High capacity low resistance vacuum cleaner

• US 5,092,913 A
• Filed: 11/20/1990
• Issued: 03/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard C.K. Yen
• Original Assignee: Richard C.K. Yen
• Inventors: Yen, Richard C. K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hart, Charles
• Application Number:
  US07/616,771
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 55/96, 55/97, 55/212, 55/213, 55/215, 55/218, 55/309, 55/312, 55/343, 55/346, 55/429, 55/472, 55/484, 55/493, 55/DIG. 3
• US Class Current: 95/286
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/38 Built-in suction cleaner installations, i.e. with fixed tube system to which, at different stations, hoses can be connected
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/12 in multiple arrangements

Abstract

A multi-compartment vacuuming machine which maintains a high flow rate capacity and low resistance from obstructions in the flow path through arrangement of the multiplicity of vacuum canisters in parallel so that obstructed flow in one filter canister will not impair the flow through the remainder of the filter canisters. The flow path of the dirty fluid is arranged such that there is a straight line from the dirty fluid to the most distal filter canister so that the most distal canister fills up first and then intermediate filter canisters are filled. The transverse path leads from the main dirty inlet flow tube to the various filter canisters. In the preferred embodiment, the canister inlet flow tube to each filter canister is generally perpendicular to the dirty air inlet tube and the vacuum suction motor is remote from the most distal of the canisters. Variations on this embodiment include having the canister inlet flow tubes to the various filter canisters set at an angle relative to the dirty air inlet tube, having the vacuum suction motor located adjacent the most distal filter canister, and having the flow path from the dirty air inlet directed in a straight line to one of the filter canisters and therefore generally perpendicular to the flow path of the canister inlet tubes of the other canisters. When a filter canister is filled with particulates, means are provided to shut off air flow to that filter canister and further means are provided to disengage the filter or the filter canister from the vacuum apparatus so that it can be cleaned and if desired the filter can be replaced. In an alternative embodiment, instead of a multiplicity of filter canisters there is a multiplicity of filter compartments in one large enclosure and one sheet filter is used for all compartments.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a. a vacuum suction source;

b. a fluid return tube leading to said vacuum suction source;

c. a dirty fluid inlet tube;

d. a housing having two hingably joined sections, the housing including a multiplicity of vacuum cleaner compartments, a filter means extending across all of the multiplicity of vacuum cleaner compartments, a multiplicity of compartment inlet tubes with a respective one compartment inlet tube leading from said dirty fluid inlet tube to a respective one of the vacuum cleaner compartments, a multiplicity of compartment exit tubes with a respective one compartment exit tube leading from a respective one of the vacuum cleaner compartments to said fluid return tube, with each vacuum cleaner compartment connected in parallel between the dirty fluid inlet tube and fluid return tube so that fluid may simultaneously flow through all vacuum cleaner compartments;

e. receptacle means for receiving particulates which have accumulated in said multiplicity of vacuum cleaner compartments; and

f. means for causing particulates accumulated in each of said vacuum cleaner compartments to be transported into said receptacle means.

2. A vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

a. said multiplicity of vacuum cleaner compartments are vertically aligned;

b. said receptacle means is set below the lowermost vacuum cleaner compartment;

c. each of said multiplicity of vacuum cleaner compartments have a rotatable floor; and

d. means for causing each rotatable floor to rotate toward said receptacle means and thereby cause accumulated dirt and debris to fall into said receptacle means.

3. A vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 1 wherein said receptacle means further comprises a movable drawer including a removable debris bag.

4. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a. a vacuum suction source;

b. a housing having a top opening and a bottom opening, a common filter means and a central structure contained inside the housing, where the central structure has partitioning walls to divide the space inside the housing into a multiplicity of adjacent filtering compartments, and the common filter means is a unitary piece configured to be wrapped around the central structure, such that the multiplicity of filtering compartments are commonly covered by the common filter means, so that fluid may simultaneously flow through all filtering compartments;

c. a dirty fluid inlet tube connected to said housing at said top opening; and

d. a fluid return tube connected to said housing at said bottom opening and leading to said vacuum suction source.

5. A vacuum cleaner in accordance with claim 4 wherein said housing is generally cylindrical shaped and said central structure further comprises a central attachment site and a multiplicity of non-permeable material radially attached to the central attachment site as said partitioning walls of said adjacent filtering compartments.

6. A method of filtering fluid including particles, comprising:

a. dividing the space inside a housing into a multiplicity of adjacent filtering compartments by placing a central structure with partitioning walls inside the housing;

b. filtering said multiplicity of adjacent filtering compartments with a common filter means which is a unitary piece configured to be wrapped around said central structure; and

c. causing the fluid to pass through said multiplicity of adjacent filtering compartments commonly covered by said common filter means, such that each one of said multiplicity of adjacent filtering compartments can collect the particles in the fluid individually even if other ones of said multiplicity of adjacent filtering compartments become occluded.

7. A method of filtering fluid including particles in accordance with claim 6 further comprising causing a selected one of said multiplicity of adjacent filtering compartments to be filled first by the particles in the fluid.