Abstract:
An inlet apparatus for central vacuum cleaning systems is described that can be integrated with registers commonly used with heating and air conditioning vents in residential or commercial buildings. In particular, the apparatus opens to provide a vacuum inlet that will either remove debris directly, or through an attached hose, using the suction provided by the connected conventional central vacuum cleaning system. The apparatus contains a register body and an inlet that can be integrated with the conventional pipe ductwork used for central vacuum cleaning systems. The apparatus will seal closed when not in use in order to provide full suction to any other inlet currently in use.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to central vacuum cleaning systems, specifically to an inlet that can be integrated with registers commonly used with heating and air conditioning vents in residential or commercial buildings.  
         [0002]     Central vacuum cleaning systems are becoming more common in residential housing and commercial buildings. Central vacuum cleaning systems are comprised of a main power and debris receptacle usually located in a remote location such as a basement or garage, a system of pipe ductwork which extends beneath the floor and between the walls to inlets located throughout the residential or commercial unit, and a hose with an assortment of wands or brush attachments. A provision is made for each inlet to automatically seal closed when not in use in order to provide full suction to any other inlet currently in use.  
         [0003]     Central vacuum cleaning systems have experienced growth in popularity due to many factors such as increased vacuum power, convenience, effect on increasing the value of a home, and decreasing the noise by locating the power unit remotely. Another driver for the recent growth of demand for central vacuum cleaning systems can be linked to the increase in consumer awareness of the dangers of indoor air quality. Recent studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency indicate that indoor levels of many air pollutants may be two to five times higher, and occasionally up to 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. These are staggering figures, especially given that most people spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors. As a result, the EPA has declared indoor air quality as one of the top five most urgent environmental risks to public health.  
         [0004]     According to the American Lung Association, poor indoor air quality can cause or contribute to lung disease, including respiratory tract infections, asthma, and lung cancer. In addition, poor indoor air quality can cause headaches, dry eyes, nasal congestion, nausea and fatigue. The American Lung Association further reports that lung disease claims close to 335,000 lives in America every year and is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Over the last decade, the death rate for lung disease has risen faster than almost any other major disease. It is also estimated that as much as 25 percent of the United States population suffers from allergy symptoms. The EPA studies show that asthma is the leading chronic illness of children in the United States, afflicting 6.3 million children. The studies also show that asthma deaths and the number of Americans diagnosed with asthma continue to increase each year, afflicting over 20 million Americans and causing nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma.  
         [0005]     As a result of the increased awareness of the importance of home air quality to public health, consumers are increasingly looking for products with recent enhancements such as high-efficiency particulate air, HEPA, and ultra-low penetration air, ULPA, filters in an attempt to trap pollutants. Unfortunately, high efficiency filters such as HEPA and ULPA do not adequately solve the problem of poor air quality in the home. The air pollutants trapped by these filters remain in the home until the filter is otherwise disposed of or cleaned. This means the pollutants could remain in the home for months depending upon replacement or cleaning intervals. In addition, during the filter replacement or cleaning process, the consumer is directly exposed to the pollutants.  
         [0006]     To address the deficiencies in the traditional filtration approaches for removing air pollutants, consumers have turned to central vacuum cleaning systems. These systems are often recommended for allergy sufferers because they can prevent allergens from being re-circulated inside the home. In addition, central vacuum cleaning systems are recommended for reducing triggers for asthma such as microscopic dust mites, pollen, and animal dander. The Environmental Health Center of the National Safety Council recommends keeping the house clean by using a vacuum system that can be vented to the outside of the residence, such as a central vacuum cleaning system. Dirt and pollutants are sucked through the pipe ductwork to the main unit located away from the living areas of the residence. The debris can then be stored in a bag or directly exhausted outdoors, preventing the consumer from inhaling any vacuum emissions.  
