ASH VACUUM AND SEPARATOR WITH FILTER CLEANING DEVICE

Abstract

A vacuum system includes a filter cleaning mechanism which allows the filter to be cleaned without removal from the vacuum. This mechanism can include a carrying handle which is biased against the lid by a spring. The handle may be released from a vertical position, causing the handle to forcefully strike the lid and dislodge debris from the filter. The vacuum may include a spark arrestor disposed around the filter. The spark arrestor encloses the filter and surrounds the filter sides with a metal screen. The spark arrestor has holes formed in the bottom around the outer perimeter of the filter so that debris which is dislodged from the filter falls through the holes and into the vacuum canister.

Description

THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for cleaning the filters on vacuum cleaners and vacuum separation canisters.

BACKGROUND

Canister style vacuums have become quite common. They are frequently used in both residential and industrial applications. Canister vacuums may be used for vacuuming cars, cleaning in shops and garages, capturing dust from tools, cleaning fireplace ash, etc. Canister vacuums often have a pleated cylindrical filter inside of the debris canister. Large debris is deposited into the canister while dust is separated from the air by the filter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective drawing of a vacuum according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows another perspective drawing of the vacuum of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective drawing of a portion of the vacuum of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective drawing of a portion of the vacuum of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective drawing of a portion of the vacuum of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 shows another perspective drawing of the vacuum of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows another perspective drawing of the vacuum of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective drawing of the vacuum of FIG. 1 having a vacuum motor attached thereto.

FIG. 9 shows a drawing of portions of the vacuum of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 shows a drawing of portions of the vacuum of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 shows a drawing of portions of the vacuum of FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 shows a drawing of portions of the vacuum of FIG. 8.

FIG. 13 shows a drawing of portions of the vacuum of FIG. 8.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various examples of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The examples shown each accomplish various different advantages. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element or advantage in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the examples in greater clarity. Similarly, not every example need accomplish all advantages of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one having ordinary skill in the art that the specific detail need not be employed to practice the present invention. In other instances, well-known materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “one example” or “an example” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, “one example” or “an example” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable combinations and/or sub-combinations in one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, it is appreciated that the figures provided herewith are for explanation purposes to persons ordinarily skilled in the art and that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

The disclosure particularly describes a vacuum system with a filter cleaning device. The present disclosure describes how filter cleaning device may be used to clean debris from a vacuum filter without removal of the filter from the vacuum.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a vacuum is shown. The vacuum 10 includes a debris canister 14. The debris canister may be generally cylindrical with a closed bottom and with an open top side. A lid 18 attaches to the top of the canister to close the canister and to provide a mounting location for various other parts of the vacuum. The vacuum 10 may not include a vacuum motor as shown and may be used as a vacuum separator in combination with another vacuum. The device 10, however, may also include a vacuum motor and operate independently as a vacuum as shown in following figures. Typically, the vacuum motor would be attached to the center of the lid 18 and would draw air out of the canister through the center of the lid.

The lid 18 may be formed as a single piece. The lid 18 may include other attached structures such as a cover portion 22. The cover 22 is used to attach a gasket 26 to the lid 18. The gasket 26 is used to seal around a vacuum source such as a vacuum hose as discussed herein. The lid 18 typically includes one or more latch tabs 30 which extend downwardly from the lid to engage the canister 14 and secure the lid to the canister. If desired, the lid 18 may include various mounting bosses 34 for storing vacuum cleaning attachments or accessories such as a vacuum hose adapter 36.

The lid 18 includes mounting brackets 38 which allow a filter striker such as handle 42 to be attached to the lid. The handle 42 is pivotably mounted to the lid 18 via the mounting brackets 38. The handle 42 may move between a first position where the handle rests against the lid 18 as shown and a second position where the handle is pivoted up away from the lid to carry the vacuum 10. A torsion spring 46 is attached to a lid mounting bracket 38 and the handle 42. The torsion spring biases the handle 42 against the lid 18 in the position shown in FIG. 1. The handle 42 may be pivoted upwardly such as when carrying the vacuum 10. The handle 42 may be released, upon which the spring 46 causes the handle 42 to forcefully strike the lid 18. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the vacuum 10 which is similar to that of FIG. 1. The vacuum 10 has been rotated in FIG. 2, providing an additional view of the handle 42.

