Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A Cleaning Appliance
This invention relates to a cleaning appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner.
The majority of vacuum cleaners are either of the 'upright' type or of the
'cylinder'
type. Cylinder appliances are called canister or barrel machines in some
countries.
An example of a cylinder vacuum cleaner manufactured by Dyson Limited is shown
in Figure 1, and is indicated generally by the reference numeral 1.
A typical cylinder vacuum cleaner 1 comprises a main body 2 containing
separating
apparatus 3, such as a cyclonic separator or a bag for separating dirt and
dust from an
incoming dirty airflow. The dirty airflow is introduced to the main body 2 via
a
suction hose 4 and a wand assembly 5, which is connected to the main body 2. A
cleaning tool 6 is attached to the remote end of the hose and wand assembly
4,5. The
main body 2 of the cleaner 1 is dragged along by the hose 4 as a user moves
around a
room.
A problem that may be encountered with conventional vacuum cleaners is that,
in
certain circumstances, the main body of the vacuum cleaner may become upset
from
the normal upright position shown in Figure 1. For example, if the user pulls
upwardly on the hose when the cleaner is in use, the main body of the cleaner
may tilt
backwards, bringing the rear portion of the main body towards a floor surface.
If the
user continues to drag the cleaner along by the hose in this tipped-back
position,
damage may occur to the floor surface due to the rear portion bearing against,
and
being dragged along, the floor. Furthermore, use of the cleaner in the tipped-
back
position may be detrimental to the performance of the appliance.
The invention provides a cleaning appliance comprising a main body having a
rear
portion and means arranged to allow the main body to travel across a floor
surface,
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the rear portion being spaced from the floor surface in normal use and having
a wheel
arranged so that, if the main body is tilted so that the rear portion is
brought towards
the floor surface, the wheel contacts the floor surface.
The provision of a wheel on the rear portion permits the cleaner to be pulled
across a
floor surface when the main body is in the tipped-back position, whilst
preventing the
rear portion from scraping against the floor. Thus, damage to the floor
surface is
prevented.
Advantageously, the wheel is arranged on the rear portion so that, in the
tipped-back
position, the centre of gravity of the main body acts to return the main body
to its
normal upright position. This may be effected by selection of the size,
position and
projection of the wheel. This feature ensures that the main body does not
remain in a
position that may cause the performance of the separating apparatus to be
adversely
affected.
Use of the term "wheel" is intended to encompass rollers and rolling surfaces
in
general.
The wheel may be incorporated in a housing that is fixed with respect to the
main
body of the cleaner. Alternatively, the wheel rnay be permitted to swivel with
respect
to the main body.
Although the invention is described in detail below with reference to a vacuum
cleaner, it will be appreciated that the invention can also be applied to
other forms of
cleaning appliance. The term "cleaning appliance" is intended to have a broad
meaning, and includes a wide range of machines having a main body and a hose
for
carrying fluid to or from a floor surface. It includes, inter alia, machines
which only
apply suction to the surface, such as vacuum cleaners (dry, wet and wet/dry
variants),
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so as to draw material from the surface, as well as machines which apply
material to
the surface, such as polishing/waxing machines, pressure washing machines and
shampooing machines.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 shows a conventional vacuum cleaner of the cylinder type;
Figure 2 is a side view of a vacuum cleaner in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention, with the hose omitted for clarity;
Figure 3 is a rear view of the vacuum cleaner of Figure 2; and
Figure 4 is a side view of the cleaner of Figures 2 and 3 in a tipped-back
position.
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the specification.
With reference to Figures 2 and 3, a cleaning appliance constructed according
to the
invention is shown in the form of a vacuum cleaner 7. The vacuum cleaner 7 has
a
main body ~, which supports the main components of the vacuum cleaner. In a
traditional manner, the main body ~ has a chassis 9 which supports separating
and
collecting apparatus 10 and a motor-driven fan (not shown) for generating
suction
which draws dirt-laden air into the separating apparatus. The main body ~ also
has
means for allowing the cleaner 7 to be moved across a floor surface 11. In
this
embodiment two side wheels 12, one on each side of the chassis 9, are
provided. A
further wheel in the form of a castor wheel 13 is provided, located beneath
the front
portion of the chassis 9. The side wheels 12, and castor wheel 13 could be
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supplemented, or replaced, by other means for allowing the main body 8 to be
moved
across a surface, such as skids or rollers.
The separating apparatus 10 as a whole is removably mounted on the chassis 9
for
emptying and for access to other components located beneath the separating
apparatus.
The form of the separating apparatus 10 is not important to the invention.
Whilst it is
preferred to use cyclonic separators which spin dirt, dust and.debris from the
airflow,
other forms of separator can be used. Examples of suitable separator
technology
include an inertial separator, a filter bag, a porous container, an
electrostatic separator
or a liquid-based separator.
A flexible hose (not shown for clarity) is connectable to an inlet port 14 on
the main
body 8. Ducting forming part of the chassis 9 connects the air inlet port 14
to an inlet
of the separating apparatus 10. The inlet to the cyclonic separating apparatus
10 is
arranged to guide an incoming airflow through an opening in the wall of the
cyclonic
separator in a tangential manner. The precise details of the ducting and the
cyclonic
separator 10 are immaterial to this invention.
