This application claims the priority of United Kingdom Application No. 1116806.9 filed 29 Sep. 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates generally to upright vacuum cleaners, which includes dry, wet or “wet-and-dry” upright vacuum cleaners.
Upright cleaners typically have a rolling head assembly, which carries a fixed cleaner head in plane-parallel contact with the floor surface. This head assembly is mounted on a reclining ‘upright’ body which carries a handle at its upper end. In the conventional floor-cleaning mode, a user reclines the ‘upright’ body until the handle is at a convenient height, and then uses the handle manually to push the cleaner across the floor, maintaining the cleaner head in plane parallel contact with the floor surface.
It is often desirable to vacuum-clean above the level of a floor. For example, it may be desirable to vacuum-clean shelving, stairs or the upper corners of a room. It is usually completely impractical to use the main cleaner head for this purpose: the cleaner will almost certainly be too heavy and cumbersome, and the cleaner head itself too large. Instead, many modern upright vacuum cleaners are provided with a suction wand which connects to the main separating apparatus onboard the vacuum cleaner via a flexible hose. This wand and hose assembly allows the upright vacuum cleaner to be operated, as required, in the manner of a cylinder (or “canister”) vacuum cleaner—making “above the floor cleaning” much more practical.
For convenience, the wand is normally stored on-board the vacuum cleaner.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved wand and hose assembly on an upright vacuum cleaner.
According to the present invention, there is provided an upright vacuum cleaner comprising a telescopic suction wand fluidly connected to a separating apparatus on the cleaner via a hose and which is used, as required, to clean above the level of the floor, the wand comprising a lower wand section, an upper wand section telescopically mounted to the lower wand section and a moveable locking member which, when the wand is released for use, is biased towards a locking position for locking out the wand sections in telescopic extension, the locking member being releasable from this locking position via a reaction member provided on the cleaner, against which reaction member a user may readily force the biased locking member out of the locking position using the locked-out wand.
Thus, the user can conveniently release the wand sections simply by manipulating the locked-out wand against the reaction member on the cleaner—there is no requirement for the user to reach for any separate manual catch to unlock the wand sections. This provides a very “user-friendly” and intuitive arrangement for releasing the telescopic wand. At the same time, the telescopic wand provides for compact storage of the wand on the cleaner.
The wand may arranged to retract inside the hose—further promoting compact storage of the wand and hose assembly onboard the cleaner—and the reaction member may form part of an inlet duct assembly fluidly connecting the base of the hose to the separating apparatus, the locking member being arranged to force against the reaction member during normal retraction of the lower wand section inside the hose. In this arrangement, the release of the wand sections is integrated as part of normal retraction of the wand: the user simply needs to retract the wand inside the hose—as the user would do ordinarily to store the wand—and the wand sections are then released automatically during said retraction, via cooperation of the locking member and reaction member.
The locking member may cooperate with a first locking feature on the upper wand section to lock out the wand sections in telescopic extension. This locking feature may take various forms. For example, it may be in the form of a catch recess, in which case the locking member may co-operate with the catch recess via an intermediate catch member, such as a floating ball-catch or roller-catch held captive between the locking member and the catch recess.
The locking member may conveniently be a sliding locking member, which may be mounted on the lower wand section for axial sliding movement between said locking position and a release position. The use of an axial sliding locking member on the lower wand section—as opposed, say, to a pivoting locking member—provides for a slim-line wand which can be accommodated easily inside the hose for storage.
In a particular embodiment, the locking member engages the reaction member via an elongate, axially-sliding push rod mounted on the lower wand section. This allows the locking member to be positioned remote from the reaction member. For example, the reaction member may be provided as part of the inlet duct assembly, but the locking member need not be provided near to the inlet assembly: it could be spaced from the reaction member, at the upper end of the lower wand section. This provides for greater flexibility in the overall design.
The locking member may be formed integrally with the push rod.
The locking member may be hidden away from the user inside a wand catch-housing. This helps prevent a user from interfering with operation of the locking member, or incorrectly operating the locking member.
