Patent Publication Number: US-6702664-B1

Title: Portable fume exhauster-carpet and floor dryer

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/329,891, filed Oct. 16, 2001. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a portable fume exhauster and dryer, and more particularly to an improved exhauster and dryer adapted to be placed on a floor, in a window or a remote location for the exhausting of fumes or the drying of floors and carpeting or the removal of dust, such as saw dust, dry wall dust and contruction and remodeling dust. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Fumes are often created within a room or other space upon the use of cleaning compositions, compositions, such as mastics and pastes for installing tile or other wall or floor coverings; and compositions for restoring or resurfacing fixtures, such as bathtubs, showers, lavatories, and the like. These fumes often are noxious, and their rapid removal is desirable, particularly where the fumes are present in a small space, such as a bathroom. 
     Additionally, floors and carpeting may become damp or wet intentionally in cleaning or unintentionally by flooding or spills, and requiring drying. One preferred method of drying is to circulate air over or in the vicinity of the damp or wet areas, for example, by use of a fan. 
     An example of an exhaust fan for exhausting fumes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,933 issued to Bora which is intended to remove fumes from welding operations. The double fan device disclosed in that patent is adapted to be installed on a work bench or pedestal and connects to a damper unit which may be placed in a window. Another example of a portable ventilation system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,296 issued to Grano, which uses a conduit having two separate passageways for a counter-flow effect. 
     The known fume exhausters and dryers are deficient in that they are complex often having several separate components, and hence are expensive, and require considerable set-up time. 
     Thus, there is a need for an uncomplicated, compact, portable exhauster and dryer which can be easily installed in a short time, does not present an electrical or thermal safety hazard, can be placed on a floor or carpeted surface or can be placed on an opening in a wall, such as a window, and can be readily operated by a user wearing bulky clothing, particularly thick gloves. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A portable fume exhauster and dryer in accordance with the present invention includes a motor fan mounted in a housing having a supporting structure which is adapted to rest on a horizontal surface, such as a floor, or on an uneven or slanted, often narrow surface, for example, a window sill. The device of the present invention includes a covering on the intake opening of the housing to prevent accidental contact with the fan apparatus and grounded circuitry to prevent electrical shock and thermal overload protection to prevent fires due to overheating. In addition, the device includes a readily accessible power switch which can be operated by a user with a heavily gloved hand. The portable fume exhauster and dryer of the present invention is also useful for removing dust, for example, saw dust, dry wall dust and construction and remodeling dust from an area or room. 
    
