The field of the disclosure relates generally to vacuum cleaners and, more particularly, to vacuum cleaner handles and lid latch systems.
Vacuum appliances, in particular vacuum cleaners, typically include handles that facilitate the manual transport of the vacuum cleaners by a user. Such vacuum cleaners, and in particular wet/dry vacuum cleaners, also incorporate latch systems that are used to secure a lid of the vacuum cleaner to a debris collection base or canister. Some vacuum cleaners have handles and latches that negatively impact the ease of use of the vacuum cleaner, as well as the cost of the cleaner, so a better handle and latch design is needed.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In one aspect, a vacuum cleaner includes a canister defining a debris chamber and having a top, a lid mounted to the top of the canister, a debris inlet defined by one of the canister and the lid, and a lid latch rotatably connected to the canister. The lid latch is rotatable between a first position, in which the lid latch is disengaged from the lid, and a second position, in which the lid latch engages the lid to secure the lid to the canister. A bottom of the lid latch is spaced from an exterior surface of the canister to define a handle opening that allows a user to insert their fingers into the handle opening and grip the bottom of the lid latch.
In another aspect, a method of assembling a vacuum cleaner system includes mounting a lid to a top of a canister, rotatably connecting a lid latch to the canister such that a bottom of the lid latch is spaced from an exterior surface of the canister to define a handle opening that allows a user to insert their fingers into the handle opening and grip the bottom of the lid latch, and rotating the lid latch from a first position, in which the lid latch is disengaged from the lid, to a second position in which the lid latch engages the lid to secure the lid to the canister.
Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to any of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure, alone or in any combination.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
With reference to the drawings, and in particular
The powerhead 104 includes a lid portion 112 (generally, a lid) and a housing 114 that encloses operational components of the powerhead 104 (e.g., a motor and impeller). The lid 112 is removably attached to the canister 102 so that the lid 112 can be readily removed so as to empty debris or liquids contained within the canister 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the lid 112 is formed integrally as one piece of material with the powerhead housing 114, for example, by a suitable injection molding technique. In other embodiments, the lid 112 may be formed separately from the powerhead 104 and configured to receive the powerhead 104. In such embodiments, the powerhead 104 may be removably connected to the lid 112, and function as a blower when detached from the lid 112.
The powerhead 104 also includes a motor 200 and a fan or impeller 202 connected to the motor 200 (collectively referred to as an impeller assembly 204). As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 100 further includes a filter assembly 210 connected to, and depending downward from, the powerhead 104 and into the debris chamber 208 to filter debris. In operation, when the motor 200 is energized, air flows into the canister 102 through the vacuum inlet 110, through the filter assembly 210, and into the powerhead 104 through an air inlet 212, before being exhausted back into an environment surrounding the vacuum cleaner 100 through the outlet 206. This vacuum air flow pattern is illustrated generally by the arrows in
The vacuum cleaner 100 also includes a lid latch 116 rotatably connected to the canister 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the vacuum cleaner 100 includes two lid latches 116 rotatably connected to the canister 102, and positioned on diametrically opposite sides of the canister 102. Other embodiments may include any suitable number of lid latches 116 that enable the vacuum cleaner to function as described herein.
The lid latch 116 is rotatable between a first, unlatched position, in which the lid latch 116 is disengaged from the lid 112, and a second, latched position, in which the lid latch 116 engages the lid 112 to secure the lid 112 to the canister 102. As described in more detail herein, a bottom of the lid latch 116 is spaced from an exterior surface of the canister 102 to define a handle opening that allows a user to insert their fingers into the handle opening and grip the bottom of the lid latch 116. The lid latch 116 thereby functions as both a latch to secure the lid 112 to the canister 102, and as a carrying handle that allows the entire vacuum cleaner 100, including the canister 102, the powerhead 104, and the lid 112, to be picked up and transported. As compared to prior designs, the design of lid latch 116 and associated components of the canister 102 simplify handling and carrying of the vacuum cleaner 100 by allowing a user to secure the lid 112 to the canister 102, and pick up the vacuum cleaner 100 in a single step by engaging the same component (i.e., the lid latch 116).
