suction motor housing when mounted to the portable cleaning unit.

3. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the filtration member housing is detachably coupled to the suction motor housing.

4. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein an upper portion of the suction motor housing is exposed when the filtration member housing is detached.

5. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the filtration member is seated directly on the suction motor housing when mounted to the portable cleaning unit.

6. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pre-motor filter that is positioned above the suction motor and below the filtration member housing when the filtration member housing is attached to the portable cleaning unit.

7. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the cleaning unit is in the first configuration the air flow path between the floor cleaning head and the cleaning unit comprises a flexible hose, and wherein when the cleaning unit is in the second configuration the cleaning unit is in air flow communication with the floor cleaning head via the flexile hose.

8. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pre-motor filter wherein the pre-motor filter is disposed in a filter chamber, and wherein when the filtration member housing is attached to the cleaning unit the filtration member housing seals the filter chamber, and the filter chamber is open when the filtration member housing is detached.

9. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the filtration member housing comprises a bottom wall that is openable to empty the dirt collection chamber when the filtration member housing is detached, and wherein the filter chamber is sealed by the bottom wall when the filtration member housing is attached to the cleaning unit.

10. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pre-motor filter, wherein at least a portion of the pre-motor filter is exposed when the filtration member housing is removed from the portable cleaning unit.

11. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of an upstream side of the pre-motor filter is exposed when the filtration member housing is removed from the portable cleaning unit.

12. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cyclone chamber has a longitudinal cyclone axis and the suction motor comprises an axis of rotation and the axis of rotation is parallel to the cyclone axis.

13. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the housing air outlet is in a bottom wall of the filtration member housing and the suction motor axis of rotation is aligned with the housing air outlet.

14. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a pre-motor filter upstream from the suction motor and downstream from the housing air outlet when the filtration member housing is attached to the portable cleaning unit, the pre-motor filter comprising a generally planar upstream side extending in a plane that is generally orthogonal to the cyclone axis.

15. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cyclone chamber comprises a cyclone air outlet upstream from the housing air outlet and wherein a conduit section extending between the cyclone air outlet and the housing air outlet is disposed within the dirt collection chamber.

16. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the dirt collection chamber is disposed between the cyclone chamber and the suction motor when the filtration housing member is attached to the cleaning unit.

17. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the surface cleaning unit is connectable in air flow communication to the surface cleaning head when in the second configuration.

18. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cyclone chamber and dirt collection chamber are integrally formed with each other.

19. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the dirt collection chamber at least partially surrounds the cyclone chamber.

20. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the portable cleaning unit comprises a motor housing containing the suction motor and the motor housing houses a post motor filter.

21. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the post motor filter is provided in a front side of the motor housing.

22. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the post motor filter is positioned between the suction motor and a clean air outlet of the upright surface cleaning apparatus.

23. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 22 , wherein air travels through the post motor filter in a direction orthogonal to an axis of rotation of the suction motor.

24. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the portable cleaning unit comprises a motor housing containing the suction motor, the suction motor having an axis of rotation, and the motor housing houses a pre-motor filter and a post motor filter, wherein air travels axially to the pre-motor filter from the housing air outlet.

25. The upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 24 , wherein air travels through the post motor filter in a direction orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the suction motor.

26. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a floor cleaning head having a dirty air inlet;

b) an upright section movably mounted to the surface cleaning head and movable between a storage position and an in use position;

c) a portable cleaning unit detachably mounted to the upright section and comprising a suction motor and an air treatment member positioned in the air flow passage, wherein the cleaning unit is operable in a first configuration wherein the cleaning unit is mounted to the upright section and is in air flow communication with the floor cleaning head, and a second configuration in which the cleaning unit is detached from the upright section; and

d) the air treatment member comprising a filtration member housing having a housing air inlet, a housing air outlet, at least one cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber, and the filtration member housing being sealed when detached from the cleaning unit except for the housing air inlet and the air outlet;

wherein the filtration member housing is detachable when the portable cleaning unit is in the first configuration and when the portable cleaning unit is in the second configuration and wherein the filtration housing member comprises a carry handle, and wherein the cleaning unit is carryable via the carry handle when the filtration member housing is attached to the portable cleaning unit, and the carry handle is detachable with the filtration member housing whereby the filtration member housing is carryable via the carry handle when the filtration member housing is detached from the portable cleaning unit.

27. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

a) a floor cleaning head having a dirty air inlet;

b) an upright section movably mounted to the surface cleaning head and movable between a storage position and an in use position;

c) a portable cleaning unit detachably mounted to the upright section and comprising a suction motor and an air treatment member positioned in the air flow passage, wherein the cleaning unit is operable in a first configuration wherein the cleaning unit is mounted to the upright section and is in air flow communication with the floor cleaning head, and a second configuration in which the cleaning unit is detached from the upright section; and

d) the air treatment member comprising a filtration member housing having a housing air inlet, a housing air outlet, at least one cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber, and the filtration member housing being sealed when detached from the cleaning unit except for the housing air inlet and the air outlet;

wherein the filtration member housing is detachable when the portable cleaning unit is in the first configuration and when the portable cleaning unit is in the second configuration and wherein the filtration member housing is disposed above and overlies the suction motor when the cleaning unit is in the first configuration.