Floor cleaner

Abstract

A floor cleaner including a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet, a fluid flow motor, a separator housing, and a cylindrical filter chamber containing a cylindrical filter media. The filter chamber includes a filter inlet that enters the filter chamber tangentially. The filter inlet has a longitudinal height that is a substantial portion of the height of the filter chamber and the filter media.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A floor cleaner comprising:
 a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;   a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;   a separator housing having a separator air inlet in communication with the dirty air inlet, and a separator air outlet;   a cylindrical filter chamber having a first end, a second end, and a cylindrical sidewall extending between the first and second ends in a longitudinal direction, the filter chamber having a filter inlet tangential to the cylindrical sidewall in fluid communication with the separator air outlet; and   a cylindrical filter media positioned in the filter chamber, the filter media having an upstream portion and a downstream portion, the upstream portion being spaced from the cylindrical sidewall, and the downstream portion forming a portion of the fluid flow path upstream of the fluid flow motor;   wherein a longitudinal height of the filter inlet is at least 50% of a longitudinal height of the upstream portion of the filter media.   
     
     
         2 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the longitudinal height of the filter inlet is at least 60% the height of the longitudinal height of the filter media. 
     
     
         3 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1  wherein a diameter of the cylindrical filter media is at least 60% of a diameter of the filter chamber. 
     
     
         4 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the filter inlet includes a filter inlet edge that extends into the filter chamber such that a radial distance between the filter media and the side wall is greater than a radial distance between the filter media and the filter inlet edge. 
     
     
         5 . The floor cleaner of  claim 4  wherein the filter inlet edge extends approximately parallel to the filter media. 
     
     
         6 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the cylindrical filter chamber is positioned under the separator housing. 
     
     
         7 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1  wherein a filter frame is positioned inside the filter chamber, wherein the filter frame is removable from the filter chamber. 
     
     
         8 . The floor cleaner of  claim 7  wherein the cylindrical filter media is positioned on the filter frame, wherein the cylindrical filter media is removable from the filter frame. 
     
     
         9 . The floor cleaner of  claim 7  wherein the filter frame includes a debris collection area adjacent the second end of the filter chamber. 
     
     
         10 . The floor cleaner of  claim 7  wherein the filter frame includes a wiper that extends radially around the filter frame adjacent the second end of the filter chamber. 
     
     
         11 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the cylindrical filter includes a first cylindrical filter and a second cylindrical filter, the second cylindrical filter being nested within the first cylindrical filter. 
     
     
         12 . The floor cleaner of  claim 11  wherein the separator housing includes a use position coupled to the floor cleaner and a removed position detached from the floor cleaner, wherein the longitudinal height of the first cylindrical filter is greater than the longitudinal height of the second cylindrical filter, and the first cylindrical filter is compressed by the separator housing in a use position. 
     
     
         13 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the longitudinal height of the filter inlet is as least twice the length of a width of the filter inlet in a lateral direction. 
     
     
         14 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1  wherein a gap between the cylindrical filter media and the adjacent cylindrical sidewall is in the range of 5 to 10 millimeters. 
     
     
         15 . A floor cleaner comprising:
 a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;   a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;   a separator housing in the fluid flow path, the separator housing having a separator air inlet and a separator air outlet; and   a cylindrical filter chamber having a first end, a second end, and a cylindrical sidewall extending between the first and second ends in a longitudinal direction, the filter chamber having
 a cylindrical filter media in the fluid flow path downstream of the separator housing and upstream of the fluid flow motor, 
 wherein the cylindrical filter media is spaced apart from the cylindrical sidewall by a gap, the length of the gap being less than 30% of a diameter of the cylindrical filter media; and 
 wherein a filter inlet edge extends into the filter chamber such that a radial distance between the filter media and the cylindrical sidewall is greater than a radial distance between the filter media and the filter inlet edge. 
   
     
     
         16 . The floor cleaner of  claim 15  wherein the length of the gap is less than 15% of the diameter of the cylindrical filter media. 
     
     
         17 . The floor cleaner of  claim 15  wherein the gap is between 1 and 25% of the diameter of the cylindrical filter chamber. 
     
     
         18 . The floor cleaner of  claim 15  wherein the cylindrical filter media has a diameter at least 70% of the diameter of the cylindrical filter chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The floor cleaner of  claim 18  wherein the filter inlet edge extends approximately parallel to the filter media 
     
     
         20 . A floor cleaner comprising:
 a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;   a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;   a separator housing having a separator air inlet in communication with the dirty air inlet, a separator air outlet, an upper end, and a lower end;   a debris collection chamber located within the separator housing;   a door coupled to the lower end of the separator housing and movable from a closed position to an open position to empty the debris collection chamber through the lower end of the separator housing; and   a cylindrical filter chamber having a first end, a second end, and a cylindrical sidewall extending between the first and second ends,   the cylindrical filter chamber including a cylindrical filter media in the fluid flow path downstream of the separator housing and upstream of the fluid flow motor,   wherein the cylindrical sidewall includes a filter inlet that enters the cylindrical sidewall tangentially, communicating the separator housing and the cylindrical filter chamber, and   wherein the door forms the first end of the filter chamber.   
     
     
         21 . The floor cleaner of  claim 20  wherein the filter chamber is positioned below the lower end of the housing. 
     
     
         22 . The floor cleaner of  claim 21  wherein the cylindrical sidewall extends between the first and second ends in a longitudinal direction, and wherein a longitudinal height of the filter inlet is at least 60% a longitudinal height from the first end to the second end of the cylindrical filter chamber. 
     
     
         23 . A floor cleaner comprising:
 a fluid flow path extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;   a fluid flow motor positioned in the fluid flow path;   a separator housing having a separator air inlet in communication with the dirty air inlet, and a separator air outlet;   a cylindrical filter chamber having an openable first end, a second end, and a cylindrical sidewall extending between the first and second ends, the second end having a chamber air outlet upstream of the fluid flow motor, the filter chamber having a filter inlet tangential to the cylindrical sidewall in fluid communication with the separator air outlet; and   an annular filter media positioned in the filter chamber, the filter media having an upstream portion and a radially interior downstream portion, the upstream portion being spaced from the cylindrical sidewall, and the downstream portion forming a portion of the fluid flow path in communication with the chamber air outlet;   wherein the filter chamber first end is formed by a portion of the separator housing and the separator housing is separable from the filter chamber to open the first end.   
     
     
         24 . The floor cleaner of  claim 23  wherein the separator housing includes an upper end, a lower end, a debris collection chamber located within the separator housing, and a door coupled to the lower end of the separator housing and movable from a closed position to an open position to empty the debris collection chamber through the lower end of the housing, wherein the filter chamber first end is formed by the door.