Abstract:
A system for grooming pets, including a vacuum and brushes. A canister containing the motor and vacuum impeller elements is well insulated acoustically. A lengthy, acoustically insulated vacuum hose is provided. A grooming attachment is attachable to the working end of the vacuum hose, the grooming attachment being molded and shaped to minimize the noise of air flowing through the attachment under the action of the vacuum motor. Noise attenuation assembly and baffling assembly are provided nearby and aligned with air input and output ports to direct and smooth air flow to reduce noise output of the system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/755,149 entitled “Quiet Vacuum System for Grooming Pets” filed on 22 Jan. 2013, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. General Background 
     Dogs and cats are extremely popular as pets. Millions of pet dogs and cats are cared for by their owners in the USA, and many millions more in other nations of the world. 
     One aspect of proper pet care is grooming. Some types of long-haired cats, but especially many breeds of dogs, should be properly groomed on a regular basis, or at a minimum have their fur cut and trimmed. Regular grooming, whether or not it is accompanied by haircutting, promotes the health of the pet&#39;s hair and skin, as well as maintaining a pleasant-looking pet. 
     Pets are routinely groomed with known hair and fur scissors and electric clippers. The clipping of fur always generates hair clippings. Also, brushing a pet&#39;s coat will remove fur being naturally “shed” from the pet&#39;s coat. It is desirable, therefore, to have a way to catch, or clean up, clippings and shed or loose hairs; clippings and shed fur are routinely vacuumed from the floor using a vacuum cleaner. It would be desirable also to be able to brush and vacuum a pet&#39;s coat during, or immediately after, cutting and/or brushing the animal&#39;s fur. However, ordinary large vacuuming systems, such as those used to vacuum a floor, are difficult to use for vacuuming pets directly due to, among other things, their noisy operation and inconvenient configuration. 
     2. Background Knowledge in the Art 
     It is known to have small, completely hand-held, battery-powered pet grooming vacuums. Examples of such known devices are those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,460 to Kuhl, U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,006 to Eremita, U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,481 to Trahan, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,428 to Locke. While small hand-held devices may be quieter, they generally provide a relatively weak vacuum and very short battery life. And merely attaching a generic attachment tool on the end of the hose of a conventional high-powered vacuum (i.e., ordinary floor vacuums powered by 110-volt AC electrical current conventionally available in residences and commercial grooming establishments) does not address the problem of the noise of the vacuum, which is known to be disturbing to may pets, making the final vacuuming of the pet&#39;s coat more difficult or impossible. Even known grooming tools adapted to be attached to the hoses of conventional non-hand-held canister type vacuum systems fail to address the problem of system noise that frightens pets. Examples of pet grooming tools attachable to ordinary vacuum hoses include the devices seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,853 to Kruger, No. Des. 389,618 to Rosen, No. D444,925 to Monette, and No. 7,347,166 to Roman-Barcelo. Other publication serving as background to the present invention include U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,018 to Louison and No. D444,924 to Henning. The entire disclosures of the patents mentioned in this paragraph are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     Against the foregoing background, the present invention was developed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosure of the Invention 
     This invention provides a vacuum system that is specially adapted for use in vacuuming a pet&#39;s coat during or after grooming, including fur brushing, cutting and trimming. 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a pet vacuuming system that is quiet so as not to increase anxiety in or scare the pet being groomed. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum system that is portable. 
     A primary advantage of the present invention is that it has a grooming attachment with a smoothly curved throat to reduce noise generated by the system in the close vicinity of the pet. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that the motor and impeller are acoustically insulated to reduce noise levels. 
     Another advantage of the present system is the provision of an extra-long vacuum hose, so as to permit the canister unit containing the vacuum motor to be located remotely from the pet being groomed. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features, and further scope of applicability of the present invention will be set forth in part in the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate several embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view, from above, of the overall pet vacuum system according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2A  is a plan top view of an upper portion of the canister unit of the system according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2B  is a bottom view of the top portion of the canister unit removed from the bottom portion of the canister unit, showing selected interior features and components; 
         FIG. 2C  is a partially exploded bottom view of the top portion of the canister unit seen in  FIG. 2B , illustrating the removable engagement of a sound attenuator assembly with a vaned baffle covering the intake port of the motor-impeller assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view of the top of the grooming attachment component of the vacuum system according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of the bottom of the grooming attachment component of the vacuum system according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is an end view of the top portion of the canister unit of the system, with a portion broken away to expose selected interior features; 
         FIG. 6A  is a bottom view of the top portion of the canister unit, removed from the bottom portion, further partially exploded to show certain components and features of the system; 
         FIG. 6B  is a perspective bottom view of the top portion seen in  FIG. 6A , enlarged to show certain features associated with the intake port; and 
         FIG. 7  is a partially exploded rear view of the apparatus, showing selected components associated with the exhaust port, including a HEPA filter. 
