US2890761A - Vacuum cleaner vaporizer - Google Patents

Description

June 16, 1959 w. E. DAVIDSON 2,890,761

VACUUM CLEANER VAPORIZER Filed Oct. 21, 1955' 2 Sheets-Sheet l five/#01"- W////bm E. Davidson W. E. DAVIDSON VACUUM CLEANER VAPORIZER June 16, 1959 2,890,761

Filed Oct. 21, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2,890,7 61 VACUUM CLEANER VAPORIZ ER:

William E. Davidson, Upper Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York 1 Application October 21, 1955, Serial No. 541,896 i Claims. Cl. 18337) My invention relates to apparatus for conditioning flowing air. Particularly, my invention relates toa device for-vaporizing a solid which is capable of sublimation, and more particularly, to one which is adapted to be used in conjunction with an air-flow passage, such as those usually employed in vacuum cleaners.

The vacuum cleaner art has recognized the value of providing vaporizing attachments for some time. Such attachments, being an adjunct to the primary function of the basic product, are necessarily subjected to close scrutiny apropos cost. As a consequence, many of them are diflicult to mount, and inadequate and ineflicient in operation.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved vaporizer, and particularly one for a vacuum cleaner, having favorable cost and performance characteristics.

The object of the invention is accomplished in one form by providing a vaporizer having a mounting portion for coupling to an air-flow passage, a tubular portion adapted to house material to be vaporized, and a remov able cap.

Other objects and further details of that which I believe to be novel and my invention will be clear from the fol lowing description and claims taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the improved vaporizer.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of the improved vaporizer.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation view of the improved vapor izer looking in the direction of the arrow (A) in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an elevation view of a vacuum cleaner having an improved vaporizer attached thereto with portions brokenaway and shown in section for clarity.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the improved vaporizer and a portion of the vacuum cleaner, showing the coupling between these elements.

. Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 through 4, it will be observed that the improved vaporizer generally comprises a body 10 and a removable cap 30. The body '10 generally comprises the mounting portion 14 and the tubular portion 20. Mounting portion 14 comprises a substantially square, flat plate having a central opening 16 formed therein. Tubular portion 20 is elongated, tapered and elliptical in cross-section (see Fig. 8). Secured to the plate 14 on one side thereof is a ring 18, which is part of the mounting portion. The narrowest end of tubular portion 20 is secured to the ring 18 with their axes at an angle. The ring 18 has a plurality of radially inwardly extending tabs 22 formed thereon for the purpose of defining stops in one axial direction for the perforate member 24, which is inserted into the opening 16 and retained therein by friction. The body 10 may be formed of a resilient plastic material such as polyethylene, and the perforate member 24 may be a Patented June 16, 1959 2 perforate plate or a woven wire screen of either a'metal or plastic material.

The free end 26 of the tubular portion 20 has a plurality of outwardly directed lugs 28 formed thereon. Removably attached to the free end 26 is the cap 30. Cap 30 comprises an elliptical tubular portion 32 having a plurality of openings 34 formed therein, a radially inwardly directed flange 36 formed at one end, and a per forate plate or Woven wire screen 38 which is disposed in the cap 30 so as to abut the flange 36.- Member 38 may be made of a metal or plastic material and it is forced into the tubular portion 32, which may be made of a metal or plastic material. Alternatively, the entire cap 30 may be made of the same material and, if desired, it may be integral.

The cap 30 is removably secured to the body 10, and when in connected position (shown in Figs. 1 through 3) the lugs 28 of the tubular portion 20 are received within the openings 34 of the cap 30, thereby locking the parts in assembled position. To mount or remove the cap 30 from the body 10 it is necessary to deform, as by squeezing, the free end 26 of the tubular portion 20 so as to move the lugs 28 radially inwardly until they clear the portions of the tubular portion 32 that surround the openings 34; then the cap may be moved axially toward or away from the free end 26 (depending upon whether mounting or removal of the cap is desired) and the parts may be connected or separated (depending uponthe direction of movement).

