US 7,069,619 B2Granted

Upright vacuum cleaner equipped with conversion valve and dead headed wand

AssigneePanasonic Corporation of North America

InventorsJason D. Bowden, Jason R. Gieske, Thomas J. Fedorka

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Abstract

A floor care apparatus includes a housing having a nozzle assembly with a suction inlet and a canister assembly. A dirt collector and suction generator are carried on the housing. The apparatus further includes a wand having an inlet opening and a sealing element for sealing that inlet opening when the wand is held in a storage position. Additionally, the apparatus includes a valve and an airflow conduit system. The airflow conduit system provides fluid communication between the suction inlet, the inlet opening, the valve, the dirt collector and the suction generator. The valve is selectively displaceable between a closed position whereby the suction inlet is sealed off from fluid communication with the suction generator and an open position whereby the suction inlet is provided in fluid communication with the suction generator.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A floor care apparatus, comprising:

a housing including (a) a nozzle assembly having a suction inlet and (b) a canister assembly;
a dirt collector carried on said housing;
a suction generator carried on said housing;
a wand having an inlet opening;
a sealing element includes a plug filling and sealing said inlet opening when said wand is held in a storage position on said housing;
a valve;
and
an airflow conduit system providing fluid communication between said suction inlet, said inlet opening, said valve, said dirt collector and said suction generator;
said valve being selectively displaceable between a closed position whereby said suction inlet is sealed off from fluid communication with said suction generator and an open position whereby said suction inlet is in fluid communication with said suction generator;
said apparatus being further characterized by said sealing element further including a storage socket carried on said housing, said storage socket engaging a distal end of said wand including said inlet opening and thereby sealing said inlet opening.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.