Whirlpool Corporation

Robert H Johanson

Edward C Peterson

Michael T Herndon

Raymond M Montgomery

A vacuum cleaner includes a motor and an elongate conductive tubular member and a system for dissipating an electrostatic charge accumulated on the tubular member. In a canister vacuum cleaner, a rigid wand, mechanically and pneumatically interconnected between a wand handle and a floor cleaning unit, is electrically conductively connected to a motor in the floor cleaning unit to dissipate or drain off any electrostatic charge accumulated on the rigid wand. Furthermore, one or more corona discharge elements are disposed in the wand handle and are electrically conductively connected to the rigid wand to effect a corona discharge into the air flowing through the vacuum cleaner, thereby to dissipate the electrostatic charge accumulated on the rigid wand. In an upright vacuum cleaner, an elongate conductive tubular handle is electrically conductively connected to the motor of the upright vacuum cleaner, thereby to dissipate or drain off an electrostatic charge accumulated on the handle. In either the canister vacuum cleaner or the upright vacuum cleaner, a current limiting resistor is electrically connected in series between the motor and the elongate conductive tubular member to prevent an unpleasant shock or harm to an operator of the vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum cleaner and method of dissipating electrostatic charge

A vacuum cleaner includes a floor cleaning unit having a rotatable brush driven by a brush motor and a receptacle for collecting particulate matter. The floor cleaning unit is mechanically and pneumatically interconnected with the receptacle through a rigid wand and a wand handle and hose assembly. The wand handle and hose assembly includes a wand handle, disposed between the rigid wand and a flexible hose. The wand handle includes a passage through which air and particulate matter pass from the floor cleaning unit to the receptable. A corona discharge element with a roughened surface is positioned in the downstream end of the wand handle passage. A stub tube is positioned in the upstream end of the wand handle passage to connect the wand handle to the wand. A conductive strap, installed in the wand handle using a heat staking process, interconnects the stub tube and the corona discharge element. During the operation of the vacuum cleaner, any electrostatic charge that has accumulated on the wand will migrate to the roughened surface of the corona discharge element and will be dissipated or drained off by a corona discharge into the air flowing through the wand handle.

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Danville, KY, United States of America

Robert H Johanson