Handheld surface cleaning apparatus

1. A hand vacuum cleaner having a front end, a rear end, an upper end, a lower end, a handle and first and second laterally spaced apart sides and comprises:

(a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet, the dirty air inlet is positioned at the front end of the hand vacuum cleaner;

(b) a cyclone assembly positioned in the air flow path and having a cyclone assembly air inlet, a cyclone assembly air outlet, a dirt collection region, a first end, a longitudinally opposed second end and a centrally positioned cyclone axis of rotation extending between the first and second ends, the cyclone axis of rotation is oriented generally horizontally;

(c) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path upstream of the clean air outlet, the suction motor is positioned in a suction motor housing; and,

(d) a longitudinally extending battery pack comprising a row of batteries wherein the cyclone axis of rotation intersects the row of batteries,

wherein the row of batteries is positioned exterior to the handle, and

wherein a portion of the dirt collection region is located below a portion of the battery pack, and

wherein the row of batteries is spaced from the handle such that the row of batteries is between the handle and the cyclone assembly.

2. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection region has an upper portion and a lower portion and the lower portion of the dirt collection region is positioned rearwardly of the upper portion of the dirt collection region.

3. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein the dirt collection region comprises a dirt collection chamber external to a cyclone chamber wherein, a rear wall of the dirt collection chamber is at a first angle to a vertical axis.

4. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 3 wherein the battery pack is located in a battery pack chamber, wherein the battery pack chamber has a front wall that is at a second angle to the vertical axis.

5. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 4 wherein the first and second angles are about the same.

6. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the battery pack is removably receivable in the hand vacuum cleaner.

7. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection region comprises a dirt collection chamber external to a cyclone chamber, wherein the battery pack is removably receivable in the hand vacuum cleaner, a rear wall of the dirt collection chamber is at a first angle to a vertical axis and the battery pack has a front wall that is at a second angle to the vertical axis, wherein the first and second angles are about the same.

8. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection region is at a lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner and the battery pack is slidably insertable into the lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner.

9. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the dirty air inlet is positioned at the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner and a portion of the dirt collection region is located below a portion of the battery pack.

10. A hand vacuum cleaner having a front end, a rear end, an upper end, a lower end and first and second laterally spaced apart sides and comprising:

(a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet, the dirty air inlet is provided at the front end of the hand vacuum cleaner and at the upper end of the hand vacuum cleaner;

(b) a cyclone assembly positioned in the air flow path and having a cyclone assembly air inlet, a cyclone assembly air outlet, a dirt collection region, a front end, a longitudinally opposed rear end and a centrally positioned cyclone axis of rotation extending between the front and rear ends, the cyclone axis of rotation is oriented horizontally;

(c) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path upstream of the clean air outlet; and,

(d) a plurality of energy storage members

wherein,

i) the plurality of energy storage members are positioned forward of the suction motor,

ii) the plurality of energy storage members are arranged one above another in a generally vertically extending configuration, the configuration having a forward side and a rearward side,

iii) a lower end of the forward side of the configuration of energy storage members is positioned rearward of an another portion of the forward side of the configuration,

iv) a portion of the dirt collection region is located below at least a portion of one of the energy storage members, and

v) the row of batteries is spaced from the handle such that the row of batteries is between the handle and the cyclone assembly.

11. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 10 wherein the dirt collection region has an upper portion and a lower portion and the lower portion of the dirt collection region is positioned rearwardly of the upper portion of the dirt collection region.

12. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 11 wherein the dirt collection region comprises a dirt collection chamber external to a cyclone chamber, wherein a rear wall of the dirt collection chamber is at a first angle to a vertical axis.

13. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 12 wherein the energy storage members are located in an energy storage member chamber, and the energy storage member chamber has a front wall that is at a second angle to the vertical axis.

14. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 13 wherein the first and second angles are about the same.

15. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 10 wherein the configuration of energy storage members extends generally linearly.

16. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 15 wherein the energy storage members are removably receivable in the hand vacuum cleaner.

17. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection region comprises a dirt collection chamber external to a cyclone chamber, wherein the energy storage members are removably receivable in the hand vacuum cleaner, a rear wall of the dirt collection chamber is at a first angle to a vertical axis and the configuration of energy storage members has a front side that is at a second angle to the vertical axis, wherein the first and second angles are about the same.

18. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein the dirt collection region is at a lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner and the energy storage members are slidably insertable into the lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner.

19. A hand vacuum cleaner having a front end, a rear end, an upper end, a lower end and first and second laterally spaced apart sides and comprising:

(a) an air flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet, the dirty air inlet has a flow direction when the hand vacuum cleaner is in operation, the dirty air inlet is located at the front end of the hand vacuum cleaner;

(b) a cyclone assembly positioned in the air flow path and having a cyclone assembly air inlet, a cyclone assembly air outlet, a dirt collection region, a front end, a longitudinally opposed rear end and a centrally positioned cyclone axis of rotation extending between the front and rear ends, the cyclone axis of rotation is oriented horizontally;

(c) a suction motor positioned in the air flow path upstream of the clean air outlet; and,

(d) a power pack comprising a plurality of energy storage members that are arranged in a row wherein the row is oriented generally vertically with an upper end of the row positioned forwardly of a lower end of the row,

wherein at least a portion of the dirt collection region is below at least a portion of the power pack, and

wherein the row of batteries is spaced from the handle such that the row of batteries is between the handle and the cyclone assembly.

20. The hand vacuum cleaner of claim 19 wherein the dirt collection region comprises a dirt collection chamber external to a cyclone chamber, wherein the dirt collection region is at a lower end of the hand vacuum cleaner and a rear wall of the dirt collection chamber is located proximate a front side of the power pack.