Battery powered vacuum trash collector

Claim 1

A mobile vacuum trash collector comprising a bin, a lid mounted on said bin which acts as a plenum chamber, a vacuum blower disposed on said lid, a direct current motor having a predetermined finite no load speed limit coupled to said vacuum blower and operable to produce a steady state suction under load, means for connection to a storage battery power source for energizing said motor, a flexible hose having an inner end communicating with said plenum chamber and an outer end, means accessible to an operator for maneuvering said outer end, said outer end disposed substantially in a flat plane and arranged to permit the closing of said outer end against a surface thereby substantially diminishing the volume of air drawn into said plenum chamber causing said motor speed to approach said speed limit, and thereby developing a greater than steady state suction when said outer end is removed from against said surface; said trash collector further comprising electrical circuit means having first and second nodes for coupling to a first source of electrical energy and having third and fourth nodes for coupling to a second source of electrical energy, and switching means coupled to said nodes and to said motor and operable between a series connected position in which said second node is coupled to said third node and a parallel connected position in which said first node is coupled to said third node and said second node is coupled to said fourth node, said series providing greater suction than said parallel position and said parallel position providing greater energy economy than said series position.