Lint control apparatus

• US 4,905,340 A
• Filed: 08/11/1988
• Issued: 03/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alan Gutschmit
• Original Assignee: Alan Gutschmit
• Inventors: Gutschmit, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US07/231,226
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 15/312 R, 15/316 R, 15/316 A, 15/345, 15/346, 55/379, 55/471, 55/473, 55/469, 55/467
• US Class Current: 15/316.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/00 Suction cleaners adapted for additional purposes suction devices for removing ash F23J1/02; Tables with suction openings for cleaning purposes; Containers for cleaning articles by suction; Suction cleaners adapted to cleaning of brushes; Suction cleaners adapted to taking-up liquids

Abstract

A lint control apparatus particularly adapted for textile plants includes a cylindrical filter with filter media about its circumferential periphery, a coaxial fan for drawing ambient air from the workplace radially through the filter media into the filter housing, and an upstanding duct for directing the air exhaust upwardly at overhead surfaces to blow lint therefrom and limit further lint accumulation thereon. The apparatus is adapted to be freestanding on a floor surface of the work area, with an interior baffle within the filter housing effectively concentrating the ambient air draw along the floor surface. The upstanding duct may have a deflector member which is movable through a predetermined course to direct the discharged air over a predetermined overhead area.

Claims

1. Lint control apparatus particularly adapted for collecting airborne lint from a work area in a textile plant, and for limiting accumulation of lint on overhead surfaces above the work area, said lint control apparatus comprising a filter housing defining an air inlet and an air outlet, lint filtering media covering said air inlet, fan means for drawing ambient air from the work area through said filter media and exhausting the air through said air outlet, said filter media being adapted to separate airborne lint from the ambient air and collect the separated lint for disposal, said air inlet extending annularly about said filter housing for lint collection from a full 360°

range of the ambient work area, said filter housing being adapted to be floor-supported in the work area for disposition of said annular air inlet adjacent the work area floor, and duct means communicating with said air outlet of said filter housing for directing the air exhausted upwardly at overhead surfaces to blow accumulated lint off the overhead surfaces and limit further lint accumulation thereon.

2. Lint control apparatus according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said air outlet of said filter housing is located centrally with respect to said annular air inlet.

3. Lint control apparatus according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said filter housing is substantially cylindrical with said air inlet extending about the circumferential periphery thereof for generally radial flow of ambient air through said filter media.

4. Lint control apparatus according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said filter housing includes means for concentrating the ambient air draw of said fan means along the work area floor.

5. Lint control apparatus according to claim 4 and characterized further in that said concentrating means comprises a tubular baffle extending within said filter housing from said air outlet to an inlet end of said baffle disposed generally centrally of said air inlet at a relatively close spacing to the work area floor, said fans means being arranged in communication with the interior of said baffle.

6. Lint control apparatus according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said duct means includes movable deflector means at an upper discharge end for selective changeability of the upward direction of the exhausted air.

7. Lint control apparatus according to claim 6 and characterized further by means for moving said deflector means in a predetermined course to direct the exhausted air over a predetermined overhead area.

8. Lint control apparatus according to claim 7 and characterized further in that said deflector means is arranged for pivotal movement, said moving means being arranged for pivotably reciprocating said deflector means in a back-and-forth pattern.

9. Lint control apparatus particularly adapted for collecting airborne lint from a work area in a textile plant and for limiting accumulation of lint on overhead surfaces above the work area, said lint control apparatus comprising a filter housing adapted to be supported at one end on a floor surface of the work area, said filter housing having an annular air inlet into said housing and having an air outlet formed at the other end of said housing, lint filtering media covering said air inlet annularly about said filter housing, fan means mounted in communication with said air outlet of said filter housing for drawing ambient air from the work area generally laterally through said filter media and exhausting the air upwardly through said air outlet of said filter housing, said filter media being adapted to separate airborne lint from the ambient air and collect the separated lint for disposal, and generally upstanding duct means mounted in general alignment with said air outlet of said filter housing and said fan means in communication therewith for directing the exhausted air upwardly at overhead surfaces to blow accumulated lint off the overhead surfaces and limit further lint accumulation thereon, said duct means including movable deflector means at an upper discharge end for selective changeability of the upward direction of the exhausted air.

