Articulating vacuum foot and vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner is described herein that includes an integral articulating foot. When the powered nozzle of the vacuum cleaner is removed, the articulating foot allows the user to access small, hard to reach places with high air flow velocity. The articulating foot remains in planar contact with the floor when the body of the vacuum cleaner is rotated up and down. No accessories need to be attached or unattached from the vacuum cleaner in order to use the articulating foot.

1 . A vacuum cleaner, comprising:
 an articulating foot attached to a distal end of a vacuum cleaner, the articulating foot comprising spherical dome segments that are rotatable in relation to each other; and   a nozzle assembly attached to the distal end of the vacuum cleaner, the nozzle assembly comprising a conduit in fluid communication with a waste receptacle, the conduit passing through the articulating foot,   wherein the spherical dome segments include air passageways between the segments to allow for the flow of air through sides of the spherical dome segments.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the articulating foot comprises at least one contact surface for contacting a surface to be cleaned. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 3  wherein the articulating foot is constructed and arranged such that the contact surface remains in contact with and parallel to the floor when the vacuum cleaner is positioned at greater than 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, 80° or 90° degrees above horizontal. 
     
     
         7 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 3  wherein the at least one contact surface includes one or more intermittent air passageways, the air passageways accounting for greater than 10%, greater than 25%, greater than 50% or greater than 75% of an outer edge of the at least one contact surface. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 3  wherein the at least one contact surface is constructed and arranged to rotate at least 30 degrees horizontally and at least 45 degrees vertically in relation to the axis of the vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         10 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 3  comprising at least one flow restrictor mounted on an undersurface of the articulating foot, the at least one flow restrictor constructed and arranged to accelerate air flow through channels in the foot, the at least one flow restrictor extending downward from the undersurface and not as far as the at least one contact surface. 
     
     
         16 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 1  wherein the articulating foot is permanently fixed to the distal end of the vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         21 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a waste receptacle in fluid communication with a motor of the vacuum cleaner;   a waste receptacle door operatively attached to the waste receptacle; and   an articulating foot attached to an outer surface of the waste receptacle door.   
     
     
         30 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 29  further comprising a nozzle assembly, the nozzle assembly comprising a conduit that passes through a passageway in the articulating foot and also through a passageway in the waste receptacle door. 
     
     
         31 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 29  wherein the articulating foot includes a contact surface for contacting a substrate to be cleaned, the contact surface essentially normal to an axis of the vacuum cleaner when the nozzle assembly is installed on the vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         32 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 31  wherein the contact surface is interrupted with one or more airways allowing air to pass through the articulating foot when the contact surface is in contact with a substrate. 
     
     
         33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 32  wherein the contact surface of the articulating foot is essentially normal to the axis of the vacuum cleaner when the waste receptacle door is closed and essentially parallel to the axis of the vacuum cleaner when the waste receptacle door is in an open state to empty the waste receptacle. 
     
     
         35 - 37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . A vacuum cleaner comprising:
 a nozzle assembly;   a waste receptacle; and   a cleaning foot, the cleaning foot including an outer ridge defining an air passageway, the outer ridge comprising an essentially planar surface for contacting a substrate to be cleaned, the vacuum constructed and arranged to be interchangeable between a first cleaning mode and a second cleaning mode, wherein in the first cleaning mode the cleaning foot is positioned around an air pathway between the nozzle assembly and the waste receptacle, and in the second cleaning mode the nozzle assembly is disconnected from the vacuum cleaner and is not in fluid communication with the waste receptacle.   
     
     
         39 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 38  wherein the cleaning foot is an articulating foot. 
     
     
         40 - 58 . (canceled) 
     
     
         59 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 29  wherein the articulating foot includes a lower portion for contacting the floor and an upper portion fixed to the vacuum cleaner and a flexible conduit connecting the upper portion and the lower portion, the flexible conduit in compression to provide a biasing force to press the articulating foot to the floor when the vacuum cleaner is at a 45 degree angle to the floor. 
     
     
         60 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 39  wherein the articulating foot is restricted from articulating when the nozzle assembly is attached to the vacuum cleaner and is free to articulate when the nozzle assembly is detached from the vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         61 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 38  wherein the cleaning foot includes a lower portion for contacting the floor and an upper portion fixed to the vacuum cleaner and a flexible conduit connecting the upper portion and the lower portion, the flexible conduit in compression to provide a biasing force to press the cleaning foot to the floor when the vacuum cleaner is at a 45 degree angle to the floor. 
     
     
         62 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 38  wherein the cleaning foot comprises spherical dome segments that are rotatable in relation to each other. 
     
     
         63 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 38  wherein the cleaning foot comprises a ball and socket joint. 
     
     
         64 . The vacuum cleaner of  claim 38  wherein the cleaning foot is attached to a door of the waste receptacle.