Upright vacuum cleaners typically comprise an upper body portion which is pivotally mounted to a vacuum cleaner head. The upper body portion typically includes a dirt separation mechanism, such as filter bags, cyclones or the like. The vacuum cleaner head comprises a means for entraining dirty air and conveying it to the upper body portion.
Upright vacuum cleaners comprise a large segment of the vacuum cleaner market Unfortunately, they are typically difficult to store. For example, the vacuum cleaner is generally stored with the upper body portion extending generally vertically from the vacuum cleaner head. In this upper storage position, the storage space which is required for the vacuum cleaner comprises the sum of the footprint of the vacuum cleaner as well as the additional space required to accommodate the upper body portion which is positioned at the rear of the vacuum cleaner head.
It has been known to position the rear wheels of the vacuum cleaner on extensions positioned rearward of the upper body portion when the upper body portion is in the upright position. Examples of these include U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,920 (Evans et al.) and the U.S. Pat. No. 2,898,621 (Vance). In these cases, the wheels are so positioned as to prevent the vacuum cleaner from being able to lie in a generally flat position.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds