JAMES G KEANE
Architects in Saint Paul, MN

4557535, Dec 10, 1985

Sep 17, 1984

6/651103

James W. Keane - White Bear Lake MN

Whirlpool Corporation - Benton Harbor MI

H01R 3900

339 5R

A vacuum cleaner having a hose swivelly connected to a canister portion suction inlet. The canister portion includes an electrical power connector adjacent the inlet opening. The hose is provided with electrical power conducting means. The swivel connector has a first portion secured to the hose end and a second portion adapted to be removably secured to the canister housing inlet. The first swivel connector portion is swivelly connected to the second portion. An electrical power plug is removably mounted to the swivel connector second portion and a first interlock is provided on the plug and swivel connector second portion for releasably locking the plug to the swivel connector second portion. A second interlock is provided on the plug and swivel connector first portion for preventing axial separation of the first and second swivel connector portions. Cooperating electrical connectors are provided on the plug and swivel connector first portion for electrically connecting the electrical power connector to the electrical power conductor with the swivel connector to the electrical power conductor with the swivel connector first and second portions in any one of an infinite plurality of different angularly related swivel positions.

4550957, Nov 5, 1985

Sep 17, 1984

6/651101

James W. Keane - White Bear Lake MN

Whirlpool Corporation - Benton Harbor MI

H01R 3900

339 5R

An improved swivel connector for use in connecting one end of a flexible vacuum cleaner hose to the suction inlet of the canister portion of a canister vacuum cleaner. The hose is provided with electrical conductors and the swivel connector is mounted on the end of the hose and arranged to effect an automatic connection and disconnection of the electrical conductors of the hose to a power source in the canister as an incident of connection and disconnection, respectively, of the suction hose end to the suction inlet of the canister. The swivel connector includes a pigtail for effecting the connection between the relatively swivelable parts of the connector. Stops are provided for limiting the amount of swiveling permitted so as to prevent strain from being applied to the pigtail ends, while providing substantial permitted angle of swiveling, as desired.

4658465, Apr 21, 1987

Jun 7, 1985

6/742712

James W. Keane - White Bear Lake MN
William J. Martin - Watervliet MI

Whirlpool Corporation - Benton Harbor MI

A47L 900

15323

A quick release power cord wrap and caster for a canister vacuum cleaner. The caster assembly includes a hook for supporting or retaining a plurality of power cord turns is stored position on the canister. A hook is movable to release the cord and, in the illustrated embodiment, the hook is pivotable on the caster. The hook has a toggle action for locking the power cord in the stored arrangement. In addition, the hook and canister body are provided with shoulders for providing an augmented locking of the hook in the cord stored position. The caster assembly and canister body are arranged to permit snap-fastening of the caster assembly to the canister body without need for separate metal fasteners and the like. The caster assembly itself is arranged to have the portions thereof snap-fastened together without the use of separate metal fasteners.

4403372, Sep 13, 1983

Feb 22, 1982

6/351233

James W. Keane - White Bear Lake MN
Erwin E. Nordeen - St. Paul MN

Whirlpool Corporation - Benton Harbor MI

A47L 900

15339

A vacuum cleaner beater brush having string guard means for preventing string picked up by the brush from damaging the bearings and drive for rotating the brush. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive is a cog belt drive with a sprocket associated with the rotatable brush. The ends of the brush are rotatably journaled in bearings carried by the nozzle housing of the vacuum cleaner structure. The string guards are defined by spaces provided in the brush assembly defining zones of minimum energy to which zones the picked-up string tends to migrate in the rotation of the brush. The string guard spaces, in the illustrated embodiment, are defined by annular recesses and shoulders located suitably to prevent movement of the string to the bearings and cog belt drive sprocket.

4530543, Jul 23, 1985

Sep 26, 1983

6/535982

James W. Keane - White Bear Lake MN

Whirlpool Corporation - Benton Harbor MI

B60B 106, B60B 910

301 63PW

A wheeled support structure for use in a vacuum cleaner or the like. The wheeled support structure includes a wheel mount on the body of the vacuum cleaner defining an outwardly opening recess having an inwardly facing lock surface. The wheel mount further defines a fixed annular bearing surface coaxially of the recess and spaced radially outwardly therefrom for journaling the wheeled support slidably concentrically mounted thereon. The wheel further includes a latch element extending inwardly through the recess and having turned latch shoulders arranged to be disposed inwardly of the lock surface for preventing axially outward removal of the latch element, thereby maintaining the wheel mounting surface slidably mounted on the bearing surface of the vacuum cleaner support wall.