WO2007135395A1

WO2007135395A1 - 2 in 1 vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: WO2007135395A1
Application number: PCT/GB2007/001853
Authority: WO
Inventors: Derrick Barker
Original assignee: Derrick Barker
Priority date: 2006-05-20
Filing date: 2007-05-17
Publication date: 2007-11-29
Also published as: GB0610189D0

Abstract

The invention describes a vacuum cleaner, which can convert from an Upright Vacuum Cleaner to a Cylinder Cleaner through a series of articulating elements. Disclosed herein is a 2-in-1 upright vacuum cleaner, which can be converted into a more compact cylinder cleaner through a series of articulating elements. The foot and calf are connected and articulated by a series of hinges that allow a controlled transition into the cylinder mode. The wand locks the body to the foot, transformation can occur once the wand has been removed from the machine. Conversion from a cylinder into an upright occurs automatically reducing the need for the user to bend.

Description

Background of the invention

There are mainly two types of vacuum cleaner on the market, uprights and cylinders. Uprights generally consist of a vertical body mounted onto a hinged suction base allowing the machine to pivot. The user can then move the machine around the floor and access lower areas such as under furniture by pivoting the machine. When utilizing the hose of an upright to access stairs or tight areas the machine often becomes unstable when pulling the hose. The device can also be difficμlt to store.

Cylinders are more compact and stable. They are difficult to manoeuvre due to the separate cylinder and suction hose. Furthermore the user requires greater effort and bending to push the cleaning head when clean carpet surfaces

Therefore there is need for a 2-inl vacuum cleaner that can be easily converted from an upright into a cylinder style machine and back again as the user requires it. This can be seen in a prior art reference GB2431097A. In this design the articulation of the elements reflects and relates to that of the human leg moving from a standing to a squatting position. The design appears very different from the conventional. This new invention reduces the number of articulating elements to only three and when in the cylinder cleaner configuration, achieves a larger and more stable wheelbase with a lower centre of gravity. Furthermore the invention retains a more conventional appearance on both configurations

Description 2-inl VACUUM CLEANER

This new invention reduces the number of articulating elements to only three and when in the cylinder cleaner configuration, achieves a larger and more stable wheelbase with a lower centre of gravity. Furthermore the invention retains a more conventional appearance on both configurations. The invention describes a solution where the machine can be converted from an upright to a cylinder and back to an upright at the users convenience. To convert into a cylinder, the body of the machine transforms from a mostly vertical position into a mostly horizontal position and rests on the foot of the machine

The description of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows.

FIG 1 shows a side profile illustrating the machine in an upright configuration and the first step to collapse down according to the present invention

FIG 2 shows the side profile of the machine in the cylinder configuration.

Most upright cleaners do not provide the convenience of cleaning on the stairs and are bulky to store. On the other hand cylinder cleaners do not have the convenience characteristics of an upright.

The invention presents a solution where the machine can be converted from an upright to a cylinder and back to an upright at the users convenience.

The invention comprises a cleaning head (1) and body (2) a handle (6) incorporating an extension wand (5) and hose (11). Body (2) and cleaning head (1) are linked together by member (4) having a pivot point

(10) on the body (2) and a pivot point (9) rear of the cleaning head (1).

When in the upright condition the user can convert the assembly to a cylinder cleaner by removing the handle [6], pulling the top of the body (2) backwards allowing lower part of the body (2) to move forward by rotating about pivot point (10). The body (2) in association with the link member (4) is repositioned to lay on top of the cleaning head (1). In so doing the dust collection bin (3) is accessible in both the upright and cylinder conditions and that the exhausting air (8) is away from the cleaning area.

The handle (6) is adjustable so that the user can set the preferred position. Also the handle (6) is attached to extension tubes (5) and hose

(11) to provide an alternative cleaning head. The motor and fan that provide suction are located in the foot of the machine. These components can rotate separately from the foot to allow the machine to pivot when in an upright form. This keeps the centre of gravity around the wheels at all times and also reduces the weight of the calf, allowing it to rotate more easily.

The link members [4] are spring loaded so that the machine can self right into the upright position reducing the need for users to bend down.

The extension tube [5] locks into the foot of the machine when in an upright mode, connecting the foot to the calf. It can be detached with a push button located on the handle.

The hose [11] wraps around the body of the machine and neatly locks into a groove around the front of the machine,

Claims

1. A combination vacuum cleaner, interconvertable between a first position in which the cleaner is in an upright cleaning configuration and a second position in which the cleaner is in a cylinder or canister cleaning configuration, wherein the vacuum cleaner comprises a base unit and body unit pivotally linked by a conversion means and wherein the conversion means enables the body unit to be moved and repositioned relative to the base unit such that the vacuum cleaner is converted between upright and cylinder/ canister cleaning configurations.

2. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1, in which a lower portion of the body unit abuts against a top portion of the base unit in the first position, and a rear user-facing portion of the body unit abuts against a top portion of the base unit in the second position.

3. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the vacuum cleaner comprises two cleaning heads; a first cleaning head, operational when the vacuum cleaner is configured in the first position, and a second cleaning head, operational when the vacuum cleaner is configured in the second position.

4. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 3, in which the vacuum cleaner further comprises an air suction duct which links between the body and base units and the first cleaning head in the first position, and links between the body and base units and the second cleaning head to the second position.

5. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first cleaning head is located in the underside of the base unit.

6. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the body unit further comprises a hose.

7. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hose comprises a flexible hose section serially connected to a rigid tubular hose section.

8. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 7, wherein the rigid tubular hose section is insertable into at least a portion of the body unit.

9. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the rigid tubular hose section is extendable.

10. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 9, wherein the rigid tubular hose section comprises an extendable telescopic tube.

11. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 10, wherein the extendable telescopic tube is locked in an extended position by a twistable lock.

12. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 7, wherein the flexible hose is locatable within an open channel in the surface of the body.

13. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein the second cleaning head is located at the free end of the hose.

14. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the conversion means comprises arms, connected to each of the base and body units through pivotable linkages.

15. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the conversion means comprises two arms,

- connected to each of the base and body units through pivotable linkages.

16. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the conversion means are located towards the sides of the body and base units.

17. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the conversion means further comprises a dampening mechanism.

18. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the conversion means further comprises is motor for interconverting the vacuum cleaner between the first and second positions.

19. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims, wherein the base or body further comprises an exhaust outlet.

20. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 4, wherein the exhaust outlet is located towards the rear of the base or the body such that, in use, exhaust air exiting the vacuum cleaner is directed away from the user and a cleaning region.

21. A combination vacuum cleaner as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the vacuum cleaner further comprises a locking mechanism for locking the cleaner in either the first or the second positions.