Patent ID: 7188388

Claim:
A vacuum cleaner comprising: a foot assembly having a suction nozzle and a working air conduit connected at one end to the suction nozzle, and adapted to move along a surface to be cleaned; an upright handle assembly pivotally mounted to said foot assembly for manipulation of the foot assembly along the surface to be cleaned and including: an elongated structural support comprising a pair of spaced tubes pivotally mounted at a lower portion to the foot assembly and forming a handle grip at an upper portion; a portable cleaning module detachably mounted as a unit to the elongated structural support between the spaced tubes and comprising: a module housing; a cyclone separation chamber into which dirt laden air is tangentially introduced through an inlet thereto and mounted in the module housing for separating dust and dirt from dirt-laden air; a suction conduit having a first end connected to the module housing in fluid communication with the inlet of the cyclone separation chamber and a coupling at a second end adapted to be removably connected to another end of the working air conduit; and a motor-driven fan supported in the module housing for creating suction within the suction conduit and for moving the dirt laden air to the inlet of the cyclone separation chamber; and whereby when the portable cleaning module is mounted to the elongated structural support, the vacuum cleaner functions as an upright vacuum cleaner and the motor-driven fan draws dirt-laden air from the suction nozzle in the foot assembly through the suction conduit and moves the dirt-laden air to the inlet of the cyclone separation chamber, and wherein when the portable cleaning module is removed from the elongated structural support, the vacuum cleaner functions as a portable vacuum cleaner and the motor-driven fan draws dirt laden air from the second end of the suction conduit and moves to the inlet of the cyclone separation chamber.