Wet and dry vacuum with float valve system

• US 5,954,863 A
• Filed: 02/19/1998
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Colleen G. Loveless, Michael L. Loveless
• Original Assignee: Colleen G. Loveless, Michael L. Loveless
• Inventors: Loveless, Michael L., Loveless, Colleen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Jay H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hopkins, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US09/026,411
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 96/405, 96/406, 96/331, 96/333, 96/336, 96/337, 96/347, 96/FOR 107, 96/FOR 136, 96/FOR 140, 96/348, 96/349, 96/350, 96/360, 96/338, 96/321 , 96/317, 96/318, 15/353, 15/327.6, 261/DIG. 7, 55/459.1, 55/465
• US Class Current: 96/321
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/365 of the vertical type, e.g. tank or bucket type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0019 Details of the casing
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0028 Security means, e.g. float valves or level switches for preventing overflow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0038 with means for emptying the tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 7/0042 Gaskets; Sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0009 Storing devices winding devices for electric cables A47L9/26; Supports, stands or holders
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0027 specially adapted for holding the suction cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/122 flat
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/20 Means for cleaning filters

Abstract

A wet and dry vacuum that includes a housing that is open across its top end and is arranged to be covered by a removable lid wherein is mounted a vacuum source. The housing includes an inlet port to receive a vacuum hose connected therein to pull in wet or dry materials and is formed to direct such materials towards the housing inner wall, which inlet port enters the housing above a filter system that is a lower portion of an intermediate cover that connects to the lid undersurface, which intermediate cover includes an opening into the filter cage that functions as a valve seat. The filter system includes a float ball contained in a cage to float on water as is pulled into the housing during wet operations, with the float ball, when a liquid level of a certain height is present in the housing, is pulled by the vacuum source into the open seat, closing off an air flow pulled though the housing. The cage and ball are located upstream from a filter system that include primary and secondary filters with the cage formed from spaced apart vertical members that include water deflection structures secured to each rib outer surface that are, respectively, one or more straight vertical baffles or a straight vertical groove, that engage to separate water in a vacuum flow prior to its passage through the cage, and with the structure of the inlet port and including straight vertical ribs secured at spaced vertical intervals to a housing inner surface to direct water as is passed into the housing away from the cage and ball, prohibiting water from being pulled through the cage and ball into the intermediate housing as could wet the filters. This arrangement allows for the use of a same fabric material as is suitable for use in a dry vacuum for forming both the primary and secondary filters. Draining of the housing is provided through a drain assembly arranged in the housing wall that is operated to pass a controlled volume of flow that is a half tubular drain section formed in the housing bottom to drain through a valve in the housing wall.

Claims

1. A wet and dry vacuum comprising, a housing that is open across a top end, is closed across a bottom end, and includes a tangential inlet port means for receiving a vacuum hose to direct inlet materials as are pulled through said vacuum hose into said housing to impart a tangential flow to said inlet materials;

a lid arranged for fitting over and releasably connecting to an open top that mounts a vacuum source thereon;

a filter system maintained upstream from said vacuum source;

an intermediate cover surrounding said filter system and secured along a cover top end in said lid, and is bent inwardly from a mid-section thereof to slope to a center section that has a hole formed therethrough; and

a float valve system maintained across said hole upstream from said filter system and includes a cage means that is secured at a cage means top edge to said intermediate cover, around said center section hole, is closed across its bottom with a plurality of spaced straight ribs extending between a cage means upper section and said bottom that are open therebetween, with each said straight rib having a flat outer face with at least one water deflection means formed longitudinally in said rib flat outer face to trap water droplets entained in a tangential vacuum flow directed thereacross, and which said cage means contains a float ball that has a greater diameter than that of said center section hole.

2. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, wherein the water deflection means is a straight section of material that is flat on both surfaces and projects outwardly from along the straight rib outer surface longitudinal axis.

3. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, wherein the water deflection means is a groove formed into the straight rib outer surface along its longitudinal axis.

4. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, where the water deflection means is a pair of parallel straight sections of material that each having flat outer surfaces, are of different heights, are spaced equally apart, and are secured to extend outwardly from the straight rib outer surface longitudinal axis.

5. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 4, further including a groove formed into the straight rib outer surface along its longitudinal axis between the pair of straight sections of material.

6. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, wherein the lid edge includes a plurality of clamp means secured at intervals therearound for releasably engaging an outturned lip of the housing;

the vacuum source is a vacuum motor secured to a mount that includes, around an outer edge thereof, a plurality of clamp means secured at intervals to releasably connect to an edge of a center hole formed through said lid;

the filter system includes primary and secondary filters connected, respectively, to primary and secondary filter mounts that extend, respectively, each from said mount and said lid undersurface to receive, respectively, neck areas of said filters that are each formed as bags and including a clamping ring means for fitting over each said mount to clamp each said filter neck area against surfaces of said mount; and

including a filter support maintained between said primary and secondary filters with means for moving said filter support.

7. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 6, wherein the filter support is formed as a rigid frame that is connected to an end of a straight rod as a means for shaking said filter support having an opposite end section for fitting through an opening formed through the vacuum source mount;

and including a cover means for fitting over said rod end that is releasably maintained to said vacuum source mount to close off said opening.

8. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary filters are each manufactured from a polyester material.

9. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, wherein the inlet port means is a straight sleeve that includes a bend therein and is located adjacent to the intermediate cover, to provide the tangential flow directed towards the housing wall, and has a collar end including means for mounting said straight sleeve in an opening formed through the housing, with said straight sleeve extending alongside the intermediate cover, towards said housing lid where said intermediate cover is bent inwardly, with said sleeve including a right angle rounded bottom end at its best portion to direct the entering materials into said tangential flow and is positioned alongside said intermediate cover, and which said sleeve is open longitudinally from across a portion of said bottom end to a location therealong that is proximate to said collar end.

10. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 9, wherein the opposing edges of the longitudinal opening in the inlet port sleeve are each curved inwardly from the sleeve rounded end to approximately the collar end, and which said opposing edges align with one another.

11. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, further including a drain means formed as a half tubular section within a bottom of said housing, and extending from the center of said housing bottom to said housing bottom outer edge, and including a valve means fitted through a wall of said housing that can be opened to pass a liquid flow.

12. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 11, wherein the valve means includes a threaded coupling end secured to the half tubular section end that fits through the canister and which said threaded coupling end includes a transverse wall formed across its forward end that includes a center opening and has at least one port means inset into an edge of said hole;

and a sleeve means arranged for turning onto said coupling end to move a flat face of a stop means into and out of engagement with said wall around said hole to close off and open flow through said port means.

13. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 12, wherein the stop means is a cylinder whose sides connect to ends of a spider means that extends to and connects to the sleeve wall, said spider to pass the flow therethrough;

and the port means is a plurality of notches formed at spaced intervals into the edge of the coupling end wall opening.

14. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, further including at least one straight rib means mounted vertically to a housing inner wall to extend outwardly from a housing inner wall and into the path of the tangential flow of materials pulled through the inlet port means into said housing.

15. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 14, wherein a plurality of rib means are mounted at spaced intervals to extend outwardly from the housing inner wall from a bottom of the housing upwardly to a housing mid-section.

16. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, further including an accessory tray formed as a flat section that is rounded around a connecting surface for joining onto the side of the housing, and, said flat section including a plurality of cups or openings formed at spaced intervals in a top surface thereof.

17. A wet and dry vacuum as recited in claim 1, wherein the filter system cage means closed bottom slopes slightly downwardly and inwardly to a center wherein a drain opening is formed.