GB2516915A

GB2516915A - Vacuum cleaners

Info

Publication number: GB2516915A
Application number: GB201314072A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Barnsley
Original assignee: Techtronic Floor Care Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Techtronic Floor Care Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2013-08-06
Filing date: 2013-08-06
Publication date: 2015-02-11
Also published as: PL416097A1; RU2016107824A; WO2015019080A1; GB201314072D0

Abstract

A method of converting a conventional suction cleaner into a cleaner with a water filtration arrangement. The cleaner comprises a dust container 10 which is able to retain liquid such as water in a lowermost part thereof to provide a liquid filter, a source of suction 40 communicating with the container 10 for drawing air from the interior thereof at an upper part of the container 10, and an inlet 22 for suction airflow into the container 10 at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container 10, the method further comprising providing, within the container 10, an airflow-directing member 50, affording a passage extending downwardly from the inlet 22 to the lowermost part of the container 10 to, in use, discharge incoming air into the liquid filter, and a baffle member 70 adapted to extend over the outlet of the directing member 50 at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container 10. The airflow-directing member 50 and the baffle 70 can be provided as a kit of parts.

Description

Title: Vacuum cleaners Descrirtion of Invention This invention relates generally to suction cleaners (vacuum cleaners). More particularly, the invention relates to a means by which dust, entrained in the suction airflow drawn by the suction cleaner from whatever is being cleaned, is separated from the suction airflow and retained by the vacuum cleaner for disposal.

It is to be appreciated that when we refer herein to "dust" it is used as a general term to cover all the matter that a suction cleaner might be used to collect, rather than as a literal term referring solely to household or other dust.

In the domestic environment, the matter sucked up by a suction cleaner may include hairs, textile fibres, food particles, and items, particles or debris of organic or inorganic material which might range in size from microns to millimetres or even tens of millimetres.

For many years the most common method by which entrained dust has been separated from the suction airflow of a cleaner has been by a filtration process, i.e. passing the airflow through a filter element which will not pass, and therefore traps, particles greater than a certain size. The filtration may be effected by a dust-collection bag, having porous walls which trap the dust but allow air to flow therethrough. The interior of the bag is in fluid communication with an inlet and the bag is disposed in a chamber or compartment from which an electric motor-driven fan causes a stream of dust-laden air to be delivered to the inlet and, after passing through the bag, to be discharged to the ambient atmosphere (in most cases after further filtration. The inlet communicates with a cleaning head part of the cleaner, in the case of an "upright" cleaner, or a suction hose, in the case of a "cylinder" cleaner, which can be directed to an area requiring cleaning.

The filtration principle for dust removal has also been ulilised in cleaners of the tank or canister type, wherein an inlet hose communicates with a chamber from which air is drawn through a filter element provided at an exit from the chamber. Usually such an exit is provided at an upper part of the chamber.

Separated dust simply falls from the filter element into the chamber to await disposal.

More recently suction cleaners have utilised the so-called "cyclonic" principle of separating dust from the airflow. In this, dust separation is effected by the rapid swirling motion of airflow in one or more cyclone devices. A number of cyclone devices may be arranged to have the suction airflow passed successively through a first cyclone device or devices of relatively large size to remove large dust particles from the airflow, followed by a number of cyclone devices of smaller size to remove smaller dust particles from the airflow.

Yet a further technique for removing dust from the suction airflow is water filtration, wherein the suction airflow is caused to pass through a bath of water which may contain additives. Such water filtration is effective, but not commonly utilised; water contaminated with separated dust particles has to be emptied at intervals and replaced by clean water.

Nevertheless, water filtration is effective and is popular in some countries. The present invention is concerned with providing for water filtration in a cleaner which is of the tank or canister type! wherein the container in which separated dust is collected is suitable for containing a quantity of water for water filtration.

According to one aspect of the invention, we provide a method of converting a suction cleaner for water filtration, the cleaner comprising a container for separated dust, able to retain liquid in a lowermost part thereof, a source of suction communicating with the container for drawing air from the interior thereof at an upper part of the container, and an inlet for suction airflow into the container at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container, the method comprising providing, within the container: an airflow-directing member, affording a passage extending downwardly from the inlet to the lowermost part of the container to discharge incoming air in the lowermost part, and a baffle member adapted to extend over the outlet of the directing member at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container.

