Abstract:
A cleaning head for a surface cleaning apparatus comprises a housing having a surface contacting surface, a first inlet provided in the surface contacting surface and in communication with a first treatment stage and a second inlet spaced from the first inlet and provided in the surface contacting surface and, in use, in communication with a second treatment stage and a source of suction.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This application relates to dirt bin or dirt container for an apparatus for cleaning a surface, such as a vacuum cleaner, carpet extractor or the like. The dirt container has a first chamber for collecting larger particulate matter and a second chamber for collecting finer particulate matter. Each chamber is in communication with the surface being cleaned by a separate entrance. In one aspect of the invention, the first chamber comprises a settling chamber and the second chamber comprises a cyclone.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Various different formats of vacuum cleaners are known in the art. These include upright vacuum cleaners, canister vacuum cleaners, stick vacuum cleaners and central vacuum systems. Typically, a vacuum cleaner uses a combination of mechanical action (e.g. a rotating brush) and suction to entrain material in a dirty air stream that enters the vacuum cleaner. One or more filtration members are provided for removing particulate matter from the dirty air stream. In the past, vacuum cleaners used filter bags to filter the dirt air. More recently, vacuum cleaners have used a plurality of cyclones or at least one cyclone with additional physical filter mechanisms downstream from the cyclone to treat the dirty air.  
         [0003]     If a vacuum cleaner uses more than one treatment step, then, typically, the dirty air stream is treated sequentially in each step as the dirty air passes through the vacuum cleaner. Accordingly, the surface cleaning head of the vacuum cleaner has a single dirty air inlet. An airflow path extends from the dirty air inlet through the vacuum cleaner to the cleaned air outlet of the vacuum cleaner. Accordingly, the filtration mechanisms are provided in a series of stages along the airflow path and each treatment stage must be sized to permit all of the air stream to pass therethrough.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     In accordance with one aspect of the instant invention, a surface cleaning head is provided with at least two inlets. A first inlet is associated with a brushing member and is in communication with a first treatment stage. A second inlet is spaced from the first inlet and is in communication with a second treatment stage. Accordingly, as the surface cleaning head is passed over a surface, some particulate matter enters the surface cleaning head via the first inlet and other particulate matter enters the surface cleaning head via the second inlet.  
         [0005]     In one embodiment, the first and second treatment stages are isolated from each other, i.e., one is not downstream from the other. Accordingly, particulate matter that enters through the first inlet will not be treated in the second treatment stage and particulate matter that enters through the second inlet will not be treated in the first treatment stage.  
         [0006]     Preferably, the first treatment stage receives larger and heavier particulate matter, such as that which may be swept up by a rotating brush. Such material will tend to settle out of air by gravity and, accordingly, the first treatment stage may comprise or consist of a settling chamber. Preferably, the second inlet is upstream from a source of suction and the second treatment stage receives smaller and lighter particulate matter, such as that which will be entrained in an air stream but will tend to not settle out of air by gravity. Accordingly the second treatment stage may comprise one or more of a filter, cyclone or the like. In such an embodiment, the first treatment stage may not be in airflow communication with the source of suction and, accordingly, the chamber may only have an inlet positioned to receive particulate matter conveyed thereto by mechanical brushing action and no outlet. In another embodiment, the chamber may also be in airflow communication with the source of suction. In such a case, the surface cleaning apparatus is preferably configured so that most of the air drawn by the suction source enters through the second inlet. By providing a bleed stream of air to pass through the chamber, the finer particulate matter that enters the chamber and which will tend not to settle, or which may not remain settled as the surface cleaning head is moved, may be removed from the chamber and conveyed to a further treatment stage.  
         [0007]     Preferably, the brushing member is a rotatably mounted brush. The chamber is positioned to receive particulate matter swept up by the brush. Preferably, the bottom of the chamber is positioned below the inlet to the chamber so that particulate matter will be retained in the chamber. For example, the chamber may be located at the end of a ramp that extends upwardly from the inlet associated with the brush to the inlet of the chamber.  
         [0008]     The chamber is preferably configured to permit particulate material to settle out under the influence of gravity.  
         [0009]     The second treatment stage preferably comprises at least one cyclone, for removing particulate matter from the air stream drawn through the second inlet. If some air is drawn through the first inlet, then the cyclone may be downstream from both the first treatment stage and the second inlet. Alternately, the cyclone may not be downstream from the first treatment stage, in which case the cyclone outlet and the outlet from the chamber may be conveyed to a further treatment stage. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     These and other advantages of the instant invention will be more fully and completely understood in accordance with the following description of the preferred embodiments of the vacuum cleaner in which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a surface cleaning apparatus using a dirt container according to the instant invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view, with the cover of the ground engaging head removed, of the ground engaging head of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the ground engaging head of  FIG. 2 , with the side panel of the ground engaging head removed;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternate surface cleaning apparatus using a dirt container according to the instant invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the surface cleaning apparatus of  FIG. 1  with both the dirt container and the cover of the recess for receiving the dirt container removed from the ground engaging head;  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view from below of the dirt container of  FIG. 5  when separated from the cover; and,  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is an side elevation view of the dirt container of  FIG. 5  when installed in the cover. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]     The dirt container of the instant invention maybe used with an upright vacuum cleaner, a canister vacuum cleaner, a stick vacuum cleaner, a central vacuum cleaner, a carpet extractor or other surface cleaning apparatus of any configuration.  
