Tool caddy for attachment to container, particularly for a vacuum cleaner tank

• US 5,313,686 A
• Filed: 10/30/1991
• Issued: 05/24/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shop-Vac Corporation (Hangzhou Great Star Industrial Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Shop-Vac Corporation (Hangzhou Great Star Industrial Company Limited)
• Inventors: Berfield, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US07/784,924
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 15/327.6, 15/323, 15/339, 15/353, 16/29, 16/31 R, 16/30, 16/32
• US Class Current: 15/323
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0009 Storing devices winding devices for electric cables A47L9/26; Supports, stands or holders
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/009 Carrying-vehicles; Arrangements of trollies or wheels; Means for avoiding mechanical obstacles

Abstract

A caddy is placed on a tank where the tank has receptacles beneath it for removably receiving casters. The caddy has support elements which are spaced apart at the spacing of the receptacles around the tank and the caddy being adapted to be placed on the tank with the support elements thereof removably fastened at the receptacles beneath the tank. A plurality of the receptacles around the tank enable the caddy to be placed at various positions around the tank. The invention is particularly useful with the tank of an electric vacuum cleaner.

Claims

1. A tank and a caddy for emplacement on the tank, comprising:

first fixtures disposed on the tank;

a plurality of removable means for supporting the tank wherein the first fixtures are adapted to receive the support means; and

at least one second fixture disposed on the caddy adapted to be received by at least one of the first fixtures when tank support means are absent from at least one of the first fixtures,

wherein the caddy has a caddy wall and the tank has a peripheral wall and wherein the caddy wall and peripheral wall define the interior of the caddy when the caddy is placed on the tank.

2. The tank and caddy of claim 1, further comprising third fixtures on the caddy and means for supporting the caddy wherein the third fixtures are adapted to receive the caddy support means.

3. The tank and caddy of claim 2, wherein the tank support means comprise a first set of casters.

4. The tank and caddy of claim 3, wherein the caddy support means comprise a second set of casters.

5. The tank and caddy of claim 4, wherein there are at least two of the first fixtures on the tank, wherein the caddy extends around the tank to the two first fixtures and wherein the second fixtures on the caddy are spaced apart, positioned and shaped to each be received by one of the at least two first fixtures.

6. The tank and caddy of claim 1, wherein there are at least two of the first fixtures on the tank, wherein the caddy extends around the tank to the two first fixtures and wherein the second fixtures on the caddy are spaced apart, positioned and shaped to each be received by one of the at least two first fixtures.

7. The tank and caddy of claim 6, comprising four of the first fixtures with pairs of the first fixtures being equally spaced around the tank, for enabling the caddy to be placed at various positions around the tank, and the caddy second fixtures can be received in two of the first fixtures at various positions around the tank.

8. The tank and caddy of claim 1, wherein the caddy further comprises supports for holding tools and the like.

9. The tank and caddy of claim 1, wherein each first fixture comprises a receptacle having a prong, and wherein each second fixture includes an opening in it for receiving the prong of a first fixture, for securing the caddy to the tank.

10. The tank and caddy of claim 1, wherein the caddy is shaped to define an enclosure adapted for containing tools used with the tank.

11. The tank and caddy of claim 1, wherein the tank is part of a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner including a blower motor positioned on the tank.