Cleaning center for use in a home, motor vehicle and the like

• US 5,095,579 A
• Filed: 02/16/1990
• Issued: 03/17/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brian E. Becker
• Original Assignee: Brian E. Becker
• Inventors: Becker, Brian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Folker, James K.
• Application Number:
  US07/480,973
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 15/323, 15/327.6, 15/264, 220/23.2, 220/527, 220/664, 220/4.26, 220/4.21, 220/500, 220/520, 220/523
• US Class Current: 15/339
• 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

Abstract

A cleaning center for use in a home, motor vehicle or the like. The cleaning center is constructed with one or more outer caddy units which may be locked together and covered and locked with a lid. The caddy units are designed to store cleaning supplies and to prevent access to the supplies by small children. Each caddy unit has an internal cleaning device positioned in the center thereof with the home caddy having a vacuum cleaner unit and the auto caddy having a pail. The caddies as well as the internal cleaning devices are interchangeable and can be used separately and in various combinations.

Claims

1. A cleaning center for use in cleaning the inside of a home and also for use outside of the home such as cleaning the inside of a motor vehicle or the like, comprising:

(a) at least two interchangeable caddy units positioned one on top of the other;

(1) one of the caddy units comprising an outer home caddy having formed therein a plurality of inner compartments for use in storing assorted cleaning supplies;

the inner compartments forming an inside opening extending vertically through the home caddy;

first means, associated with the inner compartments, for lifting and transporting the home caddy from one place to another;

an inner vacuum cleaning unit, positioned in the vertical opening and having at least an intake opening for attaching a vacuum hose to the vacuum cleaning unit and at least one electrical plug connection;

second means, associated with the inner vacuum cleaning unit, for lifting and transporting the vacuum cleaning unit from one place to another;

means, associated with the outer home caddy and the inner vacuum cleaning unit for holding the outer home caddy and the inner vacuum cleaning unit together so that they both may be lifted by the second means for lifting and transporting associated with the inner vacuum cleaning unit;

(2) another of the caddy units comprising an outer auto caddy having formed therein a plurality of inner compartments for use in storing assorted cleaning supplies;

the inner compartments forming an inside opening vertically extending through the auto caddy;

third means, associated with the inner compartments, for lifting and transporting the auto caddy from one place to another;

an inner pail, positioned in the vertical opening;

fourth means, associated with the inner pail, for lifting and transporting the inner pail from one place to another;

means, associated with the outer auto caddy and the inner pail for holding the outer auto caddy and the inner pail together so that they may both be lifted by the fourth means for lifting and transporting associated with the inner pail;

(b) means, associated with the home caddy and the auto caddy for locking the caddies together whenever they are to be moved as a single unit from one place to another; and

(c) a lid, positioned on top of the locked together caddies, the lid containing an inner shelf and also containing a vacuum hose, supported by the inner shelf, for use with the vacuum cleaning unit;

(1) means, associated with the lid and at least one of the caddies for locking the lid to at least one of the caddies so that the cleaning supplies may be locked thereby preventing children, infants, unauthorized persons and the like from having access to the cleaning supplies and being harmed by the supplies.

2. The cleaning center as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for holding the outer home caddy and the inner vacuum cleaning unit together comprises a taper formed on the vacuum unit and on the inside vertical opening extending through the home caddy.

3. The cleaning center as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for holding the outer auto caddy and the inner pail together comprises a taper formed on the pair and on the inside vertical opening extending through the auto caddy.

4. The cleaning center as defined in claim 1 wherein the first, second, third and fourth means for lifting and transporting comprises handles pivotably attached to their respective parts of the cleaning center.

5. The cleaning center as defined in claim 1 further comprising one of the interchangeable caddy units having associated therewith a plurality of wheels for rolling the cleaning unit from one position to another.

6. The cleaning center as defined in claim 5 wherein the plurality of wheels are attached to the inner vacuum cleaning unit and are retractable to the inside of the vacuum unit.

7. The cleaning center as defined in claim 6 further comprising the inner vacuum unit having formed thereon a plurality of pads in proximity to the wheels so that the inner vacuum unit may be used as a stepping stool by a user of the unit standing on the vacuum unit with the wheels retracting into the vacuum unit until the pads touch the ground on which the vacuum unit stands when used as a stepping stool.

8. The cleaning center as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

(d) a separate power head for use with the inner vacuum cleaning unit with the power head used for cleaning floors, rugs, carpet, upholstery and the like.

9. The cleaning center as defined in claim 8 further comprising the vacuum hose having attached thereto a grounded electrical cord for attachment to the power head and to the inner vacuum cleaning unit so that the vacuum cleaning unit may be approved for use indoors and outdoors.

