Lock for lid of vacuum cleaner canister

A locking structure for releasably retaining a vacuum cleaner canister lid in closed position across a tool storage space in the hood portion of the canister. An arrangement of cooperating surfaces on the lid and hood is provided for permitting automatic latching of the lid in the closed position while permitting facilitated movement of the lid to an open position by a user when desired. The surfaces are defined by portions of the lid and hood formed integrally therein for low cost manufacture of the latching system.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to vacuum cleaner structures and in particular to 
improved means for releasably latching a lid in closed position with 
respect to a hood of a canistertype vacuum cleaner. 
BACKGROUND ART 
In one form of vacuum cleaner, a canister houses air suction means for 
drawing dirt-laden air through a nozzle and interconnecting hose into a 
filter bag mounted within the body of the canister. Access to the filter 
bag is provided by means of a pivotally mounted hood selectively exposing 
the filter bag space within the canister body. 
In one improved form of such canister structure, the hood defines an 
upwardly opening tool storage space in which a number of different hose 
attachments and the like are stored for selective use by the operator of 
the vacuum cleaner. The tool storage space is selectively closed by a lid 
which is pivotally mounted for selective closure of the tool storage 
space. 
One excellent example of a canister-type vacuum cleaner having such a hood 
and lid assembly is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,700 of John B. 
Lyman, which patent is owned by the assignee hereof. 
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,700, cooperating latch means may be 
provided on the lid and hood for selectively retaining the lid in the 
closed position across the tool storage space, while permitting swinging 
of the lid to an open disposition providing access to the tool stored in 
the storage space, when desired. 
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION 
The present invention comprehends an improved means for releasably latching 
such a lid in the closed position in such a vacuum cleaner structure. 
The latching means of the present invention is extremely simple and 
economical of construction. 
The latching means of the invention may be formed integrally with the lid 
and hood members as by being molded integrally therewith from synthetic 
resin. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the latching means includes a catch 
projecting toward the tool storage space, the catch having a rounded upper 
guide surface and a flat lower catching surface, and a resiliently 
deflectible latch disposed on the lid. The latch engages the catch in the 
closed position of the lid and includes a rounded lower guide surface 
portion, a rounded upper latching surface portion, and a relieved 
mid-surface portion. 
The lower guide surface portion of the latch initially slidably engages the 
upper guide surface of the catch to resiliently deflect the latch as the 
lid is moved from the open position toward the closed position. 
The relieved mid-surface portion of the latch permits further movement of 
the latch downwardly toward the closed position free of substantial 
further deflection of the latch and the upper latching surface is 
resiliently urged into underlying relationship with the lower catching 
surface of the catch when the lid is disposed fully in the closed 
position. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the catch is provided on a suction inlet 
portion of the hood adapted to removably receive a vacuum cleaner hose 
end. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the mid-surface portion of the latch is 
substantially planar and the upper and lower latch surfaces are 
segmentally cylindrical. More specifically, the upper and lower latch 
surfaces are coaxially segmentally cylindrical in the illustrated 
embodiment. 
The upper guide surface of the catch is segmentally cylindrical. 
The hood and lid further define cooperating shoulder means for maintaining 
the upper latching surface of the latch in engagement with the lower catch 
surface in the closed position of the lid. 
The shoulder means, in the illustrated embodiment, includes an upwardly 
facing shoulder on the hood and a downwardly facing shoulder on the lid 
engaging the hood shoulder when the upper latching surface moves to below 
the upper guide surface of the catch. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the shoulders are substantially planar and 
in facial engagement when the lid is in the closed position. 
The lid defines a deflectible tongue and the latch comprises a projection 
on the tongue. 
The lid further includes a resiliently projecting lip defining the 
downwardly facing shoulder. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the lid and hood are formed of synthetic 
resin and the tongue and lip are formed unitarily integrally therewith. 
The latching means of the present invention is extremely simple and 
economical of construction while yet providing the highly desirable 
features discussed above.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawing, a 
vacuum cleaner generally designated 10 has a nozzle 11 connected to a 
canister 12 by an interconnected wand 13 and flexible hose 14. 
The end of the hose connected to the canister defines a swivel connector 15 
removably connected to a suction inlet portion 16 of a hood 17 pivotally 
mounted to a wheeled body 18 of the canister. 
Hood 17 defines an upwardly opening tool storage space 19, as shown in FIG. 
