Surface cleaning apparatus with different cleaning configurations

An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

• a) an air flow passage extending between a dirty air inlet and a clean air outlet;
• b) a hand vacuum cleaner comprising:
• i) a main body comprising a suction motor, a front end and a rear end spaced apart from the front end in the forward/rearward direction, the suction motor having a suction motor axis extending in the forward/rearward direction;
• and,
• ii) a air treatment unit comprising a first air treatment stage;
• c) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head having a front end, a rear end positioned in a rearward direction spaced from the front end, first and second opposed lateral sides, the dirty air inlet is provided at the front end of the surface cleaning head, a surface cleaning head air outlet, a pair of rear wheels and an upright section, the upright section having a lower portion and an upper portion having an upper portion axis, the upper portion is rotatably mounted to the lower portion about a rotational axis that is transverse to the upper portion axis, the lower portion is moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and an inclined use position;
• and,
• d) the hand vacuum cleaner is removably mounted to, and supported solely by, the lower portion of the upright section, the upright surface cleaning apparatus is reconfigurable between an upright configuration wherein the hand vacuum cleaner is provided on the lower portion and the suction motor and the first air treatment stage are provided in the air flow passage with the first air treatment stage upstream from the suction motor, and a second configuration wherein the hand vacuum cleaner is removed from the lower portion, in the upright configuration the hand vacuum cleaner is moveable with the upright section between the upright storage position and the inclined use position,
• wherein when the hand vacuum cleaner is mounted to the lower portion, the hand vacuum cleaner and the upright section define an upright assembly, and wherein the upright assembly comprises a handle,
• and wherein the upright section is connected to the floor cleaning unit by a coupling whereby, when the upright assembly is in the inclined use position, the handle is steeringly connected to the surface cleaning head whereby a user may rotate the handle clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the surface cleaning head to assist in steering the surface cleaning head,
• and wherein when the portable surface cleaning apparatus is mounted to the lower portion, the portable surface cleaning apparatus is positioned below the rotational axis and the upper portion is rotatable forwardly with respect to the lower portion.

A surface cleaning apparatus comprising:

• a) an air flow passage extending between a dirty air inlet and a clean air outlet;
• b) a portable surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
• i) a main body comprising a suction motor;
• and,
• ii) a cyclone unit comprising a first cyclonic stage comprising a cyclone chamber having an air inlet, an air outlet and a cyclone axis;
• c) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head having a front end, a rear end positioned in a rearward direction spaced from the front end, first and second opposed lateral sides, the dirty air inlet is provided at the front end of the surface cleaning head, a cleaning head air outlet, a pair of rear wheels and an upright section comprising a lower portion and an upper portion having an upper portion axis, the upper portion is rotatably mounted to the lower portion about a rotational axis that is transverse to the upper portion axis, the lower portion is moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and an inclined use position;
• and,
• d) the portable surface cleaning apparatus is removably mounted to, and supported solely by, the lower portion, the surface cleaning apparatus is reconfigurable between an upright configuration wherein the portable surface cleaning apparatus is provided on the lower portion and the suction motor and the cyclone chamber are provided in the air flow passage with the cyclone chamber upstream from the suction motor, and a second configuration wherein the portable surface cleaning apparatus is removed from the lower portion, in the upright configuration the portable surface cleaning apparatus is moveable with the upright section between the upright storage position and the inclined use position,
• wherein when the portable surface cleaning apparatus is mounted to the lower portion, the portable surface cleaning apparatus and the upright section define an upright assembly,
• and wherein the upright assembly comprises a handle,
• and wherein, when the upright assembly is in the inclined use position and the portable surface cleaning apparatus is mounted to the lower portion, the handle is steeringly connected to the surface cleaning head
• and wherein when the portable surface cleaning apparatus is mounted to the lower portion, the air flow passage comprises an upstream flexible hose and a downstream flexible hose wherein the upstream flexible hose and the downstream flexible hose are connected in air flow communication,
• and wherein when the portable surface cleaning apparatus is mounted to the lower portion, the portable surface cleaning apparatus is positioned below the rotational axis and the upper portion is rotatable forwardly with respect to the lower portion.