Handheld Cleaning Appliance
The invention relates to a handheld cleaning appliance particularly, but not exclusively,
to a handheld vacuum cleaner. More particularly, the invention relates to a handheld
cleaning appliance having a cyclonic separator.
Handheld vacuum cleaners are well known and have been manufactured and sold by
various manufacturers for several years. Typically, a handheld vacuum cleaner
comprises a casing which houses a motor and fan unit for drawing air into the cleaner
via an inlet, and a separation device such as a filter or bag for separating dirt and dust
from the incoming airflow. An example of such a vacuum cleaner is shown in
GB1207278.
Handheld vacuum cleaners have more recently been developed to incorporate cyclonic
separation systems which are capable of removing larger items of debris from the
airflow before removing finer particles using a filter or other barrier means. An
example of such a device is sold by Black & Decker under the trade name
DUSTBUSTER®. Further examples of handheld vacuum cleaners incorporating
cyclonic separators are shown in GB2035787A and WO2006/076363.
A disadvantage of known handheld vacuum cleaners which utilise cyclonic separators is
that emptying the appliance of dirt and dust collected therein can be awkward,
inconvenient and messy. In some cases, a compartment of the appliance must be
physically removed from the rest of the appliance, transported to a suitable receptacle,
emptied and then replaced on the appliance. Removal of a portion of the appliance
inevitably carries with it a risk that the portion will not be replaced correctly and this
can adversely affect the performance of the appliance. In other arrangements, the
opening of the compartment in which the dirt and dust is collected involves awkward
manipulation of the appliance as a whole. When the appliance has been designed for
ease of handling during the cleaning operation, the emptying process can increase the

risk of the appliance being inadvertently dropped and broken during emptying. It is
therefore an object of the invention to provide a handheld cleaning appliance which is
easier and more convenient to empty than known handheld vacuum cleaners.
The invention provides a handheld cleaning appliance comprising a dirty air inlet, a
clean air outlet and separating apparatus for separating dirt and dust from an airflow in
an airflow path leading from the air inlet to the air outlet, the separating apparatus
comprising a cyclonic separator having at least one cyclone and a collector having a
wall and a base member, the base member being held in a closed position by means of a
catch and being pivotably connected to the wall, the appliance further including a main
body which incorporates an actuator for operating the catch, characterized in that the
actuator comprises a slidably mounted rod which is movable between an inoperative
position and an actuating position in which the rod contacts part of the catch so as to
allow the collector to be opened for emptying purposes.
This arrangement allows the catch to be released without the user actually touching the
collector. It also provides a compact, reliable mechanism for remotely emptying the
collector in a cost-efficient manner.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a handheld cleaning appliance according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the appliance of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a side view of the appliance of Figure 1 showing the collector base in an
open position; and
Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross section through the cyclonic separating apparatus
forming part of the appliance of Figure 1.

Figures 1 to 3 show a handheld vacuum cleaner 10. The handheld vacuum cleaner 10
has a main body 12 which houses a motor and fan unit (not shown). The main body 12
also includes a power source 14 such as a battery. A handle 16 is provided on the main
body 12 for manipulating the handheld vacuum cleaner 10 in use. A cyclonic separator
100 is attached to the main body 12. A dirty air inlet 18 extends from a portion of the
cyclonic separator 100 remote from the main body 12. A brush tool 22 is slidably
mounted on the distal end of the dirty air inlet 18. A set of exhaust vents 24 are
provided on the main body 12 for exhausting air from the handheld vacuum cleaner 10.
The cyclonic separator 100 is located between the main body 12 and the dirty air inlet
18. Consequently, the cyclonic separator 100 is located between the handle 16 and the
dirty air inlet 18. The cyclonic separator 100 has a longitudinal axis 26 which extends
in a generally upright direction so that the axis 26, and therefore the cyclonic separator
100, lies substantially parallel to the direction in which the handle 16 extends.
The orientation of the handle 16 is such that, when the user grips the handle 16, the
user's hand forms a fist in a manner similar to that adopted when gripping a saw. This
ensures mat the user's wrist is not strained more man necessary when manipulating the
handheld vacuum cleaner 10 for cleaning purposes. The cyclonic separator 100 is
positioned close to the handle 16 which also reduces the moment applied to the user's
wrist when the handheld vacuum cleaner 10 is in use. The handle 16 carries an on/off
switch 20 in the form of a trigger for turning the vacuum cleaner motor on and off.
The cyclonic separating apparatus 100 forming part of the handheld vacuum cleaner 10
is shown in more detail in Figure 4. The cyclonic separating apparatus 100 comprises a
first cyclone 102 which has a longitudinal axis X-X and a collector 105 having a wall
104. An inlet 110 is formed in the upper portion of the wall 104. The inlet 110 is in
communication with the dirty air inlet 18 and forms a communication path between the
dirty air inlet 18 and the interior of the first cyclone 102. The air inlet 110 is arranged