A vacuum separator without a vacuum motor may be used in combination with a vacuum source such as a vacuum to provide additional filtration. The gasket 26 has a hole 50 formed in the center which is sized to receive a vacuum suction hose from another vacuum. The suction hose from another vacuum (not shown) is placed into the hole 50, drawing air from inside of the canister 14. The lid 18 includes an inlet hole 54. The inlet hole 54 is sized to receive a vacuum hose which is used by a person to draw debris into the canister 14. Air is drawn through the inlet vacuum hose and into the canister 14 via hole 54, through a filter, and out of the canister via hole 50. The filter separates dust and debris from the air and retains the debris in the canister 14. If the vacuum 10 were formed as a stand-alone vacuum, a vacuum motor would typically be attached to the center of the lid 18. In this situation, the gasket 26 and hole 50 may not be necessary and the motor would draw air through the filter and out of the canister 14.

Turning now to FIG. 3 another perspective view of a portion of the vacuum of FIG. 1 is shown. FIGS. 3 through 5 show views of the vacuum 10 from the bottom with the canister 14 and other various structures removed. The lid 18 may be formed with a cylindrical collar 58 extending downwardly therefrom. The collar 58 is disposed in alignment with the gasket 26 and the outlet hole 50. The collar 58 has a hole 62 formed in the bottom thereof and forms an air passage to the hole 50, allowing air to be drawn therethrough. The collar 58 may receive the rigid tube typically found on the end of a vacuum hose and be used to stabilize the vacuum hose which is used to provide suction to the vacuum separator 10 and draw air therethrough.

The lid 18 may also be formed with a filter mounting collar 66. The filter mounting collar extends downwardly from the bottom of the lid 18 and provides a location to mount a vacuum filter. A filter is inserted over the filter mounting collar 66 and secured thereto. The lid 18 may also include mounting brackets 70 for a spark arrestor or debris guard. Mounting brackets 70 are attached to the bottom of the lid 18 in a circle around the outside of the filter mounting collar 66. The lid 18 may include an air diverter 74 mounted below the air inlet hole 54. The air diverter 74 directs the incoming air in a circular pattern in the canister 14, helping to drop larger particles out of the air stream and keep the filter cleaner.

Turning now to FIG. 4, another perspective view of a portion of the vacuum of FIG. 1 is shown. FIGS. 4 and 5 are similar to FIG. 3, but show additional parts. A cylindrical filter 78 has been attached to the lid 18 via filter mounting collar 66. The filter 78 is a rigid filter, rather than being a soft bag-type filter. Typically, the filter 78 may be a cylindrical filter with pleated filter media. The filter 78 includes a pleated filter media such as a filter paper or a synthetic filter media and rubber top and bottom mounting rings. The filter media forms the sides of the cylindrical filter 78. The top and bottom ends of the filter 78 are used to secure the filter 78 to the lid 18. A spark arrestor 82 or debris guard has also been attached to the lid 18 via mounting brackets 70. The spark arrestor 82 is cylindrical in shape and includes a rigid circular top mounting ring 86, a rigid circular bottom plate 90 and a cylindrical guard 94 which forms the side walls of the spark arrestor. The guard 94 is mounted between the top ring 86 and the bottom plate 90. The top ring 86 has a hole through its center, allowing the spark arrestor/guard 82 to be mounted over the filter 78. The top ring 86 is formed with retaining structures which allow the spark arrestor/guard 82 to be attached to the mounting brackets 70. The cylindrical guard 94 may be made of metal mesh or metal screen and allows air to pass therethrough.

Air passes through the metal mesh 94 and then through the filter 78. Large pieces of debris are stopped by the metal mesh and kept from hitting the filter. This is particularly useful where the vacuum 10 is used for cleaning ash from a fireplace or the like. While pieces of inert debris will not typically harm a filter 78, small embers which are still burning may burn the filter. The spark arrestor 82 will keep these away from the filter 78 to prevent damage to the filter.

The spark arrestor bottom plate 90 has a number of holes 98 formed therethrough. The holes 98 are formed in a circular pattern adjacent the outer circumference of the bottom plate 90. The holes 98 allow debris to fall from the filter 78 and out of the spark arrestor. The bottom plate 90 may also be used to retain the filter 78; securing the filter 78 to the lid 18. As such, the bottom plate 90 may include a collar or indented portion 102 which engages the bottom rubber mounting ring of the filter 78. The spark arrestor top ring 86 includes mounting tabs which engage the mounting brackets 70. Once a filter 78 is placed on the lid 18, the spark arrestor 82 is placed over the filter and rotated to engage the top ring tabs and the mounting brackets 70 and lock the spark arrestor and filter in place. FIG. 5 shows the complete spark arrestor 82 while FIG. 4 shows the outline of the spark arrestor screen 94 only, allowing the filter 78 to be seen through the spark arrestor.

