Mechanics
These household appliances created suction by either a pumping action, bellows, a piston being pushed up and down a tube, or had a fan driven by the wheels. Most required the efforts of two people. The models operable by one person were less efficient, but none were truly labor-saving devices or delivered the cleaning efficiency they promised. Besides hand-operated models, foot-operated models were also available, and according to a Swiss source there was even one where the operator sat in a rocking chair, rocking back and forth to produce the energy needed to create suction.Major Models
The Baby
The Burger Vacuum Cleaner
In 1898, Franz Burger of Fort Wayne, Ind. patented (#614,832 (Nov. 29, 1898) a "machine for cleaning fabrics", consisting of dual steam-powered "vacuum-chambers" (the first known use of the term "vacuum" for a cleaning device), a boxlike rectangular "extractor" with a perforated face and rollers to be pressed to the fabric, and a flexible connecting tube with a rigid tubular handle with a hand valve to turn off the suction when not needed; the whole unit could be mounted on a stationary base in a building or on a wheeled truck.The Spencer Turbine Vacuum Cleaner
In 1905, Ira Hobart Spencer (1873-1928) founded the Spencer Turbine Cleaner Co. in Hartford, Connecticut to make the Turbine Vacuum Cleaner, a stationary installed vacuum cleaning system with lightweight hoses that operates on only 5 inches of water suction, with a trademarked "sugar scoop" housing profile.The Kendall Vacuum Cleaner
In 1909, Oliver S. Kendall (died 1914) of Worcester, Mass. introduced the pump-type Pneu-Simplex Vacuum Cleaner, in a wooden housing.Sears, Roebuck & Co. Manual Vacuum Cleaners
Three different models of manual vacuum cleaners were sold by Sears, Roebuck & Co. between 1909 and 1917, the lightweight Quick and Easy, the valve-and-piston pump type Dust Killer, and the bellows-type Everybody's Vacuum Cleaner. Their main market was in rural areas, where as late as 1935, the year of passage of the Rural Electrification Act, 90% of American farms (out of 6.8 million, the peak) did not yet have electricity.The Kotten Vacuum Cleaner
In 1910, Herman G. Kotten of Englewood, N.J. patented (#975,435, Nov. 15, 1910) the Kotten Vacuum Cleaner, which required the operator to stand on a platform and "rock from side to side like a teeter-totter, activating two bellows."The Star Vacuum Cleaner
In 1911, the Star Vacuum Cleaner was patented in the U.K. (#18,899), consisting of a concertina-like drum that was pushed up and down the handle to suck dust through the cleaning head on top; the initial price was 54 shillings; it was discontinued in 1938.The Golden Rod Vacuum Cleaner
In 1911, the plunger-type canister Golden Rod Vacuum Cleaner was patented (#1,012,800, Dec. 26, 1911) by Charles Boyer of Marengo, Illinois, and produced by the Hugro Manufacturing Co. of Warsaw, Indiana.Hoover WW1 Friction Motor Vacuum Cleaner
Production in the United States
According to ''See also
* List of vacuum cleaners * Vacuum cleaner *References
External links