Similarly, the push rod may be hidden away from the user in between the two wand sections. For example, the lower wand section may be generally cylindrical and the upper wand section may have a generally D-shaped cross section to define an axial channel between the two wand sections, the push rod then extending down inside this channel.
In one possible arrangement according to the invention, the wand sections are keyed to one another so that the wand acts as a torsion brace between the handle assembly and the inlet duct assembly. The wand is thus “dual-purpose”, combining both the primary cleaning function of the wand with a secondary structural function when the wand is being stored. This advantageously removes some of the structural design constraints on upright body of the appliance, allowing for example a reduction in weight and essential “like-for-like” material costs.
It is preferable that the use of the wand as a structural brace does not interfere with convenient storage and deployment of the wand for use. In a preferred arrangement therefore, the lower wand section and the inlet duct assembly are arranged for axial sliding engagement to key the lower wand section to the inlet duct assembly. This integrates the functionality of the stored wand as a structural brace with a simple sliding retraction and extension of the lower wand section for ease of storage and deployment.
In one embodiment, the wand comprises a second locking feature for co-operating with the locking member, this second locking feature being positioned on the upper wand section above the first locking feature such that when the handle is in the raised position, the locking member in its release position sits axially between the first and second locking features, the relative axial position of the locking member and the second locking feature being such that sliding the upper wand upwards engages the locking member with the second locking feature before the lower wand section can slide out of keying engagement with the inlet duct assembly. Thus, if the user accidentally knocks upwards against the lower wand section—which lower wand section may extend above the upper end of the hose even when it is retracted inside the hose—upward movement of the lower wand section is advantageously arrested before the lower wand section can slide out of keying engagement with the inlet duct assembly—ensuring that the function of the wand as a torsion brace is maintained.
In a particular embodiment, the cleaner may have a slide retractable handle which is used in a floor-cleaning mode to manoeuvre the cleaner across the floor, the upper telescopic section of the wand being releasably connected with a sliding handle assembly incorporating the handle, and the lower telescopic section of the wand being releasably connected to some other part of the cleaner so that sliding extension and retraction of the handle assembly relative to that other part of the cleaner effects telescopic extension and retraction of the wand sections.
This particular arrangement has the benefit that both the handle and wand are retractable for compact storage when the cleaner is not in use. The handle assembly and the wand are arranged so that the wand effectively extends and retracts in sympathy with the handle when it is being stored on the cleaner. This brings the additional benefit that when the handle is extended for use, the wand is likewise extended automatically; similarly, when the handle is returned to the compact storage position, the wand likewise automatically returns to its compact storage position. The wand and handle assembly do not get out of sync, so the user is not burdened with having to extend and retract the wand and handle assembly independently.
The upper wand section and the handle assembly may conveniently be arranged for axial sliding engagement to connect the upper wand section to the handle assembly. In this manner, the upper wand section can effectively engage the handle assembly by “hooking” the upper wand section onto the handle assembly.
In one arrangement, the upper wand section locks to the handle assembly via a catch member on the handle assembly, which catch member is biased towards a locking position for locking engagement with a cooperating catch feature on the upper wand section. This holds the upper wand section securely on the handle assembly.
The upper wand section may be unlocked from the handle assembly via an axially-sliding release member mounted on the upper wand section, this release member being arranged for manual sliding engagement with the catch member to force the catch member out of its locking position for disengaging the wand.
The release member may be mounted specifically for upward sliding engagement with the catch member, in which case the release member may top out on a stop on the upper wand section. Thus, the sliding action of the release member is the same upward sliding action required to disengage the wand from the handle assembly. The consistent use of a sliding action both to unlock and then release the wand is more intuitive to the user than if various different actions were required in order to deploy the wand. Indeed, if the release member is arranged to top out on the upper wand section, a single continuous sliding action can be used both to unlock the upper wand section and to disengage the wand from the handle assembly.
