A housekeeping cart drawer and battery-powered charging dock for storing, charging, transporting, and deploying a robotic vacuum is disclosed. The housekeeping cart drawer and battery-powered charging dock for storing, charging, transporting, and deploying a robotic vacuum includes a deployable ramp enabling a robotic vacuum to enter and exit the trolley. The robotic vacuum ingress/egress ramp may be deployed and retracted by a foot pedal, a mechanical hand lever, or electronically. The mobile maid trolley includes an internal docking station with battery to recharge batteries of the robotic vacuum and a connection to a dust bin whereby the robotic vacuum can empty the contents of its recovery bin into a larger dust bin inside the trolley, which can be cleaned by sliding a container out the bottom. The trolley enables the robotic vacuum to have increased power from larger batteries, be fully charged all day, and removes the need for a person or staff to bend down to deploy and pick up the robot on the floor of a room.

A tool for a surface cleaning apparatus, including a floor head including a floor facing surface which defines an inlet for receiving dirt-laden air, which inlet is generally positioned in a first plane P; a passage for carrying dirt-laden air from the floor head to the apparatus; a connecting member for connecting the tool to a surface cleaning apparatus, wherein the floor head and connecting member are pivotally connected about an axis A; and a blocking device for inhibiting pivotal movement of the connecting member about axis A. The blocking device is moveable to a blocking condition in which pivotal movement of the connecting member downwardly outside of a pre-determined use condition is inhibited.

A vacuum nozzle system has a vacuum nozzle with an inlet opening for engaging a surface to be vacuumed and an outlet opening for connection to a vacuum supply hose. The inlet opening is delimited by a circumferential end face. The nozzle defining a vacuum flow direction from the inlet opening to the outlet opening. A holder bracket has a holder for holding the nozzle. The holder is disposed downstream of the end face in a vacuum flow in the vacuum flow direction when the nozzle is in a retained position on the holder bracket.

A cleaning apparatus including a vacuum cleaner and a docking station is provided. The cleaning apparatus includes a vacuum cleaner including a dust collecting chamber in which foreign substances are collected, and a docking station configured to be connected to the dust collecting chamber to remove the foreign substances collected in the dust collecting chamber. The dust collecting chamber is configured to collect foreign substances through centrifugation, and configured to be docked to the docking station, and the docking station includes a suction device configured to suction the foreign substances and air in the dust collecting chamber docked to the docking station.

A vacuum nozzle system has a vacuum nozzle with an inlet opening for engaging a surface to be vacuumed and an outlet opening for connection to a vacuum supply hose. The inlet opening is delimited by a circumferential end face. The nozzle defining a vacuum flow direction from the inlet opening to the outlet opening. A holder bracket has a holder for holding the nozzle. The holder is disposed downstream of the end face in a vacuum flow in the vacuum flow direction when the nozzle is in a retained position on the holder bracket.

A floor cleaning machine having a base, a suction foot, a dirty water tank in fluid communication with the suction foot, a suction turbine, and a separation container. The suction turbine is attached to the base and generates a suction air flow from the suction foot into the dirty water tank. The suction turbine has a housing with an inlet opening and an outlet opening through which air flows. The separation container adjoins the suction turbine housing and has an interior, which that communicates with the inlet opening and a bottom wall section that faces the interior. The bottom wall section is disposed vertically lower than the inlet opening. A drainage opening leads out of the bottom wall section into the environment and is provided with a valve that is closed during operation of the suction turbine is in operation and open when the suction turbine is not operated.

Vacuum cleaning devices include foldable wands to provide a storage configuration and/or facilitate use. A vacuum cleaning device includes a wand having a first end coupled to a vacuum unit and a second end coupled to a vacuum head or surface cleaning head. The wand defines an air passage allowing air to pass from the surface cleaning head to the vacuum unit and includes a flexible air passage along at least a portion of the wand. The wand also includes a plurality of segments pivotably connected together such that the wand is foldable about 180 in a forward direction until the vacuum unit is positioned proximate a top of the surface cleaning head, thereby providing a storage configuration.

A central vacuum cleaning system includes an inlet valve mounted at various locations in a structure connected to the inlet end of a vacuum conduit. A section of hose is slidably mounted within the conduit and extends from the inlet valve for cleaning an adjacent area. A pair of seals within the inlet valve retains a nozzle handle mounted on the end of the hose in a stored position when the hose is in a retracted position and provides an air seal between the handle and vacuum supply conduit. A locking mechanism mounted on one embodiment of the inlet valves automatically locks the hose in a selected extended position when manually pulled from the inlet valve. A mounting bracket enables the inlet valve to be mounted at various locations in the structure and a pair of seals enables the inlet valve to be open to the ambient atmosphere.

A vacuum system comprising a storage tray, a vacuum assembly, and a hose. The storage tray defines a storage chamber comprising an inlet portion defining a storage chamber inlet, an outlet portion defining a storage chamber outlet, a first portion in communication with the inlet portion, a second portion in communication with the outlet portion, and an intermediate portion in communication with the first and second portions. The intermediate portion is configured such that the first and second portions are adjacent to each other. The vacuum assembly is operatively connected to the storage chamber outlet. When the hose is in a stored position, at least a portion of the hose is arranged within the first portion, the intermediate portion, and the second portion of the storage chamber. When the vacuum system is in use, at least a portion of the hose is arranged outside of the storage chamber.

A cleaning apparatus including a vacuum cleaner and a docking station is provided. The cleaning apparatus includes a vacuum cleaner including a dust collecting chamber in which foreign substances are collected, and a docking station configured to be connected to the dust collecting chamber to remove the foreign substances collected in the dust collecting chamber. The dust collecting chamber is configured to collect foreign substances through centrifugation, and configured to be docked to the docking station, and the docking station includes a suction device configured to suction the foreign substances and air in the dust collecting chamber docked to the docking station.