Air intake filter for electric appliances

• US 5,681,630 A
• Filed: 10/05/1995
• Issued: 10/28/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gary L. Smick, Michael B. Koler, Michael L. Kjer
• Original Assignee: Gary L. Smick, Michael B. Koler, Michael L. Kjer
• Inventors: Smick, Gary L., Koler, Michael B., Kjer, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmad, Nasser
• Application Number:
  US08/539,425
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 428/40.1, 428/41.7, 428/42.1, 428/42.2, 428/43, 428/163, 428/167, 428/317.1, 428/317.3, 428/317.5, 428/317.7, 428/317.9, 55/529, 55/524, 55/522, 55/496, 55/DIG. 42
• US Class Current: 428/40.1
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 20/12 Details thereof or accessories therefor, e.g. nozzles, stands
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/42 Foam filter materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/14 Layer or component removable to expose adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1471 Protective layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1486 Ornamental, decorative, pattern, or indicia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/149 Sectional layer removable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/15 Sheet, web, or layer weakened to permit separation through thickness
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24537 Parallel ribs and/or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2457 Parallel ribs and/or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249983 As outermost component

Abstract

Add-on filters for heated-air blowers and other electric motor-powered appliances. The filters are fabricated from a washable, flexible, reticulated foam which traps even minute solid and liquid particles and is adhesively attached to the blower housing. A template, which also serves as a protective cover for the adhesive, has index lines along which a blank of the filter material can be trimmed to size and configured for a particular blower intake.

Claims

1. An air filter precursor product from which air filters compatible with a variety of electric motor powered appliances having an ambient air intake can be created, said product comprising:

a flat blank fabricated from a particulate trapping filter material;

a removable template means providing concentric circular index lines along which said blank can be cut to size the blank for a particular appliance air blower intake and converging index links oriented to extend inwardly from the periphery of the blank to the center thereof and along which said blank can be cut to remove a wedge from the blank and allow it to be configured into a cone complementing a rounded air intake; and

adhesive means on one side of the blank for attaching a filter made from the blank to an appliance in overlying relationship to an air intake of said appliance, said template means being removably secured to said flat blank by said adhesive means.

2. A product as defined in claim 1 in which the filter material is a reticulated foam with circa 20±

4 pores per square millimeter of surface area.

3. A product as defined in claim 1 in which the filter material is a reticulated foam prepared from a precursor in which the major constituents are propylene glycol and toluene di-isocyanate.

4. A product as defined in claim 1 in which the blank is cut through along spaced segments of lines corresponding to the concentric index lines on the template means, leaving links of material which can be ruptured to allow an annulus of material of selected width to be removed from the blank and the blank thereby sized to fit the particular appliance air intake.

5. An air filter precursor product from which air filters compatible with a variety of electric motor-powered appliances having an ambient air intake can be created, said product comprising:

a flat blank fabricated from a particulate trapping filter material;

means providing concentric circular index lines along which said blank can be cut to size the blank for a particular appliance air blower intake and converging index lines oriented to extend inwardly from the periphery of the blank to the center thereof and along which said blank can be cut to remove a wedge from the blank and allow it to be configured into a cone complementing a rounded air intake; and

adhesive means on one side of the blank for attaching a filter made from the blank to an appliance in overlying relationship to an air intake of said appliance, said adhesive means comprising a set of radially oriented strips of pressure-sensitive adhesive extending from the perimeter toward the center of the blank, said means providing index lines being removably secured to said flat blank by said adhesive means.

7. A product as defined in claim 5 in which the converging index lines on the template are so located relative to complementary strips of adhesive on the filter blank that said cutting of the blank along those lines of adhesive leaves said strips of adhesive intact.

6. An air filter precursor product from which air filters compatible with a variety of electric motor-powered appliances having an ambient air intake can be created, said product comprising:

a flat blank fabricated from a particulate trapping filter material;

means fabricated from a clear, polymeric, sheet material providing concentric circular index lines along which said blank can be cut to size the blank for a particular appliance air blower intake and converging index lines oriented to extend inwardly from the periphery of the blank to the center thereof and along which said blank can be cut to remove a wedge from the blank and allow it to be configured into a cone complementing a rounded air intake; and

adhesive means on one side of the blank for attaching a filter made from the blank to an appliance, said sheet material means being removably secured to said flat blank by said adhesive means in overlying relationship to an air intake of said appliance.