    
     These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be readily seen from the following description and drawing. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the fume exhauster-dryer in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the exhauster-dryer shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear view of the exhauster-dryer shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1, temporarily installed in a window of a room with an intake conduit attached, the wall and window being shown in section; 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the circuitry of the device of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The exhauster-drawer shown in FIG. 1 comprises a portable device  10  including a housing  12  in which an in-line electric motor and fan unit  14  is mounted. Housing  12  has a front surface portion or panel  16  defining an intake opening  18 ; a rear portion or panel  20  defining an exhaust opening  22 ; side portions or panels  24 ,  24 ; a bottom portion or panel  26 ; and a top portion or panel  28  on which is positioned a handle  30  either integrally formed therein or if a panel, mounted thereon, and an on-off, push button switch  32 . Panels  16 ,  20 ,  24 ,  26  and  28  may be of separate pieces, for example, of sheet metal fastened together, for example by suitable fasteners, such as screws and bolts (not shown) or a pair or more of the panels can be formed of bent metal with the remaining panels similarly fastened to the first mentioned panels. Housing  12  can also be molded of a durable plastic material. The formation of housings are known in the art. 
     A feature of the present invention is the provision of at least one pair of supporting members positioned at the bottom of housing  12 , either integrally therewith or secured thereto, such as legs  34  screwed to bottom panel  26 , preferably spaced apart at the side edge margins of the panel. As shown, the preferred legs are channel shaped providing maximum stability for the device. Also as shown, adjustable members  30  such as feet  36  are mounted to each of the at least one pair of the supporting members, e.g., legs  34 , shown in the embodiment as adjacent the ends of the legs  34 , which permit the device  10  to rest on the feet  36  on a floor, or on a table or other surface. Feet  36  in this embodiment are adjustable, for example by means of threaded rods  38  passing through nuts  40  and legs  34  with padded disks  42  contacting the floor or other surface. The disks  42  can be individually raised or lowered with respect to device  10  and legs  34  by advancing or retracting rods  38  through nuts  40  to compensate for slanted or uneven surfaces on which device  10  may otherwise rest. The adjustable members can be used to eliminate the marking of floors by the legs, and the potential for making lines on carpeted floors due to the bottom edges of the channels otherwise resting on the carpeting. 
     Housing  12 , as heretofore noted, defines an intake opening  18  and an exhaust opening  22 . In-line motor and fan  14  is positioned and mounted within housing  12  aligned with openings  18  and  22  so that the blades of the fan portion of  14  face opening  18  and create an air suction pulling ambient air and any fumes in the area into and through intake opening  18 . Front surface portion or panel  16  defining opening  18  has a circular flange  44  extending outwardly from panel  16 . Flange  44  is adapted to receive and support a grille  46  which may comprise concentric circular ring members  48  and struts  50 , for example of aluminum wire, which struts support ring members  48  in position, for example by spot welding rings  48  to struts  50 . Struts  50  also fasten grille  46  to flange  44 , by having the ends of struts  50  bent at 90 degrees and secured to flange  44 , for example, by spot welding. Grille  46  permits air and fumes to pass therethrough and into opening  18 . 
     Rear panel  20  defining opening  22  also has a circular flange  52  extending outwardly. Flange  52  need not be fitted with a grille, but a grille may be provided on flange  52 , if desired, in the same manner as flange  44  supports grille  46 . 
     As best seen in FIG.  3  through opening  22  and flange  52 , motor and fan unit  14  includes a rotable disk  54  bolted thereto with bolts  56  for rotation therewith, and housing  12  includes vanes  58  which are radial or inclined from the radial of the motor and fan unit shaft centerline. Disk  54  and vanes  58  enhance the flow of air and fumes through device  10 . 
     The portable fume exhauster-carpet and floor dryer of the present invention can be readily utilized to exhaust fumes from a room in one aspect by placing the device  10  on the floor with legs  34  and feet  36  adjusted to support device  10  evenly on the surface. Desirably a flexible conduit, such as a plastic and metal hose (not shown), similar to an exhaust hose for a domestic gas clothes dryer, and similar to hose  60  shown in FIG. 4, can be attached to exhaust flange  52  by means of a metal band and hose clamp fastener (not shown, but commonly used with domestic gas clothes dryers), and led to the exterior of the room or dwelling, e.g., through a door or window. In this manner, operation of the device  10  will rapidly and efficiently remove fumes from a room. Such usage is particularly advantageous in removing fumes from a small room, such as fumes from a bathroom, for example, where tile has been installed with a mastic emitting solvent fumes or where a fixture, such as a bathtub or shower, has been restored or resurfaced, and fumes are emitted. However, the device  10  can be effectively utilized without hose or hoses  60 . 
     In another aspect of the preferred embodiment, the device  10  may be temporarily mounted in a window, such as  62 , as illustrated in FIG. 4. A window typically includes a sill  64  secured to a supporting member  66  as part of the wall  68 , and a glass pane  70  in a sash  72  supported within a jamb  74 . The device  10  is positioned on the sill  64  and the sash  72  is closed onto top panel  28  of housing  12  adjacent handle  30 . A flexible conduit or hose  60  is secured to flange  44  of opening  18  by means of a ring clamp  61 , with the other end (not shown) of hose  60  positioned near the source of the fumes to be removed. Upon operation of device  10 , fumes are efficiently and rapidly exhausted from the room. 
     In still another aspect of the preferred embodiment, device  10  can be advantageously utilized to dry areas which are intentionally or unintentionally wet or damp, as by washing a floor or carpeting or by a flood or accidentally spilling of a liquid or by a leaking or burst water pipe. In this aspect, a flexible conduit, such as hose  60 , can be secured to flange  52  of opening  22  and the device  10  can be placed on the floor or carpeting or installed in a window, as shown in FIG. 4, but with the intake opening  18  and grille  46  facing outwardly of window  62 . The other end of the conduit, e.g. hose  60 , can be directed to the wet or damp area of floor or carpet, and upon operation, a stream of air thus can be directed to the selected area to dry that area. 
     The fume exhauster-dryer of the present invention desirably is provided with an in-line electric motor and fan unit having sufficient capacity for optimum removal of fumes and drying of wet or damp areas. In this regard, it has been found that a unit  14  providing a flow of air of 548 cubic feet per minute is desirable, which flow is unrestricted by grille  46 , but with grille  46  preventing small objects and fingers from entering the intake opening  18  and contacting the motor-fan unit. In addition, the device  10  of the present invention is protected against electric surges, thermal overload and electrical shock hazards by suitable circuitry as illustrated by the circuit in FIG.  5 . As shown therein, the motor-fan unit  14  is grounded by ground  76  and the power from power source  78  is conducted through a fuse  80  and a thermal overload device  82  which may be a bimetallic contact element as shown operating a contact switch  84 , or an overload heater element (not shown) or a solid state overload relay as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,009, incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the use of a push button on-off switch  32 , allows the operator to operate device  10  while wearing protective clothing, e.g. heavy gloves. By use of the illustrated circuitry, the device and the operator are protected against electrical shock, power surges and thermal overloads. 
     In another aspect, not illustrated, a variable speed control can be incorporated into the circuitry, with a dial position on the top or side panel of housing  12 , to permit the speed and hence the air flow, of the device at a level desired for the particular application for which the device is to be employed. 
     In still another aspect, device  10  of the present invention may be utilized to import air into a contaminated room or exhausted from a contaminated room or area over a considerable distance, for example 50 feet or more, through use of flexible hoses, such as hose  60 . In addition, multiple devices  10  can be connected through such hoses to import air or exhaust fumes over longer distances, such as in buildings where windows are not openable. 
     While a particular embodiment of the portable fume exhauster-carpet and floor dryer of the invention has been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.