Abstract:
An air filter baffle unit that works with large type canister wet/dry type vacuums. The baffle unit also can be used in large air filter systems and can be ganged to increase filtering. The baffle unit has two sections that are connected for use. An inlet pipe is connected to the inlet of the vacuum. This inlet pipe directs the incoming dirt into the baffle unit, where it encounters a number of baffles and a water reservoir before it is expelled as clean air. In this baffle unit, there is no need for paper or other types of filters that must be periodically replaced. In this way, the baffle unit provides a simple, effective mechanism for filtering air using the wet/dry vacuum. The baffle unit can be also placed in an air filtering system that has a housing, an inlet and an outlet.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not Applicable 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to air filters and particularly to air filters using water to clean the air. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   In my previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,560, I disclosed a portable air filtering system that was designed to be used with industrial type vacuums. The baffle unit was designed to be carried by the user in a backpack style. The baffle unit has a water reservoir and a number of baffles to collect dirt and dust and to filter the air before it was exhausted. That baffle unit is useful, but limited in size and scope. 
   Other industrial type vacuums, such as wet/dry type vacuums have large receptacles to hold waste, but have little in the way of filtering. Most of the filtering in these types of vacuums is used to protect the motor from dust, dirt and water. Dust and dirt held in the canister receptacle can be released through the exhaust and, most often, when the canister is emptied. At that time, the top cover is removed and the entire container is open. Loose dust and dirt can easily escape from the container. 
   BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The instant invention overcomes all of these problems. It is a new design that works with large type canister wet/dry type vacuums. The baffle unit also can be used in large air filter systems and can be ganged to increase filtering. 
   The baffle unit has two sections that are connected for use. The baffle unit is designed to fit into the canister of a large type wet/dry vacuum. An inlet pipe is connected to the inlet of the vacuum. This inlet pipe directs the incoming dirt into the baffle unit, where it encounters a number of baffles and a water reservoir before it is expelled as clean air. In this baffle unit, there is no need for paper or other types of filters that must be periodically replaced. In this way, the baffle unit provides a simple, effective mechanism for filtering air using the wet/dry vacuum. 
   In a second embodiment, the baffle unit can be placed in an air filtering system. In this embodiment, the baffle unit is placed in a housing that has an inlet and an outlet. The baffle unit is positioned between the inlet and the outlet to filter the air. One or more of the baffle units can be placed in a single housing. Additionally, a number of individual housings containing one or more of the baffle units can be connected to provide a ganged level of air filtering. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of the assembled baffle unit without the vacuum motor in place. 
       FIG. 2  is a rear view of the assembled baffle unit without the vacuum motor in place. 
       FIG. 3  is a left side view of the assembled baffle unit without the vacuum motor in place. 
       FIG. 4  is a right side view of the upper half of the baffle unit. 
       FIG. 5  is a detail side view of the lower portion of the baffle unit. 
       FIG. 6  is a top view of the upper portion of the baffle unit. 
       FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the upper half of the baffle unit. 
       FIG. 8  is a top view of the lower portion of the baffle unit. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the assembled baffle unit with the vacuum motor positioned on top of the unit, but not locked in place. 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the interior of the canister of a wet/dry vacuum with the inlet pipe installed. 
       FIG. 11  is a detail view of the lower portion of the input pipe. 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the assembled inlet pipe. 
       FIG. 13  is a detail view of the fixed fan blade collector. 
       FIG. 14  is a cut away view of a canister vacuum showing the baffle unit in place and the airflow through the device. 
       FIG. 15  is a detail view of the baffle unit as installed in an air filtering system. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4 , the basic assembled baffle unit  1  is shown  FIG. 1  shows front view of the assembled baffle unit  1  without the vacuum motor in place. In the preferred embodiment, the baffle unit  1  has an upper, or top, portion  2  and a lower, or bottom, portion  3 . The upper portion  2  and the lower portion  3  are attached for use with snap clamps  4 . The clamps  4  shown in the figures are one type that can be used. However, any other similar type of clamp can be used as well. The clamps secure the top portion  2  to the lower portion  3 . In the preferred embodiment, the connection of the top portion to the bottom portion makes an airtight seal. This ensures that a proper vacuum is developed, as discussed below. These figures also show a second set of snap type clamps  10  that are installed on the top of the upper portion  2  as shown. These clamps are used to attach the baffle unit to the vacuum drive motor  110  as discussed below. 