     
    
    
     The drawings are intended to be diagrammatic only, and are not necessarily to scale either within a particular figure or between figures. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Best Modes for Carrying Out the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus and system for vacuuming a pet&#39;s coat while, or after, the pet&#39;s fur is cut, brushed or trimmed. The system allows for the pet&#39;s coat to be brushed and vacuumed simultaneously, if desired. It is contemplated that the system will find ready beneficial use in professional pet grooming salons, but its use is not so limited. The system may also find utility in the home of a pet owner, as well. The nonprofessional, such as a typical pet owner, may find beneficial use of the invention affordably and simply at home, in lieu of taking her pet to a professional groomer. In this disclosure, “pet” refers to any domesticated mammal whose fur may need grooming from time to time, but particularly includes cats and especially dogs. The terms “fur” and “hair” will be generally interchangeable in this description, but refer to the hair that grows on pets. “Coat” refers to the fur growing on the animal, and “clippings” refers to fur that has been trimmed, brushed, or cut from the animal&#39;s coat. 
     Attention is invited to  FIG. 1 , providing a perspective view of the overall system  10  according to this disclosure. There is seen a specialized vacuum canister unit  12 , a vacuum hose  30 , and a grooming attachment  50  on the distal end of the hose  30 . Overall, the system  10  operates generally in accordance with known AC-powered portable canister vacuum systems long-known in the art of vacuum cleaning devices, subject to the special modifications and improvements described herein after. The canister unit  12  contains an electric motor (not seen in  FIG. 1 ) of suitable power level for generating a vacuumed air flow through the hose  30  at an air flow discharge (cfm) generally known for vacuums of this type. The canister unit  12  housing the motor draws current (e.g., 110V AC) through a cord  13  that plugs into the usual wall outlet. Thus, when the system  10  is in use, items (particularly fur clippings) are pulled by vacuum force into the grooming attachment  50  and from there through the vacuum hose  30  and into the canister unit  12  all according to convention. The canister unit has a top portion  14  that is removably attachable atop the bottom portion  14 . Top portion  14  and bottom portion  15  preferably are mating plastic shells that, when sealably engaged together, define the overall housing for the canister unit  12 , also as known in the art. 
     Seen in  FIG. 1  are assorted brush attachments  52 ,  55 ,  56  that are removably attachable, as by frictional engagement or elastic “clip-on” or the like, to the grooming attachment  50 . The interchangeable brush attachments  52 ,  54 ,  56  have brush teeth of various and differing lengths, density, composition, etc. as known to allow the user to select and deploy a brush having brushing features adapted to the brushing task at hand. The vacuum hose  30  is similar to those known generally, except that it is longer (e.g. approximately 12 to 20 feet) than those commonly encountered; the hose  30  preferably is at least twelve feet long, so to permit the canister  12  to be located remotely from the grooming attachment  50 , and the pet being groomed thus less likely to be frightened by the noise of the motor  17 . Further, the vacuum hose  30  preferably is covered throughout at least a majority of its length with a sound-dampening, acoustically insulating cover  32 . The cover  32  may be fabricated from cloth or paper fabric, pliable plastic, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the cover  32  material is composed of, or treated with, an internal or external anti-static agent, so that the cover does not accumulate a static electricity voltage which tends to attract hair clippings and other debris. For example, the cover  32  may be fashioned from a woven fabric treated with a suitable known anti-static agent; internal antistatic agents are mixed directly into the material, external antistatic agents are applied to its surface. 
       FIG. 2A  shows the top portion  14  of the canister unit  12  in position for use.  FIG. 2B  illustrates a bottom view of the top portion of the canister unit  12  when the top portion  14  is removed from the bottom portion  15  of the canister unit. Stated differently,  FIG. 2B  depicts the top portion  14  as it would appear when disengaged from the bottom portion and inverted and viewed from above. The bottom portion  15  of the canister unit  12  serves mainly as a container for holding and receiving matter vacuumed up by the vacuum motor; a vented or filtering vacuum bag (not shown) optionally may be contained within the bottom portion  15  when the system is in use. 