In the illustrated embodiment, the latch mounts 304 are integrally formed with the canister 102. In other embodiments, the latch mounts 304 may be formed separately from the canister 102, and connected to the canister 102, for example, by a press-fit connection, screws, pins, or other suitable fasteners (see, e.g.,
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the canister 102 also includes a stop tab 318 spaced from the exterior surface 308 of the canister 102. In some embodiments, the stop tab 318 is formed integrally as one piece of material with the canister sidewall 108. In other embodiments, the stop tab 318 may be formed as a separate piece (e.g., an integral piece or molding including the latch mounts 304, see
In the illustrated embodiment, the base 404 further defines a first notch 412 and a second notch 414. The first notch 412 extends into the base 404 from the first end 406 of the base 404, and the second notch 414 extends into the base 404 from the second end 408 of the base 404. Each of the first notch 412 and the second notch 414 is sized and shaped complementary to one of the posts 310 to permit passage of a corresponding post 310 therethrough to connect and disconnect the lid latch 116 from the canister 102. In other embodiments, the base 404 defines fewer or more than two notches extending in the base 404.
In the illustrated embodiment, the lid latch 116 also includes a stop tab 418 configured to cooperatively engage the canister stop tab 318 (
As shown in
As shown in
Additionally, in this embodiment, the lid latch 116 includes a curved body 426 extending from the base 404 to the top 424 of the lid latch 116. The curved body 426 is configured to deflect or bend from an initial, curved position, to a second, straightened position when the lid latch 116 is latched to the lid 112 to enable the latch tooth 422 to traverse the latch seat tooth 316.
The size of the handle opening 504, or the spacing between the exterior surface 308 of the canister 102 and the bottom 402 of the lid latch 116, may have any suitable size that enables the vacuum cleaner 100 to function as described herein. In some embodiments, for example, the bottom 402 of the lid latch 116 is spaced from the exterior surface 308 by a distance of between 0.5 to 3.0 inches, more suitably between 0.75 inches and 2.5 inches. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom 402 of the lid latch 116 is spaced 1.0 inches from the exterior surface 308 of the canister 102.
As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
During the second step of assembly, the lid latch 116 is rotatably connected to the canister 102 by inserting the posts 310 through respective first and second notches 412 and 414 and into the cavity 410 such that the lid latch 116 is rotatable about the posts 310. Once the posts 310 are positioned within the cavity, the lid latch 116 is rotated about the posts 310 from a rotational position beyond the first position, as shown in
After the lid latch stop tab 418 traverses the canister stop tab 318, the lid latch 116 is in the first position. The lid latch 116 can be subsequently rotated from the first position, in which the lid latch is disengaged from the lid 112, to the second, latched position to complete assembly of the vacuum cleaner 100.
Embodiments of the combined vacuum cleaner handles and lid latches described herein provide improved ease of use as compared to previous vacuum cleaners. For example, embodiments described herein combine the functionality of vacuum cleaner carry handles and lid latches into a single component, thereby enabling a user to interact with the same component to both secure components of the vacuum cleaner together, and carry the vacuum cleaner. Moreover, by combining the carry handles and lid latches into a single component, the vacuum cleaners of the present disclosure reduce the risk of the lid being inadvertently decoupled from the canister when a user carries the vacuum cleaner by the handle portion of the lid latch. Moreover, embodiments of the lid latches described herein are arranged such that the latches are in intimate contact with a user's hands when the vacuum cleaner is transported, thereby enabling the user to quickly and easily transition between lifting or carrying the vacuum cleaner, and latching or unlatching the lid from the canister.
Example embodiments of vacuum cleaners are described above in detail. Aspects of the vacuum cleaners are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but rather, components of the vacuum cleaners may be used independently and separately from other components described herein. For example, the handle and lid latch described herein may be used with a variety of vacuum cleaning assemblies and systems, including and without limitation, vehicular vacuum cleaning systems, wet/dry vacuum cleaners, canister vacuum cleaners, upright vacuum cleaners, and backpack vacuum cleaners.
When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The use of terms indicating a particular orientation (e.g., “top”, “bottom”, “side”, etc.) is for convenience of description and does not require any particular orientation of the item described.
As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawing[s] shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4270668 | Berfield | Jun 1981 | A |
4501378 | Berfield | Feb 1985 | A |
6321410 | Holsten | Nov 2001 | B1 |
D454672 | Griffin | Mar 2002 | S |
D666369 | Williams et al. | Aug 2012 | S |
20100199454 | Pruitt et al. | Aug 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20190329940 A1 | Oct 2019 | US |