# US 11,432,690 B2 · Handheld vacuum cleaner

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- Number: US 11,432,690 B2
- Document ID: US11432690B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/787,714
- Filed: 2020-02-11
- Published: 2020-07-16
- Granted: 2022-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2015-11-10
- Assignees: Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd.
- Applicants: Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd.
- Inventors: Kirti Kant Paulla; John Bohlen; Richard Friend; Joseph Saunders; Sergey V. Makarov
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11432690B2

## CPC

- A47L 5/24: Hand-supported suction cleaners
- A47L 9/127: {tube- or sleeve-shaped}
- A47L 9/16: Arrangement or disposition of cyclones or other devices with centrifugal action
- A47L 9/1608: {Cyclonic chamber constructions}
- A47L 9/1683: {Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles}
- B01D 45/16: generated by the winding course of the gas stream {, the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes}
- B01D 46/0004: {Details of removable closures, lids, caps or filter heads}
- B01D 46/2403: {characterised by the physical shape or structure of the filtering element}
- B01D 46/64: arranged concentrically or coaxially
- B01D 50/20: Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
- B04C 5/103: Bodies or members, e.g. bulkheads, guides, in the vortex chamber (cores B04C5/107)
- B04C 5/12: Construction of the overflow ducting, e.g. diffusing or spiral exits
- B04C 9/00: Combinations with other devices, e.g. fans, {expansion chambers, diffusors, water locks}(with filters B01D50/00)
- B01D 2279/55: for cleaning appliances, e.g. suction cleaners
- B04C 2009/002: {with external filters}
- A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08)
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- B04C: APPARATUS USING FREE VORTEX FLOW, e.g. CYCLONES ({centrifugal separation of water from steam B01D45/12;} jet mills B02C19/06; {wind sifters B07B7/00;} cyclonic type combustion apparatus F23; {vortex burners for cyclone-type combustion apparatus F23D1/02; cyclonic type combustion apparatus for gas turbines F23R3/00})

## Abstract

A handheld vacuum cleaner including a fluid flow path, a main body including a handle, a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path, a dirt collection region, and a cyclone chamber in the fluid flow path. The cyclone chamber includes a first end wall, a second end wall, a sidewall extending along a cyclone axis, a cyclone dirt outlet formed in the sidewall, a cyclone dirty fluid inlet, and a cyclone clean fluid outlet. A duct extends between the cyclone dirt outlet and the dirt collection region. The duct includes an upstream wall and a downstream flow-diverting wall forming a downstream boundary of the cyclone dirt outlet. The duct widens between the upstream wall and the downstream flow-diverting wall in a downstream direction away from the cyclone dirt outlet.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
a main body including a handle;
a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;
a dirt collection region;
a cyclone chamber in the fluid flow path, the cyclone chamber including,
a first end wall, a second end wall, and a sidewall extending along a cyclone axis, the cyclone axis is generally horizontal,
a cyclone dirt outlet formed in the sidewall,
a cyclone dirty fluid inlet, and
a cyclone clean fluid outlet; and
a duct extending between the cyclone dirt outlet and the dirt collection region, the duct including an upstream wall and a downstream flow-diverting wall forming a downstream boundary of the cyclone dirt outlet, the downstream flow-diverting wall intersecting the fluid flow path adjacent the second end wall, wherein the duct widens between the upstream wall and the downstream flow-diverting wall in a downstream direction away from the cyclone dirt outlet.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the duct is arranged in a radial direction from the cyclone axis.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 2, wherein a radial line in the radial direction passes through the duct without intersecting the upstream wall or the downstream flow-diverting wall.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 3, wherein the upstream wall and the downstream flow-diverting wall each moves away from the radial line in the downstream direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the upstream wall is not tangentially aligned relative to the cyclone sidewall.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein the second end wall has an inner portion and an outer portion, the outer portion being offset from the inner portion in a direction away from the first end wall and the flow-diverting wall connecting the inner portion and outer portion of the second end wall bounding the downstream end of the cyclone dirt outlet.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 6, wherein the first end wall and the second end wall of the cyclone chamber both intersect a common horizontal plane when the handheld vacuum cleaner is positioned on a horizontal surface.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 7, further comprising a ramp in the cyclone chamber extending along the sidewall toward the cyclone dirt outlet.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein a beginning of the ramp is spaced from the second end wall and an end of the ramp is positioned at the second end wall of the cyclone chamber.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein a portion of the ramp is perpendicular to the sidewall.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 8, wherein the ramp extends around at least a portion of the second wall along the fluid flow path toward the cyclone dirt outlet.

### Claim 12

A vacuum cleaner comprising:
a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
a main body including a handle;
a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;
a dirt collection region;
a cyclone chamber in the fluid flow path, the cyclone chamber including,
a first end wall, a second end wall, and a sidewall extending along a cyclone axis,
a cyclone dirt outlet formed in the sidewall,
a cyclone dirty fluid inlet, and
a cyclone clean fluid outlet; and
a duct extending between the cyclone dirt outlet and the dirt collection region, the duct including an upstream wall and a downstream flow-diverting wall forming a downstream boundary of the cyclone dirt outlet, the downstream flow-diverting wall intersecting the fluid flow path adjacent the second end wall, wherein the upstream wall is not tangentially aligned relative to the sidewall,
wherein the second end wall has an inner portion and an outer portion, the outer portion being offset from the inner portion in a direction away from the first end wall and the flow-diverting wall connecting the inner portion and outer portion of the second end wall bounding the downstream end of the cyclone dirt outlet.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 12, wherein the duct is arranged in a radial direction from the cyclone axis.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 13, wherein the duct widens between the upstream wall and the downstream flow-diverting wall in a downstream direction away from the cyclone dirt outlet.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 14, wherein a radial line in the radial direction passes through the duct without intersecting the upstream wall or the downstream flow-diverting wall.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 15, wherein the upstream wall and the downstream flow-diverting wall each moves away from the radial line in the downstream direction.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 12, wherein the first end wall and the second end wall of the cyclone chamber both intersect a common horizontal plane when the handheld vacuum cleaner is positioned on a horizontal surface.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 17, further comprising a ramp in the cyclone chamber extending along the sidewall toward the cyclone dirt outlet.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The vacuum cleaner of claim 18, wherein a beginning of the ramp is spaced from the second end wall and an end of the ramp is positioned at the second end wall of the cyclone chamber.