Tabletop-type air cleaner

• US 7,025,798 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2003
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: O-Den Corporation
• Original Assignee: O-Den Corporation
• Inventors: Endo, Kiyomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Greene, Jason M.
• Application Number:
  US10/633,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20040025697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 553/851, 554/13, 554/14, 554/15, 554/16, 554/67, 554/71, 554/72, 554/73, 554/82, 554/84, 554/95, 554/98, 555/00, 555/01, 555/21, 555/24, 55D/IG.34, 55D/IG.37, 555/27, 96/55, 96/57, 96/58, 96/66, 96/67, 96/68, 96/69, 96/74, 96/98, 961/54, 962/22, 963/97, 963/99, 964/17, 964/23, 454/358
• US Class Current: 55/385.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/00 Filters adapted for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours specially modified for specific uses
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/62 connected in series
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0071 with means for purifying supplied air perfuming or deodorising means F24F1/008
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/108 using dry filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/158 using active carbon
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/97 for removing tobacco smoke

Abstract

A personal tabletop-type air cleaner is provided which is user-friendly and can improve smoke sucking efficiency in a simple configuration. The disclosed personal tabletop-type air cleaner has a front opening portion to suck air containing smoke of a cigarette, a blower to forcedly feed air having been sucked into the front opening portions in a centrifugal manner, a pair of right and left peripheral opening portions each being placed in a fringe portion on the right and the left at a front of the air cleaner and forming an air curtain by emitting air fed forcedly from the blower ahead of the front of the air cleaner, a dust collecting filter being placed between the front opening portion and the blower to remove cigarette odor, and a deodorizing filter being placed between the blower and each peripheral opening portion making up the pair of right and left peripheral opening portions to remove cigarette odor.

Claims

1. A tabletop-type air cleaner comprising:

a front opening portion to suck air containing smoke, said front opening portion being placed at a front of the air cleaner;

a blower to forcedly feed said air having been sucked from said front opening portion in a centrifugal direction;

a pair of right and left peripheral opening portions to emit air fed forcedly from said blower ahead of the air cleaner, said pair of peripheral opening portions being placed in a fringe portion on the right and the left at said front of the air cleaner; and

a dust collecting filter being placed at least one of between said front opening portion and said blower and between said blower and each of the peripheral opening portions making up said pair of right and left peripheral opening portions to remove the smoke,

wherein said front opening portion is located between said right and left peripheral opening portions.

2. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, further comprising a deodorizing filter being placed at least one of between said front opening portion and said blower and between said blower and each of said peripheral opening portions making up said pair of right and left peripheral opening portions.

3. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said blower comprises a centrifugal-type blower having a blade wheel comprising a plurality of blades arranged in a ring-like form and said blower being mounted in a manner that a central axis of said blade wheel approximately conforms to a central axis of said front opening portion, wherein said blower, while being operated, captures air from a direction of said central axis of said blade wheel, provides the captured air with turn-around flows, and forcedly feeds, by using generated centrifugal force, air that turns around, from clearances among said blades toward a direction of a portion surrounding said blade wheel.

4. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein, between said front opening portion and said blower is placed a panel-shaped dust collecting filter which is operated in a form of a panel being folded up in a corrugated form.

5. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a ring-shaped dust collecting filter is placed between said blower and each of said peripheral opening portions making up said pair of right and left peripheral opening portions and on a side of said portions surrounding a blade wheel of the blower in such a manner that a central axis of said dust collecting filter conforms to said central axis of said blade wheel.

6. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 2, wherein a ring-shaped deodorizing filter is placed between said blower and each of said peripheral opening portions making up said pair of right and left peripheral opening portions and on said side of said portions surrounding a blade wheel of the blower in such a manner that a central axis of said deodorizing filter conforms to said central axis of said blade wheel.

7. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the air fed forcedly from said blower is emitted toward an obliquely-forward direction of the air cleaner from said pair of right and left peripheral opening portions in a manner that said air is separated right and left.

8. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 7, wherein each of said peripheral opening portions making up said pair of right and left peripheral opening portions is placed at a corner between a front and a side of the air cleaner.

9. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 7, wherein each of said peripheral opening portions is formed so as to be approximately longitudinally long along a fringe of a front of the air cleaner.

10. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said pair of right and left peripheral opening portions are displaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction a distance in a range of about 25 cm to about 40 cm.

11. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein each of said peripheral opening portions has a plurality of blade plates which give a directional property to the air being emitted.

12. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 11, wherein said blade plates are attached so as to be rotatable so that a direction of the air being emitted is changed.

13. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 12, wherein an air-flow direction control circuit is mounted which is used to electrically control rotation of said blade plates.

14. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein an electrically-controlled dust collecting unit is mounted which is used to electrostatically collect dust by corona charging fine particles floating in the air.

15. The tabletop-type air cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said dust collecting filter comprises at least one of a porous material and a fibrous material.