As shown, the holes 98 are approximately one quarter of an inch wide and approximately one half of an inch long, and approximately 18 holes are disposed around the outer circumference of the bottom plate. The holes 98 provide a near continuous annular opening around the outer circumference of the bottom plate 90, allowing good evacuation of debris from the filter when cleaning the filter. Since the holes 98 provide a total area which is much less than the open area of the spark arrestor screen 94, most of the airflow through the spark arrestor 82 while the vacuum is in operation is through the screen 94 and not through the holes 98. The holes 98 are located below the pleated filter media sides of the filter 78, allowing debris to fall from the filter 78 and out of the spark arrestor/guard 82.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, additional perspective views of the vacuum of FIG. 1 are shown. The vacuum 10 is shown from the side. FIG. 6 shows the handle 42 in a lowered position while FIG. 7 shows the handle in a partially elevated position. The handle 42 is used for cleaning the filter in addition to carrying the vacuum 10. As discussed, the handle 42 is biased by a spring 46 to rest against the lid 18 in the position shown in FIG. 6. The spring 46 may press the handle against the lid 18.

In order to clean the filter 78 and spark arrestor screen 94, the handle 42 is lifted into a vertical position (as shown in FIG. 7 or moved further beyond the position shown into a completely vertical position) and released. The spring 46 moves the handle 42 quickly towards the lid 18 and the handle forcefully strikes the lid 18. The shock of the handle 42 striking the lid 18 dislodges debris from the filter 78 and the spark arrestor screen 94, allowing the debris to fall into the canister 14. The holes 98 in the spark arrestor bottom plate 90 allow debris from the filter to fall in to the canister. The debris falls off of the filter 78 and through the holes 98. Cleaning the filter 78 with the handle 42 works best when the vacuum 10 (or separate vacuum attached thereto) is turned off and air is not being drawn through the filter 78.

A performance advantage in cleaning the filter may be obtained by having a rigid lid 18 (typically made of plastic), a rigid filter 78, and by having the filter 78 rigidly connected to the lid 18. This combination often transfers more momentum and a sharper impact to the filter 78 from the handle 42. The handle 42 is typically formed from a plastic such as a polyolefin which withstands repeatedly striking the lid 18.

Turning now to FIGS. 8 through 13, another vacuum 10 is shown. The vacuum 10 is similar to the vacuum 10 of FIG. 1 but includes a vacuum motor. The vacuum of FIGS. 8 through 13 includes the parts, structures, features, and functionality of the vacuum discussed with respect to FIGS. 1 through 7 except where mentioned to the contrary. FIG. 8 shows a partially exploded view of the vacuum 10. FIG. 9 shows a top view of the top portion of the vacuum including the motor and filter. FIG. 10 shows a bottom view of the top portion of the vacuum. FIG. 11 shows another bottom view of the top portion of the vacuum having the spark arrestor and filter removed. FIG. 12 shows a side view of the top portion of the vacuum having the handle removed. FIG. 13 shows another side view of the vacuum having the handle in an elevated position.

The vacuum 10 includes a cylindrical canister 14 which has a bottom, a cylindrical side wall, and an open top side and a lid 18 which attaches to the top of the canister. The lid 18 typically includes one or more latch tabs 30 which extend downwardly from the lid to engage the canister 14 and secure the lid 18 to the canister 14. If desired, the lid 18 may include various mounting bosses 34 for storing vacuum cleaning attachments or accessories such as a vacuum hose adapter 36.

The lid 18 includes a handle 42 which is pivotably mounted to the lid 18. The handle 42 may move between a first position where the handle rests against the lid 18 as shown and a second position where the handle is pivoted up away from the lid to carry the vacuum 10. A torsion spring 46 is attached to the lid 18 and the handle 42. The torsion spring 46 biases the handle 42 against the lid 18 in the position shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 11 shows the vacuum 10 with the handle 42 in an elevated position. The handle 42 may be pivoted upwardly such as when carrying the vacuum 10. The handle 42 may be released, upon which the spring 46 causes the handle 42 to forcefully strike the lid 18.

