Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-15
2001-01-09
Warden, Sr., Robert J. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C015S327100, C015S323000, C055SDIG003
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170118
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The subject invention is generally related to devices for collecting and storing material and debris in an industrial, commercial or residential setting and is specifically directed to a mobile collection system for use with vacuum and blower units for quickly and easily collecting and storing large volumes of bulk material and debris as it is collected.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of industrial vacuum machines have been used for many years for the purpose of collecting material and cleaning particulate debris in industrial, commercial and residential locations. Heavy-duty vacuum machines with large collection capacities are essential to cleaning, collecting material and maintaining factories, parks, amusement parks, shopping centers, lumber yards, construction sites, hotels, convention halls, and other industrial and commercial locations. This is due not only to the fact that such sites often contain a great volume of discarded or unwanted particulate matter, but also because of the fact that in an industrial setting, the unwanted debris tends to be found in a great variety of shapes, sizes and constituent materials. In addition, various industrial and commercial operations often generate large volumes of material, which may be desirable to re-use or recycle.
Typical industrial vacuum cleaners which include an upright metal canister connected to a vacuum pump are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,723,971 and 4,467,494. One disadvantage of this type of industrial vacuum cleaner is its large, bulky design. Vacuum cleaners of such a design are comparatively heavy due to the metal cylinder which forms the receptacle for the debris. Due to their bulk and weight, vacuum machines of such design may also be difficult to maneuver over large areas such as factory floors, worksites and amusement parks. Further, vacuum machines of this type use suction (water-lift) to clean, typically have only 60-80 CFM of air flow, and typically utilize a maximum two inch diameter intake hose which limits the size of bulk debris collected. Also, there is a loss of power when the vacuum intake is extended beyond a few feet of the unit.
Another disadvantage of this type of vacuum machine is that the metal canister which forms the receptacle for the debris is not designed to accommodate large volumes of bulky debris. Additional examples of vacuum machines with similar metal canister forming the receptacle for the debris are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,222 issued Mar. 16, 1971 to Dudek et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,483 issued Feb. 7, 1978 to Doyle, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,696 issued Dec. 3, 1991 to Bruno, III; U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,588 issued Sep. 7, 1993 to Reese; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,087 issued Nov. 9, 1993 to Loveless et al.
An example of a mobile and portable industrial vacuum cleaner system ideal for the collection of bulky debris, such as empty aluminum cans, plastic pellets, packing peanuts, fabric, paper, carpet clippings, popcorn, real peanuts, drink cups and straws, is the UPKEEPER VOYAGER TURBO TRANSFORMER (R) vacuum machine, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,110, manufactured by Upkeeper Corporation, the assignee of the subject application. Unlike prior art vacuum machines which utilize water-lift to clean, the turbo fan technology used in the Upkeeper vacuum machine generates 500 CFM of air flow to clean debris with ease and the air flow works, even at distances of 20-25 feet overhead. While the Upkeeper vacuum has greatly advanced the art relating to industrial vacuums, it is designed to include a debris receptacle or collection bag which may not be readily suitable for storing extra large volumes of debris. When the bag is full, the operator must turn off the vacuum power and empty the bag before continuing to collect debris. Thus, the clean up process is slowed. While there are prior art vacuum machines designed to provide large receptacles for storing large volumes of debris as it is collected, the prior art machines are awkward, heavy and require a large space for storage of the machine.
In addition, prior art vacuums using 60-80 inches of water lift (suction) must have a storage receptacle constructed of a sturdy heavy material such as metal, which require large areas for storage. Without such a sturdy, heavy material, the storage receptacle would implode (collapse) with the 60-80 inches of water lift generated. Thus, prior art storage receptacles have not been constructed from lightweight materials. Further, these prior art vacuums must be constructed so as to maintain a virtual airtight seal since they rely heavily on the 60-80 inches of water for cleaning. Also, the prior art vacuum machines are not capable of collecting large bulk debris, such as cans, cups, large scraps of cloth, leather, canvas, plastic, pine cones, leaves and the like.
Therefore, there is a need for a maneuverable lightweight, thin walled, transparent apparatus for use with a heavy duty vacuum machine for easily and quickly collecting and storing large volumes of bulky debris as the debris is collected to reduce time needed for clean up.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is directed to a mobile, lightweight, universal collection apparatus or drum kit for use with blower/vacuum units for quickly and easily collecting and storing large amounts of bulky debris, leaves or other lightweight items, yet is readily disassembled for conveniently storing and shipping the apparatus. The collection apparatus is specifically designed to include a universal attachment accessory to permit easy and secure attachment of either a blower/vacuum unit and intake hose attachments with large diameter intake capacity for picking up large debris or other items while providing a large mobile receptacle for storage of the debris as it is collected by the unit. In use, the subject invention provides a system which utilizes a blower/vacuum unit to clean up large volumes of bulky debris while simultaneously depositing the debris into a large, lightweight, storage container. It is a feature of the subject invention that the system is versatile and may utilize a collapsible, transparent, storage container or a standard 55-gallon drum. Thus, the subject invention provides a quick, easy and economical collection system which eliminates the hassle of frequently removing and emptying the vacuum collection bag when large amounts of debris are collected and eliminates the need for moving debris from a small container to a larger container.
In the preferred embodiment, the collection apparatus includes a large transparent container or receptacle for debris, a transparent, removable lid, a transparent, disposable liner, an intake hose attachment and a base with rollers or wheels for movably supporting the container. The removable lid includes an integral filter and may be designed to fit the open top of most containers selected by the user, preferably one having a large storage capacity. The lid also includes a power unit connection which may be universally adaptable to different blower/vacuum units for removably mounting such unit on the lid. In addition, the lid includes an inlet connection which is universally adaptable to fit different accessories for removably attaching a variety of intake hose attachments, having a large diameter intake capability, to the lid. In use, debris is drawn into the inlet connection of the container through the intake hose attachment by the blower/vacuum unit and deposited into the internal liner within the container. The inclusion of the inlet connection in the lid for collecting material and debris permits the material and debris to be drawn directly into the container thus bypassing the blower/vacuum unit. By bypassing the blower/vacuum unit, debris does not enter or travel through the impeller of the unit. As a result, the blower/vacuum unit operates more quietly, saves wear and tear on the impeller and does not shred or disintegrate the debris and materials collected, such as, cloth, leather, packaging materials, styrofoam, foam rubber, plastic
McIntyre Paul Curtis
Robinson Michael A.
Calkins Charles W.
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
Snider Theresa T.
Upkeeper Corporation
Warden, Sr. Robert J.
LandOfFree
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