Surface cleaning apparatus having an energy storage member and a method of use thereof
AssigneeOmachron Intellectual Property Inc.
InventorWayne Ernest Conrad
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stick vacuum cleaner has a floor cleaning configuration and a hand vac portion useable in an above floor cleaning configuration, wherein in the above floor cleaning configuration, the hand vac portion is self-powered by a capacitor. The stick vacuum cleaner is operable to continuously clean a household by rapidly charging the capacitor when the stick vacuum cleaner is in the floor cleaning configuration.
Claims14
A method of cleaning a surface using a stick vacuum cleaner, the stick vacuum cleaner comprising:
- (a) a floor cleaning unit comprising:
- (i) a surface cleaning head having a front end having a dirty air inlet and a rear end;
- (ii) a rigid air flow conduit having an upper end and a lower end moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position;
- and,
- (iii) an air flow path extending from the dirty air inlet to a rigid air flow conduit air outlet;
- and,
- (b) a hand vacuum cleaner removably mounted to the upper end of the rigid air flow conduit, the hand vacuum cleaner comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle and a capacitor,
- the method comprising:
- (a) removing the hand vacuum cleaner from the upper end of the rigid air flow conduit and using the portable cleaning unit to clean a surface;
- (b) subsequently mounting the hand vacuum cleaner on the upper end of the rigid air flow conduit and using the stick vacuum cleaner to clean a floor for up to 15 minutes while the capacitor at least substantially recharges;
- and,
- (c) subsequently removing the hand vacuum cleaner from the upper end of the rigid air flow conduit and using the hand vacuum cleaner to clean a surface.
A method of cleaning a surface using a surface cleaning apparatus, the surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
- (a) a floor cleaning unit comprising a surface cleaning head and a rigid air flow conduit having an upper end and a lower end moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position;
- and,
- (b) a portable surface cleaning unit removably mounted to the rigid air flow conduit, the portable surface cleaning unit comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle and a capacitor,
- the method comprising:
- (a) removing the portable cleaning unit from the floor cleaning unit and using the portable cleaning unit to clean a surface;
- (b) subsequently mounting the portable cleaning unit on the floor cleaning unit and using the surface cleaning apparatus to clean a floor for up to 15 minutes while the capacitor at least substantially recharges;
- and,
- (c) subsequently removing the portable cleaning unit from the floor cleaning unit and using the portable cleaning unit to clean a surface.
A stick vacuum cleaner comprising:
- (a) a surface cleaning head;
- (b) a rigid air flow conduit having an upper end and a lower end moveably mounted to the surface cleaning head between an upright storage position and a rearwardly inclined floor cleaning position;
- and,
- (c) a hand vacuum cleaner removably mounted to the upper end of the rigid air flow conduit, the hand vacuum cleaner comprising a main body, an air treatment member, a suction motor, a handle, a capacitor and an electrical cord connectable with a stationary source of power,
- wherein, when the portable surface cleaning unit is mounted to the upper end of the rigid air flow conduit, the handle is a steering handle for the vacuum cleaner.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.