US 3,998,385 AGranted

Automobile litter evacuation system

AssigneeLitco Enterprises, Inc.

InventorDavid W. Ogle

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Abstract

A litter removal or evacuation apparatus for installation in a vehicle such as an automobile, truck, pleasure water craft, etc. There is a main litter removal system for larger articles such as bottles, napkins, etc; and an ash tray removal system to evacuate cigarette butts, cigar butts, etc., from the vehicle ash tray. In each of these two systems, there is a litter receptacle to receive the litter, a removal tube leading from the vehicle passenger compartment to the receptacle, and a suction tube leading from its related receptacle to the intake housing of the conventional heating and ventilating system of the vehicle. A suction adequate to draw litter through the removal tubes into the litter receptacles is created through the blower system of the vehicle heating and ventilating system, by simultaneously closing off the intake vent through which ambient air is normally drawn into the heating and ventilating system, and also operating the blower. In a second embodiment an elongate removal tube also acts as a receptacle for the litter.

Claims16

Dependent claims

In combination with a vehicle having a passenger compartment and an air ventilating and heating system for said passenger compartment, said air ventilating and heating system comprising a blower, an intake housing having an air inlet opening through which air is drawn by said blower, an outlet housing through which air is directed by said blower into said passenger compartment, and a heater through which air can be selectively directed for heating the air passing into the passenger compartment,

a litter evacuation system to remove litter from said passenger compartment, said system comprising:
a. a litter receptacle means mounted to said vehicle for collection and retention of litter from the passenger compartment,
b. a removal tube means leading from said passenger compartment to said receptacle,
c. air suction means leading from said receptacle means to said intake housing and arranged to draw air from said receptacle means while leaving litter therein, and
d. activating means to cause operation of said blower to create a suction in said vehicle housing and thus cause an inflow of air through said removal tube means into said receptacle means, through said suction means, and into said intake housing,
whereby litter placed in said removal tube means is moved by air flow therethrough into said receptacle means, with air being recirculated from said passenger compartment through said litter removal system for litter removal, and through said air ventilating system back to the passenger compartment, and with litter remaining in said litter receptacle means.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.