Patent Publication Number: US-2023157494-A1

Title: Vacuum attachment for collecting running water

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 63/282,554 filed on Nov. 23, 2021, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The embodiments described herein relate generally to vacuum attachments and, more particularly, to a vacuum attachment for collecting running water. 
     Working in areas where liquids accumulates on the floor or carpet is not ideal. Conventionally, in tight spaces, such as in HVAC and plumbing situations where a pipe or leak is close to the floor or in a small area, a shallow or thin catch pan may be used in an attempt to collect the draining or running water. However, these thin pans quickly overfill and spill or become difficult to move without spilling. 
     Therefore, what is needed is a device that can collect and dispose of running water or other liquids in tight spaces. 
     SUMMARY 
     Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a vacuum attachment for collecting running liquid in tight spaces. The vacuum attachment may include a tray having a bottom surface, sidewalls extending upward from the bottom surface, and a top surface spaced from the bottom surface; at least one drainage orifice extending through the top surface; a liquid containment area positioned between the top surface and the bottom surface; and a nozzle extending from the tray. The nozzle may be in fluid communication with the liquid containment area, and it may be designed to removably engage with an existing vacuum hose. The tray may be a thin tray and, thus, the sidewalls may have a height of less than about  2  inches. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention is made below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals represent corresponding parts of the figures. 
         FIG.  1    is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is a top plan view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the present disclosure, taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  5    is a side elevation view of one embodiment of the present disclosure, shown in use. 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the present disclosure, taken along line  7 - 7  in  FIG.  6   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention can be adapted for any of several applications. 
     The device of the present disclosure may be used as a vacuum attachment for collecting running water and may comprise the following elements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to be exemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limit the device of the present application to just these elements. Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the present disclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may be substituted within the present disclosure without changing the essential function or operation of the device. 
     The various elements of the present disclosure may be related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended to limit the scope or nature of the relationships between the various elements, and the following examples are presented as illustrative examples only. 
     By way of example, and referring to  FIGS.  1 - 7   , some embodiments of the present disclosure include a vacuum attachment  10  for collecting running water. The vacuum attachment may comprise a tray with side walls and a top surface, the top surface including at least one drainage orifice extending therethrough, a liquid containment area positioned between the top surface and a bottom surface of the tray, and a nozzle extending from the tray, such that the nozzle is in fluid communication with the liquid containment area, wherein a height of the tray is less than about 2 inches. 
     More specifically, and as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4   , some embodiments of the vacuum attachment  10  may comprise an attachment body comprising a thin tray  12  with outer sidewalls  12 A, a top surface having a funnel-like design extending from an area proximate to the upper edge of each sidewall and angling down toward a central opening  16 , a bottom surface attached to the top surface via a partition  14   a , wherein a space between the top surface and the bottom surface defines a liquid containment area, and a nozzle  18  extending from the tray  12 , the nozzle  18  configured to operatively attach the liquid containment area to a vacuum hose  20 A. As shown in the Figures, the nozzle  18  may extend from an angled collector  18 A that is in fluid communication with the liquid containment area. During use of the vacuum attachment  10 , water or other liquids may be directed toward the central opening  14  to the nozzle  18 , which may ultimately extend upward from the bottom surface at a sight angle. 
     More specifically, as shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4   , the top surface of the tray  12  may comprise a plurality of sloping surfaces  16  that together create the top surface with the funnel-like design. Each of the sloping surface  16  may extend from a top portion of a sidewall  12 A to the central opening  14  at a downward angle. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  6  and  7   , an alternate vacuum attachment  30  may comprise a thin tray with outer sidewalls and a substantially planar top surface with a plurality of orifices  32  extending therethrough, wherein the top surface may be suspended slightly below an upper edge of the sidewalls but still spaced from a bottom surface of the tray. As such, slight pooling of a liquid on the top surface before the liquid flows downward through the top surface may not cause spillage. As shown in  FIG.  7    the alternate vacuum attachment  30  may comprise a plurality of collection chambers  34 , each designed to collect the liquid, wherein each of the plurality of collection chambers  34  may be in fluid communication with the nozzle  18 . 
     While not shown in the Figures, embodiments of the attachment device may further comprise a screen or other mesh filtering material placed over the central opening or the plurality of orifices. Including such screen may prevent clogging of the vacuum attachment. 
     Additional optional features that may be added to the vacuum attachment include lights, which may be beneficial when the attachment is being used in dark areas, and a switch operatively attached to the vacuum, wherein the switch may be activated by liquid falling into the attachment device, thus powering on the vacuum. 
     The vacuum attachment of the present disclosure may be made of any suitable or desired materials and, in some embodiments, may comprise a high temperature fiberglass, reinforced plastic, or any other type of rigid plastic. The vacuum attachment may have any desired overall shape or dimensions and, in some embodiments, the attachment body may be substantially square shaped, as shown in the Figures. However, the vacuum attachment is not limited to such shape. While the vacuum attachment may have varying dimensions to account for a varying overall shape, in embodiments, the sidewalls may have a height of from about 0.25 to about 1.5 inches. A particular embodiment of the tray may include sidewalls with a height of about 0.5 inches, allowing the vacuum attachment of the present disclosure to be used in very tight spaces. Additionally, as shown in the Figures, the nozzle  18  may have a substantially cylindrical free end and may be sized to engage with any standard or existing vacuum hose  20 A. 
     As shown, for example, in  FIG.  5   , to use the vacuum attachment of the present disclosure, a user may first attach the nozzle  18  to a vacuum hose  20 A extending from a vacuum receptacle  20 B. The vacuum attachment may be placed in a position to allow the running liquid to flow onto the top surface thereof. The vacuum may then be turned on, causing the liquid to be caught by the attachment device and directed into the vacuum through the nozzle  18 . 
     The above-described embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. While these embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.