Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – With air blast or suction
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-07
2002-11-05
Moore, Chris K. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
With air blast or suction
C015S352000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473933
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to portable vacuum apparatus and methods, and more specifically, to belt-mounted vacuums.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Portable vacuums that may be carried or worn by an operator have great utility in a variety of applications. For example, portable vacuums are often used in commercial settings for cleaning densely congested areas, such as office areas, hotels, theaters, and restaurants. They may also be used around the home for cleaning stairways, automobiles, or other living areas. A variety of portable vacuum styles are known, including “back pack ” vacuums, shoulder-mounted vacuums, and belt-mounted vacuums.
FIG. 1
is an isometric view of a conventional belt-mounted vacuum
20
. The belt-mounted vacuum
20
includes a housing
22
attached to a carrier belt
24
. The housing
22
has a vacuum unit chamber
25
that typically includes a fan driven by an electric motor (not shown). The housing
22
also includes a bag chamber
26
that typically contains an inner bag (not shown) for receiving dust, dirt, and particulate matter. A vacuum hose
28
is coupled to an intake port
30
disposed in an openable cover
32
that leads to the bag chamber
26
. An exhaust port
31
is disposed in the housing
22
and leads to the vacuum unit chamber
24
.
In operation, the carrier belt
24
is fastened around the operator's waist with the housing
22
positioned along the operator's back. The housing
22
may have a bent or contoured shape to conform to the operator's body. The electric motor drives the fan which in turn drives air through the exhaust port
31
and creates suction within the bag chamber
26
and the vacuum hose
28
. A flow of air is thereby drawn through the vacuum hose
28
and through the intake port
30
, drawing dust, dirt, and particulates from the surface being cleaned into the bag chamber
26
. The particle-laden airflow may then pass through the inner bag which filter's and collects the dust and particulates from the airstream for later disposal. The resulting clean airstream passes through the fan and exits through the exhaust port
31
. Belt-mounted vacuums
20
of the type shown in
FIG. 1
are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,065 issued to Svanberg et al.
Although desirable results may be achieved using conventional belt-mounted vacuums, some drawbacks exist. For example, the operator may attempt to compensate for the weight of the belt-mounted vacuum
20
on the operator's back by leaning forward into a hunched position. This may be uncomfortable and may cause additional stress or fatigue for the operator, especially after extended periods of use.
Also, when it is time to empty or change the inner bag, the operator typically must remove the belt-mounted vacuum
20
in order to reach the openable cover
32
of the bag chamber
26
in order to reach the inner bag. Thus, the belt-mounted vacuum
20
typically must be removed (and re-donned) each time the inner bag must be accessed. Alternately, the operator may attempt to enlist the assistance of another person, or may even resort to awkwardly sliding the belt
24
around his or her waist so that the housing
22
is moved around from the back side of the operator to a reachable position. These alternate approaches may reduce the efficiency and productivity of the operator, and may decrease the operator's satisfaction with the device.
Another disadvantage of conventional devices is that because the controls of the belt-mounted vacuum are typically located on or near the vacuum unit chamber
24
, the operator may need to reach backwardly to the housing
20
in order to turn the vacuum on or off, or to adjust the power setting. This may be inconvenient and may further reduce the operator's satisfaction with the device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to belt-mounted vacuum apparatus and methods. In one aspect, a belt-mounted vacuum apparatus includes a belt member adapted to engage about an operator's waist, a dirt receptacle attached to the belt member and having an intake port, and a vacuum unit attached to the belt member and spaced apart from the dirt receptacle. The vacuum unit is operatively coupled with the dirt receptacle such that an airflow created by the vacuum unit propels particulates through the intake port and into the dirt receptacle. Because the vacuum unit is spaced apart from the dirt receptacle, the vacuum apparatus may advantageously provide improved balance and weight distribution, and may increase the operator's satisfaction with the device. In alternate aspects, the vacuum unit may be spaced apart from the dirt receptacle by a small distance, or may be positioned on opposite sides of the operator, or any other desired spacing.
In another aspect, a belt-mounted vacuum apparatus includes a belt member having a stiffened portion. The stiffened portion may, for example, comprise an outer shell. Alternately, the belt member may also include a flexible, padded layer that engages with the operator's waist. The stiffened portion may be disposed within the flexible layer. In another aspect, the belt member may include a plurality of stiffened portions.
In yet another aspect, a belt-mounted apparatus includes a belt member adapted to engage about the operator's waist, a dirt receptacle attached to the belt member and located at an accessible location on the belt member. The apparatus further includes a vacuum unit attached to the belt member and operatively coupled with the dirt receptacle such that an airflow created by the vacuum unit propels particulates through the intake port and into the dirt receptacle. In alternate aspects, the dirt receptacle may be located proximate a front side of the operator's waist, or along a left or right side of the operator's waist, or at any other accessible location on the belt member. Because the dirt receptacle is located at an accessible location, the belt-mounted vacuum apparatus may improve the efficiency and operability of the device.
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patent: 1047164 (1912-12-01), Butenschoen
patent: 1255662 (1918-02-01), Sullivan
patent: 2586145 (1952-02-01), Breuer et al.
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patent: 3599273 (1971-08-01), Shirayanagi et al.
patent: 4570286 (1986-02-01), Ross
patent: 4748712 (1988-06-01), DiGiovanni
patent: 4944065 (1990-07-01), Svanberg et al.
patent: 5052073 (1991-10-01), Iida
patent: D326747 (1992-06-01), Stickle
patent: 5195208 (1993-03-01), Yamami et al.
patent: 5220704 (1993-06-01), Flynn et al.
patent: 5267371 (1993-12-01), Soler et al.
patent: 5588177 (1996-12-01), Eriksen
patent: 5813088 (1998-09-01), Wagner et al.
patent: 5836046 (1998-11-01), Huffman et al.
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patent: 6073301 (2000-06-01), Berfield
patent: 6151749 (2000-11-01), Berfield
patent: 0 362 169 (1990-04-01), None
patent: 94/27485 (1994-12-01), None
Embree Michael E.
Fish William G.
McCain James
Moshenrose Paul A.
Paterson Christopher M.
Faegre & Benson LLP
Moore Chris K.
Oreck Holdings LLC
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