Portable blower

• US 4,746,274 A
• Filed: 07/27/1987
• Issued: 05/24/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Zenoah Co. (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Zenoah Co. (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kiyooka, Katsumi, Inomata, Hideko, Gaomh, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Croyle, Carlton R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stout, Donald E.
• Application Number:
  US07/078,401
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 417/364, 417/423 R, 417/234, 123/196 W, 123/195 HC, 123/198 E, 15/405, 15/327 F, 15/352, 15/353, 56/17.5, 56/16.7, 56/16.9
• US Class Current: 417/234
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/14 cleaning by blowing-off, also combined with suction cleaning

Abstract

There is provided a portable blower. The portable blower comprises a casing including an engine chamber and a fan chamber. The engine chamber accommodates an engine, and the fan chamber a fan. The engine comprises an engine cylinder, a crankcase, a cantilever-type crank shaft, a carburetor, and a muffler, in which the crankcase is disposed in front of the engine cylinder, the crank shaft extending downwardly from the crankcase into the fan chamber, the carburetor being disposed above the crankcase and connected thereto, the muffler being disposed above the engine cylinder and connected thereto, and the fan being fixed to a lower end of the crank shaft and driven by the engine to suck air from atmosphere and blow air to atmosphere.

Claims

1. A portable blower comprising:

a casing provided with a handle and including therein an engine chamber and a fan chamber, said fan chamber being arranged under said engine chamber with a partition wall between them and having a suction mouth and a discharge mouth;

an engine and a fuel tank which are arranged within said engine chamber, said engine comprising a horizontally disposed engine cylinder, a crankcase, a cantilever-type crank shaft, a carburetor, and a muffler; and

a blower fan and an air passage which are arranged within said fan chamber, said air passage connecting said suction mouth with said discharge mouth to provide communication between them,

wherein said crankcase is disposed laterally adjacent to said engine cylinder and connected thereto, said crank shaft extending downwardly from said crankcase into said fan chamber through said partition wall, said carburetor being disposed above said crankcase and connected thereto, said muffler being disposed above said engine cylinder and connected thereto, and said blower fan being fixed to a lower end of said crank shaft and driven by said engine to suck air from atmosphere and blow air to atmosphere.

2. A portable blower as claimed in claim 1, comprising further a dust collecting unit which comprises:

a dust collecting case for collecting dust therein, having an open bottom and connected removably to said suction mouth;

a dust suction pipe for sucking dust and for sending the sucked dust into said dust collecting case, said dust suction pipe being connected removably to said dust collecting case;

a filter chamber arranged in said dust collecting case and communicating with said suction mouth, said filter chamber being provided with a filter for preventing the sucked dust from entering into said suction mouth;

a dust collecting bag for receiving the dust collected in said dust collecting case, said dust collecting bag being fitted removably to cover said open bottom of the dust collecting case; and

a supporting frame inserted inside said dust collecting bag and fixed to a lower part of said dust collecting case such that said dust collecting bag will not be deformed even if a negative pressure is caused inside said dust collecting case.

3. A portable blower as claimed in claim 2, wherein said supporting frame is arranged outside said dust collecting bag and fixed to a lower part of said dust collecting case.

4. A portable blower as claimed in claim 3, wherein said supporting frame is formed in a cylindrical shape having an open top and a closed bottom, said open top being fixed to a lower part of said dust collecting case.

5. A portable blower as claimed in claim 4, comprising further an additional filter disposed between said dust collecting case and said dust collecting bag, wherein said dust suction pipe is connected to and communicated with said dust collecting bag instead of said dust collecting case.

6. A portable blower as claimed in claim 5, comprising further a cart on which said dust collecting unit is loaded.

7. A portable blower as claimed in claim 3, wherein said supporting frame comprises a plurality of annular members having different diameters respectively such that said supporting frame will telescopically be extended and contracted.

8. A portable blower as claimed in claim 3, wherein said supporting frame comprises a bellows and supporting bars, said bellows being expanded if said supporting bars are inserted into said bellows, and contracted if said supporting bars are removed.

9. A portable blower as claimed in claim 1, comprising further;

a blower pipe for blowing dust, said blower pipe being connected to said discharge mouth through a flexible pipe; and

a dust collecting unit which comprises;

a dust collecting case for collecting dust therein, having an open bottom;

a bottom plate removably fitted to said open bottom of the dust collecting case;

a dust suction pipe for sucking dust and for sending the sucked dust into said dust collecting case, said dust suction pipe being fixed to said bottom plate and extending through said bottom plate such that an upper end of said dust suction pipe is located within said dust collecting case and a lower end of said dust suction pipe is located outside said dust collecting case; and

a filter chamber arranged in said dust collecting case and communicating with said suction mouth, said filter chamber being provided with a filter for preventing the sucked dust from entering into said suction mouth.

10. A portable blower as claimed in claim 9, comprising further a check valve which is provided to said upper end of the dust suction pipe.

11. A portable blower as claimed in claim 2, comprising further:

a blower pipe for blowing dust;

a cylindrical portion formed integrally at a rear end of said blower pipe;

a semicylindrical portion formed integrally at a front end of said discharge mouth of the blower, said semicylindrical portion receiving said cylindrical portion;

a pair of projections formed on said cylindrical portion; and

a plurality of pairs of recesses for receiving removably said pair of projections,

wherein said cylindrical portion is pivotal in said semicylindrical portion such that said blower pipe will take a vertical position where a front end of said blower pipe faces upward, a horizontal position, and other optional positions according to the engagement between said pair of projections and said plurality of pairs of recesses, wherein said blower pipe does not communicate with said discharge mouth when said blower pipe is in the vertical position and communicates with said discharge mouth when said blower pipe is not in the vertical position.

12. A portable blower as claimed in claim 1, comprising further;

a dust collecting portion disposed under said fan chamber and communicating with said fan chamber through said suction mouth;

a suction circuit communicating with said dust collecting portion and having a first opening which communicates with atmosphere as well as having a second opening;

a discharge circuit communicating with said suction circuit through said second opening as well as communicating with said discharge mouth of the blower through a third opening;

a blower pipe connected to said discharge circuit;

a selector valve disposed in said discharge circuit to open and close selectively said second and third openings;

a shutoff valve disposed at said first opening to open and close said first opening;

a lever disposed on an outer surface of said blower; and

a linkage connected to said lever and said selector and shutoff valves, for operating interlockingly said selector and shutoff valves by said lever,

wherein said linkage is constituted such that, when said lever is operated for the blowing operation, said first opening is opened by said shutoff valve, and said second opening closed and said third opening opened both by said selector valve simultaneously, and, when said lever is operated for the sucking operation, said first opening is closed by said shutoff valve, and said second opening opened and said third opening closed both by said selector valve simultaneously.