Abstract: A hose and tool caddy removably mounts to an upright vacuum cleaner. The hose and tool caddy stores the vacuum cleaner hose and accessory tools, such as a dusting brush, furniture nozzle, extension wand and crevice tool, which are used for above-the-floor cleaning. When the upright vacuum cleaner is being used for floor care, the hose and tool caddy may be removed from the upright vacuum cleaner and hung-up. The hose and tool caddy includes a base and a guide member. The base is formed with a looped channel for receiving the hose, a pair of resilient C-clamps for supporting the dusting brush and furniture nozzle and a vertically extending channel for receiving the extension wand with the crevice tool stored therein. The upright vacuum cleaner includes a track member for slidably receiving the guide member when the hose and tool caddy is being mounted to the upright vacuum cleaner.

Abstract: An agitator roll for a floor care appliance or the like is disclosed having short, angled beater bars. The agitator may be of foamed plastic.

Abstract: An air flow sensing arrangement is disclosed for use in a vacuum cleaner. A plenum chamber or cavity established by a first wall and a second wall is provided adjacent to a fan inlet with all air from a bag chamber being directed radially inward therethrough toward an aperture in the first wall communicating with the fan inlet. The second wall is provided with openings adjacent to its outer periphery so that air is proportionally directed into the cavity along a plurality of paths. An air distribution chamber is established by the second wall and a secondary filter is supported on the second wall. Air is distributed by the distribution chamber about an entire outer surface of a wall portion of the second wall so as to maintan a consistent proportion of air flow through the openings into the cavity in the event irregular filter clogging occurs. A flow sensing device including a pivoting vane having a magnet thereon is disposed within the cavity so as to be within a path of air flowing through the openings.

Abstract: A conductive hose having dual connections disposed in the internal spiral groove formed in an air carrying hose includes plastic molded couplers on its ends which provide the fluidic and electrical connection to members that may be coupled thereto. Each of the molded couplers consists of inner and outer telescoped members that are glued together at their mating peripheries with the inner member including ribbed portions at the junction of the two mating parts. A strain relief is mounted between the members and retained by them so that electrical flow may be securely had through the hose and its couplers.

Abstract: A wheeled suction nozzle is provided having, generally, a simplified three-piece construction including an upper shell, an intermediate plate and a bottom pan, with the intermediate plate sandwiched between the other two members so that its top surface and the bottom surface of the upper shell form the suction passageways for the nozzle.A rotary valve is included to activate edge or normal suction, with this valve rotating on a vertical axis and snapfit into position and thus not requiring any sort of connecting means which would positively maintain the rotary valve attached to the nozzle.