US Patent 7377010 Dirt collecting system for a floor care appliance

An upright vacuum cleaner is provided having a dirt collecting system with a downwardly pivoting lid for disposing of the collected dirt. The dirt collecting system has a latching arrangement for securing the pivoting lid into the closed position. A release member on the sidewall of the dirt collecting container is in operative engagement with a latching arrangement for releasing the pivoting lid from the closed position when the dirt collecting container is removed from the cleaner housing. The latching arrangement utilizes a slide member that traverses the underside of the pivoting lid. The slide member is biased into the latched position by a pair of resilient members. A pair of torsional springs are disposed in the hinges pivotally connecting the pivoting lid to the sidewall of the dirt collecting container to bias the pivoting lid into the open position when the release member is depressed.