Techtronic Floor Care Technology Limited

Chan Chi Tong

Kevin E Scheifele

Lynn A Frederick

A floor care appliance is provided for cleaning bare surfaces such as tile, marble, linoleum and wood. The floor care appliance includes an accessory hose, telescoping wand and accessory tools for cleaning bare surfaces. A latch having a latch cover is provided for connecting the telescoping wand to the handgrip portion of the accessory hose. The latch and latch cover arrangement could also be utilized for connecting the accessory tools such as a accessory suction nozzle and grout tool to the telescoping wand.

Latch arrangement for a floor care appliance

The invention is a bare floor cleaning appliance provided with a foot pedal for raising and lowering the suction nozzle while simultaneously energizing and de-energizing the independent drive motor powering a horizontal axis rotary agitator. The foot pedal is depressed once to lower the suction nozzle to a position closest to the floor surface and the horizontal rotary agitator is energized to clean the floor surface. Suction from the motor-fan assembly is used to pick up dirt and used cleaning solution. The foot pedal is depressed one more time to raise the suction nozzle from the floor surface and de-energize the horizontal rotary agitator. In this mode, suction from the motor-fan assembly is used to pick up dry objects including dirt. The foot pedal operates the switch for energizing and de-energizing the independent electric motor by rotating a mode indicator operably connected to the foot pedal. Depressing the foot pedal once rotates the mode indicator to a first position which toggles the switch from the off position to the on position. When rotated into this position, an first indicating portion on the mode indicator is rotated underneath a first viewing window formed in the hood of the cleaner foot. Depressing the foot pedal another time rotates the mode indicator to a second position which toggles the switch from the on position to the off position. A second indicating portion on the mode indicator rotates underneath a second viewing window formed in the hood of the foot. At the same time the first indicating portion is rotated out of sight of the first viewing window.

Growing community of inventors

Hong Kong, China

Chan Chi Tong