Patent ID: 7632324

Claim:
An upright vacuum cleaner comprising: a housing; a nozzle base including a main suction opening, said housing being pivotally mounted to said nozzle base; said housing comprising: a cyclonic separator including a dirty air inlet and a sidewall, a lower end of said separator being secured to a lower skirt, said lower skirt having an outwardly flared section; a dust collector section located beneath said separator for receiving and retaining dirt and dust separated by said cyclonic separator, the dust collector section including a sidewall; and a perforated tube disposed within said separator, said perforated tube including a shroud extending away from a closed lower end of said perforated tube, wherein a diameter of said shroud is larger than a diameter of said separator lower end, and wherein said shroud includes an outwardly flared section having a length generally equal to a length of said flared section of said lower skirt, said flared section of said lower skirt and said flared section of said shroud defining a first air channel for directing air from said separator into said dust collector section, said first air channel providing a substantially constant airflow velocity over an entire length of the first air channel.