Canister vacuum arrangement

Abstract

A canister vacuum arrangement including a canister vacuum carried by a cart. The canister vacuum including a blower motor and a canister housing. The canister housing includes a separation chamber, a particulate collection region located beneath the separation chamber, and a filter chamber located above the separation chamber. A removable filter is positioned within the filter chamber. In operation, airflow generated by the blower motor enters that canister housing at the separation chamber, flows through the filter, and exits the canister housing through an annular outlet defined between the separation chamber and the filter chamber.

1 . A canister vacuum arrangement, comprising: 
 a) a cart having a front end and a rear end, the cart including wheels for transport of the canister vacuum arrangement;    b) a blower motor mounted adjacent to one of the front and rear ends of the cart, the blower motor including an inlet and an outlet;    c) a canister housing mounted adjacent to the other of the front and rear ends of the cart, the canister housing including a canister inlet and a canister outlet, the outlet of the blower motor being interconnected to the canister inlet, the canister housing including: 
 i) a cylindrical separation chamber;  
 ii) a particulate collection region located beneath the separation chamber; and  
 iii) a filter chamber located above the separation chamber, the filter chamber and the separation chamber defining the canister outlet therebetween; and  
   d) a removable filter positioned within the filter chamber of the canister housing, the filter chamber having an inlet side and an outlet side;    e) wherein airflow generated by the blower motor enters the canister housing at the cylindrical separation chamber, flows through the filter, and exits the canister housing through the canister outlet.    
   
   
       2 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein a first seal and a second seal are provided between the inlet side and the outlet side of the filter chamber when the filter is positioned within the filter chamber.  
   
   
       3 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the canister inlet is oriented to direct incoming airflow generated by the blower motor toward an adjacent inner wall surface of the separation chamber such that a cyclone effect is created during operation of the canister vacuum arrangement.  
   
   
       4 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , further including a filter cleaning device that cleans the filter without removing the filter from the filter chamber, the filter cleaning device including an operating mechanism located at an exterior of the canister housing.  
   
   
       5 . The arrangement of  claim 4 , wherein the operating mechanism includes a rotatable handle.  
   
   
       6 . The arrangement of  claim 5 , wherein the rotatable handle extends from a top wall of the filter chamber, the rotatable handle being coupled to a dust removal arrangement located within the filter chamber.  
   
   
       7 . The arrangement of  claim 4 , wherein the filter cleaning device includes a flapper arrangement that rotates within an interior of the filter to clean the filter.  
   
   
       8 . The arrangement of  claim 4 , wherein the filter chamber is in communication with the particulate collection region such that particulate removed from the filter by the filter cleaning device falls through the separation chamber and into the particulate collection region.  
   
   
       9 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , further including a removable collection tray located within the particulate collection region.  
   
   
       10 . The arrangement of  claim 9 , wherein the canister housing further includes a covered opening, the covered opening providing access to the removable collection tray located within the particulate collection region.  
   
   
       11 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical separation chamber defines a volume, the volume being obstruction-free.  
   
   
       12 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein a circular airflow pattern is created within the separation chamber, and wherein the particulate collection region defines an expansion region that stops the circular airflow pattern and permits some of the particulate carried in the airflow to settle.  
   
   
       13 . A canister vacuum, comprising: 
 a) a canister housing including an upper housing portion detachably secured to a lower housing portion, the canister housing defining an annular vacuum outlet between the upper and lower housing portions, the lower housing portion including a cylindrical separation chamber having an obstruction-free volume;    b) a blower motor that generates airflow from a work area to the canister housing;    c) a removable filter positioned within the upper housing portion of the canister housing; and    d) wherein airflow generated by the blower motor enters that canister housing at the cylindrical separation chamber, flows through the filter, and exits the canister housing through the annular vacuum outlet.    
   
   
       14 . The canister vacuum of  claim 13 , further including a particulate collection region located beneath the separation chamber.  
   
   
       15 . The canister vacuum of  claim 14 , wherein the separation chamber creates a circular airflow pattern, and wherein larger particulate carried by the airflow falls from the separation chamber into the particulate collection region.  
   
   
       16 . The canister vacuum of  claim 15 , wherein the particulate collection region defines an expansion region that stops the circular airflow pattern to allow the larger particulate carried in the airflow to settle.  
   
   
       17 . The canister vacuum of  claim 13 , further including a filter cleaning device that cleans the filter without detaching the upper portion of the canister housing from the lower housing portion of the canister housing.  
   
   
       18 . The canister vacuum of  claim 17 , wherein the filter cleaning device includes an operating mechanism located at an exterior of the canister housing, the operating mechanism being coupled to a dust removal arrangement located within the canister housing.  
   
   
       19 . The canister vacuum of  claim 18 , wherein particulate removed from the filter by the filter cleaning device is captured within a particulate collection region located beneath the separation chamber of the canister housing.  
   
   
       20 . A method of using a canister vacuum arrangement, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) operating a blower motor to generate airflow that carries particulate from a work area to a canister housing of the canister vacuum arrangement, the particulate including larger-sized particulate and finer-sized particulate;    b) separating the larger-sized particulate from the finer-sized particulate by circulating the airflow within a separation chamber of the canister housing;    c) collecting the larger-sized particulate within a particulate collection region of the canister housing, the particulate collection region being located below the separation chamber;    d) collecting the finer-sized particulate in a filter positioned in a filter chamber of the canister housing, the filter chamber being located above the separation chamber, the filter chamber including a dirty air input side and a clean air output side; and    e) exhausting clean filtered air from the clean air output side of the filter chamber through an annular opening formed between the filter chamber of the canister housing and the separation chamber.