Vacuum cleaner with muffled detachable blower exhaust

• US 6,530,116 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Great Star Tools USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Shop-Vac Corporation (Hangzhou Great Star Industrial Company Limited)
• Inventors: Griffin, Ronald, Seasholtz, Craig, Berfield, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Snider; Theresa T.
• Application Number:
  US09/782,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20020108205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 15/328,327.6,353,326,412
• US Class Current: 15/328
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/14 cleaning by blowing-off, also combined with suction cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/365 of the vertical type, e.g. tank or bucket type
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0081 Means for exhaust-air diffusion; Means for sound or vibration damping

Abstract

A vacuum cleaner includes a housing having a housing passage with a passage inlet, air entering through the passage inlet flowing in a first direction and the housing passage directing air flowing therethrough in a second direction which is more than 90 degrees different from the first direction. The vacuum cleaner also includes a blower adapted to be used separately from the vacuum cleaner, the blower having a blower housing with a blower inlet, a blower outlet, and defining a blower passage between the blower inlet and the blower outlet, an impeller disposed in the blower passage to move air between the blower inlet and the blower outlet and a motor mounted to the blower housing and coupled to the impeller to move the impeller. The blower is detachably secured to the housing with the blower outlet disposed in communication with the passage inlet.

Claims

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a housing having a housing passage with a passage inlet, air entering through the passage inlet flowing in a first direction and the housing passage directing air flowing therethrough in a second direction which is more than 90 degrees different from the first direction; and

a blower adapted to be used separately from the housing, the blower having a blower housing with a blower inlet, a blower outlet, and defining a blower passage between the blower inlet and the blower outlet, an impeller disposed in the blower passage to move air between the blower inlet and the blower outlet and a motor mounted to the blower housing and coupled to the impeller to move the impeller,

the blower detachably secured to the housing with the blower outlet disposed in substantially direct communication with the passage inlet.

2. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the housing is substantially circular in shape and at least a portion of the housing passage is defined substantially about the circumference of the housing.

3. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein:

the housing comprises a cover and a base,

the cover secured to the base to define the housing passage therebetween.

4. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein:

the cover includes a cover sealing rim about at least a section of its circumference,

the base includes a base sealing rim about at least a section of its circumference complementary to the cover sealing rim, and

the cover and base sealing rims cooperate with the cover secured to the base to form a substantially air-tight seal therebetween.

5. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein:

the cover and base are substantially circular in shape, and

facing surfaces of the cover and the base cooperate to define at least a section of the housing passage which is disposed substantially about the circumference of the cover and the base with the cover secured to the base.

6. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 3, wherein:

the cover has a raised wall which depends away from the base with the cover secured to the base, the raised wall having the passage inlet therethrough,

the wall defining a chamber along the housing passage adjacent the passage inlet.

7. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein:

the blower housing having a central hub and an nozzle which depends from the central hub; and

the raised wall includes a U-shaped saddle adjacent the passage inlet in which the nozzle of the blower is disposed with the blower outlet in substantially direct communication with the passage inlet.

8. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 6, wherein:

the base has a depression formed therein,

the blower housing has a rim which defines the blower outlet, and

the rim abuts the wall about the passage inlet to maintain the blower outlet in substantially air-tight substantially direct communication with the passage inlet with the blower at least partially seated within the depression.

9. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a housing having a housing passage with a passage inlet, air entering through the passage inlet flowing in a first direction and the housing passage directing air flowing therethrough in a second direction which is about 180 degrees different from the first direction; and

a blower adapted to be used separately from the housing, the blower having a blower housing with a blower inlet, a blower outlet, and defining a blower passage between the blower inlet and the blower outlet, an impeller disposed in the blower passage to move air between the blower inlet and the blower outlet and a motor mounted to the blower housing and coupled to the impeller to move the impeller,

the blower detachably secured to the housing with the blower outlet disposed in substantially direct communication with the passage inlet.

10. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein:

the housing is substantially circular in shape and at least a portion of the housing passage is defined substantially about the circumference of the housing.

11. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 9, wherein:

the housing comprises a cover and a base,

the cover secured to the base to define the housing passage therebetween.

12. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein:

the cover includes a cover sealing rim about at least a section of its circumference,

the base includes a base sealing rim about at least a section of its circumference complementary to the cover sealing rim, and

the cover and base sealing rims cooperate with the cover secured to the base to form a substantially air-tight seal therebetween.

13. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein:

the cover and base are substantially circular in shape, and

facing surfaces of the cover and the base cooperate to define at least a section of the housing passage which is disposed substantially about the circumference of the cover and the base with the cover secured to the base.

14. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 11, wherein:

the cover has a raised wall which depends away from the base with the cover secured to the base, the raised wall having the passage inlet therethrough,

the wall defining a chamber along the housing passage adjacent the passage inlet.

15. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a housing having a housing passage with a passage inlet, air entering through the passage inlet flowing in a first direction and the housing passage directing air flowing therethrough in a second direction which is about 180 degrees different from the first direction;

a tank having a wall defining an interior space, an open end, and a closed end,

the housing having an opening therethrough and detachably secured to the tank at the open end with the opening in communication with the interior space of the tank; and

a blower adapted to be used separately from the housing, the blower having a blower housing with a blower inlet, a blower outlet, and defining a blower passage between the blower inlet and the blower outlet, an impeller disposed in the blower passage to move air between the blower inlet and the blower outlet and a motor mounted to the blower housing and coupled to the impeller to move the impeller,

the blower detachably secured to the housing with the blower inlet disposed in communication with the opening and with the blower outlet disposed in communication with the passage inlet.

16. A vacuum cleaner comprising:

a housing having a housing passage with a passage inlet; and

a blower adapted to be used separately from the housing, the blower having a blower housing with a blower inlet, a blower outlet, and defining a blower passage between the blower inlet and the blower outlet, an impeller disposed in the blower passage to move air between the blower inlet and the blower outlet and a motor mounted to the blower housing and coupled to the impeller to move the impeller,

the blower detachably secured to the housing with the blower outlet disposed in communication with the passage inlet such that air entering the passage inlet from the blower outlet moves in a first direction,

the housing passage constructed to substantially limit the movement of the air in the first direction at least in a section of the passage adjacent the passage inlet.

17. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 16, wherein:

the housing comprises a cover and a base,

the cover secured to the base to define the housing passage therebetween.

18. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 17, wherein:

the cover includes a cover sealing rim about at least a section of its circumference,

the base includes a base sealing rim about at least a section of its circumference complementary to the cover sealing rim, and

the cover and base sealing rims cooperate with the cover secured to the base to form a substantially air-tight seal therebetween.

19. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 16, wherein:

the housing passage directs the air flowing therethrough in a second direction which is about 180 degrees different from the first direction.

20. The vacuum cleaner according to claim 16, wherein:

the housing is substantially circular in shape and at least a portion of the housing passage is defined substantially about the circumference of the housing.