Filter system
AssigneeHMI Industries, Inc.
InventorMark A. Cartellone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vacuum cleaner having a reduced velocity chamber with a high velocity air inlet, an electric motor, a rotary blade driven by the motor to create a vacuum in the chamber, an outlet for exhausting air from the chamber, which air flows in a selected path from the air inlet, through the chamber and out the air exhaust outlet and a disposable porous sheet filter layer in the chamber for removing large solid particles from the air.
Claims70
A vacuum cleaner comprising a low velocity chamber with a high velocity air inlet positioned near the base of said chamber, a motor positioned in a motor housing, a blade driven by said motor to create a vacuum in said chamber to draw air upwardly in said chamber, an outlet for exhausting air from said chamber, said air flowing in a selected path from said air inlet, through said chamber and out said air exhaust outlet, the improvement comprising a filter at least partially supported on a support member positioned between said air inlet and said motor, said filter including a plurality of rib sections and trough portions between two adjacently positioned rib sections, said support member includes a plurality of fin sections and at least one opening positioned between two adjacent fin sections, said motor housing including a primary opening through which a majority of air is expelled from said motor housing into an expanding exhaust conduit having a first and second opening, said first opening connected to said primary opening in said motor housing, said second opening having a cross-sectional area greater than said first opening.
A particle filter substantially conical in shape to remove a majority of particles from air passing through the filter, said filter including a particle barrier medium to mechanically and/or electrically remove at least about 90% of the particles two microns or larger in size from said air, said filter including a plurality of ribs positioned about an outer surface of said filter and at least one trough portion positioned at least partially between two adjacent ribs and recessed from said ribs.
A particle filter substantially conical in shape to remove a majority of particles from air passing through the filter, said filter including a particle barrier medium to mechanically and/or electrically remove at least about 90% of the particles two microns or larger in size from said air, said filter including a plurality of ribs positioned about an outer surface of said filter and at least one trough portion positioned at least partially between two adjacent ribs, said ribs are positioned substantially symmetrically about said filter, at least about 99.98% of particles about 0.1 micron or greater in size being removed from said passing air at flow rates of up to at least 60 CFM.
A particle filter for removing a majority of particles from air passing through the filter, said filter including a particle barrier medium to mechanically and/or electrically remove at least about 90% of the particles 2 microns or larger in size from said air, said filter including a plurality of ribs positioned about an outer surface of said filter and at least one trough portion positioned at least partially between two adjacent ribs, said filter includes a flexible material that deforms to form said ribs and said trough as air passes through said filter.
A vacuum cleaner or air cleaner comprising a reduced velocity chamber with a high velocity air inlet, a motor, a rotary blade driven by said motor to create a vacuum in said chamber, an outlet to exhaust air from said chamber, said air flowing in a selected path from said air inlet, through said chamber and a filter in said chamber, and out said air exhaust outlet, the improvement comprising a motor housing and an expanding exhaust conduit, said motor housing positioned at least partially about said motor and blade, said motor housing having an opening through which air is expelled from said motor housing, said expanding exhaust conduit having a first and second opening, said first opening connected to said opening in said motor housing, said second opening having a cross-sectional area greater than said first opening.
A filter support adapted to at least partially support a filter, said filter support comprising a plurality of fin sections, at least one opening at least partially positioned between two adjacent fin sections, a rigidity ring, and rigidity panel, at least two of said fin sections having a front face, a rear face and two side faces extending between said front and rear face, said side faces having a maximum width that is greater than a maximum width of said face, said rigidity ring connecting a plurality of said fin sections together, said rigidity panel at least partially positioned between end of said fins and connecting a plurality of said fin sections together.
A filter support adapted to at least partially support a filter, said filter support comprising a plurality of fin sections and at least one opening at least partially positioned between two adjacent fin sections, at least two of said fin sections having a front face, a rear face and two side faces extending between said front and rear face, said side faces having a maximum width that is greater than a maximum width of said face, said two side faces having a width that varies along at least a portion of a height of said filter support.
A vacuum cleaner comprising a low velocity chamber with a high velocity air inlet, a motor, a blade driven by said motor to create a vacuum in said chamber, an outlet for exhausting air from said chamber, said air flowing in a selected path from said air inlet, through said chamber and out said air exhaust outlet, the improvement comprising a filter that is at least partially supported on a support member positioned between said air inlet and said motor, said filter including a plurality of rib sections and trough portions between two adjacently positioned rib sections, said support member includes a plurality of fin sections and at least one opening positioned between two adjacent fin sections, said filter at least partially supported by at least one of said plurality of fin sections as air passes through said filter.
A method of cleaning air by use of a canister type vacuum cleaner including the steps of:
- (a) drawing air through a high velocity air inlet into a low velocity chamber;
- (b) centrifuging the air in the low velocity chamber to at least partially remove solid particles;
- (c) passing said air through a filter system to further remove particles from said air, said filter system including a particle filter and a filter support, said filter support including a plurality of fin sections and at least one opening positioned between two adjacent fins;
- (d) passing said filtered air through said particle filter to remove at least about 90% of said particles greater than about 2 microns in said air;
- (e) directing said filtered air through said at least one opening in said filter support and past said motor and out an air outlet;
- and,
- at least partially deforming said filter on said filter support to form at least two ribs and at least one trough portion between said two ribs as said air is drawn through said filter.
A method of cleaning air by use of a canister type vacuum cleaner including the steps of:
- (a) drawing air through a high velocity air inlet into a low velocity chamber;
- (b) centrifuging the air in the low velocity chamber to at least partially remove solid particles;
- (c) passing said air through a filter system to further remove particles from said air, said filter system including a particle filter and a filter support, said filter support including a plurality of fin sections and at least one opening positioned between two adjacent fins;
- (d) passing said filtered air through said particle filter to remove at least about 90% of said particles greater than about 2 microns in said air;
- (e) directing said filtered air through said at least one opening in said filter support and past said motor and out an air outlet;
- and,
- at least a portion of said particle filter has a substantially conical shape.
A particle filter having a substantially conical shape to at least partially remove particles from air passing through the filter that are greater than about 2 microns, said filter including a particle barrier medium to mechanically and/or electrically remove at least about 90% of said particles that are two microns or larger in size from said air, said filter including a plurality of ribs positioned about an outer surface of said filter, said filter including a plurality of trough portions, at least one of said plurality of trough portions being positioned at least partially between two adjacent ribs, and said filter includes a flexible material that deforms to form said ribs and said plurality of trough portions as air passes through said filter.
A combination of a filter and a filter support member wherein the filter is adapted to be at least partially supported on a filter support member, said filter including a plurality of rib sections and at least one trough portion positioned between two adjacently positioned rib sections, said filter support member includes a plurality of fin sections and at least one opening positioned between two adjacent fin sections, said support member and said filter having an at least partial conical shape, and said filter includes a flexible material that at least partially deforms to form at least one of said rib sections and at least one of said trough portions as air passes through said filter.
A combination of a filter and a filter support member wherein the filter is adapted to be at least partially supported on a filter support member, said filter including a plurality of rib sections and at least one trough portion positioned between two adjacently positioned rib sections, said filter support member includes a plurality of fin sections and at least one opening positioned between two adjacent fin sections, said support member and said filter having an at least partial conical shape, and said filter includes a flexible material that at least partially deforms to form at least one of said rib sections and at least one of said trough portions as air passes through said filter, said filter removes at least about 90% of particles greater than about 2 microns, and said filter at least partially removes gases in the air.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.