US 4,538,971 AGranted

Assembly of tank lid and fan means of a wet/dry vacuum

AssigneeShop Vac Corporation

InventorsJonathan Miller, Rudolph W. Wacek, Robert C. Berfield, Ronald F. Meland, Robert L. Crevling, Jr., Lonnie B. Lawson, Jr.

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Abstract

A by-pass type wet/dry vacuum is provided with a removable lid assembly that includes an electric motor having a lower insulating housing, a cover for the upper end of the motor, a blower housing including vanes for regulating flow of main blower air, a fan having a pancake type impeller, a fan cover and a tank lid having an integrally formed float cage. Assembly of these elements is achieved by making all electrical connections between the motor, a power cord extending to the motor cover, and a manually operated control switch mounted on the motor cover; inverting the motor cover, inserting the upper end of the motor downward into the cover where the former is grasped by snap type retainers formed integrally with the cover, inverting the blower housing and securing same to the motor cover with a plurality of screws, securing the impeller to the lower end of the motor shaft, inverting the fan cover and securing it to the blower housing utilizing screws, placing the float ball in a depression of the fan cover, inverting the tank lid and securing same to the blower housing by means of screws. All of the above elements are assembled to one another without the necessity of lifting any of the elements once they are secured to the other elements.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A removable lid assembly for a by-pass type vacuum cleaner;

said assembly including:
a concave motor cover;
an electric motor having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being disposed within said motor cover, said motor further having a vertical output shaft;
a blower housing having the lower portion of said motor disposed therein with a portion of said shaft extending below said blower housing;
a suction producing fan impeller secured to said portion of said shaft;
a fan cover disposed below said blower housing and cooperating therewith to define an impeller chamber in which said impeller rotates, said fan cover having an intake opening defined therein;
flow regulating vanes in said impeller chamber;
a removable tank lid for supporting the motor cover, the motor, the blower housing and the fan cover, said blower housing and said tank lid at least partially defining an expansion chamber radially outward of said impeller chamber;
said impeller when rotating drawing suction producing air upward through said intake opening in said fan cover and directing said air radially outward past said flow regulating vanes into said expansion chamber;
said motor being sandwiched between said motor cover and said blower housing;
first fastening means for securing said blower housing to said motor cover, said first fastening means being inserted at the bottom side of said blower housing;
second fastening means for securing said fan cover to said blower housing, said second fastening means being inserted at the bottom side of said fan cover;
third fastening means for securing said lid to said cover, said third fastening means being inserted at the bottom side of said lid.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.