The present disclosure relates to vacuums, and in particular, to a vacuum with assist handles.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Many vacuums, especially shop vacuums, are able to collect a relatively large amount of dirt, debris, and other wet or dry waste matter. Operating the vacuum causes it to fill with waste matter. Typically, an operator must lift the vacuum to empty the waste matter into a garbage receptacle.
A vacuum that has become substantially filled with waste matter after prolonged operation may be heavy and difficult to handle. Typically, vacuums do not include satisfactory means of enabling an operator to grip and lift the vacuum for disposal of the accumulated waste matter.
A vacuum including a tank, a suction device in fluid communication with the tank, and at least one assist handle disposed on the tank. A lid may be removably mounted to the tank, and the at least one assist handle is adapted to facilitate lifting the tank to empty waste matter deposited in the tank via the suction device.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.
Referring to
Housing 12 may have a tank portion 16 and a lid portion 18. Tank 16 may be in fluid communication with suction device 14, and may be adapted to receive and store waste matter 19 collected via suction device 14. Lid portion 18 may be removably mounted to tank 16. Lid 18 may include at least one upper handle 20 to facilitate removal of lid 18, and/or to facilitate mobility of vacuum 10 during operation. In an alternative embodiment, lid 18 may be pivotable about hinges (not shown) disposed on tank 16 and lid 18, enabling access to the inside of tank 16.
Vacuum 10 may include wheels 22 and/or caster wheels 24 to further facilitate maneuverability of vacuum 10. Wheels 22 and/or caster wheels 24 may be mounted to tank 16 via a suspension cross-member 26 in the form of a tube mounted to tank 16.
Tank 16 may include at least one assist handle 28 to facilitate gripping and lifting tank 16. Assist handle 28 may be integrally formed with tank 16 and at least partially defined by a bottom face 30 of tank 16 and at least one of a side face 32, 34 (shown in
In another embodiment, assist handle 28 may be disposed on tank 16 substantially near bottom face 30 on any of side face 32, 34, rear face 36, and front face 38. Assist handle 28 may be mounted to tank 16 via an interference or snap fit, at least one threaded bolt 40 or other fastener, or other methods known in the art. Alternatively, assist handle 28 may be bonded to tank 16 via adhesive 42.
In an exemplary embodiment, vacuum 10 may include a plurality of assist handles 28. Assist handles 28 may be disposed on any or all of side face 32, 34, rear face 36, front face 38, and suspension cross-member 26.
Assist handles 28 may be ergonomically contoured to facilitate gripping and lifting vacuum 10 to dump waste matter 19 accumulated within tank 16 during operation of vacuum 10. The ergonomic features of assist handles 28 may include a tapered portion 44, grooves 46, and/or other contours adapted to facilitate comfortable gripping. Wheels 22 and/or caster wheels 24 provide sufficient clearance between assist handles 28 and the floor or ground to enable an operator to at least partially grip bottom face 30 of tank 16.
The lid portion 18 may also include a pivoting handle 50, as shown in
The description of the present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.