Abstract:
A debris collection container for a planer comprising a receptacle for storage of debris generated by a planer and a connector which connects the receptacle to a planer and through which debris can pass from the a planer to the receptacle, wherein the receptacle is provided an aperture through which the debris within the container can be removed, which aperture is sealed by cap, said cap releasably attachable to the receptacle by a bayonet type connector.

Description:
The present invention relates to a planer and in particular to debris collection containers for a planer and airflow and chip removal in a planer. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Planers comprise a body mounted on a shoe. A rotatable cutting drum is mounted within the body which is rotatingly driven by an electric motor also mounted within the body. An aperture is formed through the shoe through which part of the periphery of the cutting drum extends. Cutting blades are mounted on the drum which, as the drum rotates, periodically pass through the aperture and below the shoe. In use, the shoe is located on a work piece and the drum is rotatingly driven by the motor. When the blades pass through the aperture and move below the shoe, the blades engage with the workpiece and remove a thin slice of the workpiece from the surface of the workpiece, producing shavings or chips. Due to the rotational movement of the drum, the shavings or chips are thrown in a generally forward and upward direction in relation to the planer. One problem is the removal of the shavings or chips from the cutting area of the planer. A second problem is the collection of the shavings or chips for disposal. 
   In some designs of planer, the chips or shaving are directed using a deflector which directs the shavings or chips side ways from the planer. A fan or impeller mounted on the drive shaft of the motor can be used to generate an airflow which can be used to assist in the removal of the shavings or chips. DE19512262 discloses such a system. However, the problem with existing designs are that they are not efficient at mixing the air flow with the shavings or chips to entrain them for removal. 
   In order to collect the chips or shavings, a debris collection container is attached to the aperture through which the chips or shavings are ejected from the body of the planer. Existing designs of debris collection containers comprise a metal wire frame which is covered by a cloth bag such as a canvas bag. A tubular connector is attached to the metal wire frame and cloth bag and which can be attached to the ejection aperture so that the chips or shavings can pass through the connector from the planer to the debris collection container. A zipper is sewn into the side of the cloth bag which, when opened forms an aperture through which the shavings or chips can be emptied from the cloth bag. A problem with this design is that the hole formed by the unopened zipper is narrow making emptying the bag difficult. Furthermore, it is difficult for an operator to insert a hand into the bag to assist in the removal of the shavings or chips. The zipper can also scratch the hand of the operator. The shavings or chips can further interfere with the operation of the zipper. 
   BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly there is provided a debris collection container for a planer comprising a receptacle for storage of debris generated by a planer during its planing action and a connector attached to a releasably attachable cap which connects the receptacle to a planer and through which debris can pass from a planer to the receptacle during use wherein there is provided an aperture in the receptacle through which debris from the connector passes into the receptacle and through which the debris within the container can be removed from the receptacle, the aperture capable of being sealed by the releasably attachable cap. 
   This enables an aperture to be provided through which the receptacle can be easily filled and through which it can be easily emptied. 
