In another thread posted a year or more ago, someone had mentioned that the difference between a canister and a tank was not the size but the dimensions; according to that person a canister was wider than a tank (or cylinder). Using that criteria an Electrolux Model CB would be an example of a canister, and a Model G would be a tank (or cylinder).
I find it interesting that Electrolux and many other companies did not use the term 'vacuum' regularly until the late 1960s (for Electrolux it was when Consolidated Foods became the major stockholder; although the original 1965 Model CB manual used 'vacuum cleaner'). Electrolux manuals (worldwide) typically just referred to the 'cleaner', and in the early years 'air purifier & cleaner'. The term 'vacuum cleaner' had been used by consumers back in the day, but most companies resisted using the term probably because it is a misnomer; a 'vacuum', in in scientific jargon, is the absence of matter. The word likely entered the industry's lexicon as a reference to the removal of matter from rugs and carpets in its verb form, 'vacuuming'--possibly by companies to counter the term 'Hoovering'.
I find it interesting that Electrolux and many other companies did not use the term 'vacuum' regularly until the late 1960s (for Electrolux it was when Consolidated Foods became the major stockholder; although the original 1965 Model CB manual used 'vacuum cleaner'). Electrolux manuals (worldwide) typically just referred to the 'cleaner', and in the early years 'air purifier & cleaner'. The term 'vacuum cleaner' had been used by consumers back in the day, but most companies resisted using the term probably because it is a misnomer; a 'vacuum', in in scientific jargon, is the absence of matter. The word likely entered the industry's lexicon as a reference to the removal of matter from rugs and carpets in its verb form, 'vacuuming'--possibly by companies to counter the term 'Hoovering'.