5, which is selectively closed by lid 12, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The 
present invention is concerned with the provision of improved means for 
releasably latching the lid to the hood in the closed position of FIG. 1. 
More specifically, the invention comprehends the provision of an improved 
latching means generally designated 20, which, as shown in FIG. 5, 
includes a catch generally designated 21 formed integrally with the 
suction inlet portion 16 of the hood 17 and a latch generally designated 
22 integrally associated with a deflectible portion 23 of the lid 24. 
As best seen in FIG. 5, latch 22 includes a rounded lower guide surface 
portion 25, a rounded upper latching surface portion 26, and a relieved 
mid-surface portion 27. 
The catch 21 includes a rounded upper guide surface 28 and a flat lower 
catching surface 29. 
With reference to the illustrations of FIG. 4 and 5, the latching means 20 
permits facilitated latching of the lid to the hood by the simple downward 
urging of the lid into overlying relationship with the hood of the closed 
position, while yet permitting ready movement of the lid from the closed 
position to an open position wherein access to tool stored in the space 19 
may be had. Thus, the lower guide surface portion 25 of the latch 
initially slidably engages the upper guide surface 28 of the catch to 
resiliently deflect the latch as the lid is moved downwardly from the open 
position toward the closed position. 
The relieved mid-surface portion 27 of the latch permits further movement 
of the latch toward the closed position free of substantially further 
deflection of the latch. 
The upper latching surface 26 of the latch is resiliently urged into 
underlying relationship with the lower catching surface 29 of the catch 
when the lid is disposed fully in the closed position, as illustrated in 
FIG. 5. 
As shown in FIG. 5, the mid-surface portion 27 of the illustrated 
embodiment is substantially planar, and the lower catching surface 29 of 
catch 21 is substantially planar. The upper latching surface 26 is 
segmentally cylindrical, and the lower guide surface 25 of the latch is 
segmentally cylindrical. In the illustrated embodiment, the surfaces 25 
and 26 extend coaxially of a common axis 30. 
In the illustrated embodiment, the upper guide surface 28 of the catch is 
segmentally cylindrical. 
Resilient deflectibility of the latch structure 22 is provided, in the 
illustrated embodiment, by means of a pair of slits 31 at opposite sides 
of the deflectible lid portion 23 carrying the protuberant latch means, as 
illustrated in FIG. 2. The lid 24 may be formed of a suitable resilient 
material, such as molded synthetic resin, providing the desired resilient 
deflectibility. 
The vacuum cleaner structure further includes retaining means generally 
designated 32 for maintaining the upper latching surface 26 in engagement 
with the lower catch surface 29 in the closed position of the lid. The 
retaining means includes operating shoulder means 33 on the lid 24 and 
shoulder means 34 on the hood 17. More specifically, shoulder means 34 
defines an upwardly facing flat surface on a portion of the suction inlet 
16. Shoulder means 33 is defined by a downwardly facing surface on a 
projecting portion 35 adjacent lid deflectible portion 23. Surfaces 33 and 
34 engage facially when the upper latching surface 26 is moved to below 
the upper guide surface 28 of the catch and into engagement with the lower 
catching surface 29 thereof, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Projection 35 
comprises a resiliently deflectible lip on the hood portion 23. Surface 33 
is spaced from surface 26 of the latching means suitably to assure 
maintained association of surface 26 with catch surface 29 when retaining 
surface 33 is in facial abutment with surface 34, as shown. 
As further illustrated in FIG. 5, lid 24 further defines a manipulating 
portion 36 comprising a projection extending oppositely to projection 35 
and adapted for engagement by a user's fingers for moving the lid from the 
closed position of FIG. 5, when desired. 
Thus, the cooperating shoulder surfaces 26, 29, 33 and 34 effectively 
releasably lock the lid in the closed position of FIG. 1 as a result of 
the user moving the lid to that position. The lid is captured against 
vertical displacement by the cooperating shoulders notwithstanding 
vibration and jarring occurring in the normal us of the canister. 
However, when it is desired to move the lid to the open position so as to 
provide access to the tool storage space 19, the user need merely engage 
his fingers with the manipulating tongue 36 and lift the associated 
portion of the lid so as to provide the desired access to space 19. 
The configurations of the latch and catch surfaces is preselected to 
provide automatic latching and facilitated release when desired. 
The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is illustrative of the 
broad inventive concepts comprehended by the invention.