It should be observed that the tubular portion 20 of the body 10 is oriented with relation to. the mounting plate 14 in a predetermined manner. In Fig. 3 it will be seen that the center line B of the tubular portion 20 forms an angle of approximately 32 with the major plane C of the mounting plate 14 in a plane normal to the plane C in which the center line B is disposed. While this precise angle is not critical, it has been found in practice to be effective generally with the vaporizer is used in any environment and specifically when it is used in an annular filtering chamber of restrictive size. However, it is important that the angle be acute in any usage in order to insure maximum operating efliciency of the vaporizer. When in general use, the mounting plate 14 is normally disposed in a substantially vertical plane in communication with an air-flow passage, tubular portion 20 pro jects upwardly with the cap 30 uppermost. With this arrangement, air flows through the passage, upwardly through the tubular portion 20 and out cap 30. This disposition of the parts provides for an eifective vaporizer in that the material to be vaporized in body 10 is automatically fed by gravity to the lower part of the body 10 against the perforate member 24 against the flow of the air. This affords self-feeding and maximum vaporization.

When the vaporizer is utilized in a vacuum cleaner, it is particularly adapted to be utilized in one having an annular filtering chamber. However, it is not a prerequisite to utilization of my invention that it be utilized in a vacuum cleaner or in such a chamber. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the vaporizer connected to a vacuum cleaner for use therewith. It will be observed that when so connected, substantial portions of the vaporizer are disposed in an annular filtering chamber 56 of the vacuum cleaner 40, and that the free end 26 of the vaporizer body is disposed at a higher point than the mounting portion 14 of the vaporizer body. If desired, the entire vaporizer may be disposed in the filtering chamber; in any event, due to the angular relation of the parts of the vaporizer, the length of the tubular portion 20 may be greater than the radial width of the portion of the surface, (F) and it will there be seen that the annular filtering chamber 56 is disposed about a vertical axis; it will also be seen that the vaporizer is adapted to house aquantity of material 42 to bevaporized. This material may be an insecticide, deodorant or disinfectant; and-will normally be in the' form of crystals. The vaporizerbody 10' provides a reservoir-57 for the material to be vapor ized, and the perforate member 24 retains the material in the reservoir. The cap 30 comprises a filler cap which may be removed to insert the material into the reservoir 57, and when replaced it functions to retain the material within the reservoir and also to direct .the egress of the air that passes through the vaporizer.

It will be observed further. in Fig. that the mounting plate 14: is received within-the coupling structure 44 of the vacuum cleaner. The .details of coupling structure 44 form no specific part'of ,my invention. An appropriate coupling structure with which my improved vaporizer may be used is disclosed and claimed in copending application, Serial No.. 538,437, of George H. Bramhall, filed October 4, 1955, and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention. Reference may be had to that application for the details of the coupling structure, but for the purposes of understanding of the .instant invention it suffices to state that the coupling structure 44 has appropriate passages that communicate witha vacuum cleaner air inlet 46 to which a conventional. vacuum cleaner hose (not shown) may be coupled for normal cleaning operation, and further, thatit is adapted to-releasably support the vaporizer mounting plate 14 between a pair of spring pressed plates 48 and 50 (see Fig. 7) when the vaporizer is employed to condition the airpassing through the. cleaner.

It should be observed from Fig. 5 that the vacuum cleaner 40 includes a perforate cylindrical guard 52 which surrounds. a fan and motor unit (not shown) which produces a flow of air through the cleaner. The guard 52 has a projecting portion 54 to which the closure 55 may be removably secured for the purpose of permitting access to the interior of the cleaner-40. Between the guard 52 and the outer casing of the cleaner 40 is disposed the referred-to annular filtering chamber 56, in which substantial portions of thevaporizer are disposed.

- When the vacuum cleaner is operated for normal cleaning use, a disposable dirt-collecting bag (not shown) may be coupled to the coupling structure 44 and disposed in the filtering chamber 56. In order to have access to the filtering chamber 56, to attach or remove a filtering bag, the closure 55 may be removed in a conventional way. When it is desired to condition the air flowing through the vacuum cleaner-40, the closure 55-is removed, a dirt-collecting bag (if there be'one) is uncoupled from the coupling structure 44, and the vaporizer is coupled to the coupling structure 44 and positioned as.

illustrated in Fig. 5. It shouldbe-noted that due to the disposition of the vaporizer parts, i.e., the angular relationship of the tubular-portionltl' tothe mounting.

