Patent ID: 6868578

Claim:
An upright vacuum cleaner having a base module and a handle pivotally mounted thereto for pivotal movement about a pivot axis between an upright stored position and a reclining use position; the base module having a suction nozzle at a forward portion thereof; at least one pair of wheels supporting the base for movement along a surface to be cleaned; a filter bag mounted to the handle for recovering dirt from dirty air; a suction source mounted to one of the handle and the base; a working air conduit comprising a portion of the handle; and a cyclonic dust separator comprising: a cyclone body having an inlet opening and an outlet opening each connected to the working air conduit, the inlet opening being connected to the working air conduit in an upstream direction from the outlet opening, the cyclone body adapted to produce a cyclonic air current for separating dirt contained in working air entering the cyclone body through the inlet opening; a cylindrical dirt-separating grille within said cyclonic dust separator between the inlet opening and outlet opening and having a plurality of holes through which working air passes between the inlet opening and outlet openings of the cyclone body; a dirt-collecting tub removably mounted to the cyclone body for collecting dirt separated from the working air by the cyclonic air current of the cyclone body; and an annular baffle plate mounted to a bottom portion of the dirt-separating grille and extending laterally thereof.