# US 7,743,776 B2 · Dry cleaning apparatus and method capable of cleaning the cleaning agent > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,743,776 B2 - Document ID: US7743776B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/660,781 - Filed: 2006-05-31 - Published: 2007-12-13 - Granted: 2010-06-29 - Earliest claimed: 2005-06-22 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Yoichi Okamoto; Akihiro Fuchigami; Toshiyuki Mutoh; Tomoyasu Hirasawa; Tatsuya Satoh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7743776B2 ## CPC - B08B 7/02: by distortion, beating, or vibration of the surface to be cleaned {(B08B7/0007 takes precedence)} - B08B 5/00: Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow (cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto B08B9/00) - B08B 6/00: Cleaning by electrostatic means - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL ## Abstract A dry cleaning apparatus which causes cleaning agent to fly in a gas current to impact an object to be cleaned so as to remove extraneous substance attached to the object includes a cleaning tank defining an interior space for accommodating the cleaning agent and the object with the attached extraneous substance, an inflow unit configured to guide a gas current into the cleaning tank through an inlet, an aspiration unit configured to discharge gas from the cleaning tank through an aspiration opening, and a separation unit disposed between the interior space of the cleaning tank and both the inflow unit and the aspiration unit, the separation unit having openings that allow the gas and the extraneous substance to pass through but do not allow the cleaning agent to pass through, wherein the inlet, the aspiration opening, and the separation unit are configured such that relative motion is created between the separation unit and both the inlet and the aspiration opening. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A dry cleaning apparatus which causes cleaning agent to fly in a gas current to impact an object to be cleaned so as to remove extraneous substance attached to the object, comprising: a cleaning tank defining an interior space for accommodating the cleaning agent and the object with the attached extraneous substance; an inflow unit configured to guide a gas current into the cleaning tank through an inlet; an aspiration unit configured to discharge gas from the cleaning tank through an aspiration opening; and a separation unit disposed between the interior space of the cleaning tank and both the inflow unit and the aspiration unit, said separation unit having openings that allow the gas and the extraneous substance to pass through but do not allow the cleaning agent to pass through, wherein the inlet, the aspiration opening, and the separation unit are configured such that relative motion is created between the separation unit and both the inlet and the aspiration opening. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the relative motion is configured such that the aspiration opening first comes to a point of interest on the separation unit, and, then, the inlet comes to the point of interest on the separation unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separation unit is at least one surface of the cleaning tank. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the separation unit has a plane shape. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separation unit has a cylindrical shape. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the gas current through the inlet runs from inside the cylindrical separation unit to outside the cylindrical separation unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a holding unit configured to hold the object inside the cleaning tank. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the holding unit is configured to move relative to the cleaning tank. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electricity discharging unit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning tank is configured to keep a negative pressure in the interior space. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning agent has a thin piece shape. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cleaning agent includes a plurality of thin pieces of varying sizes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cleaning agent includes a plurality of thin pieces of varying shapes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The dry cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cleaning agent includes a plurality of thin pieces of varying materials.