Patent ID: 7469727

Claim:
An apparatus for handling waste fluid, comprising: (a) a negative pressure source; (b) a separation chamber in fluid communication with said negative pressure source, said separation chamber having an inlet through which waste fluid from said waste fluid source is drawn into said separation chamber by said negative pressure source; (c) a holding chamber in fluid communication with said separation chamber; (d) an outlet in fluid communication with said holding chamber; (e) a pump disposed to pump said waste fluid from said holding chamber through said outlet, while said negative pressure is maintained in said separation chamber; (f) a first sensor electrically coupled to said pump and disposed to detect when said waste fluid reaches a predetermined high level in said holding chamber, whereupon said pump is activated to begin pumping said waste fluid from said holding chamber through said outlet; (g) a second sensor electrically coupled to said pump and disposed to detect when said waste fluid reaches a predetermined low level in said holding chamber, whereupon said pump is de-activated; (h) a microprocessor electrically coupled to said first sensor and said second sensor, said microprocessor programmed to determine and record a volume of waste fluid pumped through said outlet by said pump.