     FIG. 2  is a rear view of the assembled baffle unit  1  without the vacuum motor in place. In this view, the backside clamps  4  are shown. 
     FIG. 3  is a left side view of the assembled baffle unit  1  without the vacuum motor in place. In this view, the intake port  5  is shown. As discussed below, air that is brought into the canister of the vacuum is drawn up into the upper portion  2  through the intake port  5 . This view also shows the transfer tube  6  that is installed in the lower portion  3 . 
     FIG. 4  is a right side view of the upper portion  2  of the baffle unit  1 . This view shows the intake port  5  clearly. The intake port  5  has a beveled portion  5   a  that helps gather the incoming air and directs it upward to the first set of fixed fan blades  7 . See also  FIG. 12 . The fixed fan blades  7  are designed to catch the large particles as they are drawn through the fixed blades. The blades cause the airflow to swirl, which forces the heavier particles to move outward where they are easily caught. The lighter particles pass through the blades to the next level of filtration, which are the baffles  14  and  15  (see e.g.,  FIG. 6 ). The air coming from the first set of fixed fan blades  7  enters the baffles  14  and  15  through holes  9  formed in the top portion as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     FIG. 5  is a detail side view of the lower portion of the baffle unit. Here, the transfer tube  6  is shown. The transfer tube  6  moves the air from the upper portion to the lower portion. It has a base  6   a  that directs the airflow into the lower portion  3 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , a water level line is printed on the outside of the baffle unit. Water is placed into the lower portion to the level mark. The lower portion of the transfer tube  6  sits in the water and is completely covered by water when the baffle unit is in operation. Note that holes  8  are provided in the bottom portion to allow water trapped in the side walls to leave the unit. This is discussed in more detail below. 
   Air is moved from the upper portion to the lower portion through a series of baffles and channels.  FIG. 6  is a top view of the upper portion of the baffle unit. This view shows the baffles and air channels within the baffle unit. There are two pairs of baffles  14  and  15  that are spaced about a center opening  12 . The center opening  12  is designed to receive the lower portion of the vacuum motor  110  when it is installed on the upper portion. The vacuum motor housing is secured to the upper portion using the clips  10 . See, e.g.,  FIG. 9 . Of course, the center opening  12  can be sized and shaped to accommodate any particular motor base used in any particular style vacuum. This figure is for illustration only. 
     FIG. 6  also shows two channels  17  and  18 . These channels are used to direct the airflow through the device as discussed below. 
     FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the upper half of the baffle unit. This view shows the upper portion looking up from the bottom. The clip  10  is shown as well as the clips  4 , which are used to secure the upper portion to the lower portion. Note that in this view the bottom of the upper baffle unit has a divider  21  formed across the center. Note also the structure of the two channels  17  and  18 . 
   Finally,  FIG. 7  shows a number of holes  11  formed between the walls of the baffle unit in the chambers  14  and  15 . These holes allow any water that is picked up in the air stream to pass through the top portion into the lower portion, where it can be released in the vacuum canister, as discussed below. 
     FIG. 8  is a top view of the lower portion of the baffle unit. The lower portion of the device has two divided compartments  31  and  32 . A divider wall  33  is formed between them. Holes are formed in the bottom of this divider wall to ensure proper airflow through the device. A gasket  34  is placed over the top of the edges of the lower baffle unit as shown. This gasket seals the upper and lower portions and ensures that any loose dirt or dust cannot escape the device. Holes  19  formed in the gasket align with the holes  11  in the upper unit to allow any trapped water to fall into the lower unit. Note that this water leaves the baffle unit through the holes  8  formed in the bottom of the lower unit. Note also that the holes  8  are on the outside on the side of the baffle unit having the transfer tube  6  and on the inside on the other side of the lower unit. This is because excess water has more room to be held on the outgoing side of the device. Water trapped in the side walls on the transfer tube side, can build up to where the upper intake baffles  14  and  15  become filled with water and eliminate further air flow through the device. Note also that this figure also shows a cavity  35  formed in the lower unit  3  to accommodate the transfer tube  6  when it is installed. 
     FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the assembled baffle unit with the vacuum motor  110  positioned on top of the baffle unit, but not locked in place. In this figure, the motor drive  110  is placed on the upper baffle unit. Note also that this figure shows the upper and lower baffle units assembled and held by clips  4 . In use, the upper baffle unit is clipped to the drive motor using clips  10  on the housing, which mate with clips  10   a  on the motor  110 . Then the assembled baffle unit is placed into the vacuum housing. Note that to secure the motor to the housing, the motor must be rotated from the position as shown in  FIG. 9  so that the clips  10  and  10   a  align. 
     FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the interior of the canister of a wet/dry vacuum with the inlet pipe installed. In typical prior art use, a vacuum hose is connected to the inlet fitting  115  on the canister. Air is then pulled into the canister by the motor and dirt and debris are dumped into the canister and held until disposed. As noted above, the dirt and dust is not contained in any way so that when the canister is opened, dust and dirt particles are free to contaminate anything exposed to the open canister. In the instant invention, the inlet pipe  40  is installed within the canister  120  as shown. Here, the inlet pipe  40  has an intake portion  41  that attaches to the inlet fitting. The intake portion  41  has an exit port that attached to a length of pipe  42  as shown. At the bottom of the pipe  42  is a discharge port  43  that direct the incoming air into the bottom of the canister, where a quantity of water is kept. Thus, the inlet pipe  40  forces the dirty air into the bottom of the canister where it is discharged into water. As discussed below, the water traps much of the dust and heavy particles. 
     FIG. 11  is a detail view of the lower portion of the input pipe. Here, the discharge port  43  is shown in detail. The discharge port has a top ring  44  and a lower half ball  45  that is connected to the upper ring by a set of pylons  46 . As shown, there is open space between the ring and the half ball. This is where the air exits the inlet pipe. Note that in some instances a floating ring is used without the half ball. This design is not as effective, however, because the float can become clogged with dirt, which causes it to become stuck, thereby limiting the effective airflow through the device. 
     FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the assembled inlet pipe. This view shows that attachment flange  48  that connects to the inlet fitting  115  on the canister. Note that the length of the inlet pipe and the exact configuration of the intake portion can be adjusted and modified to meet the requirements of any particular vacuum baffle unit in use. Such modifications are well within the skill of a person in the art. 
   Finally,  FIG. 13  is a detail view of the fixed fan blade collector  7 . There are two collectors. As discussed above, the blades  50  are fixed. As air passes through the fan blades, heavier particles are trapped and lighter particles are free to pass through into the next stage of filtering. 
     FIG. 14  is a cut away view of a canister vacuum showing the baffle unit in place and the airflow through the device. Here, intake air  160  (shown as the dashed line) flows into the inlet tube  115 , down through the inlet pipe  40  and into the water  130  held in the bottom of the canister. It passes through water  130  and up into the intake  5  of the upper housing. It then passes through the first fixed fan blade  7 , through the baffles, into the transfer tube  6  into the lower portion of the housing. There, it passes through more water, after which it is pulled up through the second fixed fan  7 , and the final set of baffles. It is then discharged from the unit as clean exhaust air  170  by passing through the normal discharge port  150  on the vacuum. 
   This baffle unit is thus capable of providing a level of highly filtered air without the use of replaceable filters. Moreover, it is easily cleaned and serviced. 
   As mentioned above, the baffle unit can be used also in air filtering systems as well as in vacuums.  FIG. 15  is a detail view of the baffle unit as installed in an air filtering system. As shown there is a box housing  70 , and an intake port  71 , which is connected to a source of air (a duct, an inlet grate, etc). Air then enters into the box housing  70  using the intake pipe  40 , as before, and passes through the water  130  and baffle unit as discussed above. A motor  180  is installed on the top of the box housing to pull air through the unit. The filtered air  170  leaves the unit through an exhaust port  190 , where it then enters an outlet duct (not shown), where it can be distributed as desired. 
   The present disclosure should not be construed in any limited sense other than that limited by the scope of the claims having regard to the teachings herein and the prior art being apparent with the preferred form of the invention disclosed herein and which reveals details of structure of a preferred form necessary for a better understanding of the invention and may be subject to change by skilled persons within the scope of the invention without departing from the concept thereof.