Swappable brushroll or cassette for vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a nozzle assembly at a distal end of the vacuum cleaner. The nozzle assembly has a base unit. The vacuum cleaner also includes a handle at a proximal end of the vacuum cleaner, a waste receptacle, a motor configured to draw air through the nozzle assembly and into the waste receptacle, and a mechanical motor disposed on the nozzle assembly. An agitation member can be detachably coupled to the base unit with a cover over the agitation member and fixed to the base unit. The agitation member may also be part of a cassette along with the cover, such that the entire cassette is detachably coupled to the base unit.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
 a nozzle assembly at a distal end of the vacuum cleaner, the nozzle assembly having a base unit;   a handle at a proximal end of the vacuum cleaner;   a waste receptacle;   a motor configured to draw air through the nozzle assembly and into the waste receptacle;   a mechanical motor disposed on the nozzle assembly; and   a cassette comprising
 an agitation member, and 
 a cover over the agitation member, 
   wherein the mechanical motor is configured to rotate away from the base unit to an angle above the base unit.   
     
     
         2 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the cassette is configured to slide over the mechanical motor when the mechanical motor is orientated at the angle above the base unit. 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 2 , further comprising a hinge at one edge of the base unit, wherein the cassette and the mechanical motor are configured to rotate together about the hinge. 
     
     
         4 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the angle is substantially 90 degrees. 
     
     
         5 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the cassette is configured to detachably couple to the mechanical motor. 
     
     
         6 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 5 , further comprising a pedal configured to disengage the cassette from the mechanical motor. 
     
     
         7 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the cover comprises one or more entrance features at a front face of the cover. 
     
     
         8 . A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
 a nozzle assembly at a distal end of the vacuum cleaner, the nozzle assembly having a base unit;   a handle at a proximal end of the vacuum cleaner;   a waste receptacle;   a motor configured to draw air through the nozzle assembly and into the waste receptacle;   a mechanical motor disposed on the nozzle assembly;   an agitation member detachably coupled to the base unit;   a cover over the agitation member and fixed to the base unit; and   a hinge at one edge of the base unit, wherein the agitation member and the cover are configured to rotate together about the hinge to an angle above the base unit.   
     
     
         9 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 8 , wherein the agitation member is configured to be removed from the base unit or installed into the base unit independently from the cover. 
     
     
         10 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 8 , wherein the mechanical motor is configured to rotate together with the agitation member and the cover. 
     
     
         11 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 8 , wherein the agitation member is a brushroll with a plurality of bristles or flaps. 
     
     
         12 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 8 , wherein the angle is substantially 90 degrees. 
     
     
         13 . A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
 a nozzle assembly at a distal end of the vacuum cleaner, the nozzle assembly having a base unit;   a handle at a proximal end of the vacuum cleaner;   a waste receptacle;   a motor configured to draw air through the nozzle assembly and into the waste receptacle;   a mechanical motor disposed on the nozzle assembly;   a first cassette configured to detachably couple to a portion of the base unit, wherein the first cassette comprises a first cover and one or more first entrance features at a front face of the first cover; and   a second cassette configured to detachably couple to the portion of the base unit, wherein the second cassette comprises a second cover and one or more second entrance features at a front face of the second cover that are different than the one or more first entrance features.   
     
     
         14 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the first cassette or second cassette is configured to couple to or rest upon a first arm and a second arm of the base unit. 
     
     
         15 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 14 , wherein the first cassette or second cassette is coupled to the base unit by pressing the first cassette or second cassette downwards onto the first arm and second arm of the base unit. 
     
     
         16 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 14 , wherein the first cassette or second cassette is coupled to the base unit by rotating the first cassette or second cassette about a hinge on the first arm of the base unit towards the second arm of the base unit. 
     
     
         17 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein one or both of the first cassette and the second cassette includes a rotatable agitation member, and wherein one or both of the first cassette and the second cassette includes a cover structure configured to scrape along a portion of the rotatable agitation member as the rotatable agitation member rotates. 
     
     
         18 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more first entrance features have a different size compared to the one or more second entrance features. 
     
     
         19 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more first entrance features have a different shape compared to the one or more second entrance features. 
     
     
         20 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the first cassette is a wet cassette, and the second cassette is a dry cassette.