The invention also provides a kit of parts for converting a suction cleaner for water filtration, comprising an airflow directing member and a baffle member each of whose configuration may be as above set forth.

The passage afforded by the directing member may comprise at least one, and preferably each, of a first portion extending generally horizontally from the inlet; a second portion extending downwardly from the first portion, and a third portion extending generally horizontally from the second portion. The third portion may end at a position within the container remote from the inlet. In the case of a container which is generally cylindrical with its axis upright, the third passage portion may end generally diametrically opposite the inlet, in plan view.

The baffle member may, in the case of a cylindrical container as aforesaid extend across a generally semi-circular part of the container in which the end of the third passage portion lies.

The baffle member may be inclined downwardly towards a diameter of the container transversely of the inlet thereto.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the principal components of a suction cleaner adapted for water filtration in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional elevation of part of the cleaner shown in figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the suction cleaner there illustrated comprises a container indicated generally at 10, the container being generally cylindrical with an upright central axis, and having a peripheral wall 12 of cylindrical or slightly frusto-conical form, extending upwardly from a frusto-conical lowermost portion 14 with a flat bottom wall 16. At the top of the wall 12, there is an outwardly extending flange and short upstanding wall 18, 20 respectively.

At approximately two thirds of the height of the container above its bottom wall 16, there is an inlet fitting indicated generally at 22, this being disposed in a recess afforded by a wall portion 24 which lies radially outwardly of the general line of the circumferential wall 12 of the container 10. The inlet 22 is adapted to have an end fitting 26 of a suction hose connected thereto, e.g. by a bayonet-fitting type of retaining arrangement.

Atop the container 10 there fits, firstly, a filter-holding assembly 30 and, secondly, a body 40 provided with a source of suction for the cleaner. The filter holding assembly 30 comprises a peripheral support part 32 which has a downwardly extending outer wall 34 which lies outside the upstanding wall part 20, and has an outwardly-displaced portion 34a which fits outside the wall portion 24 of the container 12. Radially within the peripheral support portion 32 there is an annular trough 36 and a central portion 38 having an aperture 38a through which air can pass to reach the body 40. A filter element lies in the trough 36 and covers the wall portion 38 with its aperture 38a.

The body 40 contains a source of suction, i.e. an electric motor and a fan, for drawing air from the interior of the container 10 by way of the aperture 38a and the filter. The body 40 has a base part 42 which overlies the peripheral part 32 of the filter holder 30, the body 40 being connected to the container 10 by suitable fastening means, e.g. peripherally-spaced clips. The body 40 includes a handle 44, and it is to be understood that there will be provided, as is commonly the case in vacuum cleaners of the general type described, an on-off switch, possibly an indicator light, a further airflow (exhaust) filter, and so forth.

The container 10 may be of plastics material, and its nature is such that the lower part of the container 10 is able to retain a quantity of liquid. Indeed, vacuum cleaners of the above described configuration are commonly used as wet/dry cleaners, able to used for sucking up spilled liquids and so forth.

To enable use of the cleaner as above described for water filtration of dust from the suction airflow, it is provided with two additional components, namely an airflow inlet directing member indicated generally at 50 and a baffle member indicated generally at 70. The member 50 comprises a generally U-shaped member 52 which fits in at the lower end of the recess defined by outwardly-displaced wall portion 24 of the container, and supports a tubular assembly of first, second and third passage portions 54, 56, 58 respectively.

The first passage portion 54 extends generally horizontally in line with the opening in the inlet 22 to which a suction hose is fitted as indicated at 26. The second passage portion 56 extends downwardly from the first passage portion 54, and a bracing web 60 between the passage portions 54, 56 extends so as to be able to contact the internal surface of the peripheral wall 12 beneath the inlet fitting 22. The passage portion 58 is a separate component, and fits to the lowermost end of the downwardly extending second passage portion 56, having a curved region so that the remote end of the passage portion 58 extends to a region of the container 10 generally diametrically opposite the inlet 22, at a level within the frusto-conical wall portion 16.