   Ideally, the aperture is surrounded by a rim, the cap releasably attaching to the rim. This results in the aperture having a fixed shape and size, making it easier for debris to pass in either direction through it. Ideally, the size of the aperture is relatively large providing easy access to the inside of the receptacle. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A number of embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings of which:— 
       FIG. 1  shows a side view of the plane with the deflector removed; 
       FIG. 2  shows a side view of the planer of  FIG. 1  with deflector inserted in the planer; 
       FIG. 3  shows the design of deflector for use in the planer of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  shows a design drawing of a lengthwise vertical cross section of the planer of  FIG. 1  through the centre of the planer (excluding the motor and handle); 
       FIG. 5  shows a vertical cross section taken through the planer of  FIG. 1  at the position indicated by dashed line Z in  FIG. 2  (excluding the handle); 
       FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of the first embodiment of a debris collection container; 
       FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of the debris collection container of  FIG. 6  excluding the cloth bag and circular end piece; 
       FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of the debris collection container of  FIG. 6  with the cap detached from the receptacle; 
       FIG. 9  shows a side view of the second embodiment of the debris collection container; 
       FIG. 10  shows a side view of the debris collection container of  FIG. 9  with the cap detached; 
       FIG. 11  shows a sketch of the connection mechanism of the debris collection container of  FIG. 9 ; 
       FIG. 12  shows a sketch of a top view of the planer with the debris collection container of  FIG. 9  attached; 
       FIG. 13  shows a lengthwise vertical cross section of the second embodiment of the planer through the centre of the planer (excluding the motor and handle); 
       FIG. 14  shows a vertical cross section taken through the planer of  FIG. 13  (excluding the handle); 
       FIG. 15  shows a second downward side view of the planer of  FIG. 13  with the deflector inserted; and 
       FIG. 16  shows a vertical cross section taken through the third embodiment of the planer (excluding the handle). 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   A first embodiment of the planer will now be described with reference to  FIG. 1 to 5 . The planer comprises a body  2  having a handle  4  attached to the top of the body  2 . A cutting drum  6  is rotatingly mounted within a recess  50  in the body  2  of the planer. The body  2  of the planer is mounted on a shoe formed from two pieces  8 ,  10 . The rear part  8  is mounted rearwardly of the drum  6 . The forward part  10  is mounted forward of the drum  6 . An aperture  18  in the shoe is formed by the front  10  and rear sections of the shoe through which part  20  of the periphery of the cutting drum extends. The height of the forward part  10  of the shoe can be adjusted in relation to the body  2  by the rotation of a knob  12  mounted on the front of the body  2  of the planer. The operation of the knob  12  is well known and will not therefore be discussed any further. 
   Mounted within a cavity  14  of the body  2  of the planer is an electric motor (not shown). The electric motor rotatingly drives the cutting drum  6  via a drive belt (not shown). Cutting blades  16  are mounted within the cutting drum  6  and which cut the workpiece upon which the planer is mounted on the cutting drum rotates. The cutting blades, as the drum rotates, periodically pass through the aperture  18  and below the shoe to cut the workpiece in well known manner. The construction of the electric motor, the cutting drum  6 , the cutting blades  16  and the belt drive system are well known in the art and are therefore not discussed any further. 
   Formed through the full width of the body  2  of the planer is a tubular aperture  24 . A deflector  26  which is described in more detail below can be inserted into the aperture  24  from either side. This enables the shavings or chips to be directed to either side of the planer. A plastic cap (not shown) is used to seal up the other aperture. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , the deflector  26  in accordance with the present invention is shown. The deflector  26  comprises two sections  28 ,  30 . The first outer section  28  is a tube of circular cross-section which, when the deflector  26  is inserted into the aperture  24  of the planer, projects from the body  2  of the planer as shown in  FIG. 2 . The second section  30  is a curved section. The curved section has a substantially U-shaped cross-section which forms a trough which curves over its length. The sides  32  of the U-shaped curved trough have been flattened as best seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . This results in a ridge  34  along the length of the curved section  30  where the flat surface  32  meets with a curved surface  36  of the U-shaped cross section. The shape of the cross-section of the curved section  30  of the deflector  26  is such that it fits snugly into the aperture  24  in the side wall of the body  2  of the planer in order to hold the deflector securely and prevent it from rotating within the aperture  24 . Formed between the two sections  28 ,  30  is an annular rib  38  which surrounds the circumference of the deflector  26 . The outer diameter of the annular rib  38  is greater than the diameter of the aperture  24  and thus prevents the deflector  26  from being inserted too far into the planer. When the deflector  26  is located within the body  2  of the planer, the rib  38  abuts against a side wall of the body  2  of a planer, the tubular section  28  remaining outside of the body. The rib  38  is angled as shown by axis  35  in relation to the longitudinal axis  33  of the tubular section  28  so that it is less than ninety degrees as shown in  FIG. 3 . This is to allow the tubular section to point upwards when located within the body of the planer. The deflector  26  is formed as a one-piece construction and is made from plastic molded into the appropriate shape. 
