Invisible hinge means for lid and hood of a canister vacuum cleaner

• US 4,554,700 A
• Filed: 08/16/1984
• Issued: 11/26/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Lyman, John B.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US06/641,284
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 15/327 R, 15/327 F, 15/327 D, 15/327 E, 15/323, 16/355, 16/362, 16/363
• US Class Current: 15/323
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/00 Details or accessories of suction cleaners, e.g. mechanical means for controlling the suction or for effecting pulsating action; Storing devices specially adapted to suction cleaners or parts thereof; Carrying-vehicles specially adapted for suction cleaners
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0009 Storing devices winding devices for electric cables A47L9/26; Supports, stands or holders
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0027 specially adapted for holding the suction cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 1/04 with guide members shaped as circular arcs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/30 for domestic appliances

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner structure having an invisible hinge structure hingedly mounting a hood to the vacuum cleaner body and a lid to the hood. The body defines an arcuate guide slidably receiving an arcuate slide-track for hingedly mounting the hood to the body. A track portion of the slide-track, in turn, slidably carries an arcuate slide on the lid for hingedly mounting the lid to the slide-track and thereby hingedly mounting the lid indirectly to the body. The body guide, the hood slide-track, and the lid slide are each arcuately centered on a common axis disposed rearwardly of a rear wall defining the filter bag space of the vacuum cleaner with the common axis being disposed outside the confines of the vacuum cleaner body to facilitate interference-free opening and closing of the hood and lid. The hood slide-track and lid slide are received within the body rearwardly of the rear wall so as to define an invisible hinge mounting of the hood and lid to the body. In the illustrated embodiment, the slide is formed integrally with the lid and the slide-track is formed integrally with the hood.

Claims

1. In an appliance having a body defining a first receptacle and a wall portion at one edge portion of the receptacle, the improvement comprising:

arcuate guide means on said body;

a first lid for covering said receptacle, said first lid defining a second receptacle and having arcuate slide-track means, said slide-track means defining an arcuate first slide slidably received in said arcuate guide for selective swinging of said first lid about an axis defined by said guide means, said slide-track means further defining an arcuate track concentric to said axis; and

a second lid for covering said second receptacle and having an arcuate second slide slidably received in said arcuate track for selective swinging of said second lid relative to said first lid, whereby said first and second lids may be swung as a unit to uncover said first receptacle and said second lid may be selectively swung away from said first lid to uncover said second receptacle as desired.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said arcuate guide comprises an arcuate track formed integrally in said body.

3. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of arcuate tracks adjacent opposite sides of said first receptacle.

4. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said first lid defines a recess opening to said second receptacle and said second lid is received in said recess when covering said second receptacle.

5. The Appliance of claim 1 wherein said slide-track means is received within said body when said first lid is covering said first receptacle.

6. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said slide-track means is received within said body when said first lid and said second lid are covering said first receptacle and said second lid is covering said second receptacle.

7. The appliance of claim 1 further including cooperating stop means on said body and slide-track means for limiting the swinging of said first lid.

8. The appliance of claim 1 further including cooperating stop means on said body and slide-track means for limiting the swinging of said first lid to an overcenter upright position for releasably maintained access to said first receptacle.

9. The appliance of claim 1 further including cooperating latch means on said body and first lid for releasably locking said first lid to said body in a first receptacle covering disposition.

10. The appliance of claim 1 further including cooperating latch means on said first lid and second lid for releasably locking said second lid to said first lid in a second receptacle covering disposition.

11. The appliance of claim 1 further including cooperating stop means on said slide-track and first slide for limiting the swinging of said first lid.

12. The appliance of claim 1 further including cooperating stop means on said slide-track and first slide for limiting the swinging of said first lid to an upright position for releasably maintained access to said second receptacle.

13. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said axis defined by said guide means defines a common pivot axis for both said first lid and said second lid.

14. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said first lid and said second lid are severally and jointly pivotable about said axis defined by said guide means.

15. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said axis defined by said guide means is spaced outside the confines of the body of said appliance whereby said first lid and said second lid may be freely swung about said axis free of interference with said body and with each other.

16. In a vacuum cleaner canister having a body defining a bag receptacle and a wall portion at one edge portion of the bag receptacle, the improvement comprising:

arcuate guide means on said body;

a hood for covering said bag receptacle, said hood defining an attachment tool tray and having arcuate slide-track means, said slide-track means defining an arcuate first slide slidably received in said arcuate guide for selective swinging of said hood about an axis defined by said guide means, said slide-track means further defining an arcuate track concentric to said axis; and

a lid for covering said tray and having an arcuate second slide slidably received in said arcuate track for selective swinging of said lid relative to said hood, whereby said hood and lid may be swung as a unit to uncover said bag receptacle and said lid may be selectively swung away from said hood to uncover said tray as desired.

17. The vacuum cleaner canister structure of claim 16 wherein said slide-track means is formed integrally with said hood.

18. The vacuum cleaner canister structure of claim 16 wherein said second slide is formed integrally with said lid.

19. The vacuum cleaner canister structure of claim 16 further including cooperating latch means on said hood and lid for releasably locking said lid to said hood in a traycovering disposition, said latch means being formed integrally with said hood and lid respectively.

20. The vacuum cleaner canister structure of claim 16 wherein said second slide defines an L-shaped cross section.

21. The vacuum cleaner canister structure of claim 16 wherein said track defines an annular recess and said second slide includes an annular wall slidably received in said recess.

22. The vacuum cleaner canister structure of claim 16 wherein said track defines an annular recess and said second slide includes an annular flange slidably received in said recess.

23. The vacuum cleaner canister structure of claim 16 wherein said second slide is removably mounted to said slidetrack means.

24. The vacuum cleaner canister structure of claim 16 wherein said slide-track means is removably mounted to said guide.

25. In a vacuum cleaner canister as claimed in claim 16 wherein said hood and said lid swing about a common pivot axis in their selective swinging movements.

26. In a vacuum cleaner canister as claimed in claim 25 wherein said common pivot axis is outside the space defined by the body of the canister facilitating selective swinging movement of said hood and said lid relative to said body free of interference with said body.