A biasing member may be provided to bias the release member away from the catch member—effectively holding the release member away from the catch member until such time as the release member is manually engaged with the catch member. This helps prevent accidental unlocking of the upper wand section, without interfering with the simple sliding release operation of the release member.
The release member itself may be in the form of a slide-mounted sleeve on the upper wand section, though this is not essential.
In other embodiments, the cleaner may additionally comprise a hose catch provided at the end of the hose, the hose catch being biased towards a locking position in which the hose catch locks the wand in an extended position, the hose being a stretch hose arranged, in its coil-bound state, to act as a reaction member against which a user may readily force the biased hose catch out of said locking position using the extended wand. Thus, the biased hose catch operates automatically to lock the extended wand in use. Then, when it is required to retract the wand inside the hose for storage, the extended wand can simply manipulate the wand against the coil bound hose automatically to release the extended wand for retraction. There is no requirement for the user to reach for any separate manual catch in order to release the wand.
The coil-bound hose may be arranged to react against the hose catch via a guide part fixed to the end of the hose, this guide part slidably engaging the hose catch along the axis of retraction of the wand. In this sort of arrangement, release of the hose catch requires the wand to be forced axially against the coil bound hose—which has the benefit that the same action is used both to release the hose catch and retract the hose, effectively integrating wand release and retraction into a single operation.
The guide part may engage the hose catch via a ramp surface for forcing the biased hose catch out of the locking position, though this is not essential.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying Figures, in which:
The cleaner 10 has a rolling head assembly 12 which carries a fixed cleaner head 14, and an ‘upright’ body 16 which can be reclined relative to the head assembly 12 and which includes a handle 18 for manouevring the cleaner 10 across the floor. In use, a user grasps the handle 18 and reclines the upright body 16 until the handle 18 is disposed at a convenient height for the user; the user can then roll the vacuum cleaner 10 across the floor using the handle 18 in order to pick up dust and other debris on the floor. The dust and debris is drawn in through a downward-facing suction inlet on the cleaner head 14 by a motor-driven fan housed on-board the cleaner 10. From here, the dirt-laden air stream is ducted in conventional manner under the fan-generated suction pressure to a cyclonic separating apparatus 19, where dirt is separated from the air before the relatively clean air is then expelled back to the atmosphere.
The handle 18 forms part of a handle assembly 20, which also includes an elongate stem for supporting the handle. The entire handle assembly 20 is slide-retractable for compact storage when the cleaner is not in use, as shown in
The cleaner additionally incorporates a hose and wand assembly which can be deployed for above-the-floor cleaning, as shown in
The wand 22 and hose 26 are conveniently stored onboard the cleaner 10 when not in use. The relative length of the wand 22, combined with the upright configuration of the cleaner 10, makes it convenient to store the wand 22 in a generally ‘upright’ orientation on the back of the reclining body 16. Nevertheless, the operational length of the wand 22 cannot easily be accommodated onboard the cleaner 10—particularly if the sliding handle assembly 20 is in the retracted position as this reduces the overall height of the cleaner 10. To address this problem, the wand 22 is designed as a two-part telescopic wand, which is additionally arranged to retract inside the hose 26 for storage, as shown in
In use, retraction of the wand 22 inside the hose 26 is prevented by a hose catch assembly 28, which locks a first, hereafter “lower”, telescoping section 22a in the extended position shown in
An exploded view of the principal parts of the hose catch assembly 28 is shown in
The assembly 28 comprises a first guide part 32, a hose catch 34, a second guide part 36, a sealing collar 38 and a hose-catch housing 40.
The first guide part 32 is fixed to the end of the hose 26 via a conventional screw-fitting. This first guide part 32 comprises a splined tubular body 32a and an opposing pair of arms 32b which project from the upper rim of the tubular body 32a. These arms 32b snap-fit with generally triangular guide windows 34a in the sides of the hose catch 34, via respective lugs 32c formed on the inside of the arms 32b (only one lug 32c is visible in
The windows 34a are provided in ‘flats’ 34c which prevent relative rotation of the catch 34 and the first guide part 32 as the catch 34 slides up and down.
