CONFIGURATION OF A SURFACE CLEANING APPARATUS
A reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus has a surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the floor cleaning unit. A straight air flow path is provided from the cyclone outlet to the pre-motor filter and from the pre-motor filter to the suction motor.
1 . A reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
b) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head comprising the dirty air inlet and a handle drivingly connected thereto, the handle moveable between a storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position; and,
c) a surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the floor cleaning unit and comprising:
(i) a first cyclone unit positioned in the air flow passage, the first cyclone unit comprising at least one cyclone comprising a cyclone air inlet, a cyclone air outlet, a cyclone axis and an axially extending outlet conduit;
(ii) a pre-motor filter positioned in the air flow passage downstream from the conduit;
(iii) a suction motor positioned in the air flow passage downstream from the pre-motor filter and having a suction motor axis; and,
(iv) the air flow passage includes a first air flow path portion that extends from the outlet conduit to the pre-motor filter and a second air flow path portion that extends from the pre-motor filter to the suction motor, wherein air travels downwardly through the first and second air flow path portions when the handle is the storage position,
wherein the first cyclone unit is positioned above the suction motor when the surface cleaning unit is mounted to the floor cleaning unit.
2 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein air travels downwardly through the pre-motor filter when the handle is the storage position.
3 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first cyclone unit is removable from the surface cleaning unit as a sealed unit other than air inlet and outlet ports.
4 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 3 wherein the first cyclone unit further comprises a dirt collection chamber exterior to the at least one cyclone and the at least one cyclone and the dirt collection chamber are concurrently openable.
5 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first cyclone unit is removable from the floor cleaning unit while remaining in air flow communication with the dirty air inlet.
6 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 5 wherein the air flow passage includes a third air flow path portion comprising a flexible conduit providing air flow communication between the surface cleaning head and the surface cleaning unit when the surface cleaning unit is mounted to the floor cleaning unit and removable with the surface cleaning unit when the surface cleaning unit is removed from the floor cleaning unit.
7 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaning unit is removably mounted to the handle.
8 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaning unit has a cyclone air inlet and the cyclone air inlet provides a sole mounting support by which the surface cleaning unit is mountable to the floor cleaning unit.
9 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaning unit has a cyclone air inlet and the cyclone air inlet provides the physical and air flow connections of the surface cleaning unit to the floor cleaning unit.
10 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein the surface cleaning unit has a cyclone air inlet and a lower portion positioned proximate a floor when the surface cleaning unit is used to clean a floor and the cyclone air inlet is positioned at the lower portion of the surface cleaning unit.
11 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a post motor filter wherein the post-motor filter has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the cyclone.
12 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a post motor filter having an upstream side and a downstream side and the post motor filter is oriented such that the cyclone axis and the suction motor axis extend through the upstream side and the downstream side.
13 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 12 the cyclone axis and the suction motor axis are aligned.
14 . A reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
a) an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
b) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head comprising the dirty air inlet and a handle drivingly connected thereto, the handle moveable between a storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position; and,
c) a surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the floor cleaning unit and comprising:
(iii) a first cyclone unit positioned in the air flow passage, the first cyclone unit comprising at least one cyclone comprising a cyclone air inlet, a cyclone air outlet, a cyclone axis and an axially extending outlet conduit;
(iv) a pre-motor filter having a motor axis and positioned in the air flow passage downstream from the conduit;
(iii) a suction motor positioned in the air flow passage downstream from the pre-motor filter and having a suction motor axis; and,
(iv) the air flow passage includes a first air flow path portion that extends from the outlet conduit to the pre-motor filter and a second air flow path portion that extends from the pre-motor filter to the suction motor, wherein air travels generally linearly through the first and second air flow path portions,
wherein the first cyclone unit is axially spaced from the suction motor.
15 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein air travels generally linearly through the pre-motor filter when the handle is the storage position.
16 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the first cyclone unit is removable from the surface cleaning unit as a sealed unit other than air inlet and outlet ports.
17 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 wherein the first cyclone unit further comprises a dirt collection chamber exterior to the at least one cyclone and the at least one cyclone and the dirt collection chamber are concurrently openable.
18 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the first cyclone unit is removable from the floor cleaning unit while remaining in air flow communication with the dirty air inlet.
19 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 18 wherein the air flow passage includes a third air flow path portion comprising a flexible conduit providing air flow communication between the surface cleaning head and the surface cleaning unit when the surface cleaning unit is mounted to the floor cleaning unit and removable with the surface cleaning unit when the surface cleaning unit is removed from the floor cleaning unit.
20 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the surface cleaning unit is removably mounted to the handle.
21 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the surface cleaning unit has a cyclone air inlet and the cyclone air inlet provides a sole mounting support by which the surface cleaning unit is mountable to the floor cleaning unit.
22 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the surface cleaning unit has a cyclone air inlet and the cyclone air inlet provides the physical and air flow connections of the surface cleaning unit to the floor cleaning unit.
23 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the surface cleaning unit has a cyclone air inlet and a lower portion positioned proximate a floor when the surface cleaning unit is used to clean a floor and the cyclone air inlet is positioned at the lower portion of the surface cleaning unit.
24 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein the cyclone and motor axis are generally parallel.
25 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a post motor filter wherein the post-motor filter has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the cyclone.
26 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a post motor filter having an upstream side and a downstream side and the post motor filter is oriented such that the cyclone axis and the suction motor axis extend through the upstream side and the downstream side.
27 . The reconfigurable upright surface cleaning apparatus of claim 26 the cyclone axis and the suction motor axis are aligned.