The baffle member 70 includes a baffle plate part 72 which in plan view is generally semi-circular, with a curved peripheral wall part which fits relatively closely within the internal surface of the peripheral wall 12 of the container 10 and a straight edge part extending generally diametrically across the container. The baffle plate 72 extends downwardly as it approaches the second passage portion 56, and ends at an undercut socket 76 on the baffle member within which engages a generally T-shaped lug 74 on the passage portion 56. The baffle member further has downwardly-extending legs 78, 80 where the curved edges of the baffle plate 72 meet the straight edge thereof which extends diametrally of the container 12, the legs 78, 80 extending downwardly to support the baffle member on the lower wall 16 of the container.

At the part of the baffle member remote from the inlet 22 an upwardly-extending wall 82 of the baffle member ends in a flange 84 which rests on the flange 18 of the container 10 opposite the inlet 22. The baffle member has a manually-graspable upwardly extending portion 86 to enable the baffle member to be handled when placing it in the container and removing it therefrom. Thus the directing member 50 and baffle member 70 are effectively held in their operative positions in the container, but are readily removed for cleaning if required and reinstalled.

When the illustrated vacuum cleaner is to be used for water filtration, the baffle member 70 and directing member 50 must be fitted within the container 10 of the cleaner. Firstly, the member 50 will be positioned in the container with its part 52 lying within the lowermost edge of the outwardly-displaced wall portion 24 of the container. Subsequently, the baffle member 70 will be fitted, as illustrated. Alternatively, the baffle member 70 and directing member 50 may be fitted together, and then installed as a single unit. Water will be introduced into the container to approximately the level of the uppermost part of the free end of the third passage portion 58.

In use, operation of the source of suction of the cleaner lowers the air pressure slightly within the container 10 drawing air into the container from whatever is being cleaned, by way of the suction hose and its end fitting 26. The inlet assembly causes such suction airflow to be directed into the water within the container, providing effective removal of dust particles from the airflow. The baffle plate 72 disposed above the free end of the passage portion 58 prevents water from being splashed upwardly by bubbles of the suction airflow.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of converting a suction cleaner for water filtration, the cleaner comprising a container for separated dust, able to retain liquid in a lowermost part thereof, a source of suction communicating with the container for drawing air from the interior thereof at an upper part of the container, and an inlet for suction airflow into the container at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container, the method comprising providing, within the container: an airflow-directing member, affording a passage extending downwardly from the inlet to the lowermost part of the container to discharge incoming air in the lowermost part, and a baffle member adapted to extend over the outlet of the directing member at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container.
2. A kit of parts for converting a suction cleaner for water filtration, the cleaner comprising a container for separated dust, able to retain liquid in a lowermost part thereof, a source of suction communicating with the container for drawing air from the interior thereof at an upper part of the container, and an inlet for suction airflow into the container at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container, the parts comprising: an airflow directing member affording a passage extending downwardly from the inlet to the lowermost part of the container, for discharging incoming air in the lowermost part of the container, and a baffle member adapted to fit in the container and extend over the outlet of the directing member at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container.
3. A kit of parts according to claim 2 wherein the passage afforded by the directing member comprises at least one of a first portion extending generally horizontally from the inlet, a second portion extending downwardly from the first portion, and a third portion extending generally horizontally from the second portion.
4. A kit of parts according to claim 2 wherein the passage includes each of said first, second and third portions.
5. A kit of parts according to claim 4 wherein the third portion ends at a position which, in plan view, is remote from the inlet.
6. A kit of parts according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the baffle member is inclined downwardly as it extends towards the inlet.
7. A suction cleaner comprising a container for separated dust, able to retain liquid in a lowermost part thereof, a source of suction communicating with the container for drawing air from the interior thereof at an upper part of the container, and an inlet for suction airflow into the container at a position spaced above the lowermost part of the container; and a kit of parts according to any one of claims 2 to 6 fitted within the container.
8. A suction cleaner according to claim 7 wherein the container is generally cylindrical with its axis upright, and the baffle member is generally semi-circular in plan view extending over a part of the container remote from the inlet.
9. A method of converting a suction cleaner for water filtration, a kit of parts for effecting the method, or a suction cleaner provided with the kit of parts, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
10. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.