Upright vacuum cleaner nozzle handle

Abstract

An upright vacuum cleaner generally includes an upright assembly including a suction generator and a floor nozzle coupled to the upright assembly. The floor nozzle is configured for movement over a floor surface and includes a nozzle inlet in fluid communication with the suction generator. An aperture is formed through the floor nozzle and configured to allow the insertion of a hand of an operator to provide a gripping area on the floor nozzle adjacent the aperture to facilitate lifting and lowering the upright vacuum cleaner.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An upright vacuum cleaner comprising:
 an upright assembly including a suction generator; and   a floor nozzle coupled to the upright assembly and configured for movement over a floor surface, wherein the floor nozzle includes a nozzle inlet in fluid communication with the suction generator, and wherein the floor nozzle includes an aperture formed therethrough, the aperture configured to allow the insertion of a hand of an operator to provide a gripping area on the floor nozzle adjacent the aperture to facilitate lifting and lowering the upright vacuum cleaner.   
     
     
         2 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the floor nozzle further includes a brush roll housing defining the nozzle inlet at a forward end of the floor nozzle, and a brush roll coupled for rotation within the brush roll housing, and wherein the aperture is disposed behind the brush roll housing. 
     
     
         3 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 2 , wherein the gripping area is disposed on the floor nozzle behind the aperture. 
     
     
         4 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 2 , wherein the gripping area extends substantially parallel to the brush roll housing. 
     
     
         5 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 2 , wherein the brush roll housing defines a brush roll housing bottom surface, wherein the gripping area defines a gripping area bottom surface, wherein the brush roll housing bottom surface is disposed adjacent the floor surface, and wherein the gripping area bottom surface is disposed above the brush roll housing bottom surface when the floor nozzle is in an upright position. 
     
     
         6 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 5 , wherein the brush roll housing bottom surface and the gripping area bottom surface define a vertical gap therebetween, and the gap is dimensioned to fittingly receive the operator's fingers for lifting and lowering the upright vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         7 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the floor nozzle defines a lateral dimension and wherein the aperture is positioned approximately at a center of the lateral dimension. 
     
     
         8 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the floor surface is exposed at the aperture when the floor nozzle is positioned on the floor surface in an upright position. 
     
     
         9 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the aperture is generally rectangular when viewed from above the floor nozzle. 
     
     
         10 . An upright vacuum cleaner comprising:
 an upright assembly including a suction generator; and   a floor nozzle coupled to the upright assembly and configured for movement over a floor surface, wherein the floor nozzle includes a nozzle inlet disposed at a forward end of the floor nozzle and in fluid communication with the suction generator, and wherein the floor nozzle includes an aperture formed therethrough, the aperture being disposed behind the nozzle inlet and entirely surrounded by walls of the floor nozzle, wherein the aperture when viewed from above the floor nozzle defines an area of approximately 20 cm 2  or more.   
     
     
         11 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 10 , wherein the aperture when viewed from above the floor nozzle defines an area of approximately 20 cm 2  to approximately 35 cm 2 . 
     
     
         12 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 10 , wherein the aperture defines a lateral dimension ranging from approximately 5 cm to approximately 10 cm. 
     
     
         13 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 10 , wherein the floor nozzle further includes a brush roll housing defining the nozzle inlet, and a brush roll coupled for rotation within the brush roll housing, and wherein the aperture is disposed behind the brush roll housing spaced approximately 5 cm to approximately 15 cm from the forward end of the floor nozzle. 
     
     
         14 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the gripping area is disposed on the floor nozzle behind the aperture. 
     
     
         15 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the gripping area extends substantially parallel to the brush roll housing. 
     
     
         16 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the brush roll housing defines a brush roll housing bottom surface, wherein the gripping area defines a gripping area bottom surface, wherein the brush roll housing bottom surface is disposed adjacent the floor surface, and wherein the gripping area bottom surface is disposed above the brush roll housing bottom surface when the floor nozzle is in an upright position. 
     
     
         17 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 16 , wherein the brush roll housing bottom surface and the gripping area bottom surface define a vertical gap therebetween, and the gap ranges from approximately 2 cm to approximately 4 cm to fittingly receive an operator's fingers for lifting and lowering the upright vacuum cleaner. 
     
     
         18 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 10 , wherein the floor nozzle defines a lateral dimension ranging from approximately 25 cm to approximately 35 cm and wherein the aperture is positioned approximately at a center of the lateral dimension. 
     
     
         19 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 10 , wherein a portion of the floor surface is exposed at the aperture when the floor nozzle is positioned on the floor surface in an upright position. 
     
     
         20 . The upright vacuum cleaner of  claim 10 , wherein the aperture is generally rectangular when viewed from above the floor nozzle.