Patent ID: 7118056
Filing Date: 2006-10-10
Classification: B02C

Abstract:
1. A fluorescent lamp collection and disposal system, said fluorescent lamp containing a hazardous material comprising: a housing having a side wall and bottom surface defining an interior area; a cover member having a top surface, said cover member including a tube member protruding upward from said top surface for receiving a fluorescent lamp and providing access through the cover member to the interior area of the housing for the fluorescent lamp; means for breaking the fluorescent lamp received by said tube member into a plurality of pieces and releasing a hazardous material contained by the fluorescent lamp prior to being broken; a hose member connected at a first end to the cover member such that the hose member is in communication with the interior area of the housing: a multi stage filtering and vacuum assembly having a plurality of filter members and a vacuum motor, said vacuum motor positioned after a final filter of the multi stage filtering and vacuum assembly, said vacuum motor creating a negative pressure vacuum within the interior of the housing; wherein a second end of the hose member is connected to the multi-stage filtering assembly such that the hose member is in communication with a first filter member of the multi stage filtering assembly; wherein the negative pressure vacuum created by said vacuum motor causes at least a substantial portion of the hazardous material to be drawn through the hose member and into the multi stage filtering assembly wherein at the end of filtering by the multi-stage filtering assembly substantially hazardous material free gas is exhausted out of said multi-stage filtering assembly; wherein at least some pieces of the plurality of pieces of the broken fluorescent lamp are retained within the interior area of said housing; wherein said cover member further including a lamp receiving member depending upward from the top surface of the cover member, said lamp receiving member having a bottom surface, sidewalls and a top portion, wherein said top portion is connected to said bottom surface such that the movement of the top portion to an open position moves the bottom surface to a closed position for placement within said lamp receiving member of a lamp to be crushed and the movement of the top portion to a closed position moves the bottom surface to an open position to permit the placed lamp to enter the interior of the housing and for breakage by said means for breaking.