10. A caddy unit having a top and a bottom and for use in storing an assortment of cleaning supplies and for use with various separate externally used devices comprising:

(a) at least one upright outside wall;

(b) at least one upright inside wall, spaced apart from the outside wall;

(c) the outside wall and the inside wall being constructed and joined in a manner so as to form a totally enclosed centrally located vertical opening extending vertically through the caddy unit, the totally enclosed centrally located vertical opening being sized and configured for receiving and containing the separate externally used device positioned in the central opening;

(d) means, associated with the inside wall and the outside wall, to position the walls in a spaced apart relationship and to form a plurality of compartment walls forming compartments between the inside and outside wall and in proximity to the centrally located opening but not within the centrally located opening and having an open top and a closed bottom on each compartment, the compartment walls extending upwardly in proximity to the top of the caddy unit, the compartments being used for storage of the cleaning supplies and for holding and preventing movement of the cleaning supplies from one compartment to another compartment;

(e) at least one bottom, fixedly attached to at least the inside wall and the outside wall to close only the bottom of the compartments, and not the vertical opening extending through the caddy unit; and

(f) means, associated with the caddy unit, for lifting and transporting the caddy unit from one place to another.

11. The caddy unit as defined in claim 10 wherein the separate externally used device is a vacuum unit.

12. The caddy unit as defined in claim 10 wherein the separate externally used device is a pail.

16. The caddy unit as defined in claim 10 wherein the caddy unit is formed in a generally rectangular shaped configuration with hinged end walls connecting the upright outside wall and the upright inside wall with the caddy unit having a height of approximately ten to twelve inches thereby allowing the plurality of compartments to hold a large variety of off-the-shelf bottles of cleaning supplies.

13. A caddy unit for use in storing an assortment of cleaning supplies and for use with various separate externally used devices, comprising:

(a) at least one upright outside wall;

(b) at least one upright inside wall, spaced apart from the outside wall and forming a centrally located opening vertically extending through the caddy unit;

(c) means, associated with the inside wall and the outside wall, to position the walls in a spaced apart relationship and to form a plurality of compartments in proximity to the centrally located opening and having an open top and a closed bottom on each compartment, the compartments being used for storage of the cleaning supplies, the compartments being formed as spaced apart compartments on each side of the centrally located opening, with the spaced apart compartments being attached together by hinged end walls which permit the spaced apart compartments to move together and apart as desired thereby permitting the caddy unit to be picked up and carried more easily;

(d) at least one bottom, fixedly attached to at least the inside wall and the outside wall to close only the bottom of the compartments, and not the vertical opening extending through the caddy unit;

(e) means, associated with the caddy unit, for lifting and transporting the caddy unit from one place to another;

(f) the centrally located vertical opening is formed in a predetermined size and configuration for positioning and containing the separate externally used device; and

(g) the caddy unit is formed in a generally rectangular shaped configuration having a height of approximately ten to twelve inches thereby allowing the plurality of compartments to hold a large variety of off-the-shelf bottles of cleaning supplies.

14. A caddy unit for use in storing an assortment of cleaning supplies and for use with various separate externally used devices, comprising:

(a) at least one upright outside wall;

(b) at least one upright inside wall, spaced apart from the outside wall and forming a centrally located opening vertically extending through the caddy unit;

(c) means, associated with the inside wall and the outside wall, to position the walls in a spaced apart relationship and to form a plurality of compartments in proximity to the centrally located opening and having an open top and a closed bottom on each compartment, the compartments being used for storage of the cleaning supplies;

(d) at least one bottom, fixedly attached to at least the inside wall and the outside wall to close only the bottom of the compartments, and not the vertical opening extending through the caddy unit;

(e) means, associated with the caddy unit, for lifting and transporting the caddy unit from one place to another;

(f) the centrally located vertical opining being formed in a predetermined size and configuration for positioning and containing the separate eternally used device; and

(g) a separate lid being fixedly attached to the caddy unit with the lid being formed with a sloped top surface to prevent the lid from being stepped on by the user of the caddy unit.

15. A caddy unit for use in storing an assortment of cleaning supplies and for use with various separate externally used devices, comprising:

(a) at least one upright outside wall;

(b) at least one upright inside wall, spaced apart from the outside wall;

(c) the outside wall and the inside wall being constructed and joined in a manner so as to form a totally enclosed centrally located vertical opening extending vertically through the caddy unit, the totally enclosed centrally located vertical opening being sized and configured for receiving and containing the separate externally used device, the centrally located vertical opening of the caddy unit being formed in a generally elliptical shaped configuration having at least one flat end, the elliptical shaped configuration and the flat end conforming to the shape of the separate externally used device and permitting the separate externally used device to be positioned inside the caddy unit only in one position;

(d) means, associated with the inside wall and the outside wall, to position the walls in a spaced apart relationship and to form a plurality of compartments in proximity to the centrally located opening and having an open top and a closed bottom on each compartment, the compartments being used for storage of the cleaning supplies;

(e) at least one bottom, fixedly attached to at least the inside wall and the outside wall to close only the bottom of the compartments, and not the vertical opening extending through the caddy unit; and

(f) means, associated with the caddy unit, for lifting and transporting the caddy unit from one place to another.