Abstract:
An apparatus for removing fluids from a vacuum flow path comprises a body defining a containment chamber having an inlet port connectable to a vacuum hose and a barrier wall within the containment chamber isolating a transfer chamber within the containment chamber. The containment chamber has an outlet port connectable to a vacuum hose. The transfer port has a suction port fluidicly connecting the transfer chamber and the containment chamber. The apparatus further comprises a float positioned below the transfer port and adapted to be raised into sealing contact with the transfer port as a fluid level in the containment chamber rises.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners in general and in particular to a method and attachment for vacuuming liquids to as to prevent the liquids from entering the vacuum cleaner. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Vacuum cleaners are typically provided with a flexible hose that is connectable to a pick-up nozzle at one end and to a housing at the other end. The housing accommodates the filters for trapping the waste solid particles and an electric motor. An electrical cord for the electric motor protrudes out of the housing and is attachable to an external electric supply port. During operation, when the motor is switched on, air stream carrying the solid particles is sucked in through the nozzle and passed through the filter. The filter traps the solid particles substantially and the air stream is released back to the ambience. 
         [0005]    During the common processes of cleaning of floors and carpets by vacuum cleaners, often liquid gets sucked into the flexible hose through the pick-up nozzle. Many vacuum cleaners are specifically designed to suck in liquids as well, such as during wet floor or wet carpet cleaning. However, the electrical and electronic parts of the vacuum cleaners are prone to getting damaged by the liquids. Removal of the liquid from the air stream is even otherwise required before the air stream is released back to the ambience. Hence, vacuum cleaners with wet pick-up attachments are also widely available. Such wet pick-up attachments operate on various kinds of mechanisms and are available in various designs. Some of the attachments have a float operated valve that closes in response to a predetermined liquid level in a collection tank for preventing the liquid from reaching the critical parts. Baffle plates and filters are generally provided to trap the incoming liquid from the incoming air stream. Generally after the collection tank, the air stream passes through a filter that substantially retains the solid particles contained in the air stream and thereafter the air stream reaches the critical operating part such as the electric motor. 
         [0006]    Some vacuum cleaners have the wet pick-up attachment installed in the pick-up nozzle. This generally makes it heavy for the user to handle and maneuver during the process of cleaning. In such cases, the sizes of such attachments also need to be significantly small to fit into the nozzle, thereby having limited one-time liquid collecting capacity. Advantageously, some other vacuum cleaners have the wet pick-up attachment installed within the housing. Various kinds of arrangements are used for the wet pick-up attachments in the art. 
         [0007]    As understood from the application, the wet pickup attachment desirably needs to be light and easy to be maintained by the user. The design of the attachment should be such that the efficiency of removing the liquid from the air stream is high, while the resistance offered to the suction power of the vacuum cleaner is minimal. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    According to a first embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed an apparatus for removing fluids from a vacuum flow path comprising a body defining a containment chamber having an inlet port connectable to a vacuum hose and a barrier wall within the containment chamber isolating a transfer chamber within the containment chamber. The containment chamber has an outlet port connectable to a vacuum hose. The transfer port has a suction port fluidicly connecting the transfer chamber and the containment chamber. The apparatus further comprises a float positioned below the transfer port and adapted to be raised into sealing contact with the transfer port as a fluid level in the containment chamber rises. 
         [0009]    The float may be substantially spherical. The float may be located within a guide positioned below the transfer port. The guide may comprise a cage. 
         [0010]    The apparatus may further comprise at least one baffle member locatable between the inlet port and the transfer port. The at least one baffle may include perforations therethrough. The at least one baffle member may comprise two baffle members. The at least one baffle member may be selectably removable. 
         [0011]    The body may include a selectably removable lid. At least one of the at least one baffle member is sized and positioned to support the lid. 
         [0012]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention there is disclosed a method for removing fluids from a flow path through a vacuum hose path comprising providing a body defining a containment chamber having an inlet port in fluidic communication with the vacuum hose. The method further comprises isolating a transfer chamber within the containment chamber. The containment chamber has an outlet port connectable to a vacuum hose. The transfer port has a suction port fluidicly connecting the transfer chamber and the containment chamber. The method further comprises providing a suction pressure at the outlet port so as to draw a liquid and gaseous mixture into the containment chamber though the inlet port; and floating a float at a fluid surface at a location to engage and obstruct the transfer port when a predetermined fluid volume is located within the containment chamber. 
