Patent Abstract:
A vacuum including a housing, a suction device disposed within the housing, a plurality of accessories operable to engage the suction device, a plurality of wheels mounted to the housing and at least one bumper disposed on the housing. The at least one bumper includes a retaining feature operable to store at least one of the accessories, and the at least one bumper is operable to protect at least one of the wheels to minimize damage thereto. At least one pocket is defined by the bumper. The pocket is adapted to store at least one of the accessories.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/859,945, filed on Nov. 20, 2006. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to vacuums, and in particular, to a vacuum with accessory storage features. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. 
         [0004]    Many vacuum cleaners, especially shop vacuums, include a variety of accessories that may be attached to the vacuum to aid in the collection of waste matter. These accessories may include extensions to increase the reach of the vacuum, and a variety of nozzles and other attachments shaped to facilitate vacuuming on various surfaces and in tight spaces. 
         [0005]    Typically, vacuums do not include satisfactory storage means for idle accessories. These vacuums fail to securely retain accessories in a space efficient manner. Accessories often must be stored separately from the vacuum, which requires the user to interrupt vacuuming to retrieve the accessories as needed. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A vacuum including a housing, a suction device disposed within the housing, a plurality of accessories operable to engage the suction device, a plurality of wheels mounted to the housing and at least one bumper disposed on the housing. The at least one bumper includes a retaining feature operable to store at least one of the accessories, and the at least one bumper is operable to protect at least one of the wheels to minimize damage thereto. At least one pocket is defined by the bumper. The pocket is adapted to store at least one of the accessories. 
         [0007]    Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vacuum according to the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating a bumper according to the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view illustrating the pocket shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a partially exploded perspective view of the vacuum according to the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating the crevasse tool shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view of the vacuum according to the principles of the present disclosure; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a vacuum according to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a partially exploded perspective view of a vacuum according to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a partially exploded bottom perspective view of the housing according to an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , a vacuum with accessory storage features is shown, and is generally referred to as vacuum  10 . Vacuum  10  includes a housing  12  that encloses a suction device. The suction device is generally located within housing  12  at  14 , and includes a mechanism that creates a suction force operable to collect dirt, debris, and other wet or dry waste matter, as known in the art. For example, suction device  14  may include an electric motor driving a suction impeller (not shown). 
         [0020]    Housing  12  may include one or more bumpers  16 . Vacuum  10  may include a plurality of wheels  18  and/or one or more caster wheel  20  to facilitate mobility and maneuverability. Bumpers  16  may extend laterally from housing  12  so as to be operable to shield wheels  18  and/or caster wheels  20  from damaging impacts and/or debris. 
         [0021]    Suction device  14  provides a suction force to a flexible vacuum hose  21  extending from the housing, which may be adapted to receive a variety of accessories, such as extension wands  22 , crevasse tool  24 , floor nozzles  26 ,  28 , and other attachments. Extension wands  22  may be in fluid communication with suction device  14  to extend the functional reach of vacuum  10  during operation. Crevasse tool  24  and floor nozzles  26 ,  28  may be in fluid communication with suction device  14  to facilitate efficient vacuuming over a variety of surfaces and in restricted spaces. Any of floor nozzles  26 ,  28  and crevasse tool  24  may be used in conjunction with extension wands  22  or independently therefrom. 
         [0022]    In an exemplary embodiment, vacuum  10  can include a plurality of bumpers  16  fixedly mounted to housing  12  or integrally formed with housing  12 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , bumper  16  may be configured to provide a pocket  30 . Pocket  30  is adapted to slidably receive and retain extension wand  22 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . In this manner, a substantial portion of extension wand  22  may be stored within the profile of bumper  16 , minimizing the overall footprint of vacuum  10 . 
