Suction cleaner

Claim 1

IN A TANK-TYPE SUCTION CLEANER (10) HAVING, IN COMBINATION, (A) AN ELONGATED CASING (11) WHICH NORMALLY IS HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED AND PROVIDED WITH AN AIR INLET (20) AND AN OUTLET (36D) AND HAVING A PATH OF FLOW FOR AIR THEREBETWEEN (20 AND 36D), THE AIR OUTLET (36D) BEING AT THE TOP (12) OF SAID CASING (11), THE AIR INLET (20) AND OUTLET (36D) BEING LOCATED AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID ELONGATED CASING (11) AND REMOVED FROM ONE ANOTHER AXIALLY (C-C) OF SAID CASING (11), (B) SAID CASING (11) INCLUDING AN IMPERFORATE WALL (32A) WHICH IS TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS (C-C) OF SAID CASING (11), SAID WALL (32A) HAVING ALL POINTS OF THE PERIPHERY THEREOF CONTACTING THEINTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID CASING (11) IN SEALING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH AND DEFINING A PART OF THE PATH OF FLOW FOR AIR BETWEEN THE INLET (20) AND THE OUTLET (36D) WHICH IS AT THE TOP (12) OF THE CASING (11), (C) MEANS EXTENDING AXIALLY (C-C) IN SAID CASING (11) AND INCLUDING A MOTOR-FAN UNIT (23) FOR CIRCULATING AIR IN THE PATH OF FLOW FROM THE INLET (20) TO THE OUTLET (36D), SAID UNIT (23) INCLUDING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR (25) AND A FAN (24) DRIVEN THEREBY, SAID MOTOR (25) AND SAID FAN (24) BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID PATH OF FLOW, (D) MEANS INCLUDING STRUCTURE (26,29) TO PROVIDE SEALING MEANS (26, 29) BETWEEN SAID CASING (11) AND SAID MOTOR-FAN UNIT (23) FOR CONSTRAINING ALL AIR PASSING THROUGH SAID PATH OF FLOW OF FLOW THROUGH SAID MOTOR-FAN UNIT (23), (E) SAID CASING (11) HAVING A COMPARTMENT (32C) WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE PATH OF FLOW FOR AIR BETWEEN SAID INLET (20) AND THE OUTLET (36D), SWITCH MEANS (30) IN SAID COMPARTMENT (32C) FOR CONTROLLING SAID MOTOR (25), SAID SWITCH MEANS (30) HAVING A CONTROL MEMBER (31) WHICH EXTENDS TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CASING (11) AND IS ACCESSIBLE AT THE TOP (12) THEREOF, SAID COMPARTMENT (32C) BEING DEFINED IN PART BY AN EXTERIOR WALL PART (32) OF SAID CASING (11) WHICH IS REMOVABLE THEREFROM FOR INSPECTING SAID SWITCH MEANS (30) WITHOUT DISTURBING SAID MOTOR (25) IN SAID PATH OF FLOW FOR AIR BETWEEN SAID INLET (20) AND OUTLET (36D), (F) WALL MEANS INCLUDING A PART (12A) AT THE TOP (12) OF SAID CASING (11) AND SAID TRANSVERSE WALL (32A) AND SAID SEALING MEANS (26,29) DEFINING A SPACE (28) WHICH FORMS A PART OF SAID PATH OF FLOW FOR AIR BETWEEN THE INLET (20) AND OUTLET 36D) AND INTO WHICH ALL OF THE AIR FLOWS THROUGH SAID MOTOR-FAN UNIT (23), (G) SAID PART (12A) AT THE TOP (12) OF SAID CASING (11) BEING FORMED WITH AN OPENING (34) HAVING A VERTICAL AXIS (D-D), SAID OPENING (34) BEING BELOW AND VERTIALLY SPACED FROM THE OUTLET (36D) AND THROUGH WHICH AIR FROM SAID SPACE (28) IN ITS PATH OF FLOW FROM THE INLET (20) TO THE OUTLET (36D) IS DISCHARGED VERTICALLY UPWARD TOWARD THE OUTLET (36D), (H) AN AIR FILTER COMPRISING A LAYER (35) OF AIR-PERMEABLE MATERIAL HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA GREATER THAN THAT OF THE AIR DISCHARGE OPENING (34), (I) THE TOP (12) OF SAID CASING (11) INCLUDING AN EXTERIOR WALL SECTION (36) WHICH IS APERTURED (36C) AND MOVABLE TO AND FROM A POSITION OVER THE OPENING (34), (J) THE OUTLET (36D) OF THE CLEANER (10) BEING DEFINED BY SAID EXTERIOR WALL SECTION (36) WHEN POSITIONED OVER THE OPENING (34), (K) THE OPENING (34) BEING FORMED TO RECEIVE AN END OF A HOSE AND BEING ACCESSIBLE WHEN SAID EXTERIOR WALL SECTION (36) IS MOVED FROM ITS POSITION OVER THE OPENING (34), (L) MEANS (37) WHICH FUNCTIONS TO RECEIVE AND HOLD SAID EXTERIOR WALL SECTION (36) OVER THE OPENING (34), SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS (37) FUNCTIONING TO ENABLE SAID EXTERIOR WALL SECTION (36) TO BE MOVED TO AND FROM ITS POSITION OVER THE OPENING (34), (M) AND SAID LAYER (35) OF AIR-PERMEABLE MATERIAL DURING OPERATION OF THE CLEANER BEING MAINTAINED OVER THE OPENING (34) AND IN A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING PLANE WHICH IS SUBTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE VERTICALLY EXTENDING AXIS (D-D) OF THE OPENING (34) AND BETWEEN THE OPENING (34) AND THE OUTER SURFACE (36E) OF SAID EXTERIOR WALL SECTION (36) FOR AIR DISCHARGED UPWARD FROM THE OPENING (34) TO FLOW THROUGH SAID LAYER (35) OF AIR-PERMEABLE MATERIAL AND PAST SAID EXTERIOR WALL SECTION (36) TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CASING (11).