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US 6,199,237 B1Granted
Underwater vacuum
OwnerBrent Buddeninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An underwater vacuum including a housing having an opening which is positioned adjacent the surface to be cleaned. The housing also supports a rotatable brush powered by a turbine energized by water flow through the vacuum. The housing has a water outlet which communicates with a pump at the surface of the water. The inlet to the turbine has a trap which collects large debris that could damage the turbine blades. The vacuum has two rear wheels that are adjustably attached to the interior of the housing, and two front wheels that are adjustably attached to the exterior of the housing. The underwater vacuum can remove sediment from a water storage reservoir without causing turbidity in the water column. A second handheld embodiment is used for cleaning sloping berms, and has rear wheels that are also powered by the turbine.
Claims20
An underwater vacuum comprising:
- a vacuum housing having a suction opening at the bottom thereof and a vacuum housing outlet opening, and said vacuum housing having an exterior and an interior;
- a turbine housing fixed to said exterior of said vacuum housing, said turbine housing having a turbine housing inlet and a turbine housing outlet, said turbine housing inlet being in fluid communication with said vacuum housing outlet opening;
- a turbine rotatably supported within said turbine housing;
- an outlet pipe supported by said vacuum housing, said outlet pipe having an outlet pipe inlet and an outlet pipe outlet, said outlet pipe inlet being in fluid communication with said turbine housing outlet;
- a plurality of wheels rotatably supported by said vacuum housing proximate said suction opening, said plurality of wheels supporting said suction opening adjacent a surface to be cleaned, and allowing the underwater vacuum to be moved about the surface to be cleaned;
- a brush rotatably supported within said vacuum housing, said brush having a plurality of bristles, said brush being positioned within said vacuum housing such that a predetermined number of said plurality of bristles project beyond said suction opening to the outside of said vacuum housing and contact the surface to be cleaned;
- and
- means for transmitting rotational motion from said turbine to said brush;
- whereby, when said underwater vacuum is supported adjacent a submerged surface to be cleaned by said plurality of wheels and when said outlet pipe outlet is connected to a pump via a hose and the pump is turned on, water being drawn through said vacuum housing will cause rotation of said turbine, which in turn causes rotation of said brush, to thereby dislodge matter from the submerged surface, the dislodged matter becoming entrained in water being drawn through said vacuum housing, the water and the dislodged matter being removed from proximity of the submerged surface via the hose.
6 more elements
An underwater vacuum comprising:
- a vacuum housing having a suction opening at the bottom thereof and a vacuum housing outlet opening, said suction opening being substantially rectangular and having a rear edge, a right edge, a left edge, and a front edge, said suction opening having a perimeter and said perimeter of said suction opening defining a plane, said vacuum housing having an exterior and an interior, said vacuum housing having a base portion and a cap portion, said cap portion having a rear wall and a front wall spaced apart from said rear wall, said cap portion having a closed top and an open bottom, said open bottom being smaller in area than said suction opening, said cap portion being joined to said base portion at said open bottom of said cap portion, said cap portion having lateral walls that extend between said front and rear wall, said cap portion having a decreasing cross sectional area in sections parallel to said plane of said suction opening, said cross sectional area of said cap portion decreasing from a maximum where said cap portion joins said base portion to a minimum at said closed top of said cap portion;
- said base portion having a curved front wall extending from said front edge of said suction opening to said front wall of said cap portion, a rear wall extending perpendicular to said plane of said suction opening from said suction opening rear edge to said rear wall of said cap portion, a right sidewall extending from said curved front wall of said base portion to said rear wall of said base portion and from said right edge of said suction opening to said cap portion, and a left sidewall extending from said curved front wall of said base portion to said rear wall of said base portion and from said left edge of said suction opening to said cap portion, said front and rear walls of said base portion, said left sidewall, said right sidewall, and said cap portion cooperatively forming a concavity which opens to said suction opening;
- said vacuum housing outlet opening being formed in said front wall of said cap portion, said vacuum housing outlet opening being as wide as said closed top of said cap portion and extending from said closed top of said cap portion to said curved front wall of said base portion;
- a turbine housing fixed to said exterior of said vacuum housing said turbine housing having a turbine housing inlet and a turbine housing outlet, said turbine housing inlet being in fluid communication with said vacuum housing outlet opening;
- a turbine rotatably supported within said turbine housing;
- an outlet pipe supported by said vacuum housing, said outlet pipe having an outlet pipe inlet and an outlet pipe outlet, said outlet pipe inlet being in fluid communication with said turbine housing outlet;
- a brush rotatably supported within said vacuum housing, said brush having a plurality of bristles, said brush being positioned within said vacuum housing such that a predetermined number of said plurality of bristles project beyond said suction opening to the outside of said vacuum housing and contact the surface to be cleaned;
- a plurality of front wheels rotatably supported on said exterior of said vacuum housing proximate said front edge of said suction opening;
- a plurality of rear wheels rotatably supported by said interior of said vacuum housing intermediate said rear edge of said suction opening and said brush, said front and rear plurality of wheels supporting said suction opening adjacent a surface to be cleaned and allowing the underwater vacuum to be moved about the surface to be cleaned;
- and
- means for transmitting rotational motion from said turbine to said brush;
- whereby, when said underwater vacuum is supported adjacent a submerged surface to be cleaned by said plurality of wheels and when said outlet pipe outlet is connected to a pump via a hose and the pump is turned on, water being drawn through said vacuum housing will cause rotation of said turbine which in turn causes rotation of said brush to thereby dislodge matter from the submerged surface, the dislodged matter becoming entrained in water being drawn through said vacuum housing, the water and the dislodged matter being removed from proximity of the submerged surface via the hose.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.