         [0019]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , surface cleaning apparatus  10  comprises a surface cleaning head  12  and handle  14  pivotally mounted thereto. Surface cleaning apparatus  10  has rear wheels  16  and may optionally have front wheels (not shown) if desired. Surface cleaning head  12  has a front end  18  and a rear end  20 .  
         [0020]     The dirt container  28  collects particulate matter that enters surface cleaning head  12 . Accordingly, dirt container  28  is removable from surface cleaning apparatus  10  for emptying or disposal. Dirt container  28  may be removably mounted on or in surface cleaning apparatus  10  by any means known in the surface cleaning art.  
         [0021]     In the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a top cover  22  is provided. Top cover  22  is removably upwardly, e.g., by means of handle  24 , so as to reveal recess  26  (see  FIG. 5 ). Dirt container  28  is removably receivable in recess  26  and may be removably mounted on the lower surface of top cover  22  (see  FIGS. 6 and 7 ).  
         [0022]     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , surface cleaning head  12  may be provided with a brush  30  which is rotatably driven by brush motor  32  via drive belt  34 . Brush  30  sweeps particulate matter up ramp  36  into settling chamber  38  of dirt container  28 . To this end, surface cleaning head  12  is provided with inlet  40  adjacent brush  30 .  
         [0023]     Surface cleaning head  12  is also provided with a second inlet  42  which is in fluid flow communication with cyclone chamber  44  via inlet passage  46  and cyclone inlet  48 .  
         [0024]     Accordingly, dirt container  28  comprises settling chamber  38  and cyclone chamber  44 . Further, each of settling chamber  38  and cyclone chamber  44  are provided with a separate inlet. Inlet  42  for the lighter dirt is positioned rearward (in the normal direction of travel of surface cleaning head  12 ) from the first inlet  40 . In this construction, cyclone chamber  44  is not in fluid flow communication with settling chamber  38 . Accordingly, in operation, heavier or larger particulate matter is swept up by brush  30  and deposited in settling chamber  38 . Lighter and finer particulate matter is entrained in an air stream entering second inlet  42  and is separated from the dirty air via the cyclonic action in cyclone chamber  44 . Optionally, it will be appreciated that some bleed air may be drawn from settling chamber  38  into cyclone chamber  44 .  
         [0025]     Cyclone chamber  44  is provided with an outlet  50  which is in fluid flow communication with motor and fan blade assembly  52  via passage  54 . An optional air filter  56  may be provided downstream from motor and fan blade assembly  52  so as to further filter the air prior to the air being exhausted from surface cleaning apparatus  10 .  
         [0026]     In the alternate embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , surface cleaning apparatus  10  comprises a vacuum cleaner. In this particular embodiment, the dirt container  38  in surface cleaning head  12  comprises a single settling chamber  38 . Second inlet  42  is upstream from cyclone chamber  44  which is mounted on handle  14 . As dirt is conveyed through second inlet  42  due to air flow therethrouh, it will be appreciated that the filtration means for treating the dirty air entering through inlet  42  need not be located in the cleaning head  12 . In this particular embodiment, vacuum cleaner  10  is designed as a clean air system and, accordingly, motor and fan blade assembly  52  is positioned downstream from cyclone  44 . It will be appreciated that motor and fan blade assembly  52  may be positioned upstream from the cyclone  44  as is known in dirty air systems. Accordingly, the embodiment of the vacuum cleaner shown in  FIG. 4  utilizes two separate dirt containers  28 , each of which is may removed by the user for emptying or disposal.  
         [0027]     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , dirt container  28  of  FIGS. 2 and 3  is vertically removable from recess  26  of surface cleaning apparatus  10 . Alternately, dirt container  28  may be inserted into surface cleaning head  12  such as by sliding dirt container  28  laterally through an opening provided in a sidewall surface cleaning head  12 .  
         [0028]     In order to assist the removal of dirt container  28  from surface cleaning apparatus  10 , a handle may be provided on dirt container  28 . Alternately, as shown in  FIG. 5 , dirt container  38  may be removably received in a cover  22  which is provided with a handle  24 .  
         [0029]     In accordance such an embodiment, dirt container  28  may be removably mounted to cover  22  of recess. Cover  22  may be of any particular construction which will permit dirt container  28  to be a removably fixed thereto. Dirt container  28  may be removably affixed thereto by any mechanical or adhesive means known in the mechanical or chemical arts. As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , cover  22  is provided with sidewalls  58  having flanges  60 . Lower surface  62  of cover  22  is preferable also provided with a support member  64  having a curved engagement surface  66 . Dirt container  28  is provided with forward and rearward flanges  68 . Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 6 , dirt container  28  may be slidably received in cover  22 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , cyclone  44  of dirt container  28  may abut against curved engagement surface  66  of support member  64 . Dirt container  28  is held in position in cover  22  by means of the engagement between flanges  60  and  66  (see  FIG. 7 ).  
         [0030]     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations of the dirt container and its method of use may be utilized and each of those is within the scope of the following claims. In particular, it will be appreciated that the shape, size, configuration, the type and number of filtration members included in the dirt container, as well as the number of dirt containers which are utilized in a single surface cleaning apparatus may be varied. In addition, while the dirt container may be transparent, it will also be appreciated that the exterior walls of the dirt container may be translucent or opaque.