Patent Number: 054913454
Section: summary

BACKGROUND The present invention relates generally to a vacuum canister or container for picking up and containing a fluid or a particulate material. More particularly, this invention relates to a vacuum canister for picking up and containing a hazardous fluid or particulate material or waste. Hazardous material includes chemical, radioactive, corrosive agent, poison, biomedical or any other material which can endanger human health or well-being if handled improperly. Various types of devices have been suggested to reduce the danger to human health from improper handling of hazardous material. One type of device for picking up and containing material is a vacuum cleaner-type device that uses a fan to draw particles into an unsealed container. The unsealed container, however, allows smaller sized particles to escape out an exhaust port. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,185,355; 4,325,162; 5,018,238; 5,084,937. Another type of device for containing material, particularly hazardous material, is a storage canister that can be sealed after the material has been placed within the canister. However, such a storage canister does not pick up the hazardous material for deposit into the canister. Such storage canisters are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,328,423; 4,625,122; 4,633,091; 5,111,938. Still another type of device for containing material is a storage container provided with vacuum means to draw a vacuum within the container after it is filled with a hazardous material. Such a storage canister for containment of radioactive material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,305. There is a need for a vacuum canister for quickly picking up material, particularly hazardous material, and safely containing the material to reduce the risk to human health or well-being from handling the material improperly. SUMMARY Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum canister that can be operated for controllably and repetitively picking up fluid and particulate material such as hazardous material for containment within the canister It is also an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum canister for picking up and containing hazardous material in which the vacuum canister is hand held and easily used, thereby reducing the amount of handling and risk of danger to human health from the hazardous material. It is another object of the invention to provide such a vacuum canister that provides a storage container in which fluid and/or particulate hazardous material can be stored and easily identified by labeling the vacuum canister. It is a further object of the invention is to provide such a vacuum canister for picking up and containing radioactive hazardous material and/or corrosive agent material in which the vacuum canister includes a protective layer of lead for shielding against radioactivity and/or a protective layer of glass for shielding against acids and bases. Another object of the invention is to provide such a vacuum canister that is simple in construction and that may be manufactured relatively easily and inexpensively for widespread use for picking up, containing and disposing of hazardous material, thus lowering the costs associated with properly handling hazardous material from cleanup to disposal or remediation. Certain of the foregoing and related objects are readily obtained in a vacuum canister for picking up and containing at least one of a fluid and a particulate material, in which the vacuum canister comprises generally a housing and a valve. The housing has a sealed vacuum chamber having a predetermined vacuum pressure therein. The valve has a first port operable to be placed in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber and a second port for receiving at least one of a fluid and a particulate material. The valve is operable between a first position to seal the vacuum chamber and retain the predetermined vacuum within the vacuum chamber, and a second position to allow fluid flow through the valve from the second port into the vacuum chamber, whereby operation of the valve, in the second position when the second port is located adjacent at least one of a fluid and a particulate material, is effective to displace through the valve the at least one of a fluid and a particulate material into the housing. The vacuum canister is desirably suitable for picking up and containing hazardous material such as corrosive agent material and radioactive material. For picking up and containing corrosive agent material, vacuum canister preferably includes a protective layer of glass having a predetermined thickness that is effective to contain the corrosive material within the vacuum canisters. For picking up and containing radioactive material, vacuum canister preferably includes a protective layer of lead having a predetermined thickness that is effective to shield radiation emitted from the radioactive material contained within the vacuum canister. The protective layer is disposed in substantially covering relationship to the vacuum chamber. Preferably the vacuum canister includes a conduit in fluid communication with the second port of the valve. Advantageously, the housing is sized and configured to fit within a person's hand and the valve is sized and configured to be operable by a finger of a person's hand. In an alternative embodiment of the invention for a vacuum canister for picking up and containing at least one of a fluid and a particulate material, the vacuum canister further includes vacuum means for establishing a predetermined vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber. The vacuum means for creating a vacuum within the vacuum chamber includes a preselected substance disposed in communication with the vacuum chamber for causing a reaction with a gas within the vacuum chamber. An alternative embodiment of the vacuum means for establishing a predetermined vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber includes a slidable housing member for expanding the volume of the vacuum chamber. Certain of the foregoing and related objects are also readily obtained in a method for picking up and containing at least one of a fluid and a particulate material, the method includes the steps of: providing a housing having therein a sealed vacuum chamber; providing a valve having a first port in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber and a second port for receiving at least one of a fluid and a particulate material, the valve being operable between a first position to seal the vacuum chamber and retain a vacuum within the vacuum chamber, and a second position to permit fluid flow through the valve from the second port to the first port; establishing a predetermined vacuum pressure within the vacuum chamber; locating at least one of a fluid and a particulate material adjacent the second port; and placing the valve in the second position to displace along with fluid flow through the valve at least one of a fluid and a particulate material into the vacuum chamber.