The present disclosure relates to surface cleaning devices and more particularly, to a cordless convertible handheld/stick vacuum.
Existing handheld/stick vacuums may be used as either an upright stick vacuum or a handheld vacuum. One example of such a vacuum is the SHARK® ROCKET® HV320 Series available from SharkNinja Operating LLC. These vacuums are generally designed to be light-weight and versatile. Providing a cordless version of such vacuums presents a challenge because the addition of a battery pack adds mass to the vacuum and may adversely affect the versatility.
These and other features and advantages will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, taken together with the drawings wherein:
Referring to
The cordless convertible handheld/stick vacuum 100 generally includes a surface cleaning head 110, a handheld unit 120, and one or more tubes 130 coupled between the surface cleaning head 110 and the handheld unit 120. The handheld unit 120 and the tubes 130 may be referred to as a cleaning wand or simply a wand. The cordless convertible handheld stick vacuum 100 further includes a battery pack 140 electrically connected to the handheld unit 120 and removably mounted on the surface cleaning head 110, the handheld unit 120, and/or the tube(s) 130. In the illustrated embodiment, the battery pack 140 is electrically connected to the handheld unit 120 using a battery cable 142, such as a thin flexible cable. The battery pack 140 may include an 18v NiMH battery, although other types of batteries may be used. By providing the battery pack 140 separate from the handheld unit 120, the size and weight of the handheld unit 120 may be kept to a minimum without sacrificing the versatility of the vacuum.
The handheld unit 120 and tube(s) 130 may be generally referred to as in a “docked” position when coupled into the nozzle 114 as shown in
In one embodiment, the cordless convertible handheld/stick vacuum 100 may be based on an existing handheld/stick vacuum product such as the SHARK® ROCKET® HV320 Series available from SharkNinja Operating LLC. The surface cleaning head 110 may include, for example, a rotatable driven brush roll and a drive mechanism for driving the brush roll. The drive mechanism may be electrically connected to the handheld unit 120 when the handheld unit 120 is coupled to the surface cleaning head 110 either directly or through the tube(s) 130. The handheld unit 120 may include an air transportation and treatment system for transporting and treating air moving along a flow path through the surface cleaning head 110 and the tube(s) 130. Although one embodiment of the handheld/stick vacuum is shown and disclosed, a battery pack, as described herein, may be used with other types of handheld/stick vacuums such that the battery pack is electrically connected and tethered to a handheld unit and configured to be removably mounted to a surface cleaning head.
In the illustrated embodiment, the surface cleaning head 110 includes a surface cleaning head housing 112 and a nozzle 114 extending from the housing 112. The tube(s) 130 may be coupled between the nozzle 114 and the handheld unit 120 or the handheld unit 120 may be coupled directly to the nozzle 114 without the tubes (not shown). In this embodiment, the battery pack 140 is removably mounted to the nozzle 130 and may remain mounted to the nozzle 130 when used as a stick vacuum (
In other embodiments, the battery pack 140 may be mounted in other locations on the surface cleaning head 110. The battery pack 140 may also be mounted on the tube(s) 130 or on the handheld unit 120. The battery pack 140 may also be removed to facilitate use of the handheld unit 120 as a handheld vacuum (
When assembled as a stick vacuum, as shown in
The vacuum 100 may include one or more structures or mechanisms for securing and/or managing the battery cable 142, for example, on the surface cleaning head 110, the handheld unit 120, and/or the tube(s) 130. The structures may include clips (e.g., along the tube(s) 130 and/or handheld unit 120), channels, or any other structure/feature for receiving and holding the battery cable 142.
When used as a handheld vacuum, as shown in
In some cases, the battery pack 140 may be removable to allow for spares/replacements to be easily attached and extend the operational time of the cordless convertible handheld stick vacuum 100. As shown in
Accordingly, a cordless convertible handheld/stick vacuum provides the versatility and light weight of a vacuum that can be converted from a stick vacuum to a handheld vacuum while allowing a cordless operation.
While the principles of the disclosure have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/371,916, filed on Aug. 8, 2016, which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
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