Collector system in a vacuum sweeper circuit

• US 3,955,236 A
• Filed: 07/26/1974
• Issued: 05/11/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harrington John P 370 Rolling Rock Road Mountain Side NJ, John P. Harrington
• Original Assignee: Richard W. Burt Jr
• Inventors: Mekelburg, Clayton G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lutter, Frank W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lacey, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/492,006
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 15/340, 15/347, 15/348, 15/314, 15/315, 15/349, 15/353, 15/352, 209/143, 209/144, 55/315, 55/319, 55/329, 55/330, 55/337, 55/356, 55/358, 55/411, 55/412, 55/432, 55/433, 55/467, 55/482, 55/483, 55/328, 55/484, 55/498, 55/500, 55/501 , 55/502, 55/385 B, 55/503, 55/DIG. 3
• US Class Current: 15/314
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 15/07 for handling roofing or sealing material in bulk form
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

An airtight container, having two separated compartments, including an inlet to the first compartment and a flexible, gravel pick-up tube attached to the inlet. A cyclone separator is mounted on the second compartment with its separated particle outlet discharging into the second compartment. A connecting conduit connects the outlet of the first compartment with the inlet of the cyclone, so that the first compartment is a separator for gravel and dust and the second compartment is a dust container for the cyclone. A separate, high capacity air pump has its inlet connected to the cyclone'"'"'s clean air outlet causing a flow of air through the unit for picking up gravel and dust through the flexible tube. For convenience the containers may be mounted on a truck, and both containers are unloaded through a common, sealable gate at the lower portion of the containers.

Claims

1. In a vacuum cleaner circuit having a vacuum line extending from a pickup head at the intake of the line and an air pump at the exhaust of the line, a collector system to collect dust and rocks picked up at the intake of the line to remove the same from air flowing through the system before the air is discharged from the air pump, comprising in sequence:

a. a first separate compartment connected to a first reach of the vacuum line formed as a closed chamber having a closable outlet for rocks collected therefrom, wherein the first reach of the vacuum line from the pickup head is so connected so as to drop the rocks and like particles thereinto and to discharge air and dust in a second reach of the vacuum line extending from the first compartment;

b. a cyclone separator connected to the second reach of the line extending from the first compartment to separate dust particles from the airflow as it passes through the cyclone whereby to discharge substantially dust-free air through its clean air outlet into a third reach of the line connected to said clean air outlet of the cyclone;

c. a second separate compartment having a closable discharge outlet connected with the discharge of the cyclone to receive dust separated by the cyclone;

d. a filter connected to a third reach of the line extending from the cyclone and to the air pump whereby to remove any fine particles of dust which may pass through the cyclone separator;

e. means associated with both the discharge outlets of the first compartment and the second compartment to periodically discharge the rocks and dust collected in the respective compartments, said first and second compartments are formed within a single, box-like container with a closed top having the aforesaid first reach of the line entering said first compartment through the top thereof, whereby to facilitate the dropping of rocks and heavy particles picked up by the system into this compartment, and the aforesaid discharge means comprises a single gate opening both compartments when the gate is opened, and the second-mentioned reach of the line extending from the first compartment to the cyclone separator extends from the aforesaid top of the container, and the cyclone is positioned at the top of the container over the aforesaid second compartment to facilitate dropping dust separated by the cyclone directly into the second compartment.

2. The organization defined in claim 1 wherein:

the container is proportioned as a rectangular, box-like structure of a size adapted to be mounted upon the bed of a dump truck and said single gate is at the bottom of said container and located at an end wall of said compartments; and

disconnect means in the first and third reaches of the line sections to permit the air pump and the first reach of the vacuum line to be disconnected from the container away from the system as for disposing of its contents in said container.

3. In the organization defined in claim 1, wherein:

the container is formed as a hopper-like structure mounted upon a standard and wherein the aforesaid gate is at the bottom thereof to permit the contents within the container to drop therefrom whenever the gate is opened.