Panasonic Corporation of North America

Nathan A Gogel

Donald Eugene Proffitt

Alan T Pullins

Eric J Streciwilk

Michael S Yacobi

James Todd Crouch

Michael L Fry

Danielle M Hafling

Yasushi Kondo

Joel E Hitzelberger

Gary P Charbonneau

Mark J Medley

A floor cleaning apparatus includes a housing and a dirt collection vessel carried on that housing. The dirt collection vessel includes a first air inlet, a second air inlet, a dirt collection chamber, a filter chamber and a clean air outlet. A filter is received in the filter chamber. A suction generator is carried on the housing. The floor cleaning apparatus also includes a flow control valve assembly. The flow control valve assembly is selectively displaceable between a first or home position wherein dirt and debris are captured in the dirt collection vessel and a second or filter cleaning position wherein clean air is drawn through at least a portion of the filter to clean the filter. An activator is provided for automatically displacing the flow control valve assembly between the first and second positions.

Floor cleaning apparatus with filter cleaning system

A floor cleaning apparatus includes a dirt collection vessel and a suction generator carried on the housing. The dirt collection vessel includes a dirty air inlet, a dirt collection chamber and a clean air outlet. A filter is received in the dirt collection vessel. The filter includes multiple sections. Each section provides a discrete airflow pathway. In addition, the floor cleaning apparatus includes a flow control valve assembly including a clean air inlet. The flow control valve assembly is selectively displaceable between two positions. In the first position dirty air is serially moved by the suction generator through the dirty air inlet, the dirt collection chamber, the filter and the clean air outlet so that dirt is collected in the dirt collection chamber. In the second position clean air is moved by the suction generator through the clean air inlet, a selected one of the sections of the filter, back through the other sections of the filter and then through the clean air outlet. In this way dirt is cleaned from the selected filter of the filter.

A vacuum cleaner includes a housing carrying a suction generator and a dirt collection vessel. In addition the vacuum cleaner includes a cleaning nozzle including a wand receiver, a tubular wand, a latch releasably securing an end of the wand to the wand receiver and a latch release carried on the wand or the cleaning nozzle. The latch release is characterized by a lever, a cam carried on the lever and a cam guide track. The lever is displaceable between a first or home position and a second or wand release position.

Vacuum cleaner with quick release wand

A dirt cup for a vacuum cleaner includes a housing defining a dirt collection chamber, an inlet and an outlet in the housing in fluid communication with the dirt collection chamber and a filter holder on the housing external to the dirt collection chamber and downstream from the outlet. A vacuum cleaner incorporating the dirt cup is also provided.

Removable dirt cup assembly with external filter

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Hustonville, KY, United States of America

Nathan A Gogel