     Combined reference is made to  FIGS. 2A-C . Secured within the top portion  14  of the canister unit is the electrically powered vacuum motor  17  for generating the air flow through the canister unit  12  to generate the vacuum effect in the hose  30  in a generally known manner. In prior art vacuum canister systems, the motor is a source of loud noise generated by the function of the stator, rotor, and associated electrical brush connections, as well as the rotational operation of the impeller/fan connected to the motor shaft. In the system according to this disclosure, there is disposed around the impeller assembly housing  19  (but inside the exterior shell of the top portion  14 ) a layer of acoustic insulation  20  to muffle the sound generated by the operation of the impeller and the flow of air through it. In one preferred embodiment, the layer of acoustic insulation  20  covers the impeller housing on at least three sides (as seen in  FIGS. 2A and 2B ). The acoustic insulation  20  on the outside of the assembly housing  19  covers as much of the housing as practicable. The insulation  20  preferably (but not necessarily) is a known urethane or polyurethane type foam that is sprayed into place in a viscous state, and then hardens into a firm closed cell foam layer to absorb sound effectively. 
     Also seen in  FIGS. 2B and 2C  are a sound attenuator assembly  26 . The attenuator assembly  26  includes a rigid support which mounts thereon a sheet or layer of acoustical insulation, such as a fiberfill or unwoven natural fiber pad, or a sheet of sound-absorbing polymeric foam (e.g., urethane). As seen in  FIG. 2C , the attenuator assembly  26  is removably attachable adjacent to the intake port  28  of the vacuum impeller assembly. The attenuator assembly  26  has a sliding engagement with complementary flanges on the impeller assembly housing  19 . The attenuator assembly  26 , which may secondarily act as a filter catching finer material (such as pet dander or soil particulates) in the air entering the impeller, accordingly is easily removed and replaced, allowing for frequent and convenient changing of the sound-absorbing pad or layer. The rigid support for the insulation is plastic in composition and re-usable. 
     Attention is invited to  FIG. 5 , an end view of the top portion  14  of the present system, with a portion broken away to reveal internal features of the invention. The vacuum impeller is within a casing  23  situated within the impeller assembly housing  19  according to general convention. However, in the present system, a fibrous or foam acoustic insulation  21  (for example, fiberglass or similar lofted “batting”) is provided between the impeller casing  23  and the surrounding housing  19 . The insulation is disposed so as substantially to surround as much of the impeller casing  23  a practicable. The provision of abundant insulation  21  in the space within the housing  19  and around the casing  23  (and optionally a portion of the motor  17 ) muffles effectively much of the noise generated by the motor and impeller. The overall vacuum system  10  of this disclosure accordingly is substantially quieter and less disturbing to pets. 
     A desirable feature of the presently disclosed system is shown in  FIG. 3 . The main on/off switch  54  for the vacuum motor  17  is located on the grooming attachment  50  at the distal or “working” end of the vacuum hose  30  and is in signal communication with the vacuum motor  17 . Electrical wiring running between the on/off switch  54  and the vacuum motor  17  inside the canister unit  12  complete the operational control circuit for the motor. Normally, a well-insulated wire (not seen in the drawing, but readily understood) is disposed along the vacuum hose  30 ; it may be outside the hose  30  but inside the acoustically insulating hose cover  32 . Such a wire would run from the motor on-off switch  54  along the vacuum hose and then enter into the casing for the motor  17  for electrical connection therewith. Thus the user need not be near the canister unit  12  in order to turn the vacuum motor on or off. This permits the user to operate the system even though the canister unit  12  is located a considerable distance from the user and the pet. (With a sufficiently long hose  30  and control circuit wiring, the canister  12  may even be in an adjacent room during use.) The vacuum motor  17  and the sound it generates during operation accordingly can be located remotely from, or even isolated from, the pet being groomed, thus reducing the opportunity for the motor&#39;s sound to frighten the pet. 
     Features of the grooming attachment  50  are shown in  FIG. 4 . The grooming attachment  50  is connected to the distal end of the vacuum hose  30  in any suitable manner. It is seen that the grooming attachment  50  has a body configured to permit a grooming brush  52  to be releasably attached thereto. The brush  52  is detachable and re-attachable, so that a variety of brushes  52  having different grooming characteristics can be interchangeably used upon the grooming attachment  50 . Attachment of the brush  52  may be by frictional engagement, or clip-on, or by having the brush be elastically resilient to snap into place, or the like. The teeth of the assorted different brushes can have differing bristle lengths, and/or stiffness, different numbers or configurations of bristles or teeth, etc. as known for accomplishing various grooming tasks. 