   Mounted on the drive spindles of the motor is a fan (not shown) which generates an airflow. The air is directed into a cavity  40  formed in the body of the planer. The air then passes through a conduit  42  over the top wall  44  which forms the top wall of the aperture  24 . The direction of the airflow is indicated by the Arrows W. The airflow is then directed downwardly to an area  46  in the body  2  forward of the wail  48  of the recess  50  in which the drum  6  is mounted. An expulsion aperture  52  is formed in the wall  48  of the recess  50  forward of the cutting drum  6  through which any debris created by the cutting action of the blades  16  would be thrown by the rotating blades  16 . The airflow is directed with the body to a point below the expulsion aperture  52  in the wall of the recess and is directed to be blown across the aperture  52  within the body in a direction having an acute angle to the direction of travel of any debris (shown by Arrow T) in order to entrain the debris in the airflow within the body. 
   The airflow and entrained debris is directed upwardly until it engages with the underside of the curved section  30  of the deflector  26  which is located within the aperture  24  when the planer is in use. The airflow and entrained debris is then directed out of the side of the planer through the tubular section  28  and into a debris collection container. 
   A second embodiment of the planer will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 13 to 15 . Where the same features are shown in second embodiment as those in the first, the same reference numbers have been used. The second embodiment is exactly the same as the first embodiment except that the curved section  30  of the deflector forms the lower wall of the conduit  42  through which the airflow is directed over the deflector  26 . The aperture has no upper wall within the body  2  of the planer. 
   When the deflector  26  is located within the aperture  24 , the flat side walls  32  of the deflector  26  engage with internal walls  54  of the body and form an air tight seal preventing air which is passing over the deflector  26  from traveling between the flat walls  32  of the deflector and the internal wall  54  of the body ensuring it travels forward and downward to the point  46  below the expulsion aperture  52  for entraining the debris. 
   Because the deflector  26  is angled downwardly by the angle  35  of the rib  38  being non perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  33  of the deflector, a large cavity is formed above the deflector  26  allowing air to easily pass over the top of the deflector  26 .  FIG. 15  shows a planer according to the second embodiment. The curve section  30  can be seen through the entrance of the aperture  24 . 
   A third embodiment of the planer will now be described with reference to  FIG. 16 . Where the same features are shown in second embodiment as those in the first, the same reference numbers have been used. The second embodiment is exactly the same as the first embodiment except that a secondary vent  56  has been added within the body above the area  46  in the body  2  forward of the wall  48  of the recess  50  in which the drum  6  is mounted. The secondary vent  56  directs air into the path of the air with entrained debris at an acute angle approximately at the same height as the top of the expulsion aperture  52  formed in the wall  48  of the recess  52  forward of the cutting drum  6  through which any debris created by the cutting action of the blades  16  would be thrown by the rotating blades  16 . It will be appreciated that the vent  56  can be located slightly lower down relative to the adjacent the aperture  52 . 