         [0013]    Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention wherein similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view, 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a representation of a possible configuration of the proposed device as assembled within the parts of a vacuum cleaner, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a is a perspective interior view of the device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the device being for removing liquid from the air stream carrying other waste solid particles. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the device in  FIG. 2  and along the cutline A-A′ and when viewed from the direction shown by the arrows on the cutline. In this configuration the float is towards the bottom of the cage. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the device in  FIG. 2  and along the cutline A-A′ and when viewed from the direction shown by the arrows on the cutline. In this configuration the float is towards the top of the cage. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    The following description presents several preferred embodiments of the present invention in sufficient detail such that those skilled in the art can make and use the invention. 
         [0020]    Before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it should be noted that all of the figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present invention only. The extension of the figures with respect to the number, position, relationship and dimension of the parts of the preferred embodiment will be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional proportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength and similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a representation of a possible configuration of the assembly of the proposed device  100  with a vacuum cleaner. According to this arrangement, the conventional pick-up nozzle  80  is connected to the flexible hose  90  and the hose  90  in turn is connected to an inlet port  2  of the proposed device  100 . An outlet port  22  of the device  100  is connected to the housing  110  of the vacuum cleaner that accommodates the solid particle filter and the electric motor (not shown). The electrical cable  120  shown is for connecting to a power supply for switching the motor ‘on’ when the vacuum cleaner is in use. The device  100  is designed for removing liquid from the air stream and other waste solid particles that are being sucked into the hose  90 . 
         [0022]    A preferred embodiment of the proposed device  100  is illustrated with the  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 4 . The device  100  is shown as a container  26  that accommodates the elements required to perform the function of the device  100 .  FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the interior of the proposed device  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Herein, the container  26  is shown as a cuboid, with its top and front walls opened up to get the inner view.  FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the proposed device  100  along the cutline A-A′ and when viewed from the direction shown by the arrows with the cutline. In this configuration the float  20  is towards the bottom of the cage  18  when a pool  10  of the liquid is at a lower level.  FIG. 4  represents  FIG. 3  when the float  20  is towards the top of the cage  18  when the pool  10  of the liquid is at a higher level. 
         [0023]    As shown in the  FIGS. 2 to 4 , in this embodiment the container  26  comprises an aperture along a side wall to serve as the inlet port  2 . Similarly another aperture is provided on the opposite side wall to serve as the outlet port  22 . Within the container  26 , two baffle plates  4  and  5  are provided in upright positions. Each of the baffle plates  4  and  5  is provided with a series of through holes  6  all over the surface. The container  26  is partitioned into a first chamber  28  and a second chamber  30  by the two blocking plates  12  and  14 . A cage  18  is suspended from the blocking plate  12 . As the name suggests, the cage  18  is well perforated and contains the float  20 . The top of the cage  18  has an opening  16  for the first chamber  28  to communicate with the second chamber  30 . 
         [0024]    With reference to the  FIGS. 1 to 4 , during the operation of the vacuum cleaner with the motor being ‘on’, the air stream carrying the liquid and the waste solid particles enter the hose  90  and then the inlet port  2 . In the  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the solid arrows indicate the flow of the air stream carrying the waste solid particles and the dashed arrows indicate the path for the liquid. This liquid would generally also carry some solid waste particles. In the first chamber  28 , the air stream collides against the first baffle plate  4  where the liquid tends to form droplets and trickle down the surface of the first baffle plate  4 . The air stream along with the waste solid particles pass through the holes  6  in this baffle plate  4  under the suction power of the motor. The air stream then faces the second baffle plate  5  causing more liquid to trickle down the surface of the second baffle plate  5  while the air stream with the waste solid particles pass through the holes  6  in the second baffle plate  5 . The suction power of the motor causes the air stream carrying the solid particles to proceed through the cage  18  to the second chamber  30  via the cage opening  16 . The air stream finally passes out of the outlet port  22  to the housing  110  where the solid particles are filtered. 
