Patent ID: 8505155

Claim:
A surface cleaning apparatus comprising: a housing; and a dirt recovery system mounted to the housing and including: a suction nozzle; a recovery tank having: a tank body with an open top; an over-center latch on a rear portion of the recovery tank; a lid selectively closing the open top and selectively secured to the tank body by the over-center latch, the lid further comprising a tank inlet that is in fluid communication with a recovery chamber in the recovery tank when the lid is mounted on the tank body; a handle spaced from the over-center latch and pivotally mounted to the lid independently of the over-center latch, whereby the recovery tank can be carried by the handle when removed from the housing; an inlet conduit mounted to the lid and in fluid communication with the tank inlet and the suction nozzle when the recovery tank is on the housing, wherein the inlet conduit overlies the lid and an outer forward surface of the tank body; and a coupling between the tank body and the inlet conduit on a forward portion of the recovery tank; and a vacuum source in fluid communication with the suction nozzle and the recovery tank through the inlet conduit to draw dirt from a surface to be cleaned through the suction nozzle and into the recovery tank; wherein the over-center latch is operable to selectively secure the lid to the tank body independent of the rotation of the handle, such that the lid can be unlatched from the tank body irrespective of the pivotal position of the handle.