Upright vacuum cleaner

Abstract

The invention concerns an upright vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaning head portion supporting an upright portion which includes a collector for vacuumed detritus, the cleaning head portion being provided with wheel means which allow the cleaner to be moved and directed over a floor surface by a user holding a handle provided at an upper region of the upright portion, wherein a lower region of the upright portion is structurally attached to the cleaning head by a tubular conduit in which air-entrained detritus can be conveyed from the cleaning head to the collector, and wherein the tubular conduit is provided with a swivelling connection in which a first tubular member associated with the upright portion engages with a second tubular member associated with the cleaning head portion, so that a male end of one of the tubular portions is seated co-axially in a female end of the other, and wherein the tubular portions are retained in engagement by an elongate flexible locking member which is accommodated in an annular circumferential channel formed between the seated male and female portions, the channel being defined at least in part by raised or depressed constraint features.

1 . An upright vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaning head portion supporting an upright portion which includes a collector for vacuumed detritus, the cleaning head portion being provided with wheel means which allow the cleaner to be moved and directed over a floor surface by a user holding a handle provided at an upper region of the upright portion, wherein a lower region of the upright portion is structurally attached to the cleaning head by a tubular conduit in which air-entrained detritus can be conveyed from the cleaning head to the collector, and wherein the tubular conduit is provided with a swivelling connection in which a first tubular member associated with the upright portion engages with a second tubular member associated with the cleaning head portion, so that a male end of one of the tubular members is seated co-axially in a female end of the other, and wherein the tubular members are retained in engagement by an elongate flexible locking member which is accommodated in an annular circumferential channel formed between the seated male and female members, the channel being defined at least in part by raised or depressed constraint features, the arrangement being such that with the locking member in place, swivelling of one member portion with respect to the other is possible but axial disengagement of the male and female portions is prevented by the abutment of one or more constraint features against the locking member, and with the locking member withdrawn from the channel the constraint features are not obstructed so that the male and female portions may be detached from each other by travel apart in the axial direction, thereby to permit detachment of the cleaning head from the upright portion. 
     
     
         2 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 1  wherein a brush roller is provided in the cleaning head, which brush has a transverse axis of rotation and is disposed above an elongate transverse sweeping aperture formed in a front underside region of the work head. 
     
     
         3 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the annular circumferential channel is oblong in section. 
     
     
         4 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 3  wherein the annular circumferential channel is oblong in section and the long side of the oblong is parallel to the axial direction, and the width is parallel to the radial direction. 
     
     
         5 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the cross-section of the locking member corresponds to the section of the annular circumferential channel. 
     
     
         6 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the elongate locking member is a sliding fit in the annular circumferential channel. 
     
     
         7 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 1  wherein an outer wall of the female tubular portion is formed with an aperture ( 21 ) communicating with the annular channel through which aperture the locking member may be slideably threaded into the circumferential channel. 
     
     
         8 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 1  wherein a tail end of the locking member is provided with a release tab, or graspable feature, which remains outside the annular channel when the locking member is accommodated inside, the tab facilitating manual withdrawal of the locking member for detachment of the members. 
     
     
         9 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 1  wherein a constraint feature comprises an annular circumferential lip provided in the male and/or female portion. 
     
     
         10 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 1  wherein a constraint feature comprises an annular circumferential depression or trough provided in the male and/or female portion. 
     
     
         11 . An upright vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaning head portion supporting an upright portion which includes a collector for vacuumed detritus, the cleaning head portion being provided with wheel means which allow the cleaner to be moved and directed over a floor surface by a user holding a handle provided at an upper region of the upright portion, wherein a lower region of the upright portion is structurally attached to the cleaning head by a tubular conduit in which air-entrained detritus can be conveyed from the cleaning head to the collector, and wherein the tubular conduit is provided with a swivelling connection in which a first tubular member associated with the upright portion engages with a second tubular member associated with the cleaning head portion, so that a male end of one of the tubular members is seated co-axially in a female end of the other, and wherein the tubular members are retained in engagement by an elongate flexible locking member which is accommodated in an annular circumferential channel formed between the seated male and female members, the channel being defined at least in part by raised or depressed constraint features, the arrangement being such that with the locking member in place, swivelling of one member portion with respect to the other is possible but axial disengagement of the male and female portions is prevented by the abutment of one or more constraint features against the locking member, and with the locking member withdrawn from the channel the constraint features are not obstructed so that the male and female portions may be detached from each other by travel apart in the axial direction, thereby to permit detachment of the cleaning head from the upright portion; and wherein a lower region of the tubular member associated with the cleaning head portion is provided with diametrically opposed transverse cylindrical axles which are seated in bearings provided in the cleaning head portion and which permit the tubular member to pivot fore and aft so that the attached upright portion of the vacuum cleaner may be reclined from a vertical storage orientation to an inclined work orientation. 
     
     
         12 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein at least one of the cylindrical axles is formed with an axial bore which provides a transverse fluid flow path for detritus-laden air into an interior of the tubular member and then upwards into the upright portion. 
     
     
         13 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein a brush roller is provided in the cleaning head, which brush has a transverse axis of rotation and is disposed above an elongate transverse sweeping aperture formed in a front underside region of the work head. 
     
     
         14 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the annular circumferential channel is oblong in section. 
     
     
         15 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the annular circumferential channel is oblong in section and the long side of the oblong is parallel to the axial direction, and the width is parallel to the radial direction. 
     
     
         16 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the cross-section of the locking member corresponds to the section of the annular circumferential channel. 
     
     
         17 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the elongate locking member is a sliding fit in the annular circumferential channel. 
     
     
         19 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein an outer wall of the female tubular portion is formed with an aperture communicating with the annular channel through which aperture the locking member may be slideably threaded into the circumferential channel. 
     
     
         20 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein a tail end of the locking member is provided with a release tab, or graspable feature, which remains outside the annular channel when the locking member is accommodated inside, the tab facilitating manual withdrawal of the locking member for detachment of the members. 
     
     
         21 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein a constraint feature comprises an annular circumferential lip provided in the male and/or female portion. 
     
     
         22 . An upright cleaner as claimed in  claim 11  wherein a constraint feature comprises an annular circumferential depression or trough provided in the male and/or female portion.