Black & Decker DustBuster

The Black & Decker DustBuster (now stylized as dustbuster) is a cordless vacuum cleaner that was introduced in January 1979.

Mark Proett and Carroll Gantz are listed as the inventors on the utility and design patents, respectively, assigned to Black & Decker for a cordless vacuum cleaner. Mark Proett was an engineer whose utility patent was for B&D's Model 9321 cordless vacuum cleaner, called the Spot Vac, a component of the Mod 4 series of power tools (shrub trimmer, lantern, grass shear, drill, and Spot Vac), all powered by a single, rechargeable, and interchangeable "energy pak" handle with batteries. The device uses suction power to pick up fine dirt and debris including pet hair.

The design originated from the Apollo space mission, where NASA required a portable, self-contained drill capable of extracting core samples from the lunar surface. Black & Decker was tasked with the job, and developed a computer program to optimize the design of the drill's motor and ensure minimal power consumption. That computer program led to the development of a cordless miniature vacuum cleaner.

The Mod 4 series was introduced in 1974 but was generally not successful in the marketplace. However, in post-mortem consumer research, the Spot Vac was highly successful with women, who borrowed it from their husband's workbench in the basement to clean up minor spills in the kitchen and upstairs. This inspired the design of a new household product specifically for use upstairs by women.