Vacuum cleaner

• US 4,831,683 A
• Filed: 09/02/1988
• Issued: 05/23/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Riccar America Company
• Original Assignee: Riccar America Company
• Inventors: Neal, Craig J., Trapp, Robert L., Kroll, Clarence P.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US07/240,525
• Time in Patent Office: 263 Days
• Field of Search: 15/333, 15/361, 15/360, 15/410
• US Class Current: 15/361
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/34 with height adjustment of nozzles or dust-loosening tools

Abstract

There is disclosed herein an upright vacuum cleaner comprising a main body having a suction opening, and a handle body pivotally attached to the main body. A lifting assembly for the main body comprises a pair of wheel assemblies pivotally attached to the handle body. These wheel assemblies support the vacuum cleaner in a manner to raise its suction opening and brush assembly from the floor when the vacuum cleaner is in its full upright or idle condition. The wheel assemblies are suitably attached to receptacles in the handle body to allow these assemblies to move out of the way when the vacuum cleaner is used in the normal cleaning fashion, but to engage the floor when the handle body is moved to the full upright position.

Claims

1. An upright vacuum cleaner comprising

a main body having a body housing and a cover, a suction opening provided in the cover of the main body through which dust and dirt can be picked up from a floor surface to be cleaned,

a handle body pivotally mounted to the main body and being movable to various positions including an inclined position normally used during cleaning and an upright position, said handle body having a bottom section with supporting receptacle means formed therein, and

lifting assembly means attached to said supporting receptacle means and pivotally mounted with respect thereto, the lifting assembly means having floor contacting means for engaging a floor surface for raising the suction opening from the floor surface when the handle body is moved to its upright position and being retractable out of contact with the floor surface when the handle body is moved to an inclined position with respect to the main body for normal vacuuming, said lifting assembly means comprising a pair of arms each having a first end pivotally attached to said supporting receptacle means and a second end each having a rotatably mounted wheel thereon.

2. A vacuum cleaner as in claim 1 wherein

said supporting receptacle means comprises a pair of individual spaced receptacles molded in the bottom section of said handle body, said receptacles including openings for receiving pivot pin to which said first ends of said arms are attached, and spring means for biasing said arms toward a floor contacting position.

3. The vacuum cleaner as in claim 2 wherein

said receptacles each include bosses providing stops for said arms of said lifting assembly means to maintain said arms in a predetermined inclined relationship with respect to the handle body when the handle body is moved to the upright position.

4. An upright vacuum cleaner comprising

a main body having a body housing and a cover, a suction opening provided in the cover of the main body through which dust and dirt can be picked up from a floor surface to be cleaned, the cover including a pair of clearance slots,

a handle body pivotally mounted to the main body and being movable to various positions including an inclined position normally used during cleaning and an upright idle position, said handle body having a bottom section with a pair of supporting receptacles formed therein, each of said receptacles including a boss providing a stop face and a pair of sides for receiving a pivot pin, and

lifting assembly means attached to said supporting receptacle means and pivotally mounted with respect thereto, said lifting assembly means having floor contacting means for engaging a floor surface for raising the suction opening of the cover of the main body from a floor surface when the handle body is moved to an upright position and said lifting assembly means being retractable out of contact with a floor surface when the handle body is moved to an inclined position with respect to the main body for normal vacuuming, each said lifting assembly means comprising an elongated arm having a first end pivotally attached to said sides of said supporting receptacle by a pivot pin, and having a second end with a rotatably mounted wheel thereon, the wheels of said pair of arms comprising the floor contacting means, and spring means mounted between each of said arms and the supporting receptacles for normally biasing the arms and wheels toward a floor contacting position, and said clearance slots of said cover providing grooves by which said wheels can pass when said handle body is pivoted toward an inclined position.

5. A vacuum cleaner as in claim 4 wherein

the bottom section of said handle body and said supporting receptacle means, including said bosses and sides, are all of a unitary construction molded from plastic material.