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US 4,376,322 AGranted
Suction cleaner
AssigneeNational Union Electric Corporation
InventorsScott N. Lockhart, Samuel E. Hohulin, Joseph F. Brooks, deceased
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNational Union Electric Corporation
InventorsScott N. Lockhart, Samuel E. Hohulin, Joseph F. Brooks, deceased
Estimating the term…
A suction cleaner capable of rapid conversion for either on-the-floor or above-the-floor cleaning, is disclosed. The cleaner includes an elongated housing arranged in a generally upright manner and having an elongated, upwardly extending handle at the rear side thereof. A floor nozzle is connected to the lower end of the housing so that the latter "floats" on the surface of a rug or carpet being cleaned. A suction control valve assembly is mounted in a cavity in the rear of the housing so as to be easily removable therefrom. The valve assembly is connected to conduit means extending between a subatmospheric pressure filtering chamber in the housing and the floor nozzle. An auxiliary suction inlet communicates with the filtering chamber, upstream from the suction valve assembly, and one end of an auxiliary suction hose is permanently connected to the auxiliary inlet. The valve of the suction control valve assembly shifts from a position establishing communication between the floor nozzle and the filtering chamber when the cleaner housing is inclined rearwardly for on-the-floor cleaning and to a position preventing communication between the floor nozzle and the filtering chamber when the cleaner housing is in an upright position for above-the-floor cleaning. A recess is provided in the rear side of the handle to receive and releasably retain the suction hose when the latter is not in use and another cavity is provided between the housing and handle to receive an above-the-floor cleaning tool when this tool is not in use. The major components of the cleaner are compactly arranged so that the overall bulk of the cleaner is reduced.
In a suction cleaner adapted for either on-the-floor or above-the-floor cleaning and including a housing having suction-generating means therein and floor nozzle means adapted to be moved over a rug or carpet to be cleaned, conduit means connecting said floor nozzle means with said suction-generating means, said housing also having an auxiliary inlet communicating with said suction-generating means, a suction hose having one end connected to said auxiliary inlet to permit above-the-floor cleaning, and elongated handle means connected to said housing for manipulating said floor nozzle means over a rug or carpet to be cleaned, the improvement of a recess in said handle means for receiving said hose, and retaining means including magnetic means adapted to coact with magnetically attractable material in said hose to exert a magnetic force on the magnetically attractable material in said hose and tending to hold said hose in nested relation in said recess when said hose is not in use.
In a suction cleaner capable of either on-the-floor or above-the-floor cleaning, said cleaner including a housing having a chamber therein, means for reducing the pressure in said chamber to a subatmospheric level, floor nozzle means connected to said housing and adapted to be moved over a rug or carpet to be cleaned, said floor nozzle means also having a suction inlet through which dirt and the like dislodged from a rug or carpet is drawn, conduit means connecting said floor nozzle means with said chamber, said housing also having an auxiliary suction inlet communicating with said chamber, a flexible hose having one end connected to said auxiliary inlet, the opposite end of said hose having hand nozzle means connected thereto, said hand nozzle means having an inoperative, stored position and an operative position wherein the hand nozzle means can be manipulated by a user into proximity with an above-the-floor area to be cleaned, and elongated handle means connected to said housing for manipulating said cleaner over a rug or carpet, said handle means being disposed in a substantially upright position when said cleaner is operating in an above-the-floor cleaning mode and in a rearwardly inclined position when said cleaner is operating in an on-the-floor cleaning mode, the improvement of suction control means for controlling communication between said chamber and said floor nozzle means, said suction control means comprising valve means in said conduit means, said valve means being movable between an open position establishing communication between said chamber and said floor nozzle means and a closed position preventing communication between said chamber and said floor nozzle means, means for effecting movement of said valve means to said closed position in response to movement of said handle means from said rearwardly inclined position to said substantially upright position, and means coacting with said hand nozzle means for preventing flow through the inlet of said hand nozzle means when said cleaner is operating and said hand nozzle means is in said inoperative stored position.
In a suction cleaner including a housing having suction-generating means therein, floor nozzle means connected to said housing and adapted to be moved over a rug or carpet to be cleaned, means for generating a zone of reduced pressure in said housing, conduit means connecting said floor nozzle means with said reduced pressure zone, said housing also having an auxiliary inlet communicating with said reduced pressure zone and having one end of a suction hose connected thereto, the opposite end of said suction hose having hand nozzle means connected thereto for cleaning above-the-floor areas, the improvement of a suction control valve assembly connected to said conduit means and operable to establish or prevent communication between said reduced pressure zone and said floor nozzle means, said cleaner housing having a cavity therein, and said suction control valve assembly including a valve body removably mounted in said cavity, whereby said valve assembly can be removed from said housing for inspection, cleaning or replacement.
A suction cleaner comprising an elongated housing arranged in a generally upright manner and having upper and lower ends and front, rear and side walls, said housing also having means for generating a zone of reduced pressure therein, floor nozzle means carried at the lower end of said housing, conduit means connecting said floor nozzle means with said reduced pressure zone, elongated handle means connected to said housing, said handle means facilitating manipulation of said floor nozzle means over a rug or carpet to be cleaned, a portion of a wall of said housing being inwardly displaced to define an elongated cavity therein, said housing cavity being adapted to receive and retain an elongated, tubular cleaning tool adapted for above-the-floor cleaning, and said handle means extending into said inwardly displaced portion of said housing and defining the outer boundary of said tool cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.