When the fan and motor unit is actuated'and the parts disposed as illustrated in Fig; 5, the flow of the air from the atmosphere through the cleaner is as indicated by the-arrows in Fig. 5, andas follows:

-Air entersinto the inlet 46, passesthrough'the coupling' structure 44, through the perforate member 24 into the reservoir57,-where it passes over the material therein and vaporizes a portion of said' material, upwardly through: the tubular-portion '20 of the vaporizer and through the perforate member 38 of the'filler cap'30;the air is then conditioned andit enters thefiltering chamb'er 56, 'passes through theperforate guard' 52, the motor and fan unit, -and out appropriate discharge means in thevacuum 'cleaner: The arrows emerging from the vacuum cleaner in Fig. 5 are schematic representations of the conditioned air leaving the cleaner. It is fundamental that if desired the conditioned air may be discharged in a concentrated stream, known in the art as blowing. The means for accomplishing such blowing forms no specific part of my invention.

My improved vaporizer in practice has proved to be highly eifective in that it has good capacity for holding material to be vaporized and operates efficiently. It. is particularly well adapted for use in vacuum cleaners having annular filtering chambers, though not limited thereto, because of its unique construction, whereas it is difficult to use known Vaporizers with this type of filtering chamber. Although the vaporizer is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 with its tubular portion 20 projecting upwardly, it should be realized that if it is desired, portion 20 may project horizontally or downwardly; however, the preferred. orientation is illustrated. Becauseof its elliptical cross-section, the tubular portion.20 of the vaporizer affords a handy grip for the fingers when either coupling or. uncoupling the vaporizer to the coupling structure:44-in a vacuum cleaner. The vaporizer may be used internally of a vacuum cleaner, and thereby circulate'the conditioned airin the'cleaner itself, which is highlydesirable in some applications. As was mentioned, the entire vaporizer may be made of suitable plastic material, however, itis only necessarythat the free end of the tubular portion 20.;of the vaporizer body 10 be made of mappropriate resilient material, such as polyethylene, soasto.

type.;of a'vacuumcleaner having an air-flow passage,

whether it be an inlet or outlet; in fact, any-air-flow passage having a coupling structure to which the mountingportionof the vaporizer may be coupled. It is highly desirable, however, regardless of the type. of air-flow passage or vacuum cleaner with which the vaporizer is. utilized,: for the flat mounting plate of the vaporizerwto be substantially disposed in a vertical plane and to have themtubular portion 20 extending upwardly at an acute angle" with the filler cap at its uppermost point. .The mentioned angle of 32 has been found in practice to be. effective, but not critical.

As. will be evident from the foregoing, certainaspects of my-invention are not limited to. the particular .details of construction of the example illustrated, andl contemplate that various andother modifications will :occur to. those skilled in the art. It is, therefore,'myintention that the appended claims will cover such modifications andv applications as do. not depart from the truespirit tubular portion extending away from said mounting por-' tion'adapted/to house material to be vaporized.

'2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said tubular portion extends away from said mounting portion at'an acute angle.

3. 'A'device as defined in claim 1 wherein said filtering chamber is annular. and has a vertical axis, the length of said tubular portion is greater than the radial width' of the portion of said filtering chamber in which the vaporizer is located, and said tubular portion extends away from said mounting portion at an acute angle.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said air-flow passage is the vacuum cleaner air inlet and said coupling means is adapted to support a disposable dirt bag or said vaporizer at the option of the user.

5. A vaporizer comprising a body and a removable cap, said body having a flat mounting plate, an opening in said plate, a perforate member in said opening, a tapered, elliptical tube secured at its narrow end to said plate in communication with said opening, the center line of said tube forming an angle of 32 with the plane of said plate in a plane normal to the plane of said plate and in which said cent-er line is disposed, a plurality of lugs formed near the free end of said tube, said cap having a perforate insert and a plurality of openings, said opening adapted to receive said lugs when said cap is 5 mounted on said free end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 533,854 Loeb Feb. 5, 1895 10 2,555,199 Meyerhoefer May 29, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 415,405 Great Britain Aug. 22, 1934

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