Whirlpool Corporation

James W Keane

William J Martin

Erwin E Nordeen

A quick release power cord wrap and caster for a canister vacuum cleaner. The caster assembly includes a hook for supporting or retaining a plurality of power cord turns is stored position on the canister. A hook is movable to release the cord and, in the illustrated embodiment, the hook is pivotable on the caster. The hook has a toggle action for locking the power cord in the stored arrangement. In addition, the hook and canister body are provided with shoulders for providing an augmented locking of the hook in the cord stored position. The caster assembly and canister body are arranged to permit snap-fastening of the caster assembly to the canister body without need for separate metal fasteners and the like. The caster assembly itself is arranged to have the portions thereof snap-fastened together without the use of separate metal fasteners.

Quick release power cord wrap for canister vacuum cleaner

A current-carrying vacuum cleaner air hose having an electrical conductor extending lengthwise thereof, with a cuff at one end. Male electrical terminals are embedded in the cuff and project outwardly into a tubular adapter enclosure portion. A catch is formed integrally with the adapter for cooperation with a coupling element to releasably secure the hose end in connected association with the coupling element, which illustratively is provided as a portion of a vacuum cleaner canister.

Hose coupling for vacuum cleaner

Structure for concurrently connecting an end of a vacuum cleaner hose to a canister suction inlet and an electrical power cord carried exteriorly of the hose and having at one end a first electrical connector associated with the hose end to a complementary second electrical connector associated with the canister. The connecting structure includes locking structure formed integrally with the hose end for releasably locking the hose end to the suction inlet to provide an air flow connection therebetween. Mounting structure is formed integrally with the hose end for removably mounting the first electrical connector to the hose end to be accurately aligned and engaged with the second electrical connector as an incident of locking association of the locking means to the suction inlet.

Vacuum cleaner hose coupling

A vacuum cleaner having a hose swivelly connected to a canister portion suction inlet. The canister portion includes an electrical power connector adjacent the inlet opening. The hose is provided with electrical power conducting means. The swivel connector has a first portion secured to the hose end and a second portion adapted to be removably secured to the canister housing inlet. The first swivel connector portion is swivelly connected to the second portion. An electrical power plug is removably mounted to the swivel connector second portion and a first interlock is provided on the plug and swivel connector second portion for releasably locking the plug to the swivel connector second portion. A second interlock is provided on the plug and swivel connector first portion for preventing axial separation of the first and second swivel connector portions. Cooperating electrical connectors are provided on the plug and swivel connector first portion for electrically connecting the electrical power connector to the electrical power conductor with the swivel connector to the electrical power conductor with the swivel connector first and second portions in any one of an infinite plurality of different angularly related swivel positions.

Electrical hose swivel connector for canister vacuum cleaner

An improved swivel connector for use in connecting one end of a flexible vacuum cleaner hose to the suction inlet of the canister portion of a canister vacuum cleaner. The hose is provided with electrical conductors and the swivel connector is mounted on the end of the hose and arranged to effect an automatic connection and disconnection of the electrical conductors of the hose to a power source in the canister as an incident of connection and disconnection, respectively, of the suction hose end to the suction inlet of the canister. The swivel connector includes a pigtail for effecting the connection between the relatively swivelable parts of the connector. Stops are provided for limiting the amount of swiveling permitted so as to prevent strain from being applied to the pigtail ends, while providing substantial permitted angle of swiveling, as desired.

A wheeled support structure for use in a vacuum cleaner or the like. The wheeled support structure includes a wheel mount on the body of the vacuum cleaner defining an outwardly opening recess having an inwardly facing lock surface. The wheel mount further defines a fixed annular bearing surface coaxially of the recess and spaced radially outwardly therefrom for journaling the wheeled support slidably concentrically mounted thereon. The wheel further includes a latch element extending inwardly through the recess and having turned latch shoulders arranged to be disposed inwardly of the lock surface for preventing axially outward removal of the latch element, thereby maintaining the wheel mounting surface slidably mounted on the bearing surface of the vacuum cleaner support wall.

Plastic wheel having an annular bearing support

A swivel caster structure having a base arranged for swivel mounting to a mounting portion of a device to be carried thereby. The base rotatively carries a caster wheel. A force transfer element is carried by the base for transmitting an overlying load vertically downwardly directly toward the caster wheel mounting axis. In one form, the force transfer element is a roller having an axis of rotation inclined to the horizontal and defining a peripheral frustoconical surface extending at the same angle to the axis of the roller so as to have rolling line contact with the superjacent housing wall in transferring the load downwardly to the roller. In another form, the force transfer element is a fixed bearing mounted in a suitable recess in the caster base and having a segmentally cylindrical surface having a sliding line contact with the superjacent housing wall. The swivel caster structure is preferably formed of molded synthetic resin having low surface friction for improved swiveling caster operation.

Three-piece swivel caster having a force transfer roller

A vacuum cleaner beater brush having string guard means for preventing string picked up by the brush from damaging the bearings and drive for rotating the brush. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive is a cog belt drive with a sprocket associated with the rotatable brush. The ends of the brush are rotatably journaled in bearings carried by the nozzle housing of the vacuum cleaner structure. The string guards are defined by spaces provided in the brush assembly defining zones of minimum energy to which zones the picked-up string tends to migrate in the rotation of the brush. The string guard spaces, in the illustrated embodiment, are defined by annular recesses and shoulders located suitably to prevent movement of the string to the bearings and cog belt drive sprocket.

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White Bear Lake, MN, United States of America

James W Keane