The other end of the flexible hose is connectable to a wand, such as the wand
5
shown in Figure 1. The distal end of the wand 5 is adapted to adapted to
receive a
floor tool, such as the floor tool 6 shown in Figure 1, in any known manner.
A single continuous hose-receiving channel 15 is provided along the sides and
back
of the periphery of the chassis 9. The hose-receiving channel 15 defines part
of a
storage path for the hose and serves to guide and support the hose when it is
stored.
Channel 15 has a semicircular shape along most of its length and a diameter
that is
just greater than the hose that it retains.
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During use, the main body 8 of the cleaner is pulled along the floor surface
11 by the
hose as a user moves around a room. The hose has a construction which is
robust
enough to withstand this pulling action and any normal abrasion, which may be
5 encountered as the hose rubs against obstacles in a room.
In this embodiment, the air inlet port 14 is centrally mounted on the main
body 8 at
the forward, lower part of the machine. In alternative embodiments of the
machine
where the air inlet is not centrally positioned, such as the machine shown in
Figure 1
where the inlet is near the upper part of the separating apparatus 3, it is
preferable to
anchor the hose 4 to the machine at a central position (as with anchor point
16 in the
machine shown in Figure 1) so that when a user pulls the hose, the main body 2
follows the user.
The main body has a rear portion 17, which, in normal usage of the vacuum
cleaner,
is spaced from the floor surface 11 to be cleaned. The rear portion 17 has a
surface
18 that is generally transverse to the plane of the floor surface 11. In this
embodiment, the rear portion 17 includes part of the hose-receiving channel 15
and a
storage area 19 for tools 20, 21, 22, which are connectable to the distal end
of the
hose or the wand.
In certain circumstances, the vacuum cleaner 7 may become upset from the
upright
position shown in Figures 2 and 3. For example, if the user imparts an
excessive
upward force to the front of the vacuum cleaner 7 by pulling upwardly on the
hose,
this may have the effect of lifting the front end of the cleaner. This may be
sufficient
to cause a turning moment to be applied to the main body 8. Thus, the main
body 8
may tilt backwards, bringing the rear portion 17 towards the floor surface 11.
The
user may choose to continue to use the cleaner 7 in this tipped-back position
and pull
it along the floor. The cleaner 7 travels across the floor by means of the
side wheels
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12 that remain operable in this tilted position. This may result in damage to
the floor
surface 11, or parts of the cleaner itself, particularly those carried by the
rear portion
17 of the main body. Furthermore, operation of the separating apparatus 10 in
this
position may be detrimental to its performance.
In accordance with the invention, the rear portion 17 of the main body 8
carries a
wheel 23. Thus, if the main body 8 is tipped backwards from the upright
position, to
the extent that the rear portion 17 is brought towards the floor 11, the wheel
23
contacts the floor, as illustrated in Figure 4. This rear wheel 23 permits the
user to
continue to pull the cleaner 7 along in the tipped-back position without
causing
damage to the surface 11 of the floor. The cleaner 7 travels across the floor
surface
11 by means of the rear wheel 23 and the side wheels 12.
The size, position and projection of the wheel 23 are selected so that, in the
tipped-
back position, the wheel projects beyond any other rearwardly-projecting parts
of the
main body 8. As can be seen in Figure 4, the hose-receiving channel 15 and
tool
storage area 19 do not bear against.the floor surface 11 when the cleaner is
in the
tipped-back position.
The wheel 23 also provides protection for parts of the cleaner when in
storage. For
example, the position of the hose when stored on the cleaner is indicated by
the
broken lines 25. The provision of the wheel 23 on the rear surface 18 ensures
that
the hose is spaced from a floor surface if the main body 8 is tilted when the
cleaner is
not being used. This prevents the hose from being damaged by the weight of the
cleaner 7 bearing down upon it.
The size, position and projection of the wheel 23 are also arranged so that,
when the
cleaner is tilted backwards, the centre of gravity of the main body 8 does not
act
outside the base of the main body. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4,
the
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base of the main body 8 is defined by the side wheels 12. Thus, if the user
ceases to
pull upwards on the hose, thereby ceasing to apply an external turning moment
to the
main body 8, the main body will tend to right itself and return to the
position shown
in Figure 2.
In this embodiment, the rear wheel 23 has a housing 25 that is fixed with
respect to
the rear portion 17 so that the rotational axis of the rear wheel is
substantially parallel
to that of the side wheels 12. Other arrangements may be possible, such as a
castor
wheel capable of swivelling motion.
The rear wheel 23 need not be associated with a housing 24, but could instead
be
located on an axle that forms an integral part of the surface 18 of the rear
portion 19
of the appliance.
15~ The rear wheel 23 may be retractable for storage of the cleaner, for
example.
Naturally, a plurality of wheels or other rolling surfaces may be provided.
The invention has been described with reference to a cyclonic cylinder vacuum
cleaner, but may be applied to other forms of vacuum cleaner and other
cleaning
appliances.
