Vacuum cleaner stand

Abstract

A stand for a vacuum cleaner having a hand-held main unit with a first locking arrangement for releasable locking to a second locking arrangement of a tube arrangement. The stand comprises a manually operated actuation mechanism adapted to actuate a release button or release mechanism to unlock the hand-held main unit from the tube arrangement while the vacuum cleaner is placed in the stand.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A stand for a vacuum cleaner comprising a hand held unit having a first locking arrangement, and a tube arrangement having a second locking arrangement, wherein the first locking arrangement and the second locking arrangement are selectively connectable together to lock the tube arrangement to the hand held unit with an air passage of the tube arrangement in fluid communication with an air inlet to a dust separation arrangement of the hand held unit; wherein the stand comprises:
 a holder configured to hold the hand held unit and the tube arrangement with the locking first locking arrangement and the second locking arrangement connected together to lock the tube arrangement to the hand held unit; and   a manually operated actuation mechanism configured to be activated by a user while the hand held unit and the tube arrangement are held by the holder, to disengage the first locking arrangement from the second locking arrangement to unlock the hand-held unit from the tube arrangement while the vacuum cleaner is held by the holder.   
     
     
         16 . The stand according to  claim 15 , wherein the actuation mechanism comprises a push button that, when pushed by a user, is configured to disengage the first locking arrangement from the second locking arrangement. 
     
     
         17 . The stand according to  claim 16 , wherein the push button faces in an upwards direction on the stand. 
     
     
         18 . The stand according to  claim 15 , wherein the actuation mechanism is adapted to be moved in a downwards direction to disengage the first locking arrangement from the second locking arrangement. 
     
     
         19 . The stand according to  claim 15 , wherein the actuation mechanism comprises:
 a button configured to be pushed by a user to move in a first direction; and   a catch configured to be moved by the button in a second direction to disengage the first locking arrangement from the second locking arrangement.   
     
     
         20 . The stand according to  claim 19 , wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. 
     
     
         21 . The stand according to  claim 19 , further comprises a pushrod connected to the button and configured to push the catch in the second direction upon movement of the button in the first direction. 
     
     
         22 . The stand according to  claim 19 , wherein the catch is located within the holder. 
     
     
         23 . The stand according to  claim 15 , wherein the holder is configured to hold the tube arrangement and allow the hand held unit to be removed when the first locking arrangement is disengaged from the second locking arrangement. 
     
     
         24 . The stand according to  claim 23 , wherein the holder comprises a magnet configured to secure the a magnetizable portion of the tube arrangement. 
     
     
         25 . The stand according to  claim 24 , wherein the tube arrangement comprises a suction tube and a nozzle connected or connectable at an end of the suction tube, and the magnet is configured to secure to at least one of the suction tube and the nozzle. 
     
     
         26 . The stand according to  claim 15 , wherein the stand comprises an upright tower portion, and the actuation mechanism is located on the upright tower portion. 
     
     
         27 . The stand according to  claim 26 , wherein the holder is located on the upright tower portion. 
     
     
         28 . The stand according to  claim 27 , wherein the actuation mechanism is located above the holder. 
     
     
         29 . The stand according to  claim 28 , wherein the actuator mechanism is located on a top surface of the upright tower portion. 
     
     
         30 . The stand according to  claim 27 , wherein the stand comprises a base portion attached to a bottom end of the upright tower portion and configured to support the stand on a surface. 
     
     
         31 . A vacuum cleaner arrangement comprising the stand according to  claim 15  and:
 a vacuum cleaner comprising a handheld unit having a dust separation arrangement, an air inlet, an air outlet, and a motor/fan unit configured to create an airflow from the air inlet, through the dust separation arrangement, and out the air outlet; and 
 a tube arrangement comprising a tube and a nozzle attached to an end of the tube distal from the handheld unit when the tube arrangement is connected to the tube arrangement. 
 
     
     
         32 . The vacuum cleaner arrangement according to  claim 31 , wherein the hand held unit comprises a handle adapted to be held while the actuation mechanism is operated.