Cord-based accessory caddy and hand-held steam vacuum

• US 7,185,392 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Murray, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Snider; Theresa T.
• Application Number:
  US10/273,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20040074040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 153/23, 153/44, 153/20, D32/31, 24/16.R, 24/16.PB, 211/52, 211/53, 211/316, 248/51, 248/52
• US Class Current: 15/323
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/24 Hand-supported 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 9/0036 specially adapted for holding the suction hose

Abstract

A cord attachment mechanism is associated with a main body and adapted to attach the accessory caddy to the power cord. An accessory retention mechanism is associated with the main body and adapted to releasably retain a vacuum accessory on the accessory caddy. The main body is adapted to enable the accessory caddy to be manually repositioned along the cord; for example, by sliding or by removal and reattachment. A single, integral part having two sides separated by a living hinge is used to form the main body. Each side has a cooperating snap-fit member which is adapted to retain the two sides together. A hand-held steam vacuum cleaner is also provided which includes the accessory caddy on its power supply cord.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum cleaner main housing including a vacuum source;

a power supply cord extending from the vacuum cleaner main housing and having a plug at the distal end thereof;

an accessory caddy main body;

a cord attachment mechanism connected to the accessory caddy main body, the cord attachment mechanism having a configuration which permits attachment of the accessory caddy main body to the power supply cord when the power supply cord is attached to the plug at the distal end and to the vacuum cleaner main housing at the other end; and

a plurality of separate accessory retention mechanisms connected to the accessory caddy main body, each of the plurality of separate accessory retention mechanisms releasably retaining a different one of a plurality of vacuum accessories on the accessory caddy.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the accessory caddy main body is located adjacent a plug of the power supply cord.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cord attachment mechanism further comprises cooperating components to enable the selective removal and reattachment of the accessory caddy to the power supply cord.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cord attachment mechanism cooperates with the power cord to support the weight of the accessory caddy and any associated vacuum accessories to retain the accessory caddy in a fixed position along the power supply cord.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the accessory retention mechanism further comprises a resilient arm positioned to cooperate with a protruding retention member to releasably retain the vacuum accessory.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the cord attachment mechanism comprises a passage through which the power supply cord extends.

7. An accessory caddy for a vacuum cleaner having a power supply cord, comprising:

a main body;

a cord attachment mechanism connected to the main body and adapted to attach the main body to the power supply cord; and

an accessory retention mechanism connected to the main body and comprising a resilient arm adapted to cooperate with a protruding retention member, wherein the protruding retention member is an elongated rib which engages against an edge of the vacuum accessory to releasably retain the vacuum accessory on the accessory caddy.

8. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a vacuum cleaner main housing including a vacuum source;

a vacuum-cleaner-power-supply cord extending from the vacuum cleaner main housing;

an accessory caddy main body;

a vacuum-cleaner-power-supply-cord attachment mechanism connected to the accessory caddy main body;

a releasable vacuum-cleaner-accessory retention mechanism connected to the accessory caddy main body; and

a vacuum-cleaner-power-supply-cord storage mechanism connected to the accessory caddy main body;

wherein the accessory caddy is attached to the vacuum-cleaner-power-supply cord by the vacuum-cleaner-power-supply-cord attachment mechanism.

9. An accessory caddy for a vacuum cleaner having a power cord, comprising:

a main body;

a vacuum-cleaner-power-cord attachment mechanism including cooperating snap-fit components connected to the main body, the cooperating snap-fit components being engageable together to attach the main body to the power cord; and

a releasable vacuum-cleaner-accessory retention mechanism connected to the main body and having a resilient arm which extends into a space of a vacuum cleaner accessory during retention, the resilient arm having a position in which a vacuum cleaner accessory will be retained, and being movable to another position in which a vacuum cleaner accessory will be released.

10. The accessory caddy according to claim 9, wherein the vacuum-cleaner-power-cord attachment mechanism comprises a recess that is sized to enable the accessory caddy to be manually repositioned along the power cord by permitting the accessory caddy to slide along the power cord, and is sized to resist movement of the accessory caddy along the power cord.

11. The accessory caddy according to claim 9, wherein the cooperating snap-fit components of the vacuum-cleaner-power-cord attachment mechanism are selectively releasable to enable the accessory caddy to be manually repositioned along the power cord, thereby permitting the accessory caddy to be selectively removed and reattached to the power cord.

12. The accessory caddy according to claim 9, wherein the releasable vacuum-cleaner-accessory retention mechanism further comprises a protruding retention member positioned in relation to the resilient arm to cooperate with the resilient arm to releasably retain a vacuum cleaner accessory.

13. The accessory caddy according to claim 9, wherein the vacuum-cleaner-power-cord attachment mechanism comprises a passage through which the power cord extends.

14. A hand-held steam vacuum cleaner including a vacuum accessory, comprising:

a housing having a debris collection bowl, a liquid supply tank, a steam outlet opening, and a vacuum inlet all associated with the housing;

a power supply cord extending from the housing;

an accessory caddy adapted to be attached to the power supply cord and to releasably retain the vacuum accessory, the accessory caddy comprising a single, integral part having two sides separated by a living hinge, each side having a cooperating snap-fit member which is adapted to retain the two sides together.

15. The hand-held steam vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the sides of the accessory caddy has a resilient arm adapted to cooperate with a protruding retention member to releasably retain the vacuum accessory.

16. The hand-held steam vacuum cleaner according to claim 15, wherein the protruding retention member is an elongated rib which engages against an edge of the vacuum accessory to retain the vacuum accessory on the accessory caddy.

17. The hand-held steam vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein each side of the accessory caddy includes an extending peripheral portion adapted to enable a thumb and a finger of a user to be used to disengage the cooperating snap-fit members.

18. The hand-held steam vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the sides of the accessory caddy has a groove through which the power supply cord passes when the sides are snap-fit together.

19. The hand-held steam vacuum cleaner according to claim 14, wherein the accessory caddy further comprises an elastic member adapted to retain the power supply cord in a storage configuration.