     FIGS. 6 to 8  show the first embodiment of the debris collection container which can be used with any of the three embodiments of planer previously described. The debris collection container comprises two sections, an end cap section  60  and the receptacle  70 . The end cap section  60  is manufactured in a one-piece construction from transparent plastic. The end cap section  60  comprises a tubular connection section  62  which connects to the first tubular section  28  of the deflector  26 . The tubular connection section  62  has a circular aperture (not shown) at one end whilst the other end meets with a dome shaped section or part spherical section  64 . The dome shaped section  64  comprises a rim  66  which surrounds a large aperture formed in the base of the dome shape section  64 . The rim  66  comprises an L-shaped slot  68  which forms part of a bayonet connection system for use in connecting the end cap section  60  to the receptacle  70 . Air and entrained debris pass through the aperture in the end of the tubular connection section  62 , through the tubular connection section  62  and into the dome shape section  64  before being expelled from the end cap section  60  through the large aperture in the base of the dome  64 . The shape of the dome is such that it acts as a deflector, bending the air and entrained debris through ninety degrees so that the air and entrained debris are travelling perpendicular to the direction they were travelling in when they were passing through the tubular connection section  62 . By constructing the dome shape section  64  in transparent plastic, the operator of the planer can look into the debris collection container to determine how full container is. Furthermore, as the planer is operating, the operator will be able to see the entrained debris passing through the tubular connection section  62  and pass through the dome section thereby enabling the operator to see that the planer is working correctly. 
   The receptacle  70  comprises a one end an annular plastic ring  72  which surrounds a large circular aperture which forms of the entrance to the receptacle  70 . The annular plastic ring  72  is divided lengthwise into two halves, a front half  74  having a diameter less than that of the in the diameter of the rim  66  of the dome shaped section  64  of the end cap section  60 , and a second rear half  76  having a diameter equal to that of the outer diameter of the rim of the dome shape section  64  of the end cap section  60 . A lip  78  is formed between the front and rear sections  74 ,  76  which abuts against the side of the rim of the dome shaped section  64  of the end cap section  60  when the end cap section is connected to the receptacle. Two pins  80  project radially outwardly from the surface of the front half. The pins are used as part of a bayonet connection to connect the end cap section to the receptacle by sliding into the L-shaped slot  68  formed in the rim  66  of the end cap section in connecting receptacle to the end cap section  60  in well known manner. 
   Located at the other end of the receptacle is a circular end piece  82  formed from plastic. The circular end piece forms a base of the receptacle and can be manufactured from transparent plastic material to enable an operator to view inside the receptacle from the base. The circular end piece  82  has a diameter which is the same as that of the annular plastic ring  72 . A helical spring  84  having the same diameter as that of the annular plastic ring  72  and the circular end piece  82  connects between the annular plastic ring  72  and the circular end piece  82  and holds the relative positions of the two parts. A tubular shaped cloth bag  86  connects between the plastic annular ring  72  and the circular end piece  82  and surrounds the helical spring. The spring acts to maintain the shape of the circular receptacle and to keep the circular cloth sheaf in shape. 
   Formed on the annular plastic ring is a plastic catch  88 . Formed on the circular end piece is a U-shaped plastic loop  90  which extends from that the circular end piece  82  towards the annular plastic ring  72 . The location of the U-shaped plastic loop  90  results in that when that the helical spring  84  is compressed by moving the circular end piece  82  towards the annular plastic ring  72 , the loop  90  engages with and attaches to the plastic catch  88 . This is ideal for storage. During use, the U-shaped plastic loop  90  is released from the catch and allows the helical spring  84  to bias the circular end piece  82  away from the annular plastic ring  72  to maximize the volume of space within the receptacle  70 . The helical spring maintains the shape of the receptacle the relative positions of the plastic annular is ring  72  and the circular end piece  82 . However, due to the resilient nature of the helical spring  84 , the structure allows some relative movements between the two enabling flexibility within the receptacle. However, when the receptacle is not in use, the helical spring  84  can be compressed so that the circular end piece  82  is moved towards the annular plastic ring  72  until the U-shaped plastic loop  90  engages with the plastic catch  88  to secure the circular end piece  82  to the annular ring  72  maintaining the helical spring  84  under compression and substantially reducing the volume of the space within the receptacle. This is ideal for storage purposes. 