tangentially to the first cyclone 102 so that the incoming air is forced to follow a helical
path around the interior of the first cyclone 102.
A base 116 closes the collector 105 at one end of the first cyclone 102. The base 116 is
pivotably mounted on the lower endofthe wall 104 by means of a hinge 118.The base
116 is retained in a closed position (as shown Figures 1, 2 and 4) by means of a catch
120 which interengages with a lip 150 located on the wall 104. The catch 120 is
resiliently deformable so that, in the event that downward pressure is applied to the
uppermost portion of the catch 120, the catch will move away from the lip 150 and
become disengaged therefrom. In this event, the base 116 will drop away from the wall
104.
An actuator 152 is provided in the main body 12. It is shown schematically in Figures 3
and 4. Essentially, the actuator 152 comprises a rod 154 which is slidably mounted
inside a part of the main body 12 so as to be movable between a first, inoperative
position and a second, operative or actuating position. The first position is shown in
Figure 4. The rod 154 is biased into the first position by a spring or other resilient
means which are not shown in the drawings. At or near its upper end, the rod 154
carries a projection 156 which extends laterally away from the rod 154 and projects
through an aperture 158 in the main body 12 (see Figures 2 and 3). The rod 154 also
carries, at its lower end, another projection 160 which extends towards the collector 105
and the catch 120. It also projects through another aperture in the main body 12 so that,
when the rod 154 is moved into the second position, the projection 160 comes into
contact with the catch 120 and presses it downwardly so that the catch 120 is released
from the lip 150.
The rod 154 is moved from the first position to the second position manually by means
of the user pressing the projection 156 in a downwards direction against the action of
the spring. This causes the catch 120 to be released from the lip 150 and the base 116
then swings away from the wall 104. The catch 120 can also be arranged so that further
downward movement of the rod 154 will apply an opening force to the catch 120. This

is advantageous in that the seal between the base 116 and the wall 104 will then be
broken to allow the base to swing open more freely.
Upon release of the pressure applied by the user to the projection 156, the rod 154
returns to the first position under the action of the spring. The base 116 can be returned
to the closed position manually by the user whereupon the catch will re-engage with the
lip 150. The presence of the hinge 118 means that the base 116 remains automatically
aligned with the wall 104 so that there is little or no risk that the base 116 will be
incorrectly positioned when it is returned to the closed position.
A shroud 121 is located inwardly of the wall 104 of the first cyclone 102. The shroud
121 comprises a part-cylindrical, part-frustoconical wall 122 having a plurality of
through-holes 123. The shroud 121 surrounds an outlet 124 from the first cyclone 102.
The outlet 124 provides a communication path between the first cyclone 102 and a
second cyclone assembly 126. A lip 128 is provided at the base of the shroud 121. The
lip 128 has a plurality of through-holes 129 which are designed to allow air to pass
through but to capture dirt and dust.
The second cyclone assembly 126 comprises a plurality of second cyclones 130
arranged in parallel with one another. In this embodiment, six: second cyclones 130 are -
provided. The second cyclones 130 are arranged around the axis X-X of the first
cyclone 102. The arrangement of the second cyclones 130 is such that the second
cyclones 130 are spaced equi-angularly around the axis X-X. Each second cyclone 130
has a tangentially-arranged air inlet and an air outlet (not shown) located at a first end of
the respective second cyclone 130. A cone opening 136 is located at a second end of
each second cyclone 130. The plane of the cone opening 136 of each second cyclone
130 is inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis (not shown) of the respective further
cyclone 130. The cone opening 136 of each of the second cyclones 130 is in
communication with a passageway 138 defined by a wall 140 located inwardly of the
shroud 121.

