Patent ID: 6640489
Filing Date: 2003-11-04
Classification: A01M

Abstract:
A device for the collection and disposal of insects and similarly sized detrital objects, the device comprising:a hollow duct portion having a substantially uniform internal diameter and an inlet end through which air enters said hollow duct portion, the air passing through said hollow duct portion being entrained in said hollow duct portion; an air outlet from which said entrained air is expelled, there being provided an elongated entrained air path between the inlet end of said hollow duct portion and said air outlet; a filter interposed in the elongated entrained air path between the inlet end of said hollow duct portion and said air outlet for filtering the insects and similarly sized detrital objects from the entrained air; an impeller for creating a pressure differential across the elongated entrained air path between the inlet end of said hollow duct portion and said air outlet of the device such that air, insects, and similarly sized detrital objects are entrained in the inlet end of said hollow duct portion and drawn through the hollow duct portion towards said filter; and a mechanical drive arrangement coupled to said impeller for energizing said impeller to create the pressure differential, said mechanical drive arrangement being arranged outside of the elongated entrained air path; whereby the passage of entrained air through a portion of the elongated entrained air path between the inlet end of said hollow duct portion and said filter is substantially unhindered such that insects that are entrained into the duct and retained against the filter when the impeller for creating the pressure differential is operative can escape from the device when the impeller for creating the pressure differential is inoperative or reversed, said hollow duct portion further having both a slightly tapering hollow tubular portion forming a part of a housing with said filter located at a free end thereof and a hollow sleeve frictionally engaging over said hollow tubular portion, said hollow sleeve and said filter being of substantially equal dimensions.