   In use, the tubular connection section of the end cap is connected to the deflector  26  on the planer. The receptacle  70  is connected to the end cap section by use of the bayonet connector. The circular end piece  82  is disconnected from the catch  88  on the annular plastic ring  72  to allow the helical spring  84  to bias the circular end piece  82  away from the plastic annular ring  72  generating the shape of the container. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 9 to 11 , a second embodiment of the debris collection container is shown. The debris collection container comprises an end cap  100  and a receptacle  102  which is capable of being attached to the end cap  100 . The end cap  100  is manufactured in a one-piece construction from transparent plastic. The end cap  100  comprises a tubular connection section  104  which connects to the first outer section  28  of the deflector  26 . The tubular connection section  104  has a circular aperture at one end whilst the other end meets with a dome shaped or semi-spherical section  106 . The dome shape section  106  is mounted on a rectangular base  108  which comprises a rectangular rim  110  which surrounds a large aperture formed in the base of the dome shape section  106 . The rim  110  comprises a T-shaped slot  112  which forms part of a connection system for use in connecting the end cap  100  to the receptacle  102 . Air and entrained debris pass through the aperture in the end of the tubular connection section  104 , through the tubular connection section and into the dome shape section  106  before being expelled from the end cap  100  through the large aperture in the base  108  of the dome. The shape of the dome  106  is such that it acts as a deflector for the air and entrained debris and causes it to bend through ninety degrees so that the air and entrained debris are travelling perpendicular to the direction they were travelling in when they were passing through the tubular connection section  104 . By constructing the end cap  100  in transparent plastic, the operator of the planer can look into the debris collection container to determine how full the container is. Furthermore, as the planer is operating, the operator will be able to see the entrained debris passing through the tubular connection section and pass through the dome section thereby enabling the operator to see that the planer is working correctly. 
   The receptacle comprises a rectangular plastic frame  114  which acts as an entrance for the receptacle  102 . Attached to the rectangular plastic frame  114  is a large rectangular metal frame (not shown) made from stiff metal wire which forms of the structure of the receptacle. Attached to the rectangular plastic frame  114  and covering the large rectangular metal frame is a bag  116  made from cloth. The use of a cloth bag covering a metal frame is well know whether such will not be discussed any further. 
   Mounted within the rectangular plastic frame are two C shaped locking members  118  as shown in  FIG. 11  which are used to lock the receptacle  102  tote end cap  100 . The method of mounting is not shown. The two C shaped locking members  118  are mounted within the rectangular plastic frame  114  so that the ends  120  of each of the two arms of the C shaped locking members  118  face each other as shown in  FIG. 11 . Formed on the ends of the two arms of the two C shaped locking members  118  are pegs  122  which project outwardly. Helical springs  124  are mounted between the ends  120  of each pair of corresponding arms in order to bias the two C shaped locking members  118  outwardly away from each other as indicated by Arrows X. Rods  126  are mounted within the helical springs to keep the helical springs  124  in position. Holes are formed within the rectangular plastic frame to enable the fingers of an operator to engage with the two C shaped locking members to push them towards each other against the biasing force of the springs  124 . 
   In order to attach the receptacle  102  to the end cap  100 , an operator would squeeze the two C shaped locking members  118  together against the biasing force of the springs  124  moving the pegs  122  formed on the ends  120  of the arms  118  of each of the two C shaped locking mechanisms  118  towards each other. Whilst held in this position, the pegs  122  are able to pass through the entrance of the T-shaped slot  112  in the end cap  100 . The operator can then the push the end cap  100  towards the receptacle  102 , the pegs  122  moving further into the T-shaped slot  112  until they become aligned with the top section of the T-shaped slot  112 . The operator then releases the C shaped locking members  118  to allow them to move outwardly due to the biasing force of the springs  124  causing the pegs  122  to travel outwardly in the top section of the T-shaped slot  112  thus locking the receptacle  102  to the end cap  100 . 
     FIG. 12  shows they view of the second embodiment of the debris collection container attached to the planer. As can be seen, the debris collection container is located along side the planer and the longitudinal axis  132  of the debris container extends in parallel to the longitudinal axis  130  of the planer.