The lid 18 is provided with a vacuum motor 106 which may often be mounted beneath a cover or inside of the lid. Although not shown for clarity, the vacuum motor 106 typically includes a motor, fan, housing, etc. as necessary to move air through the vacuum 10. A cord 110 and switch 114 may be provided to supply power to the vacuum motor 106 and to allow a user to control the operation of the vacuum motor 106. A collar 52 defining an air inlet hole 54 is sized to receive a vacuum hose 118 which is used by a person to draw debris into the canister 14. Air is drawn through the vacuum hose 118, into the canister 14 via hole 54, through a spark arrestor 82 and/or filter 78, and out of the canister via the vacuum motor 106. The vacuum motor 106 may direct the air through exhaust vents 122 formed in the lid 18.

The top view of FIG. 9 better illustrates the positioning of the various mounting bosses 34, the collar 52, and handle 42. The motor 106 is located adjacent the center of the lid 18 and the handle 42 extends around the motor. The handle 42 is attached to mounting brackets 38 which may be positioned on the sides of the motor 106 or formed as part of a motor housing. The handle 42 is pivotably mounted to the mounting brackets 38 and typically includes one or more springs 46 which interact with the brackets 38 (or housing) and handle 42 to bias the handle against the lid 18.

FIG. 10 illustrates the bottom of the lid 18. The collar 52 and inlet hole 54 are connected to an air diverter 74 which directs air into the canister 14 as desired. The air diverter 74 often directs the air tangentially into the canister 14 so that the air rotates within the canister and particles are deposited into the canister 14 more efficiently.

The vacuum 10 may include a debris guard/spark arrestor 82 which surrounds the filter 78. A debris guard 82 may prevent large objects from hitting the filter 78. A spark arrestor 82 may similarly prevent sparks from hitting the filter 78 if the vacuum 10 is intended to be used to collect ash from a fireplace. The guard/spark arrestor 82 is typically cylindrical in shape and may include a top mounting ring 86, bottom plate 90, and cylindrical guard screen 94 which forms the side walls of the spark arrestor and which is mounted between the top ring 86 and the bottom plate 90. The screen 94 in FIG. 10 is shown transparent to allow for increased visibility of surrounding structures. The cylindrical guard screen 94 is often made of a fine mesh metal screen which prevents larger particles from contacting the air filter 78. The spark arrestor bottom plate 90 has a number of holes 98 disposed around its circumference. The holes 98 are disposed in a circle of approximately the same diameter as the filter media forming the side walls of the filter 78. The holes 98 allow debris to fall from the filter 78 and out of the spark arrestor 82; particularly when the filter is cleaned. These holes may often be between about 0.1 and 0.3 inches wide and between about 0.1 and 1 inches long, and may be between about 0.2 and 0.25 inches wide and between about 0.4 and 0.6 inches long. The holes 98 may be sized such that most of the air flow is through the screen 94 and not through the holes while allowing debris to fall through the holes 98 without significant obstruction. The bottom plate 90 may also be used to retain the filter 78. As such, the bottom plate 90 may include a collar or indented portion 102 which engages the bottom of the filter 78.

The holes 98 may approximately one quarter of an inch wide and approximately one half to three quarters of an inch long, and approximately 15 to 20 holes may be disposed around the outer circumference of the bottom plate. The holes 98 provide a near continuous annular opening near the outer circumference of the bottom plate 90, allowing good evacuation of debris from the filter. Since the holes 98 provide a total area which is much less than the open area of the spark arrestor screen 94, most of the airflow through the spark arrestor while the vacuum is in operation is through the screen 94 and not through the holes 98.

The spark arrestor top mounting ring 86 has a hole through its center, allowing the spark arrestor 82 to be placed over a filter 78. The top mounting ring 86 is formed with retaining structures such as laterally protruding tabs which allow the spark arrestor/guard 82 to be attached to the mounting brackets 70. The top mounting ring 86 may include laterally protruding tabs which are captured by the mounting brackets 70 when the spark arrestor 82 is placed against the bottom side of the lid 18 and rotated to engage the tabs with the brackets 70.

FIG. 11 shows a bottom view of the lid 18 with the filter 78 and spark arrestor 82 removed. The lid 18 may be formed with a filter mounting collar 66 or other structure to locate and retain the filter 78 in the position shown in FIG. 10. The filter 78 is mounted to the bottom of the lid 18 so that air must pass through the filter 78 to exit the vacuum canister 14. The filter is attached to the filter mounting collar 66 and secured to the lid 18. The filter 78 is often cylindrical and generally rigid rather than being a soft, bag-type filter. The filter 78 often includes a pleated filter media forming a cylindrical side wall, a rubber bottom plate attached to the filter media, and a rubber top ring attached to the filter media which allows the filter to be mounted to the vacuum. The rubber top ring typically has a hole through the center thereof to allow air to flow out of the filter.

