Patent ID: 8051532

Claim:
A vacuum cleaner comprising: a housing with a cyclone separation chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening; a dust cup assembly removably mounted beneath the cyclone separation chamber and having a dust cup with an exhaust conduit extending through the dust cup between the cyclone separation outlet opening and a discharge opening in a bottom wall of the dust cup; and a latching mechanism positioned beneath the dust cup assembly for raising the dust cup into engagement with the cyclone separation chamber and for lowering the dust cup from engagement with the cyclone chamber, and comprising; a sealing conduit member mounted in the housing beneath the dust cup assembly in fluid communication with the exhaust conduit when the dust cup is in engagement with the cyclone separation chamber; and a sliding latch member coupled to the sealing conduit member via at least one linkage member and being movable relative to the housing to raise and lower the sealing conduit member into and out of engagement with the dust cup assembly.