This invention relates to a container, and in particular to a container for use in a vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum cleaners generally comprise a power head which includes a suction device, wheels to support the vacuum cleaner from ground and a container. The container holds dust and detritus sucked up by the suction device and also liquids in the case of vacuum cleaners which are capable of sucking up liquids, which will hereinafter be referred to as wet vacuum cleaners. When the container is full or partly full, it is usual to empty it. This is a particular problem in the case of a wet vacuum cleaner as the container will normally contain dirty water which is awkward to dispose of. This dirty water is often emptied into a water-closet or into a floor drain.

Some wet vacuum cleaners are provided with a dump hose located towards the bottom of the container to drain dirty water out of the container into, for example, a

floor drain. The problem with this is that if no floor drain is available the dirty liquid in the container has to be discharged into a bucket or the like. Often the rim of the bucket is above the bottom of the container when the wet vacuum cleaner and the bucket are resting on the ground, and the container cannot be completely emptied. In a second type of vacuum cleaner the container is mounted on a trolley chassis, by means of a mounting located towards the rim of the container, and arranged to be rotatable about the mounting so that the container can be tipped to discharge the contents of the container into a water-closet or a floor drain. One problem with this arrangement is that a complete trolley chassis system is required to embody the tipping mechanism; also, when tipping the contents of the container into a floor drain it is difficult to control and direct the liquid discharged from the container because the lip of the container the contents of the container, and the fulcrum about which the container is rotated, are high relative to the floor drain.

It is an object of the present invention to alleviate some or all of the above-mentioned problems.

According to the present invention there is provided a container assembly comprising, a container arranged to receive liquid and/or detritus, support means for supporting the container from the ground, and ground engaging means mounted to the container by means of a pivot, said ground engaging means being arranged to support the container when they are deployed for use wherein the container is rotable about the pivot and the ground engaging means are movable relative to the wheel means.

A container assembly according to the present invention has the advantage that the fulcrum about which the container may be tipped is movable relative to the wheel means and therefore the ground, enabling the container to be tipped in a controlled manner into either a floor drain or a bucket or a water-closet. For example, when tipping the contents of the container into a water-closet or a bucket, the ground

engaging means can be engaged with the ground the pivot can be positioned substantially vertically above the ground engaging means and the container may be about the pivot which provides a fulcrum relatively high off the ground to pour any contents of the container into the water-closet or bucket. When the contents of the container are to be- tipped into a floor level drain, the ground engaging means are again engaged with the ground but in this case the wheel means remain on the ground and are moved away from the ground engaging means, pivoting the container about a fulcrum which moves closer to the ground the further the wheel means moves away from the ground engaging means, moving the rim of the container closer to the floor drain thus assisting controlled emptying of the container.

In a preferred embodiment the ground engaging means comprises an end of a tube mounted to a pivot on one side of the container. The tube may extend beyond the pivot away from the ground engaging means to define a handle for the vacuum cleaner.

This has the advantage of assisting in controlling emptying of the container as it enables better control of the positions of the pivot and ground engaging means. In particular when emptying the container into a floor drain, once the centre of gravity of the container is between the support means and the pivot (over centre) , an operator has control over the movement of the container from nearly vertical orientation to horizontal orientation simply by moving the handle.

The tube may be generally U shaped with the free ends of the U shaped tube defining the ground engaging means and the cross piece of the U defining a handle for the vacuum cleaner.

Preferably rubber or plastic feet are mounted on the free ends of the tube to help prevent slippage of the ground engaging means on the ground.

The support means may comprise wheel means mounted on axles which axles are fixed relative to the container.

The ground engaging means may form part of a chassis assembly for a vacuum cleaner and may be separable from the chassis assembly for deployment for emptying the container.

In a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a vacuum cleaner including a power head including a suction device, and a container assembly, said container assembly comprising, a container arranged to receive liquid or detritus collected by

• the vacuum cleaner, support means for supporting the container from the ground, and ground engaging means mounted to the container by means of a pivot, said ground engaging means being arranged to support the container when they are deployed for use and wherein the container is rotatable about the pivot and the ground engaging means are moveable relative to the support means.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a side view of a vacuum cleaner container assembly.

Figure 2, is a rear view of a handle of the vacuum cleaner of Figure 1,

Figures 3, show various stages in a process for 4 and 5 emptying the vacuum cleaner container assembly of Figure 1 into a water-closet, and

Figures 6, illustrate the vacuum cleaner container 7 and 8 assembly of Figure 1 being emptied into a floor drain.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a container assembly for a wet vacuum cleaner. The container 1 provides a lip 2 a body portion 4 and a base portion 6. To the base portion 6 is mounted a pair of wheels 8 and a pair of castors 10. As orientated in figure 1, the castors 10 are mounted towards the left side or front of the machine; the wheels 8 are mounted towards the right side or rear of the machine. The wheels and castors support the container from floor/ground 12.

A tubular frame 14 is mounted to the rear of the container assembly by means of two spaced pivots 16 located near the lip 2 of the body portion 4 of the container. As best seen in Figure 2 the tubular frame 14 is symmetrical when viewed from the rear of the container assembly and in shape resembles a "U" (which has been inverted) with the cross piece of the "U" defining a handle 23. Viewed from one side, as orientated in figure 1, the tubular frame has a downwardly depending lower portion 17 which depends from the pivots 16 and terminates just above the floor in an end 19. A clamp 18 is provided which snap-fits around the lower portion 17 of the tubular frame close to its end 19 to hold the lower portion against the rear of the container. An upper portion 20 of the tubular frame extends upwards from the pivot at an angle of about 30° to the vertical, as orientated in Figure 1, away from the rear of the container. The upper portion of the tubular frame then extends in a horizontal direction, generally parallel to the floor, to define the handle 23 for an operator to push the vacuum cleaner by, before depending downwards parallel to the upper portion 20 to a further pivot 16 spaced from pivot 16 and then depending vertically

downwards parallel to the lower portion 17 to define a second end 19 held by a further clamp 18, in a symmetrical arrangement to the first side of the container assembly. Plastic or rubber feet are mounted on each end 19.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the operation of emptying the container 1 into a water-closet 30. The downwardly depending portions 17 of the frame are released from engagement in the clamps 18. The container is then lifted by an operator 50 and tilted so that the container is supported by the means of the ends 19 of the tubular frame via the pivot 16. The pivot provides a fulcrum about which the container may be tipped by grasping the base 6 of the container and rotating it about the pivot. The handle assists the operator 50 in maintaining the lower portion 17 of the frame ends generally vertical keeping the pivot above the ends 19. The plastic or rubber feet assist the ends 19 to engage the ground and help prevent slipping. Any contents 32 of the container can be discharged into the water-closet 30 by tipping the container in a controlled manner as illustrated in figure 4.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 illustrate the emptying of the container into a floor drain 40. The lower portions 17 of the frame are disengaged from the clamps 18 and the ends 19 of the frame 14 are engaged on the ground. The wheels 12 are maintained in contact with the ground and the operator pulls the handle towards the front of the container so that wheels 8 move away from the ends 19 of the frame at the same time as the container 4 rotates about the pivot 16. As the wheels move away from the ends 19 both the container and the pivot move closer to the ground until eventually the contents 32 of the container are discharged into a floor drain with the lip 2 adjacent to the floor drain 40 thus ensuring controlled emptying and avoiding splashing. Once the centre of gravity of the container (the position of this will vary depending on the contents of the container) is between the wheel means and the pivot, the operator has control of the tipping action simply by moving the handle 23.

In an alternative embodiment the handle and/or ground support means may be part of a chassis assembly for supporting the container from the floor.