         [0007]     Central vacuum cleaning systems provide a clear step towards maintaining a clean and healthy environment in the home. However, the price and complexity of installation make such systems difficult for the majority of consumers to obtain. In most cases, professional installation is required due to the complexity of installing the pipe ductwork through the walls and floors of an existing home. This adds significant cost to the system, making them accessible primarily to the upper end housing industry. Home builders are beginning to recognize the growing awareness of central vacuum cleaning systems, and have begun to pre-pipe upper end new construction homes for these systems in an effort to provide additional value to potential buyers. While this decreases the system installation cost for the buyer of a new construction home, it does not solve the problems faced by consumers in existing homes or less costly new homes who must still pay the high installation charges to have their home retrofitted for a system. In addition, central vacuum cleaning systems are mostly permanent installations in that only the main power and debris receptacle could potentially be moved from one residence to another. The consumer would not be able to relocate the numerous inlets and extensive pipe ductwork that have been permanently installed throughout the walls and floors. In making the decision to purchase a central vacuum cleaning system, the consumer must consider issues such as property ownership and the length of planned residence to determine if a system should be installed.  
         [0008]     Current inlets for central vacuum cleaning systems do not adequately attempt to simplify or decrease the cost of system installations. These inlets are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,721 to Wall; U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,967 to Graham; U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,299 to Ward; U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,170 to Hayden; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,841 to Houston. Each of them must be mounted to a wall, baseboard, or floor in the home. Consequently, a skilled professional must be used to retrofit an existing home for a central vacuum cleaning system due to the complexity of running pipe ductwork through floors and walls to be connected to these inlets. There is therefore a need for an economical inlet that will facilitate simplistic and lower cost installations of vacuum cleaning systems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     In its basic concept this invention provides an inlet for a central vacuum cleaning system that will be simple enough for a novice or do-it-yourself consumer to install a system without the high cost of professional installation or the degree of modification required to the residence for current system installations. This invention will leverage the existing air ducts, also called register boots, used in heating and air conditioning, or HVAC, systems by coupling the traditional register with an inlet for the central vacuum cleaning system. By doing so, modifications to the structure of the residence are minimized as pipe ductwork for the central vacuum cleaning system can be fed through the register boot in the floor. This invention therefore has simplified the installation of central vacuum cleaning systems through the convenient and easy replacement of the traditional register for this new invention. It will no longer be necessary for the pipe ductwork to be installed within walls or floors in order to reach the traditional inlets, thereby eliminating any modifications to walls, baseboards, or floors as previously required by traditional central vacuum cleaning installations. In addition, by minimizing the modifications required to the residence, this invention contributes to enabling the central vacuum cleaning system to be moved from one residence to another, thereby allowing consumers to keep their investment in such systems as they relocate.  
         [0010]     Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an inlet that is easy to install in either existing or new construction, residential or commercial.  
         [0011]     Another object of this invention is to provide an inlet that will contribute to the installation of a central vacuum cleaning system with less modification to the residential or commercial structure.  
         [0012]     Another object of this invention is to provide an inlet that will contribute to the ability to move a central vacuum cleaning system from one residential or commercial structure to another.  
         [0013]     Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings for a better understanding of the invention, both as to its organization and function, with the illustrations being of preferred embodiments, but being only exemplary, and in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a register inlet apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the inlet in its open position.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  but showing the inlet in its closed position.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective assembly view of the register inlet apparatus showing the register base, the inlet, and the coupler from the inlet to the central vacuum pipe ductwork.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a front elevation, partly in cross section, showing how an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention can be mounted in the register boot of a typical heating and air conditioning system.  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of an inlet similar to the one shown in  FIG. 3  but illustrating an alternative solenoid embodiment of the invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of an inlet similar to the one shown in  FIG. 3  but illustrating an alternative spring embodiment of the invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  is a back perspective view of an attachment that will allow a standard vacuum hose to connect to the inlet illustrated in the previous figures.  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the register inlet apparatus illustrating how the attachment shown in  FIG. 7  could connect to the inlet.  
         [0023]      FIG. 9  is a front perspective view of the register, showing an alternative inlet embodiment, with an inlet cover in an open position, wherein a standard vacuum hose could be connected to the integrated inlet.  
         [0024]      FIG. 10  is a front perspective view of the register inlet embodiment of  FIG. 9 , but with the inlet cover in a closed position.  
         [0025]      FIG. 11  is a bottom perspective of the register inlet embodiment of  FIG. 9 , showing how the pipe ductwork and electrical wiring could be attached. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]     There is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  a register  140  with a base  170  and illustrated air grills  150 . The apparatus of this invention includes an inlet  110  which can be raised or lowered to open or close. The inlet  110  is shown in its open position in  FIG. 1 , and is shown in its closed position in  FIG. 2 . The register  140  is constructed with an opening  155  that will receive the inlet  110 . The inlet  110  will have a means for lifting by way of a pull  130  such as the one illustrated. The inlet  110  will have a debris receiving chamber  120  with an opening  122  as illustrated for debris to enter. The register  140  will also have a beveled edge  190  to facilitate the movement of debris to the opening  122 . It is assumed that the register  140  will also include standard regulators as commonly used to regulate the air flow through the register  140 , but are not shown here in order to illustrate the inlet  110  features and integration into the register  140 .  
         [0027]     The assembly of the apparatus is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The inlet  110  will sit against the wall  310  of the conduit member  180 . The inlet  110  has a flange  360  on either end. These flanges will contact the side walls  320  of the conduit member  180 . The conduit member  180  has a protrusion  325  on both of the side walls  320  in order to catch the flanges  360  and hold the inlet  110  in its open position. The flanges  360  will provide a stop when the inlet  110  is raised and the flanges  360  come in contact with the bottom of the register  140 . The conduit member  180  will be secured into the base  170  with screws  350  which are received through the holes  335  in flanges  330  as well as the holes  345  in the base  170 .  
         [0028]     When the inlet  110  is in its open position, an opening  124  on the inlet  110  will meet with an opening  390  on the conduit member  180 , and the opening  122  will be raised above the register  140  so that debris can be suctioned through the opening  122 , into the chamber  120 , through openings  124  and  390 , and then through the conduit member  180 .  
         [0029]     When the inlet  110  is in its closed position, the opening  124  will meet with the wall  310 , thus creating a seal and closing off the passageway through the opening  390 . In the closed position, the inlet  110  will allow for other inlets installed in the building to receive full suction from the central vacuum cleaning system. The inlet  110  will be hidden within the base  170  so as not to present a hazard to traffic in the room.  
         [0030]     Preferably the apparatus of the invention includes an electrical switch mechanism in the form of terminal screws  366  and  368  for closing an electrical circuit that will power on the central vacuum cleaning system.  FIG. 3  illustrates one such embodiment where the terminal screws  366  and  368  are received into the flange  360  through holes  362  and  364 . Electrical leads or wires  374  and  376  are secured to the terminal screws  366  and  368  using nuts  370  and  372 . When the inlet  110  is raised to its open position, the terminal screws  366  and  368  will touch a contact  380 , thus completing the electrical circuit and powering on the central vacuum cleaning system. The contact  380  is secured to the bottom of the register  140  with screw  382 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 4  illustrates how the register inlet apparatus can be mounted in a standard register boot  420  used in heating and air conditioning systems. The base  170  will fit inside the register boot  420  with the register  140  resting on a surface  410  such as a floor. The conduit member  180  will be inside of the register boot  420 , and will extend through a hole  425  created in the register boot  420 . The extension of the conduit member  180  will be created using standard fittings and piping such as the fitting  430 , the pipes  440  and  444 , and the elbow  442 . It will be understood that these standard fittings and pipes will vary based on configuration requirements to reach the central vacuum cleaning system (not shown) as well as alternative shapes or sizes of the register boot  420 .  
         [0032]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , debris will be suctioned through the opening  122  of the inlet  110 , into the chamber  120  shown in  FIG. 3 , through the openings  124  and  390  also shown in  FIG. 3 , into conduit member  180 , and then through pipes  440  and  444 . Pipe  444  will then lead to a central vacuum cleaning system (not shown). It will be understood that the pipe  440  will be connected to the conduit member  180  using a standard fitting  430 . It will further be understood that the pipe  440  will then be connected to additional standard fittings such as an elbow  442  and pipe  444  to lead to the central vacuum cleaning system, possibly using additional standard pipes and fittings as required.  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the inlet  110  is moved to its open or closed position by means of a solenoid  510 . The solenoid  510  is mounted to the flange  360  by use of a screw  550  placed through a hole  540  in the flange  360  and then threaded into the arm  515  of the solenoid  510 . The solenoid  510  has an electrical switch  530  that when pushed will activate the solenoid  510  to move the inlet  110  to its open position. When the electrical switch  530  is pushed again, the solenoid  510  will move the inlet  110  to its closed position. The electrical switch  530  may be attached to the register  140  shown in  FIG. 1 , the floor  410  shown in  FIG. 4 , or a wall (not shown). Terminal screws  366  and  368  are again received through the holes  362  and  364  located in the flange  360 . Electrical leads  374  and  376  will again be secured to the terminal screws  366  and  368  using nuts  370  and  372 . When the inlet  110  is in its open position, the terminal screws  366  and  368  will touch the contact  380  as discussed previously in  FIG. 3  to close the electrical circuit and power on the central vacuum cleaning system.  
