Panasonic Corporation of North America

Matsushita Electric Corporation of America

Jeffrey T Roney

Eric E Muhlenkamp

Ronald E Davis

James Todd Crouch

Ron E Davis

Danielle M Hafling

Bradley T Baker

Joe M Reynolds

Eric V Fosbrink

A floor cleaning apparatus includes a housing having a nozzle assembly and a canister assembly. The nozzle assembly includes a suction inlet. Both a suction generator and a dirt collection assembly are carried on the housing. The dirt collection assembly includes a dirt cup, a shroud concentrically received within the dirt collection chamber defined by the dirt cup and at least one rib projecting from the shroud toward the bottom wall of the dirt cup. The rib is positioned so as to reduce air turbulence in the dirt collection chamber between an airflow guide on the shroud and the bottom wall of the dirt cup.

Dirt cup assembly with a pre-filter having a plurality of ribs

A motor enclosure for a vacuum cleaner includes a body having both a motor receiver for receiving a motor and a filter receiver for receiving a filter.

Motor enclosure for a vacuum cleaner

A bare floor switch assembly for a power head or an upright vacuum cleaner includes a mounting bracket, an idler and idler arm pivotally mounted to the mounting bracket, a biaser for biasing the idler and idler arm to an agitator drive interrupting position and a switch body for engaging and locking the idler arm into an agitator driving position.

Bare floor shifter for vacuum cleaner

An agitator includes a high strength, continuous metal axle, a pulley held on one end of the metal axle and a sleeve of lightweight plastic material received over the axle. The agitator is manufactured by molding a pulley body onto an underlying metal support or D-nut, fitting an axle into the pulley, molding a sleeve around the axle and securing a cleaning structure on the sleeve.

Agitator construction

An upright vacuum cleaner includes a housing, a nozzle opening in the housing and a dust collector carried on the housing. A suction fan is also carried on the housing. The suction fan draws air, dirt and debris from a surface to be cleaned through the nozzle opening to the dust collector. The upright vacuum cleaner also includes a first rotary agitator and a second rotary agitator, both carried on the housing. A drive motor carried on the housing drives the first rotary agitator through the belt and pulley assembly. A gear drive assembly drivingly connects the first rotary agitator to the second rotary agitator.

Agitator drive system with bare floor shifter

An agitator includes an axle, a pulley having a hub mounted to the axle and a belt receiving face having at least one lengthwise channel and a sleeve of molded material received over the axle and in the at least one lengthwise channel. A method of constructing an agitator from an axle and pulley includes the fitting of the axle into the pulley, the injecting of plastic resin into one end of the agitator forming mold on a first side of the pulley and the directing of plastic through at least one channel in the pulley to a second side of the pulley.

Agitator for vacuum cleaner/extractor

A two-piece caddy and vacuum cleaner accessory assembly is provided. The caddy includes first and second body sections that are connected together without the use of a separate independent fastener. The first body section includes first, second and third accessory receptacles. The second body section includes first, second and third accessory engaging clips. The receptacles and clips function to hold various vacuum cleaner tools and accessories such as an extension hose, a wand, a crevice cleaning tool and a nozzle brush.

Caddy for vacuum cleaner tool and accessories

An upright vacuum cleaner includes a nozzle assembly having a nozzle cavity and a canister assembly pivotally connected to the nozzle assembly. A dust bag is carried by the canister assembly. A dirty air pathway provides fluid communication between the nozzle cavity and dust bag. A suction generator generates a vacuum for drawing dirt and debris from the nozzle cavity, through the dirty air pathway to the dust bag. The dirty air pathway includes dual suction ports carried on the nozzle assembly in fluid communication with the nozzle cavity, a splitter carried on the canister assembly, dual suction hoses in fluid communication between the dual suction ports and the splitter, a removable bag mount carried on the canister assembly and a feed conduit on the canister assembly which provides fluid communication between the splitter and the removable bag mount.

Upright vacuum cleaner with dual hoses and hose ports

An upright vacuum cleaner includes a nozzle assembly and a canister assembly pivotally connected to the nozzle assembly. A suction generator is carried on one of the nozzle assembly or the canister assembly. The upright vacuum cleaner also includes a telescoping handle assembly including an elongated handle received in a slot for sliding movement relative to the canister assembly, a projecting guide pin carried on the elongated handle, a cooperating guide channel in the canister assembly for receiving the guide pin and a latch carried on the canister assembly for selectively engaging any one of the longitudinally spaced apertures formed in the elongated handle.

Telescoping handle for upright vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner includes a housing having a nozzle assembly and a handle. An agitator brush is mounted for relative rotation on the nozzle assembly. A motor and fan subassembly are mounted in the housing. A three position control switch is carried on the handle. The control switch is selectively positionable in an off position, a continuously on position and an automatic on/off touch control position whereby the motor is activated by squeezing the control switch assembly and deactivated by releasing the control switch assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Stanford, KY, United States of America

Jeffrey T Roney