The second end of each second cyclone 130 projects into the interior of the first cyclone
102. However, the first end of each second cyclone 130 lies outside the envelope of the
first cyclone 102. In the orientation shown, it is the lower end of each second cyclone
130 which projects into the upper end of the first cyclone 102. The inlet 110 is also
arranged at the upper end of the first cyclone 102 so that the inlet 110 is located in the
region of the cyclonic separator 100 in which the first and second cyclones 102, 130
overlap. Because the first ends of the second cyclones 130 lie outside the envelope of
the first cyclone 102, this region of the cyclone separator 100 lies intermediate the upper
end of the cyclone separator 100 and the lower end of the cyclone separator 100.
Connecting the dirty air inlet 18 to the cyclone separator 100 at an intermediate portion
thereof is beneficial for the manipulation of the handheld vacuum cleaner 10 and avoids
the lower extremities of the appliance being accidentally knocked on surfaces away
from the area being cleaned.
A collector 142 is located at the lower end of the passageway 138. The collector 142
comprises a frustoconical first portion 144 and a cylindrical second portion 146. The
interior of the collector 142 is delimited by the base 116 and the sides of the first and
second portions 144, 146 of the collector 142.
Each of the air outlets of the second cyclones 130 is in communication with a duct 150.
The duct 150 provides an airflow path from the cyclonic separating apparatus 100 into
other parts of the handheld vacuum cleaner 10. Located at the downstream end of the
duct 150 is a pre-motor filter 152. The pre-motor filter 152 comprises a porous material
such as foam and can also include a fine filter material. The pre-motor filter 152 is
designed to prevent any fine dust particles from entering the motor and causing damage
thereto.
In use, when the on/off switch 20 is depressed, the motor and fan unit draws a flow of
dirt-laden air into the dirty air inlet 18 and then into the cyclonic separator 100. Dirt-
laden air enters the cyclonic separator 100 through the inlet 110. Due to the tangential
arrangement of the inlet 110, the airflow is forced to follow a helical path around the

interior of the wail 104. Larger dirt and dust particles are separated by cyclonic motion
around the wall 104. These particles are then collected at the base 116 of the first
cyclone 102.
The partially-cleaned airflow then flows back up the interior of the first cyclone 102 and
exits the first cyclone 102 via the through-holes 123 in the shroud 121. Once the airflow
has passed through the shroud 121, it enters the outlet 124 and from there is divided
between the tangential inlets of each of the second cyclones 130. Each of the second
cyclones 130 has a diameter which is smaller than that of the first cyclone 102.
Therefore, the second cyclones 130 are able to separate smaller particles of dirt and dust
from the partially-cleaned airflow than the first cyclone 102. Separated dirt and dust
exits the second cyclones 130 via the cone openings 136. Thereafter, the separated dirt
and dust passes down the passageway 138 and into the collector 142. The separated dirt
and dust eventually settles at the bottom of the collector 142 on the base 116.
Cleaned air then flows back up the second cyclones 130, exits the second cyclones 130
through the air outlets and enters the duct 150. The cleaned air then passes from the duct
150 sequentially through the pre-motor filter 152, the motor and fan unit, and a post-
motor filter before being exhausted from the vacuum cleaner 10 through the air vents
24.
The first cyclone 102 and the collector 142 can be emptied simultaneously by releasing
the catch 120 to allow the base 116 to pivot about the hinge 118 so that the separated
dirt and dust can fall away from the cyclonic separator 100. This is done by the user
pressing the projection 156 in a downwards direction against the biasing action of the
spring so as to cause the other projection 160 to come into contact with the catch 120.
The catch 120 is resiliently deformed away from the lip 150 and is this released
therefrom. Further downward movement of the projection 156 ensures that the seal
between the base 116 and the wall 104 is broken and the base 116 then swings
downwardly away from the wall 104. The dirt and dust collected in the cyclonic
separator 100 then falls out of the first cyclone 102 and the collector 142. By

