James Dyson

Updated at: Dec. 30, 2010, 7:09 p.m.

James Dyson (born 1947) is a British inventor. He is best known as the inventor of the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner which work on the principle of cyclonic separation. After attempting to sell his invention to the major manufacturers, Dyson set up his own manufacturing company, which now outsells many of the companies that rejected his idea, becoming one of the most popular brands in the UK.Following his success the other major manufacturers began to market their own bagless vacuum cleaners. Dyson sued Hoover for patent infringement and won (around $5 million in damages). Dyson dedicated two decades of his life to improving and marketing vacuum cleaners. Recently, his manufacturing plant moved from Malmesbury in the UK to Malaysia, partly for economic reasons and partly because of difficulty acquiring land for expansion. Eight hundred people lost their jobs. However the company's headquarters and research facilities remain in Malmesbury.