Patent GB-928048-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to cleaning apparatus
IPC: A47L11/30
Filed: 1959-08-04
Abstract: 928,048. Floor cleaning appliances. HOOVER Ltd. Aug. 4, 1959 [Aug. 8, 1958], No. 26630/59. Class 138 (1). A cleaning appliance has a suction nozzle communicating with a suction system including a separator for sucking up dirty liquid from a floor in a current of air and separating the liquid from the air and a storage chamber to receive the dirty liquid, the appliance having a working position in which the separator lies above the storage chamber and is connected to it through a passage, the appliance being capable of being laid down in four storage positions, namely on its front (the part of the appliance facing away from the user in the normal working position) or its back or on either side, and characterized in that the passage is so formed that in each of three of the storage positions it includes a portion of which a horizontal section through the wall of the passage affords a closed figure and which leads upwards from the storage chamber to the separator so as to form a liquid trap to prevent return flow of liquid from the storage chamber to the separator and to the suction system. In the fourth storage position, the passage opens through the upper part of a partition separating the storage chamber from the separator so that in this position the partition forms a weir to prevent return flow of liquid from the storage chamber to the separator. The separator is in two parts 28, 29, the upper part of which has a partition 57 extending vertically between the inlet and outlet channels 36, 37 so as to force the air to travel downwards into the lower part 29 before passing to the outlet channel 37, the liquid collecting in the bottom 50. A baffle 58 is provided in the left-hand chamber 55 of the upper part 28 between the partition 57 and the front wall and this tends to prevent water droplets from forming on the lower edge of the partition 57 and being carried away in the dry air stream. In addition, an inclined platform 59 is provided in the right-hand chamber 56 in order to prevent the air from passing by a short path under the rear part of the central vertical partition 57. The interior of the separator is ribbed as shown at 60 to aid in the separation of water from the moving air by minimizing swirling. At the right side of part 29 a vertical partition 45 cuts off a segmental pocket 47 lying over a part segmental opening or port 48 leading into the storage chamber. At the left side an inclined partition 49 extends forwardly and downwardly from the rear wall to form a triangular prism shaped pocket 51 which is closed both at its top and bottom but opens into the part 29 by way of a triangular opening 52, as well as being open to the segmental pocket 47 by way of an opening 53. The two parts are separated by the vertical edge 54 at the lefthand of the partition 45 and it is this edge 54 which determines the water level in the pockets whether the appliance is laid on its back or either of its sides. Fig. 4 is a view looking from the tank towards the bottom of part 29. If the appliance is placed on its left side (Fig. 4) the dirty liquid can pour through the opening 53 into the pocket 51 but as soon as the latter is full and the water surface is at the edge 54, no further air can escape from the separator into the tank and hence no further water will pour out of the tank. When the appliance is on its right side, the same applies in relation to the pocket 47. Specification 928,045 is referred to.