     It has been determined that in known vacuum systems featuring attachments/tools at the end of a vacuum hose, a great deal of sound energy is generated by the flow of air through the attachment tool. The sound, which can be sufficiently loud as to qualify as “noise,” is caused by turbulence in the air flow through the attachment, particularly as the air flows from the attachment into the vacuum hose. The interior throats of many known attachments have abrupt changes in diameter, relatively sharp corners, irregular contours, etc., that interrupt smooth air flow. Air flow pulled into the attachment by the action of the vacuum motor is disturbed and/or rapidly constricted inside the attachment, or as flowing from within the attachment into the distal end of the vacuum hose. Consequently, air flow through the attachment and into the vacuum hose is turbulent, resulting in comparatively high noise levels generated at the attachment itself. This is problematic when the attachment is being used to groom a pet; a pet otherwise nervous about being groomed can be terrified by a nearby noisy attachment on a vacuum system. 
     The present system ameliorates the foregoing problem of noisy attachments. A premier feature of the grooming attachment  50  according the invention is the provision of its smoothly contoured interior and throat. Referring to  FIG. 4 , the attachment mouth  59  has no abrupt changes in interior contour to upset smooth airflow, but rather has a broad, smoothly concave interior surface, for quiet airflow. The attachment&#39;s throat  60  serves as the transition for airflow from the broad mouth  59  into the vacuum hose attached to the neck  62  of the attachment  50 . The throat  60  has a gently curved funnel-like contour. The throat&#39;s gradually decreasing interior diameter promotes smooth airflow and reduces turbulence as the air transitions from the mouth  59  through the neck  62  and into the distal end of the vacuum hose, when the vacuum hose (distal end thereof) is attached to the attachment neck. Thus, the grooming attachment  50  may be fabricated such that its interior mouth  59 , throat  60 , and neck  62  are integrally molded as a single unit, e.g., of plastic or polymer, such that the interior contours of the mouth and throat present continuous transitional curves lacking sharp edges or corners, put progress smoothly from the mouth toward the neck to funnel flowing air toward the reduced interior diameter of the tube-like neck  62 . Consequently, the grooming attachment  50  is quieter in operation than known vacuum tool attachments. Pets being vacuumed using the attachment  50  are calmer, and the grooming of the coat is accomplished faster and more easily. 
     Reference is made to  FIG. 6A , a view of the underside of the top portion  14  of the canister, illustrating features of the invention associated with the intake port  28  of the vacuum motor and impeller assembly. The intake port  28  is the intake for air that is drawn by the motor and impeller assembly by the rotary action of that assembly. The intake air enters the intake port  28  at comparatively high velocities, and thus elevated sound volume. Accordingly, there is provided a semi-rigid (e.g. plastic) vaned baffle  40  in axial alignment with the intake port  28 . The baffle has a plurality of vanes  41  directed radially inward toward the center of the intake port  28  as depicted in  FIG. 6A . The vanes  41  are centrally registered with the air flow into the port  28 , and serve to direct the airflow to reduce turbulence in the air flow, thereby reducing noise levels. The attenuation assembly  26  is then removably engagable over the baffle  40  so to filter the air entering the motor-impeller assembly from the lower portion  15  of the canister unit  12 . 
     Combined reference is made to  FIGS. 6A and 6B .  FIG. 6B  offers a relatively enlarged perspective view of the intake port  28  of the motor-impeller assembly. Foam acoustic insulation  20  is provided liberally around the outside of the housing  19  to muffle sounds generated by the motor and impeller. The intake port  28  is provided circumferentially with a gently concave surround  44 . The surround  44  is fashioned from smooth plastic, and has a mild funnel shape so as to direct smoothly and with reduced turbulence the intake air entering the port  28 . The air flow enters the port  28  more quietly and is better directed across the vaned baffle  40  and from the sound suppressing attenuator assembly  26 . 
     Attention is now invited to  FIG. 7 , depicting another advantageous aspect of the invention.  FIG. 7  depicts a rear view of the overall apparatus, with selected parts removed. The impeller housing  19  is visible in the interior of the top portion  14  of the canister, and in operation air is expelled there from toward the exhaust port  69  in the exhaust port cover  64 . The exhaust port cover  64  in  FIG. 7  is seen temporarily detached from the top portion  14  to expose the short passageway through which exhaust air exits the vacuum canister. Seen at the rear of the system  10 , at the end opposite from where the hose  30  enters the canister  12 , there is a HEPA filter system provided at the exhaust port of the system. The exhaust from the system is expelled there from via exhaust ports  69  in an exhaust port cover  64 . The exhaust port cover  64  is removably and generally sealably connectable to the rear of the top portion  14  of the canister. A latch  68  may be provided for disengaging the cover  64  from the body of the top portion  14 . Air expelled by the rotary action of the impeller exits the system though the exhaust ports  69  in the port cover  64 . In a preferred embodiment, additional acoustic insulation (not shown), such as urethane foam padding or fiberfill, is disposed loosely within the interior space of the exhaust port cover  64  to further dampen the system&#39;s exhaust noise. 
