An apparatus comprising one or more of a surface treatment apparatus having an air treatment member and a refuse container wherein at least one of the surface treatment apparatus and the refuse container is provided with one or more of (a) a dust control member providing a dust control agent comprising one or more of a liquid mist, positive ions and negative ions to an area below a dirt emptying outlet of a dirt collection region of the surface treatment apparatus; and, (b) a treatment applicator providing a treatment agent comprising one or more of a deodorizing agent, a disinfecting agent and a sanitizing agent to an interior volume of the air treatment member and an interior volume of the refuse container.

A vacuum cleaner for placement atop a canister including a motor housing having a suction source, a handle disposed adjacent the housing for maneuvering the vacuum cleaner relative to the canister, and a lid assembly supporting the motor housing and configured to couple to the canister. The lid assembly is adjustable in size by moving between a retracted state and an expanded state to accommodate canisters of varying size.

Method for filling a waste container/separating device (50) of a pneumatic material conveying system, in which method material is conducted into a material container from a conveying pipe (100) via an inlet aperture (55) and in which method, for bringing about the suction/partial vacuum needed in conveying the material, the suction side of a partial-vacuum source (30) is connected to act in the container space of the waste container/separating device (50) and onwards into the conveying pipe (100). By changing the point at which the suction of the partial-vacuum source acts or the strength of its action in the container space (68) of the waste container/separating device (50), the input direction in the container space of the material (W) being conducted into the container space from the inlet aperture (55) is acted upon. The invention also relates to an apparatus and to a waste container/separating device.

A debris collector assembly including a bottom side placed on a surface and a debris inlet adjacent the bottom side and configured to receive surface debris drawn from the surface. A debris container is in a body housing and the debris container includes an open top end. A suction source is operable to generate a suction airflow along an airflow path extending from the debris inlet to an exhaust outlet. The suction airflow is operable to draw the surface debris through the debris inlet with the suction airflow. The assembly also includes a lid, the lid movable between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the open top end of the debris container is accessible by a user to deposit items into the debris container, and in the closed position, access to the open top end of the debris container is inhibited.

A trashcan system is disclosed herein. In various aspects, the trashcan system includes an inlet located about a trashcan to be proximate to a surface upon which the trashcan is placed in order to entrain materials disposed upon the surface into air communicated into the inlet. The trashcan system, in various aspects, includes a collector disposed within the trashcan. A chamber of the collector may receive air with materials entrained therein communicated from the inlet, and the chamber may be adapted to collect materials entrained in the air. An exit may be located about the trashcan that communicates with the chamber to exhaust the air from the chamber, in various aspects. A vacuum assembly located about the trashcan, the vacuum assembly cooperates with the inlet, the chamber, and the exit to communicate the air into the inlet, through the chamber, to the exit where the air is exhausted.

A method is provided for feeding in and transporting material in a pneumatic conveying system for material, which conveying system includes at least one input point of material, a material conveying pipe, which can be connected to the input point, and a material container, in which the material being transported is separated from the transporting air, and also a device configured to product a partial vacuum/a pressure difference and/or a transporting air current in the conveying pipe at least during the transporting of the material, which device includes at least one partial-vacuum source. In the method, the suction side of the partial-vacuum source is connected to act in the conveying pipe and onwards to an input point arranged in the conveying pipe, or to act at least in the feeder channel that is between the conveying pipe and the input point, in which case the input point, or at least the feeder channel, intended for emptying that is closest to the material container in the conveying direction of the material empties and the material displaces into the conveying pipe, that arranged in the input point, on the inside of said input point and on the opposite side of the input aperture with respect to the feeder channel, is a shut-off element, which is moved by means of the suction produced by the partial-vacuum source from a first position, in which the shut-off element does not make the pathway through the input aperture into the feeder channel essentially smaller, into a second position, in which the shut-off element does make the pathway through the input aperture into the feeder channel essentially smaller, when the pressure on the first side, on the feeder channel side, of the shut-off element is smaller than on the second side, on the opposite side with respect to the feeder channel, of the shut-off element. An input point and to a pneumatic material-conveying system are also disclosed.

A system comprising a vacuum cleaner and an apparatus for receiving dirt from a dirt collection region of the vacuum cleaner. The apparatus has an air flow passage from an inlet port to a clean air outlet, wherein the dirt collection region of the vacuum cleaner is positionable in air flow communication with the inlet port. The apparatus also has an air treatment member positioned in the air flow passage downstream from the inlet port wherein the air treatment member comprises an apparatus dirt collection region. When the apparatus is standing on the floor, the apparatus has an upper end which has the inlet port, and the dirt collection region of the vacuum cleaner is moved in a downward direction to an emptying position in which the dirt collection region of the vacuum cleaner is in air flow communication with the inlet port.

A garbage can has an inlet port that is closable about a dirt collection region of a vacuum cleaner such that the inlet port is substantially sealed around the dirt collection region. The garbage can also has a suction motor to draw dirt out of the dirt collection region.

A refuse disposing system includes a housing having a perimeter wall bounding an interior space. An inner conduit is positioned within the housing. The perimeter wall has an access opening therein in communication with the inner conduit and the inner conduit has an exit aperture extending through the perimeter wall. A blower is in fluid communication with the inner conduit and ejects air into the inner conduit and outwardly of the exit aperture when the blower is actuated to an on position. A tube has a first end and a second end where the first end is fluidly coupled to the exit aperture. A refuse container is positioned under the second end of the tube. Articles positioned in the inner conduit and moved through the inner conduit and into the tube by the blower are ejected into the refuse container.

A device for collecting soiled objects, such as used diapers, comprising a collecting container (1) closable by a cover (2) having a cover section (6) with a tubular chamber (7) open at one end providing an inlet/outlet opening (8), said cover section (6) being movable between a first position, in which an object may be deposited from the outside through said opening (8) into said chamber (7), and a second position, in which said object may drop through said opening (8) into the collecting container (1) and a transfer bag (12) of a flexible material removably mounted within said chamber (7), said bag (12) being open at one end and having a bottom cooperating with an expel body (11d) at the opposite end, wherein the collar (12b) of the transfer bag (12) is attached to said opening (8) by a locking ring (13).