         [0025]    The liquid that trickles down the surfaces of the baffle plates  4  and  5  forms a pool  10  at the bottom of the container  26  and in the first chamber  28 . Thus the accumulated liquid is retained in the first chamber  28  while the air stream substantially along with the waste solid particles enters the second chamber  30 . As more and more liquid gets collected at the bottom of the container  26 , the height of the pool  10  rises and eventually the float  20  starts floating in the pool  10  while still remaining within the cage  18 . With the further increase in height of the pool  10 , the float  20  eventually goes up and blocks the cage opening  16 . This is when the air stream is unable to reach the second chamber  30 , hence there is substantially no suction power of the vacuum cleaner felt at the nozzle  80 . The communication between the first chamber  28  and the second chamber  30  gets closed and the pool  10  in the device  100  may be drained out for a fresh start. The draining out may be done by disconnecting the device  100  from this assembly and draining the fluid from the inlet port  2 . The liquid forming the pool  10  that is drained out also carries some of the waste solid particles. 
         [0026]    Optionally, an alarm indicator (not shown) may be provided with the device  100  for indicating predetermined levels of the height of the pool  10 , so that the user can decide when to drain out the accumulated liquid. It may be appreciated that as the height of the pool  10  rises and the float  20  goes up, the suction power of the motor progressively decreases at the pick-up nozzle  80 . 
         [0027]    Although herein the device  100  is shown to be installed outside the housing  110 , according to other methods of assembly, the device  100  may as well be accommodated inside the housing  110 , before the filter for the solid particles and the electric motor in the housing  110 . 
         [0028]    It may be appreciated that when in operation, the device  100  needs to be maintained in an upright position such that the float  20  can go up with the increasing height of the pool  10  and eventually block the cage opening  16 . Hence, it may be noted that the device  100  cannot be installed within the pick-up nozzle  80  or in the hose  90  as the user is likely to change orientation of these during the process of cleaning. 
         [0029]    It may also be appreciated that with the device  100  being in the upright position, the height of the inlet port  2  needs to be high enough such that the liquid does not flow out from it even when the height of the pool  10  is at its maximum so as to block the cage opening  16  with the float  20 . Once the float  20  blocks the cage opening  16 , the suction power of the vacuum cleaner drastically reduces, hence no further increase in the height of the pool  10  is expected. The inlet port  2  needs to have suitable method of coupling with the flexible hose  90 , without causing substantial leakage during the process of suction. 
         [0030]    The inlet port  2  at the interior of the container  26  may be suitably designed so as to spread out the release of the air stream inside the first chamber  28 . This will help in using more surface area of the baffle plates  4  and  5  for blocking the liquid and directing it towards the bottom of the first chamber  28 . 
         [0031]    While the inlet port  2  needs to be at a reasonable height, operationally there is no criterion for the height of the outlet port  22 . Keeping its height to a lower level will provide greater stability to the device  100  by lowering its centre of gravity. However, keeping its height higher up is likely to shorten the path of the air stream within the device  100  thereby creating lesser dampening effect on the suction power of the vacuum pump at the nozzle  80 . The outlet port  22  needs to have suitable method of coupling with the housing  110 , without causing substantial leakage during the process of suction. 
         [0032]    Although the outlet port  22  has been shown to be on the opposite wall of the inlet port  2 , it may be appreciated that this is not a must. The outlet port  22  may be positioned on some other wall as well if convenient for any specific reason and if the outlet port  22  remains to be communicative with the second chamber  30 . 
         [0033]    The baffle plates  4  and  5  may be detachable from the device  100  for cleaning or for any other purpose. Slots  8  are shown along the walls, of the container  26  so that the baffle plates  4  and  5  can simply be inserted into the slots  8 . Any other arrangement for holding the baffle plates  4  and  5  within the container  26  may also be useful. The holding of the baffle plates  4  and  5  inside the container  26  need to be stable enough to withstand the pressure of the incoming air stream. 
         [0034]    The baffle plates  4  and  5  may desirably be made of a light material for easy handling and cleaning. The surfaces of the baffle plates  4  and  5  may be chosen to be such that they easily de-wet with the common liquids that are expected to be sucked in with the air stream. This will help the liquid to form droplets and trickle down faster to get collected in the pool  10 . The baffle plate  4  may be of full height to support the top wall of the container  26  or the lid. The second baffle plate  5  may be shorter to allow the air stream to pass over its top, thereby facilitating settling??. 