         [0034]      FIG. 6  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the inlet  110  is moved to its open position by means of a spring  610  applying pressure to one or both flanges  360 . The spring  610  will apply pressure between the flange  360  and the base of the conduit member  180  to push the inlet  110  in its open position. The conduit member  180  may have a recessed area  670  to prevent the spring  610  from dislodging. When the inlet  110  is pushed down to its closed position, a lever  630  will latch on the flange  360 . This will prevent the spring  610  from pushing the inlet  110  up to its open position. When pushed, the lever  630  will rotate around a mounting screw  650 , thus unlatching from the flange  360  and allowing the spring  610  to push open the inlet  110 . The mounting screw  650  will be received through a hole  640  in the lever  630  and then threaded through the hole  660  located in the side wall  320  of the conduit member  180 . Terminal screws  366  and  368  are again received through the holes  362  and  364  located in the flange  360 . Electrical leads  374  and  376  will again be secured to the terminal screws  366  and  368  using nuts  370  and  372 . When the inlet  110  is in its open position, the terminal screws  366  and  368  will touch the contact  380  as discussed previously in  FIG. 3  to close the electrical circuit and power on the central vacuum cleaning system.  
         [0035]      FIG. 7  illustrates an attachment body  710  that will connect to the inlet  110  illustrated in the previous figures. A standard vacuum hose (not shown) can be connected to a conduit  730  which connects to the body  710  and opens into a chamber  720 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 8  illustrates how the attachment body  710  described in  FIG. 7  attaches to the inlet  110 . A standard vacuum hose (not shown) can be connected to the conduit  730 . When connected, debris will be suctioned through the standard vacuum hose (not shown), into the conduit  730 , and into the inlet  110 . From the inlet  110 , debris will be suctioned through the path discussed in previous figures to the central vacuum cleaning system.  
         [0037]      FIG. 9  illustrates an alternative inlet embodiment wherein a standard vacuum hose (not shown) can be inserted into an inlet  950  which is shaped to receive a standard vacuum hose cuff (not shown) and is integrated into the register  140 . This embodiment can be opened by lifting a cover  910  which is connected to the register  140  using hinges  930 . The cover  910  can have a method to lift, such as a pull  920  as illustrated. When the cover  910  is closed, a protrusion  940  will facilitate a sealed connection to the inlet  950  such that full suction will be provided to any other inlet that may be in use (not shown). The inlet  950  may also have spring loaded contacts  960  as shown. When the metallic end of a standard vacuum hose (not shown) is inserted into the inlet  950 , the spring loaded contacts  960  will close the circuit and power on the central vacuum cleaning system. This embodiment may also have electrical leads  970  which could provide power to standard vacuum hoses with electrical capability for powered accessories (not shown). It is assumed that the register  140  will also include standard regulators as commonly used to regulate the air flow through the register  140 , but are not shown here in order to illustrate the inlet  950  features and integration into the register  140 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 10  illustrates the same embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , but with the cover  910  shown in a closed position.  
         [0039]      FIG. 111  illustrates how the electrical leads and piping from the central vacuum cleaning system can be connected to the bottom of the register  140 . Standard piping (not shown) can be connected to the inlet  950  to lead back to the central vacuum cleaning system (not shown). To remotely power on the central vacuum cleaning system, low voltage leads  1120  can connect to the terminals  1110  as shown. When a standard vacuum hose (not shown) is inserted into the inlet  950 , the metallic end of the hose will contact the spring loaded contacts  960  as shown in  FIG. 9 , and complete the circuit through the low voltage leads  1120 . To provide power to any standard accessories attached to the other end of the vacuum hose (not shown), electrical leads  1140  can be connected to a terminal block  1130  as shown. Standard hoses with electrical wiring can then be inserted into the inlet  950 , while making contact with the electrical leads  970  as shown in  FIG. 9  in order to provide power to any standard accessories attached to the other end of the vacuum hose (not shown).  
         [0040]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the described register inlet apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications and changes are intended to be included as part of this invention.