         [0023]    Crevasse tool  24  may be slidably received within extension wand  22 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . Alternatively, crevasse tool  24  may be slidably engaged directly with pocket  30 , and may be stored therein when not in use. In an alternative embodiment, bumper  16  may be adapted to slidably receive floor nozzles  26 ,  28  within pocket  30 . 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , bumper  16  may also include retention feature  32  adapted to retain floor nozzle  26  or  28 . Retention feature  32  may include one or more slots  34 . A stem  36  of floor nozzle  26 ,  28  may be slidably received within slots  34 , and the friction therebetween may retain the floor nozzle  26 ,  28  therein. In this manner floor nozzles  26 ,  28  may be stored substantially flush to housing  12  to minimize the overall footprint of vacuum  10 . 
         [0025]    Alternatively, retention feature  32  may include a protrusion  37 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , whose width is substantially equal to the inner diameter of stem  36 . Stem  36  may be slidably engaged with the protrusion  37 . The friction between stem  36  and the protrusion  37  may retain the floor nozzle  26 ,  28  to the protrusion  37 . 
         [0026]    Accessories including, for example, extension wands  22 , crevasse tool  24 , and floor nozzles  26 ,  28  may be stored substantially as shown in  FIG. 1  while vacuum  10  is in operation. In this manner, a plurality of accessories are conveniently accessible, yet space-consciously and securely retained. 
         [0027]    With reference to  FIGS. 7-9 , wherein common reference numerals are used to represent common elements as disclosed in  FIGS. 1-6 , an alternative embodiment is shown. Vacuum  100  includes a housing  12 , an internal suction device  14 , and a frame  170 . Frame  170  may include a handle  172  and a plurality of wheels  18  and/or caster wheels  20 . Frame  170  may also include accessory storage features (not shown) such as those provided in bumpers  16 , as described above. 
         [0028]    In an exemplary embodiment, frame  170  may include a plurality of relatively larger wheels  18  and relatively smaller caster wheels  20 . The caster wheels  20  are pivotable to facilitate steering and maneuverability of vacuum  100 . It should be appreciated that the number and arrangement of wheels  18  and/or caster wheels  20  may be varied to facilitate stability and maneuverability. 
         [0029]    Handle  172  may be utilized to apply pushing and pulling forces to cause movement of vacuum  100 . An operator may apply a downward force to handle  172  to cause caster wheels  20  to be lifted off of the ground or floor. Thus causing vacuum  100  to be in direct contact with the ground or floor surface only through wheels  18 . In this manner, vacuum  100  may be pushed or pulled to freely travel over job site impediments. 
         [0030]    Housing  12  is disposed within an aperture  174  of frame  170 . Aperture  174  and a bottom portion of housing  12  may be tapered downward to limit the distance through which housing  12  may be inserted. Alternatively, housing  12  may be disposed within aperture  174  and may be supported therein by a cross-member (not shown). In still other embodiments, housing  12  may be mounted to frame  170  via conventional fastening methods such as latches, clips, bolts, pins, or straps. 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , housing  12  may be lifted and removed from frame  170 . Housing  12  may include one or more handles  176  to facilitate lifting and removal of housing  12 . Housing  12  may be repeatedly engaged and disengaged with frame  170  as desired. Vacuum  100  may be operated while housing  12  is disposed within frame  170 . Alternatively, vacuum  100  may be operated independently from frame  170 . Housing  12  may be disengaged from frame  170  to empty waste matter collected during operation. Housing  12  may also be disengaged from frame  170  to reduce the space occupied by vacuum  100  to promote ease of use and/or maneuverability in a space-limited environment. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , vacuum  100  may include a plurality of auxiliary wheels  178 . Auxiliary wheels  178  may be pivotably engaged within housing  12 . Auxiliary wheels  178  facilitate mobility and maneuverability while housing  12  is disengaged from frame  170 . When engaged with frame  170 , housing  12  may be sufficiently spaced from the ground or floor so that auxiliary wheels  178  do not contact the ground or floor. It should be appreciate that the number and configuration of auxiliary wheels  178  may be varied to facilitate stability and maneuverability. 
         [0033]    The description of the present disclosure is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0