10. Lint control apparatus according to claim 9 and characterized further in that said filter housing includes a tubular baffle depending therewithin from said other end of said filter housing in communication with said air outlet to an inlet end of said baffle at a relatively close spacing to said one axial end of said filter housing to be relatively closely spaced to the work area floor surface, said baffle being effective to generally concentrate the ambient air draw of said fan means along the work area floor surface.

11. Lint control apparatus according to claim 9 and characterized further by means for moving said deflector means in a predetermined course to direct the exhausted air over a predetermined overhead area.

12. Lint control apparatus particularly adapted for collecting airborne lint from a work area in a textile plant and for limiting accumulation of lint on overhead surfaces above the work area, said lint control apparatus comprising a cylindrical filter housing adapted to be supported at one axial end on a floor surface of the work area, said filter housing having a permeable circumferential periphery defining an air inlet into said housing and having an air outlet formed coaxially with the other axial end of said housing, said filter housing including a cylindrical baffle depending coaxially therewithin from said other axial end of said filter housing in communication with said air outlet to an inlet end of said baffle at a relatively close spacing to said one axial end of said filter housing to be relatively closely spaced to the work area floor surface, lint filtering media covering said air inlet circumferentially about said filter housing, fan means mounted coaxially with said air outlet of said filter housing for drawing ambient air from the work area generally radially through said filter media and exhausting the air upwardly through said baffle and said air outlet of said filter housing, said filter media being adapted to separate airborne lint from the ambient air and collect the separated lint for disposal, said baffle being effective to generally concentrate the ambient air draw of said fan means along the work area floor surface, and generally upstanding duct means mounted coaxially with said air outlet of said filter housing and said fan means in communication therewith for directing the exhausted air upwardly at overhead surfaces to blow accumulated lint off the overhead surfaces and limit further lint accumulation thereon, said duct means including movable deflector means at an upper discharge end and means for moving said deflector means in a predetermined course to direct the exhausted air over a predetermined overhead area.

13. Lint control apparatus according to claim 12 and characterized further in that said deflector means is arranged for pivotal movement, said moving means being arranged for pivotably reciprocating said deflector means in a back-and-forth pattern.

14. Lint control apparatus particularly adapted for collecting airborne lint from a work area in a textile plant, and for limiting accumulation of lint on overhead surfaces above the work area, said lint control apparatus comprising a filter housing defining an air inlet and an air outlet, lint filtering media covering said air inlet, fan means for drawing ambient air from the work area through said filter media and exhausting the air through said air outlet, said filter media being adapted to separate airborne lint from the ambient air and collect the separated lint for disposal, said filter housing being adapted to be floor-supported in the work area for disposition of said air inlet adjacent the work area floor, said filter housing including means for concentrating the ambient air draw of said fan means along the work area floor, and duct means communicating with said air outlet of said filter housing for directing the air exhausted upwardly at overhead surfaces to blow accumulated lint off the overhead surfaces and limit further lint accumulation thereon.

15. Lint control apparatus according to claim 14 and characterized further in that said concentrating means comprises a tubular baffle extending within said filter housing from said air outlet to an inlet end of said baffle disposed generally centrally of said air inlet at a relatively close spacing to the work area floor, said fan means being arranged in communication with the interior of said baffle.

16. Lint control apparatus particularly adapted for collecting airborne lint from a work area in a textile plant, and for limiting accumulation of lint on overhead surfaces above the work area, said lint control apparatus comprising a filter housing defining an air inlet and an air outlet, lint filtering media covering said air inlet, fan means for drawing ambient air from the work area through said filter media and exhausting the air through said air outlet, said filter media being adapted to separate airborne lint from the ambient air and collect the separated lint for disposal, and duct means communicating with said air outlet of said filter housing for directing the air exhausted upwardly at overhead surfaces to blow accumulated lint off the overhead surfaces and limit further lint accumulation thereon, said duct means including movable deflector means at an upper discharge end for selective changeability of the upward direction of the exhausted air and means for moving said deflector means in a predetermined course to direct the exhausted air over a predetermined overhead area.

17. Lint control apparatus according to claim 16 and characterized further in that said deflector means is arranged for pivotal movement, said moving means being arranged for pivotably reciprocating said deflector means in a back-and-forth pattern.