Patent ID: 6896719

Claim:
A dirt collecting system for a floor care appliance of the type having a suction source for generating an airstream originating at a suction nozzle, comprising: a dirt container interposed in the airstream having an inner sidewall; an inlet in the dirt container in fluid communication with the suction nozzle for allowing the airstream to enter said dirt cup; a conduit located in said dirt container having one open end; a member having a peripheral edge extending radially outward from said conduit so that the peripheral edge is a distance from the inner sidewall of the dirt container a distance less than the full distance from the conduit to the inner sidewall of said dirt container; a first portion of an apertured wall formed in said conduit located in a portion of said dirt container above said member to allow a portion of said airflow from said inlet to flow therethrough while preventing large particles from flowing into said conduit; and a second portion of an apertured wall formed in said conduit located in a portion of said dirt container beneath said member to allow a portion of said airflow from said inlet to flow therethrough while preventing large particles from flowing into said conduit; wherein a portion of said airstream flows past said member and into said conduit through said second portion of said apertured wall and a portion of said airstream flows into said first portion of said apertured wall.