         [0035]    In the figures, two baffle plates  4  and  5  are shown. However, only the first baffle plate  4  could suffice. Similarly, more than two baffle plates  4  and  5  may also be useful for removing the liquid from the air stream more efficiently. However, higher the number of baffle plates used, more is the resistance offered to the air stream hence lesser is the suction power of the motor felt at the nozzle  80 . 
         [0036]    The spacing between the baffle plates  4  and  5  may be suitably determined so as to optimize between the efficiency of the suction power of the vacuum cleaner and removal of the liquid from the air stream. 
         [0037]    The two sets of holes  6  in the two baffle plates  4  and  5  remain misaligned with each other when the two baffle plates  4  and  5  are inserted in their respective slots  8 . This feature is helpful since the air stream coming out of the holes  6  in the first baffle plate  4  hit the surface of the second baffle plate  5  and more liquid trickles down this surface. The air stream then passes out of the holes  6  in this second baffle plate  5 . 
         [0038]    The liquid may be drained out from the input port  2  by tilting the device  100  suitably. However, for convenience an additional drain port (not shown) may be provided at the bottom wall of the container  26  and in the first chamber  28 , for opening to drain out the liquid and keeping it closed otherwise. 
         [0039]    The float  20  has been shown to be spherical as this is generally the preferred shape for blocking the cage opening  16 . However, other shapes may also be useful provided the function of blocking the cage opening  16  is successfully executed with the rising height of the pool  10 . 
         [0040]    It may be appreciated that the weight of the float  20  needs to be such that it easily floats on the kinds of liquids likely to be accumulated in the pool  10 . 
         [0041]    The surface of the cage  18  towards the second partition wall  14  may be made blocked for more efficiently directing the air stream upwards and towards the cage opening  16 . The shape of the cage  18  towards the second partition wall  14  may be flat instead of curved as shown in the figures. This flat surface may be attached to the second partition wall  14  thereby blocking the path for the air stream. 
         [0042]    The perforations in the cage  18  may be as high as possible to allow the air stream to flow in and out of the cage opening  16  with minimal resistance. The purpose of the cage  18  is only to accommodate the float  20  under the cage opening  16  such that when the height of the pool  10  rises, the liquid enters the cage  18  as well, thereby lifting the float  20  until it blocks the cage opening  16 . 
         [0043]    The relative positions and sizes of the inlet port  2 , the baffle plates  4  and  5 , the partition walls  12  and  14 , the cage  18  and the outlet port  22  may be suitably designed keeping in view the dynamics of the air stream so that minimal loss in the suction power of the vacuum pump is caused. Factors such as the sizes of the holes  6 , their positions along the surface areas of the baffle plates  4  and  5 , the height of the second baffle plate  5  would also affect the dynamics of the air stream. 
         [0044]    The container  26  may preferably be made of a light material for ease of handling. The material of the container  26  may preferably be substantially transparent so that the height of the pool  10  can be visible to the user even if the alarm indicator is not available or is not functional. Besides, any other abnormality happening inside can also be noted. The abnormality may be like one or both of the baffle plates  4  and  5  having got disengaged from the slots  8  or for some reason the float  20  is not able to block the cage opening  16 . 
         [0045]    The side walls of the container  26  may not necessarily be upright as shown in the figures. Slanted side walls may also be useful. 
         [0046]    The size of the device  100  may be suitably chosen based on the application. Higher the rate of liquid collection, bigger is the size required. An exemplary size may be such as a length×width×height of about 14×10×9 cubic inches. 
         [0047]    Although the elements in the device are rugged and unlikely to require replacement, yet for the benefit of the users the elements such as the baffle plates  4  and  5 , the slots  8 , the cage  18  and the float  20  may be made available as spare parts. 
         [0048]    All the elements in the device  100  may desirably be made of substantially inert materials which are unlikely to get corroded even if the liquid in the air stream is of corrosive nature. 
         [0049]    As to further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
         [0050]    While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims.