Vacuum cleaner construction

Claim 2

Vacuum cleaner construction including a carriage; handle means mounted on the carriage; wheels rotatably mounted on the carriage for movement of the carriage across a surface to be cleaned; a nozzle extending longitudinally with respect to the carriage and having a laterally extending inlet mouth at one end and an exhaust port at the other end; means mounting the nozzle exhaust port on the carriage for pivotal movement of the nozzle vertically about a laterally extending axis; a fan housing communicating with the nozzle exhaust port; inlet and exhaust openings formed in the fan housing; the fan housing having a generally cylindrical shape with inner and outer laterally spaced side walls and a tangentially-disposed air exhaust port, said exhaust port extending longitudinally rearwardly from the fan housing and terminating in and forming the fan housing exhaust opening, and said fan housing inlet opening being formed in the inner fan housing side wall concentrically with respect to the laterally extending pivotal axis; means communicating with the fan housing exhaust opening for receiving and storing debris discharged from the fan housing exhaust opening; fan means mounted within the fan housing for developing an air flow through the nozzle and fan housing and into the debris collection means; engine means drivingly connected to the fan means; and wheel means mounted on the nozzle supporting said nozzle mouth above a surface being cleaned.

Claim 3

The construction defined in claim 1 in which the debris collection means includes a porous cloth bag formed with an inlet opening in the upper portion thereof, in which clamp means releasably connects the bag to the air exhaust port, and in which the fan housing exhaust opening communicates directly with the bag inlet opening, whereby the debris discharged from the fan housing enters directly into the bag in a general straight-line path from the fan housing air exhaust port.

Claim 4

The construction defined in claim 2 in which downwardly extending arcuate deflector means is mounted on the fan housing air exhaust port, and in which said deflector extends through the bag inlet opening and deflects debris discharged through the fan housing air exhaust port downwardly toward the bottom of the bag.

Claim 5

The construction dEfined in claim 2 in which a disposable plastic liner is located within the cloth bag, in which the liner is formed with a plurality of perforations to permit air flow through the bag, and in which the fan housing air exhaust port communicates with the liner for discharging debris from the fan housing into the liner.

Claim 6

The construction defined in claim 2 in which an air exhaust opening is formed in the upper portion of the bag, in which means are mounted on the bag and communicate with the bag air exhaust opening to regulate the amount of air escaping from the bag through said opening, and in which a screen covers the bag air exhaust opening permitting the passage of air through said opening and preventing the passage of debris through said opening.

Claim 7

Vacuum cleaner construction including a carriage having a vertically extending bracket formed with a circular top opening; handle means mounted on the carriage; wheels rotatably mounted on the carriage for movement of the carriage across a surface to be cleaned; a nozzle extending longitudinally with respect to the carriage and having a laterally extending inlet mouth at one end and an exhaust port at the other end; said nozzle exhaust port having laterally spaced inner and outer side walls; means mounting the nozzle exhaust port on the carriage for pivotal movement of the nozzle vertically about a laterally extending axis; a fan housing communicating with the nozzle exhaust port; the fan housing including a pair of laterally spaced inner and outer side walls; inlet and exhaust openings formed in the fan housing; said fan housing inlet opening being circular and formed in the fan housing inner side wall laterally horizontally aligned with the carriage bracket opening; the nozzle exhaust port pivotal mounting means including a pair of outwardly extending annular flanges formed on the nozzle exhaust port inner and outer side walls, said outer side wall flange extending through the carriage bracket opening and said inner side wall flange extending through the fan housing inlet opening; means communicating with the fan housing exhaust opening for receiving and storing debris discharged from the fan housing exhaust opening; fan means mounted within the fan housing for developing an air flow through the nozzle and fan housing and into the debris collection means; engine means drivingly connected to the fan means; and wheel means mounted on the nozzle supporting said nozzle mouth above a surface being cleaned.

Claim 8

Vacuum cleaner construction including a carriage having a vertically extending bracket formed with a circular top opening; handle means mounted on the carriage; wheels rotatably mounted on the carriage for movement of the carriage across a surface to be cleaned; a nozzle extending longitudinally with respect to the carriage and having a laterally extending inlet mouth at one end and an exhaust port at the other end; said nozzle exhaust port having laterally spaced inner and outer side walls; means mounting the nozzle exhaust port on the carriage for pivotal movement of the nozzle vertically about a laterally extending axis; a fan housing communicating with the nozzle exhaust port; the fan housing including a pair of laterally spaced inner and outer side walls; inlet and exhaust openings formed in the fan housing; said fan housing inlet opening being circular and formed in the fan housing inner side wall laterally horizontally aligned with the carriage bracket opening; the nozzle exhaust port pivotal mounting means including a pair of outwardly extending annular flanges formed on the nozzle exhaust port inner and outer side walls, said outer side wall flange extending through the carriage bracket opening and said inner side wall flange extending through the fan housing inlet opening; means communicating with the fan housing exhaust opening for receiving and storing debris discharged from the fan housing exhaust opening; fan means mounted within the fan housing for developing an air flow through the nozzle and fan housing and into the debris collection means; engine means drivingly connected to the fan means; and wheel means mounted on the nozzle supporting said nozzle mouth above a surface being cleaned.

Claim 9

The construction defined in claim 6 in which the inner nozzle flange surrounds a nozzle exhaust opening formed in the nozzle inner wall.

Claim 10

The construction defined in claim 7 in which the outer nozzle flange surrounds an auxiliary opening formed in the nozzle outer wall, and in which cover means seals said auxiliary opening to the atmosphere when the air flow enters through the nozzle mouth.

Claim 11

The construction defined in claim 6 in which the engine means include a shaft, said shaft extending horizontally laterally with respect to the carriage, in which the engine shaft extends through an opening formed in the fan housing outer wall and connects to the fan means, and in which the axis of the engine shaft is laterally aligned with the fan housing inlet opening and with the nozzle exhaust opening.

Claim 12

The construction defined in claim 1 in which the nozzle includes a box-like section extending longitudinally between the nozzle mouth and the nozzle exhaust port, in which the nozzle mouth includes flared top and bottom walls and laterally spaced end walls, said walls forming a laterally extending nozzle mouth opening, and in which the nozzle mouth support wheel means includes wheels mounted on the laterally spaced end walls.