Panasonic Corporation of North America

J Erik Hitzelberger

Eric J Streciwilk

Tamaki Nishikori

Henry Marcussen

Michael J McCormick

Kerry Lee Dever

Ronald E Davis

Danielle M Hafling

Amy N Mudd

George Nelson Woolcott

R Michael Mayes

Richard Eric Downey

Hiroshi Nishimura

A vacuum cleaner includes a housing, a suction generator carried by the housing, a bag compartment and a bag cage. The bag compartment is defined by a bag compartment wall including an airflow inlet and an airflow outlet. The bag cage is received in the bag compartment. The bag cage defines a bag cavity that hold a filter bag in a position spaced from the bag compartment wall so as to maintain a clear airflow passage.

Vacuum cleaner equipped with bag compartment including a bag cage

A floor care apparatus has a nozzle assembly housing an agitator. A motor couples to the agitator to drive it at two or more speeds and constant suction power. A user indicates their mode-of-operation preference by positioning a switch. An agitator motor control circuit, responsive to the switch, effectuates motor control by supplying either a fixed duty cycle signal or a substantially constant voltage signal. The fixed duty cycle signal includes a waveform with a substantially constant voltage value that is on for a first or first and second of four quarters of the waveform period. Thereafter, it repeats for additional periods. The switch preferably embodies a resistor network and a fixed current source that creates a voltage input to an A/D converter that falls within a specified range. Other apparatus embodiments contemplate multiple agitators with one or more agitator motors. A suction fan motor, separate from the agitator motor(s), may also exist.

Floor care apparatus with multiple agitator speeds and constant suction power

A bagless vacuum cleaner () includes a nozzle assembly () having a suction nozzle for picking up dirt and debris from a surface to be cleaned and a canister assembly () including a cavity (). A dust collection assembly () is received and held in that cavity (). The dust collection assembly () includes a filtering subassembly () and a dust container (). The dust container () has an open top (), a bottom wall (), a first cylindrical sidewall (), an inlet (), and a downwardly directed outlet () extending through the bottom wall. An airstream conduit is provided for conveying a vacuum airstream between the suction nozzle and the inlet. A suction fan () and suction fan drive motor () carried on either the nozzle assembly () or the canister assembly () generates the vacuum airstream for drawing dirt and debris through the suction nozzle, the airstream conduit and the dust container ().

Airflow system for bagless vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner has a housing including a nozzle assembly and a canister assembly. A dirt container is connected to the housing. The dirt container includes a collection chamber and a combined handle and inlet flow passageway. An airstream conduit conveys a vacuum airstream from the nozzle to the inlet flow passageway. A fan and motor assembly generates the vacuum airstream.

Dirt container for cyclonic vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner is provided with a canister assembly and a nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly includes both a main inlet and an edge cleaning inlet. A dirt container and a fan and motor assembly/suction generator are carried on either the nozzle assembly or the canister assembly. An airflow system conveys a vacuum airstream from the nozzle assembly to the dirt container. The airflow system includes a control valve, a first conduit between the main inlet and the control valve, a second conduit between the edge cleaning inlet and the control valve and a third conduit between the control valve and the dirt container.

Edge cleaning system for vacuum cleaner

A bagless vacuum cleaner () includes a nozzle assembly () having a suction nozzle for picking up dirt and debris from a surface to be cleaned and a canister assembly () including a cavity (). A dust collection assembly () is received and held in that cavity (). The dust collection assembly () includes a filtering subassembly () and a dust container (). The dust container () has an open top (), a bottom wall (), a first cylindrical sidewall (), an inlet (), and a downwardly directed outlet () extending through the bottom wall. An airstream conduit is provided for conveying a vacuum airstream between the suction nozzle and the inlet. A filter () is carried on the filtering subassembly (). A sweeper () rotates relative to the filtering subassembly () to clean dirt and debris from at least a portion of the filter (). A suction fan () and suction fan drive motor () carried on either the nozzle assembly () or the canister assembly () generates the vacuum airstream for drawing dirt and debris through the suction nozzle, the airstream conduit and the dust container ().

Growing community of inventors

Danville, KY, United States of America

J Erik Hitzelberger