Discharge means for canister vacuum cleaner

Claim 1

Discharge means for use with a canister type vacuum cleaner having a canister which detachably supports a suction head at the upper end thereof and having a bottom at the lower end of said canister in which a circular opening is formed, said discharge means comprising in combination, a mounting plate having a central circular opening similar in size to said opening in the bottom of said canister and positioned coaxially therewith, means adapted to secure said plate firmly to the lower surface of said bottom with said openings in registry, a pair of parallel guide channels connected to the surface of said plate opposite the surface mounted against said bottom of said canister and each guide channel respectively positioned adjacent opposite sides of said central opening, a cut-off closure slide supported between said guide channels for close sliding engagement with the surface of said plate to which said channels are connected and having one end which moves toward and from said opening in said mounting plate, an actuating rod, connecting means on said one end of said slide to which one end of said rod is connected and the other end of said rod comprising an outer end extending beyond the periphery of the bottom of said canister for manual engagement, a spring mounted upon said rod, a bracket adapted to be fixed to said bottom of said canister adjacent the outer edge thereof and having a leg depending therefrom and provided with an aperture through which the outer end of said actuating rod extends, said spring on said rod extending between said leg and said connecting means on said one end of said slide and operable to move said slide from open to closing position over said opening in said plate, and the edge of said slide which moves toward and from said opening in said plate being in the form of a concave arc similar to a segment of the circumference of the circular opening in said mounting plate and said arcuate edge of said slide being bevelled to constitute a sharpened shearing edge cooperable with the perimeter of said central opening in said plate to remove any accumulated material extending through said opening.