Dirt Cup Latch Mechanism
First Claim
1. A vacuum cleaner dust cup comprising;
- a cup comprising a sidewall surrounding an open bottom end, and a shelf extending from the sidewall;
a lid pivotally connected to the cup adjacent the open bottom end by a hinge, the lid being movable about the hinge between a first position in which the lid substantially covers the open bottom end of the cup, and a second position in which the lid does not substantially cover the open bottom end of the cup;
a latch attached to the lid at a location remote from the hinge, the latch having a contact surface adapted to engage the shelf to hold the lid in the first position;
an actuator mounted adjacent the cup sidewall, the actuator being movable in a first direction to move the contact surface of the latch out of engagement with the shelf to thereby allow the lid to move about the hinge to the second position;
wherein, the actuator does not apply any substantial force to move the lid out of the first position.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vacuum cleaner dust cup having a sidewall surrounding an open bottom end, and a shelf extending from the sidewall. A lid is pivotally connected to the cup adjacent the bottom end and is movable between a first position in which it covers the open bottom end, and a second position in which it does not cover the open bottom end. A latch is attached to the lid and has a contact surface adapted to engage the shelf to hold the lid in the first position. An actuator is mounted adjacent the cup sidewall and is movable in a first direction to move the contact surface of the latch out of engagement with the shelf to allow the lid to move about the hinge to the second position. In some embodiments, the actuator does not apply any substantial force to move the lid out of the first position.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vacuum cleaner dust cup comprising;
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a cup comprising a sidewall surrounding an open bottom end, and a shelf extending from the sidewall; a lid pivotally connected to the cup adjacent the open bottom end by a hinge, the lid being movable about the hinge between a first position in which the lid substantially covers the open bottom end of the cup, and a second position in which the lid does not substantially cover the open bottom end of the cup; a latch attached to the lid at a location remote from the hinge, the latch having a contact surface adapted to engage the shelf to hold the lid in the first position; an actuator mounted adjacent the cup sidewall, the actuator being movable in a first direction to move the contact surface of the latch out of engagement with the shelf to thereby allow the lid to move about the hinge to the second position; wherein, the actuator does not apply any substantial force to move the lid out of the first position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vacuum cleaner dust cup comprising;
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a cup comprising a sidewall surrounding an open bottom end; a lid pivotally connected to the cup adjacent the open bottom end by a hinge, the lid being movable about the hinge between a first position in which the lid substantially covers the open bottom end of the cup, and a second position in which the lid does not substantially cover the open bottom end of the cup; a latch attached to the lid at a location remote from the hinge, the latch being configured to selectively engage the cup to hold the lid in the first position; an actuator mounted adjacent the cup sidewall, the actuator being movable in a first direction to disengage the latch from the cup to thereby allow the lid to move about the hinge to the second position; an air passage extending through the cup, the air passage terminating adjacent the open bottom end of the cup, and wherein the lid comprises a lid opening positioned to abut the air passage when the lid is in the first position; wherein the lid is elastically deformed by contact with the air passage when the lid is in the first position, thereby generating a restoring force that biases the lid away from the first position. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A vacuum cleaner dust cup comprising;
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a cup comprising a vertically-extending sidewall surrounding an open bottom end; a lid pivotally connected to the cup adjacent the open bottom end by a hinge, the lid being movable about the hinge between a first position in which the lid substantially covers the open bottom end of the cup, and a second position in which the lid does not substantially cover the open bottom end of the cup; a latch attached to the lid at a location remote from the hinge, the latch being configured to selectively engage the cup to hold the lid in the first position; an actuator mounted adjacent the cup sidewall, the actuator comprising a first member located generally adjacent the sidewall and being movable in a generally vertical direction, and a second member movably attached to the first member and having a contact surface that is adapted to move in a direction generally perpendicular to the sidewall as the first member moves in the generally vertical direction;
wherein the second member is positioned to disengage the latch from the cup when the contact surface has moved a predetermined distance from the sidewall. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification