Vacuum cleaners

Claim 1

A VACUUM CLEANER COMPRISING A HANDLE AND A CLEANER HEAD ADAPTED TO BE PUSHED OVER A SURFACE TO BE CLEANED, SAID CLEANER HEAD HAVING A CASING WITH AN UPPER SURFACE AND SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BOTTOM SURFACES ADAPTED TO SLIDE OVER THE SURFACE TO BE CLEANED, A MOTOR IN SAID CASING, A BLOWER OF THE CROSS-FLOW TYPE IN SAID CASING ATTACHED AT ONE END TO THE SHAFT OF SAID MOTOR WITH SAID BLOWER HAVING A DRUM-SHAPED BLADED ROTOR, SAID ROTOR BEING VERTICALLY POSITIONED IN SAID CASING WHEREIN THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BLOWER IS VERTICAL, A NOZZLE IN SAID CASING ADAPTED TO SLIDE OVER THE SURFACE TO BE CLEANED AND BEING CONNECTED TO THE SUCTION SIDE OF SAID BLOWER, AN OUTLET IN THE UPPER PART OF SAID CASING CONNECTED TO THE OUTLET OF SAID BLOWER AND BEING AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME HEIGHT AS THE END OF SAID BLOWER OPPOSITE SAID MOTOR SO THAT THE OVER-ALL HEIGHT OF SAID CLEANING HEAD IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE OVER-ALL HEIGHT OF SAID MOTOR AND ATTACHED BLOWER, COLLECTION MEANS IN SAID CLEANER HEAD FOR COLLECTING DUST FOR SUBSEQUENT REMOVAL FROM SAID CLEANER HEAD, FILTER MEANS IN SAID CLEANER HEAD TO SEPARATE DUST ENTRAINED IN THE AIR PASSING THROUGH SAID NOZZLE, AND NOZZLE BYPASS MEANS THROUGH WHICH AIR FLOWS TO THE ROTOR UNAFFECTED BY THE SURFACE TO BE CLEANED WHEN RESISTANCE TO AIR FLOW THROUGH THE NOZZLE EXCEEDS A PREDETERMINED LEVEL BY REASON OF THE CONJUNCTION OF SAID SURFACE TO BE CLEANED WITH THE NOZZLE WHEREBY THROUGHPUT OF AIR THROUGH SAID ROTOR IS MAINTAINED INDEPENDENT OF AIR FLOW THROUGH SAID NOZZLE.