The second guide part 36 is connected to the hose catch 34 via a pair of elongate locating members 36a (only one of which is visible in
The hose catch housing 40 is fixed to the second guide part 36 for sliding co-movement with this second guide part 36, relative to the first guide part 32. The catch housing 40 fixes to the second guide part 36 via a series of projecting elements 40a (one of which is visible in
The sealing collar 38 is sandwiched in place between the catch housing 40 and the second guide part 36. This sealing collar 38 comprises an annular rubber sealing member 38a which forms a dynamic seal around the lower wand section 22a. This is best illustrated in
The hose catch 34 is released by using the hose 26 as a reaction member in its coil-bound state, against which the user may force the catch 34 out of the locking position shown in
A manual release element in the form of a push button 35 (
The wand catch assembly 30 is shown in
The locking action of the wand catch assembly 30 is essentially a wedging action. The locking member 48 is arranged so that it cannot move radially (to the left or right in
The locking member 48 is mounted on the lower wand section 22a so that it can slide up and down. This allows the wand catch 50 to be released by sliding the locking member 48 upwardly to a release position, shown in
The locking member 48 is moved to the release position via a reaction member 52 (
The push rod 54 is forced upwards against the action of a coil spring 58 in the catch housing (cf.
The configuration of the hose catch assembly 28 and the wand catch assembly 30 is such that neither the locking member 48 nor the hose catch 34 are directly accessible to the user in normal use. This helps prevent accidental retraction of the wand sections 22a, 22b and/or accidental retraction of the wand 22 into the hose 26. When it is desired to store the wand 22 and hose 26 after use, the user simply retracts the hose 26 until it is coil-bound, and applies downward pressure to the wand 22 against the coil-bound hose 26 automatically to release the internal hose catch 34, as described. Once the hose catch 34 has released, the user can then retract the wand 22 inside the coil-bound hose 26. This retraction of the wand 22 inside the hose 26 in turn automatically releases the internal wand catch 50, via the push rod 54 and locking member 48, as described, so that the upper wand section 22b can then be retracted inside the lower wand section 22a.
The retracted wand 22 is stored along a channel 64 which runs down the rear of the handle assembly 20—parallel to the slide axis of the handle assembly 20—and which continues full length down the back of the cleaner 10 (see
To hold the stored wand 22 securely in place on the cleaner 10, the wand 22 is additionally arranged to connect at its upper end to the handle assembly 20. The connecting arrangement—illustrated in FIG. 16—comprises a pair of longitudinal ribs 66 on the upper wand section 22b (only one rib 66 is visible in
By connecting the upper wand section 22b to the sliding handle assembly 20 and the lower wand section 22a to the inlet duct assembly 24—via the sprung tabs 60—the stored wand 22 is able to extend and retract freely in unison with extension and retraction of the sliding handle assembly 20.
A simple friction-fit hooking arrangement for connecting the upper wand section 22b to the handle assembly 20—such as the one shown in FIG. 16—is easy to use, but it has the practical disadvantage that the friction-fit between the longitudinal ribs 66 and channels 68 may be insufficient in certain circumstances to maintain connection between the wand 22 and the handle assembly 20 as the handle assembly 20 is manually retracted.
The secondary interlock mechanism comprises a catch feature in the form of a locking tooth 70 on the upper wand section 22a which—guided by the longitudinal ribs 66 and channels 68—is arranged to ride down over a pivotable catch member 72 on the handle assembly 20. This catch member 72 is spring-loaded by a catch spring 74 so that, once the locking tooth 70 clears the catch member 72, the catch member 72 then snaps into the locking position shown in
The catch member 72 is released via a manual release member 76. This release member 76 is in the form of a generally cylindrical sleeve which is slidably mounted on the upper end of the wand section 22b. The release member 76 is downwardly biased towards the position shown in
To release the stored wand 22, a user pulls up on the sleeve 76, which slides the sleeve 76 upwardly against the action of the coil spring 78, relative to the catch member 72 (the upper wand section 22b itself is prevented from moving upwards at this point by the mechanical interlock between the catch member 72 and the locking tooth 70). As the sleeve moves upwards, the unlocking tooth 80 co-operates with a ramped surface 72a on the catch member 72 to force the catch member 72 out of its locking position against the action of the catch spring 74 and into a release position shown in
A stop 84 on the upper wand section 22b is arranged to engage with a respective shoulder 86 on the sleeve 76 in order to prevent the sleeve 76 from sliding off the upper wand section 22b—so that instead the sleeve 76 tops out on the stop 84. This stop 84 is arranged so that—during release of the stored wand 22—it engages the shoulder 86 only after the catch 72 has been moved to the release position. This then allows the user to pull the entire upper wand section 22b upwards—past the catch member 72—in one continuous motion, simply by continuing to pull on the sleeve 76. Thus, the straightforward hooking action to engage and release the wand 22 from the handle assembly 20—characteristic of the simple friction-fit arrangement in FIG. 16—is essentially maintained regardless of the secondary interlock mechanism.
Once the upper wand section 22b has been released from the handle assembly 20, the user wishing to deploy the wand 22 just continues to pull upwards on the upper wand section 22b (pulling either directly on the upper wand section 22b or, where the secondary interlock mechanism is provided, pulling via the sleeve 76 as appropriate). This has the effect of extending the wand 22, with any sliding friction between the wand sections 22a, 22b being overcome by the sprung tabs 60, which continue to hold the lower wand section 22a in place.
When the upper wand section 22b reaches its fully extended position, the catch recess 22d is aligned with the wand catch 50 and at this point the upper wand section 22b tops out on a stop (not visible) provided on the lower wand section 22a. This means that as the user continues to pull on the upper wand section 22b, the entire wand 22 starts to withdraw from the hose 26, disengaging the push rod 54 from the reaction member 52 so that the locking member 48 returns to its locking position under the action of the coil spring 58. As the locking member 48 returns to its locking position, a ramped surface 48c on the locking member 48 helps ensure that the wand catch 50 is forced laterally into engagement with the catch recess 22d, at which point the wand sections 22a, 22b are locked in the extended position until such time as the push rod 54 is re-engaged with the reaction member 52.
To lock the hose catch 34, the user simply continues to extend the wand 22 until the locking channel 22c on the lower wand section 22a aligns with the locking projection 34e on the hose catch 34, at which instant the locking projection 34e snaps into engagement with the locking channel 22c under the action of the coil spring 44. The wand 22 is now fully locked out and in an extended position, ready for use.
The wand sections 22a, 22b are keyed to one another so that they cannot undergo relative rotation about their longitudinal axis. This allows the wand 22 to be used as a torsional brace for the relatively weak handle assembly 20 when the wand 22 is engaged with the handle assembly 20. The handle assembly 20 is braced via a pair of flats on the lower wand section 22a which slidably engage with a respective pair of flats positioned internally at the base of the hose 26, effectively to key the lower wand section 22a to the inlet duct assembly 24.
In certain circumstances the sprung tabs 60 may be inadequate to hold the lower wand section 22a in its fully retracted position shown in
The lower catch recess 22g functions in essentially the same way as the single locking channel 22c in the arrangement of
When the handle assembly 20 is in the extended position (
Following engagement of the wand catch 50 in the upper catch recess 22h, the wand 22 can nevertheless be released for use in the same manner as before, simply by pulling up on the upper wand section 22b (either directly or, in the arrangement of
The extended length of the wand 22 is slightly shorter if the wand catch 50 is engaged in the upper catch recess 22h, rather than the lower catch recess 22g, but the axial separation of the catch recesses 22g, 22h can be designed to limit this difference so that it is imperceptible to the user, whilst still maintaining the secondary locking function described above.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1116806.9 | Sep 2011 | GB | national |