The Hoover Comapny

Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited

Steven W Kegg

Donald A Coates

Mark Edward Cipolla

Robert A Salo

Sergey V Makarov

Evan A Gordon

Kenneth L Symensma

William H Theiss, Jr

Jonathan E Fawcett

David Khalil, Jr

Kirti Kant Paulla

Kenneth H Cooper

Deborah R Tucker

Craig M O'Briskie

James R Nero

Malia Reid

Abhijeet Shrawage

A home cleaning appliance comprises a housing, an airstream suction source, a cyclone main body, and a dirt cup. The housing includes a main suction opening. The airstream suction source is mounted to the housing and includes a suction airstream inlet and a suction airstream outlet. The suction source selectively establishes and maintains a flow of air from the main suction opening, via the airstream inlet, to the airstream outlet. The cyclone main body is supported by the housing and is in communication with the main suction opening. The cyclone main body has a uniform outer circumference and includes a first stage separator, and a plurality of downstream second stage separators. The first stage separator has a longitudinal axis offset from a longitudinal axis of the cyclone main body in order to accommodate the second stage separators. The dirt cup is connected to the cyclone main body. The dirt cup includes a first particle collector and a second particle collector. The first particle collector communicates with the first stage separator for collecting dust particles from the first stage separator. The separate second particle collector communicates with the plurality of second stage separators for collecting dust particles from the second stage separators.

Dual stage cyclonic vacuum cleaner

A portable cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface is provided and includes a housing for movement along the cleaning surface. A solution distribution system is mounted at least in part to the housing and includes a solution distributor operatively connected to the housing for distributing a solution onto the cleaning surface, a first solution tank for holding the solution, and a first adjustable flow rate valve fluidly connected between the first solution tank and the distributor for adjusting the flow rate of the solution out of the valve.

Adjustable flow rate valve for a cleaning apparatus

The cleaning apparatus includes a base portion for movement along the surface and a handle pivotally connected to the base portion. A recovery tank is removably mounted to the handle and has a front end. A lid covers the recovery tank and has an inlet opening for directing dirt and liquid into the recovery tank and an outlet opening located at the front end of the recovery tank. A suction nozzle is secured to the base portion and fluidly communicates with the inlet opening of the lid. A suction source fluidly communicates with the outlet opening for drawing dirt and liquid from the surface through the suction nozzle and into the recovery tank. A partition device is positioned between the outlet opening and the inlet opening and extends down within the recovery tank a sufficient distance to prevent the liquid from flowing from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.

Recovery tank for a cleaning apparatus

A portable cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface is provided and includes a housing. A distributor is operatively connected to the housing for distributing solution to the surface. A first solution container is mounted to the housing and contains a first solution. The first solution container has a bottom portion with an outlet portion fluidly connected to the distributor for supplying a flow of a first solution to the distributor. A second solution container with an outlet is provided in the first solution container and contains a second solution. The outlet of the second solution container is fluidly connected to the distributor for supplying a flow of a second solution to the distributor. In at least one aspect of the invention, the second solution container is design and constructed to transfer the weight of the first solution above the second solution container to the second solution in the second solution container to produce substantially the same hydrostatic head at both the outlet of the first solution container and the outlet of the second solution container.

Solution distribution arrangement for a cleaning machine

A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a surface in which cleaning solution is distributed to the surface and substantially simultaneously extracted along with the dirt on the surface in a continuous operation as it moves along the surface is provided. The cleaning apparatus includes a housing and a liquid distribution system operatively associated with the housing. The liquid distribution system includes a fluid source providing a supply of the cleaning solution and a distributor fluidly connected to the fluid source for distributing the cleaning solution to the surface. A liquid recovery system is operatively associated with the housing and includes a suction nozzle and a recovery tank removably mounted to the housing and in fluid communication with the suction nozzle. A suction source is in fluid communication with the suction nozzle for applying suction to draw the cleaning solution and dirt from the surface through the suction nozzle and into the recovery tank. A filter system is provided on the housing and in fluid communication with the recovery tank for filtering the recovered cleaning solution to be reused. The filter system includes a first filter provided on a filter support mounted to the recovery tank for filtering particles from the cleaning solution and dirt, and a second filter fluidly connected between the recovery tank and the distributor for filtering particles from the cleaning solution and dirt of a smaller size than the particles filtered from the first filter.

Cleaning machine for cleaning a surface

A floor care appliance is provided with a motor-fan assembly that includes a diffuser to improve efficiency but also reduces any resultant noise generated. The diffuser is disc shaped and has a plurality of equi-distant spaced vanes around the periphery. The vanes improve performance by converting air velocity into static pressure rise. The vanes also reduce noise by making the flow more uniform. A periphery of radially extending return vanes are arranged circumferentially on one side of the disc. The return vanes remove swirl and improve performance before directing the air through the interior of the motor for cooling.

Diffuser for a motor fan assembly

A motor-fan assembly for a floor care appliance having an improved working air fan for increased performance and noise reduction, a working air fan housing cover having a plurality of spiral shaped grooves, and a motor cooling air fan housing cover with slot shaped vent openings for increased cooling performance. The working air fan has a larger number of blades as compared to conventional fans wherein the blades are of two different lengths arranged in an alternating pattern circumferentially on an annular shaped disc. The blades are spaced closer together to prevent the passage of debris between adjacent blades and also to reduce flow noise. The passage between the edges of the fan blades and the working air fan cover has been widened and made uniform to aid in the passage of debris over the top of the working air fan. The spiral shaped grooves on the working air fan cover breaks the circulation patterns of the working airflow into smaller re-circulation patterns to reduce noise generated in the working air cavity. The slot shaped vent openings in the motor cooling air fan cover are oriented as close as possible to being parallel to the resultant direction of the motor cooling air exiting the motor housing through the vent openings to minimize drag and improve cooling efficiency.

Growing community of inventors

Uniontown, OH, United States of America

Steven W Kegg