     Advantageously, the exhaust port is provided with a HEPA filter  70 . The HEPA filter  70  is composed of materials generally known in the provision of such filters. When the system  10  is in use, the HEPA filter  70  is held in place between the exhaust port cover  64  and the upper portion  14  if the canister, in place against the latter where the air exist there-from toward the exhaust port  69 . The filter  70  may be held in place by being slipped between a pair of correspondingly spaced guide rails, or clipped in place, or by other suitable mode of attachment, including a rigid support mount similar to that employed in connection with the attenuation assembly  26  described hereinabove. Accordingly, air exiting the apparatus of the system is filtered by the exhaust HEPA filter  70 , preventing deleterious particles, especially pet dander, from being expelled back into the ambient air of the room where the apparatus is used. 
     Also seen in  FIG. 7  is additional acoustical insulation disposed in and around the exhaust port. The abbreviated duct in the upper canister portion  14 , seen in open section at the left portion of  FIG. 7 , passes exhaust air flow from the outlet of the impeller to the exhaust port  69 . As seen in the figure, the duct is entirely surrounded, around its exterior surfaces, by sound-absorbing material  76 . The insulation  76  may be of any suitable material composition which readily absorbs acoustic energy. For example, it may be a porous layer of non-woven synthetic fibers, or of fiberglass fibers, or similar lofted “batting” like material. The acoustic material  76  alternatively could be a urethane or polyurethane foam or the like. In all embodiments, the flow path of the exhaust air, between the fan impeller outlet and the exhaust port on the exterior of the canister  12 , is substantially surrounded by such acoustical insulation, so as to dampen the sound of the motor and airflow of the vacuum motor. The result is, again, an advantageously quite pet grooming vacuum that is less likely to upset a pet during grooming. 
     There is disclosed therefore a vacuum system  10  for grooming pets that features a vacuum canister unit having a vacuum motor  17  and a vacuum impeller assembly. The impeller assembly includes an impeller casing  23 , an assembly housing  19  at least partially surrounding the impeller casing, a first acoustic insulation  21  between the impeller casing and the assembly housing, and an intake port  28 . The system  10  has a vacuum hose  30  having a first end in fluid communication with the impeller assembly via the housing  19 . A grooming attachment  50  is attachable, preferably removably attachable, upon a distal end of the vacuum hose  30 . 
     The on/off switch  54  for turning on and off the vacuum motor  17  is located on the grooming attachment  50  and in signal communication, as by a control circuit wiring, with the vacuum motor. A sound attenuator assembly  26  preferably is removably attachable nearby or adjacent to the intake port  28  for the impeller. The attenuator assembly includes rigid or semi-rigid support, such as a plastic matrix member, mounting thereon a layer of acoustical insulation. 
     A second acoustic insulation  20  is disposed on the assembly housing to cover well the housing, for example on at least three sides of the housing. The first and second acoustic insulations preferably are a material selected from the group consisting of fibrous lofted batting (e.g. fiberglass), urethane foams, and polyurethane foams. 
     The vacuum hose  30  preferably is at least twelve feet long, such that the grooming attachment  50  when on the distal end of the hose can be in a different room from where the canister unit  12  is located during the operation of the system to groom a pet. The vacuum hose is covered along at least a majority of its length with an acoustically insulating cover  32 , which may be a woven fabric treated with an anti-static agent. 
     There is a concave surround  44  disposed circumferentially around the intake port  28  and which defines a generally funnel shape to direct smoothly the air entering the intake port. In a preferred embodiment, there is a baffle  40  in substantially axial alignment with the intake port  28 , the baffle having a plurality of vanes  41  directed radially inward toward the center of the intake port, thereby to direct airflow to the center of the intake port. The sound attenuation assembly  26  is removably engagable over the baffle  40 , the baffle thus is between the intake port and the attenuation assembly. The grooming attachment  50  preferably has a mouth portion  59  defining a broadly concave interior surface having no abrupt changes in contour, an attachment neck  62 , a throat  60  having a decreasing interior diameter defining a curved funnel-like contour serving as a transition for airflow from the grooming attachment mouth into the vacuum hose which is attached to the attachment neck  62 . 
     Although the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to these preferred embodiments, other embodiments can achieve the same results. Variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover in the appended claims herewith all such modifications and equivalents.