Abstract: The disclosure concerns a compact wet-dry vacuum cleaner adapted for collecting both wet and dry materials. The vacuum cleaner is powered by a by-pass type blow motor which is supported in a housing. The housing includes a baffle for separating the inflowing cooling air to the motor from the outflowing air which has cooled the motor. The placement of inlets and outlets to the motor housing prevents debris and liquid from splashing on the motor. A materials collection tank is separably attached to the motor housing to enable the tank to be removed for cleaning. The tank includes a nozzle at its front wall, which nozzle has an exit near the top of the tank. A curved air flow redirector at the top of the tank separates collected material from the air. The outlet from the tank is laterally spaced from the flow redirector. The motor housing is attached to a swivelable cover that extends over the motor. The cover extends over a duct that communicates between the materials collection tank and the blow motor.

Abstract: The disclosure concerns a housing for reducing the noise and exhaust air velocity of a bypass type blower motor, particularly a motor used for a tank type vacuum cleaner. The entire housing sits atop the lid of the tank of the vacuum cleaner. The bypass type blower motor has a main, suction generating, centrifugal blower fan and a separate motor cooling fan. Outlet from the main blower fan is into a first expansion chamber above the lid. A spiral pathway baffle in the first expansion chamber defines a gradually increasing cross-section plenum which communicates from the fan to the outlet from the first expansion chamber. There is a tubular outlet from the first expansion chamber which is surrounded by a sound baffling cuff of foamed plastic material. A cooling air inlet to the motor cooling fan and a separate cooling air outlet from the casing for the motor cooling fan are provided.

Abstract: The disclosure concerns a sound dome which is positioned over the motor housing of a bypass type vacuum cleaner. The main housing outlet for the main blower fan of the vacuum cleaner opens under the sound dome. The dome outlet from the sound dome is spaced away from the main housing outlet, causing the air from the main housing outlet to be redirected to the dome outlet. The motor housing has a tower portion that extends up into the sound dome. The housing has a cooling air inlet for cooling air to the motor, which is located higher up on the tower, and has a cooling air outlet for air that has cooled the motor, which is located lower on the tower. A baffle in the sound dome separates the cooling air inlet and the cooling air outlet. The enlarged plenum defined by the sound dome and the indirect pathway between the main housing outlet and the exit from the sound dome tend to reduce the noise generated by the vacuum cleaner.

Abstract: In a cannister or tank type vacuum cleaner which uses a generally cylindrical filter element that is fitted around a generally cylindrical filter cage, the cage is an integral plastic molding with the lid that closes the tank of the vacuum cleaner; the vacuum cleaner motor sits atop the lid; the lid is removably sealed to the cannister; inside the filter cage, there is a freely floating ball, which floats up through the cage as the tank becomes filled to seal the air outlet to the motor.