positioning the cleaning appliance 10 above a suitable dirt receptacle such as a dustbin,
the dirt and dust collected in the cyclonic separator can be efficiently and reliably
emptied.
When the cyclonic separator 100 has been emptied as described above, the user may
close the cyclonic separator 100 by moving the base 116 back into the closed position
shown in Figures 1 and 2 by hand. Alternatively, the cleaning appliance may be
manipulated so as to swing the base 116 into the closed position. A further alternative
would be to place the appliance onto a surface so as to apply a closing force to the base
116 and thereby bring the base 116 into latching contact with the lip 150. The presence
of the hinge 118 enables the cyclonic separator 100 to be emptied and subsequently
closed without any serious risk of misalignment of the base 116. Misalignment of the
base 116 would jeopardise the performance of the appliance.
The invention is not limited to the precise details of the embodiment described above.
For example, the number of first and second cyclones can be varied, as can the detail of
their design, such as their cone angle, axis inclination and cone opening inclination.
The shape of the collector and base can be altered, as can the precise location of the
hinge and catch and the location of the actuator. The location of the on/off switch may
also be varied.

We claim:
1. A handheld cleaning appliance comprising a dirty air inlet, a clean air outlet and
separating apparatus for separating dirt and dust from an airflow in an airflow path
leading from the air inlet to the air outlet, the separating apparatus comprising a
cyclonic separator having at least one cyclone and a collector having a wall and a base
member, the base member being held in a closed position by means of a catch and being
pivotably connected to the wall, the appliance further including a main body which
incorporates an actuator for operating the catch, characterized in that the actuator
comprises a slidably mounted rod which is movable between an inoperative position
and an actuating position in which the rod contacts part of the catch so as to allow the
collector to be opened for emptying purposes.
2. A handheld cleaning appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base is hinged
to the wall on a first side thereof.
3. A handheld cleaning appliance as claimed in claim 2, wherein the catch is
provided at a location which is diametrically opposed to the hinge.
4. A handheld appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the
rod is biased into the inoperative position
5. A handheld appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the
rod comprises a projection which is manually movable with respect to the main body.
6. A handheld appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the
rod is located inside a part of the main body.
7. A handheld appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a
portion of the collector lies adjacent a portion of the main body.

8. A handheld cleaning appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.

The invention provides a handheld cleaning appliance (10) comprising a dirty air inlet
(18), a clean air outlet (24) and separating apparatus (100) for separating dirt and dust
from an airflow in an airflow path leading from the air inlet (18) to the air outlet (24).
The separating apparatus (100) comprises a cyclonic separator having at least one cyclone (102) and a collector (105). The collector (105) has a wall (104) and a base member (116), the base member (116) being held in a closed position by means of a catch (120) and being pivotably connected to the wall (104). The appliance further includes a main body (12) which incorporates an actuator (152) for operating the catch (120). The actuator (152) comprises a slidably mounted rod (154) which is movable between an inoperative position and an actuating position in which the rod (154) contacts part of the catch (120) so as to allow the collector (105) to be opened for emptying
purposes. This arrangement allows the catch (120) to be released without the user actually touching the collector (105). It also provides a compact, reliable mechanism for remotely emptying the collector (105) in a cost-efficient manner.