Bagless vacuum cleaner with removable dirt cup

Abstract

A floor cleaning apparatus includes a nozzle assembly with an intake opening, a canister assembly with a dirt cup receiver and a filter receiver, a suction generator carried on either the nozzle assembly or the canister assembly and a dirt cup held in the dirt cup receiver.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . A floor cleaning apparatus, comprising: 
 a nozzle assembly including an intake opening;    a canister assembly including a dirt cup receiver and a filter receiver;    a suction generator carried on one of said nozzle assembly and said canister assembly; and    a dirt cup held in said dirt cup receiver.    
     
     
         2 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said dirt cup includes a top wall, a bottom wall and a sidewall defining a dirt collection chamber.  
     
     
         3 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , further including an inlet and an outlet in said sidewall and in fluid communication with said dirt collection chamber.  
     
     
         4 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said dirt cup includes a prefilter positioned across said outlet.  
     
     
         5 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said prefilter is a screen.  
     
     
         6 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , further including a filter in said filter receiver.  
     
     
         7 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein said filter includes a support and a pleated filter media.  
     
     
         8 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 7 , further including a hinge connecting said bottom wall to said sidewall.  
     
     
         9 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 8 , further including a latch for securing said bottom wall in a closed position.  
     
     
         10 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 9 , further including a lock for securing said dirt cup in said dirt cup receiver.  
     
     
         11 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said dirt cup receiver is a cavity.  
     
     
         12 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein said filter receiver is a series of walls defining a second cavity.  
     
     
         13 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein said walls of said filter receiver include at least one guide notch and said support includes at least one cooperating guide tab engaging in said at least one guide notch.  
     
     
         14 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein said walls of said filter receiver include at least one slot and said support includes at least one latching lug engaging in said at least one slot.  
     
     
         15 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein said walls of said filter receiver further include a pair of opposed filter removal notches allowing an operator to engage said support of said filter when said filter is held in said walls of said filter receiver.  
     
     
         16 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein said filter receiver is positioned in said dirt cup receiver.  
     
     
         17 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein said canister assembly also includes a suction conduit between said filter receiver and said suction generator.  
     
     
         18 . The floor cleaning apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein said suction conduit, said filter receiver and said dirt cup are all aligned in said canister assembly.