Patent ID: 6112366
Filing Date: 2000-09-05
Classification: A47L

Abstract:
A vacuum cleaner comprising:a tank having an inlet for receiving liquid material and an interior;a powered pump defining an interior and a pump outlet and further defining an aperture, the pump outlet defines a priming opening and the aperture places the interior of the pump and the priming opening in air flow communication with the interior of the tank;an air impeller assembly disposed in air flow communication with the interior of the tank, the air impeller includes a housing defining an opening and a driven impeller disposed within the housing, the housing opening places the driven impeller in air flow communication with the interior of the tank, wherein the driven impeller creates a relatively low pressure area in the interior of the tank, the pump interior and the priming opening of the pump outlet; anda priming mechanism disposed within the tank for collecting and retaining liquid received by the tank, the priming mechanism is in air flow communication with a source of pressure which is high relative to the relatively low pressure created in the interior of the tank by the driven impeller, the priming mechanism is in fluid communication with the priming opening of the pump outlet, wherein when a sufficient amount of liquid material is collected in the priming mechanism, the source of relatively high pressure acts in concert with the relatively low pressure in the priming opening to establish a pressure differential across the liquid collected in the priming mechanism, wherein the pump is primed.