The lid 18 may also include three or more mounting brackets 70 for securing a spark arrestor or debris guard 82 to the lid. The spark arrestor top mounting ring 86 interacts with the mounting brackets 70 to secure the spark arrestor 82 to the lid 18. Often, the spark arrestor 82 is placed against the lid with tabs located between the brackets 70 and the spark arrestor is then rotated to lock the spark arrestor in place by engaging the tabs with the brackets 70. The spark arrestor 82 is thus disposed over the filter 78 to enclose and protect the filter. The spark arrestor 82 is often used to secure the filter 78 to the vacuum lid 18.

Air passes into the vacuum 10 through the hose 18 and into the canister 14. The air passes through the metal mesh screen 94 and then through the filter 78, motor inlet hole 126, and out of the vacuum 10. Large pieces of debris are stopped by the metal mesh and kept from hitting the filter. This is particularly useful where the vacuum 10 is used for cleaning ash from a fireplace or the like. While pieces of debris will not typically harm a filter 78, small embers which are still burning may burn the filter. The spark arrestor 82 will keep these away from the filter 78 to prevent damage to the filter.

FIG. 12 shows a side view of the vacuum lid 18 with the handle 42 removed. The spring 46 and handle pivot hole 128 can be more easily seen. The handle pivot hole 128 is typically formed by a bracket 38 or as part of the motor housing. The handle 42 is received into the pivot hole 128 such that the handle 42 can lay flat against the vacuum lid 18 or can be elevated upwardly to carry the vacuum. The spring 46 is typically a rotary spring which may be coiled around a portion of the handle 42 and which engages the handle 42 and the lid 18. The spring 46 biases the handle towards the lid 18. The spring 46 causes the handle to forcefully strike the lid 18 if the handle 42 is lifted away from the lid 18 and released.

FIG. 13 shows a similar side view which shows the handle 42 disposed in an elevated position. The handle 42 is used for cleaning the filter in addition to carrying the vacuum 10. As discussed, the handle 42 is biased by a spring 46 to rest against the lid 18 in the position shown in FIG. 8. In order to clean the filter 78 and spark arrestor screen 82, the handle 42 is lifted into a vertical position as shown in FIG. 12 and released. The spring 46 moves the handle 42 quickly towards the lid 18 and the handle 42 forcibly strikes the lid 18. The shock of the handle 42 striking the lid 18 dislodges debris from the filter 78 and the spark arrestor screen 94, allowing the debris to fall into the canister 14. Debris from the spark arrestor screen 94 may directly fall into the canister 14. Debris from the filter media falls from the filter 78, through the holes 98 and into the canister 14. The holes 98 in the spark arrestor bottom plate 90 allow debris from the filter to fall through the holes 98 and into the canister 14 without significant impediment. Filter cleaning works best when the vacuum 10 is turned off and air is not being drawn through the filter 78.

It has been determined that, for many types of jobs, a canister vacuum 10 will typically lose flow from a dirty filter 78 long before the canister 14 needs to be emptied. This is particularly true where dust is being collected into the vacuum 10. Rather than removing the lid 18 from the vacuum canister 14, removing a filter 78, and cleaning or replacing the filter, a user may simply lift the handle 42 and release the handle to cause the handle to strike the lid and remove debris from the filter. The user may do this several times quickly if desired and resume use of the vacuum 10. When a job is completed, the user may remove and replace or clean the filter 78.

The examples are advantageous as they allow the filter 78 to be cleaned easily without removing the filter from the vacuum 10 or otherwise opening the vacuum canister 14. This avoids the time loss of opening the vacuum and manually cleaning the filter and avoids the mess that often occurs while opening the vacuum and removing the filter. The filter can be cleaned very easily and quickly on location. It is further advantageous that the carrying handle 42 used to carry the vacuum 10 is also used to strike the lid 18 and clean the filter 78. This allows a person to carry the vacuum 10 and release the handle 42 from a vertical position when setting the vacuum down and clean the filter without any additional effort. The ease of cleaning the filter 78 means that the filter can be cleaned frequently during use of the vacuum 10 and performance of the vacuum is maintained.

The present invention is also advantageous in providing a spark arrestor (debris guard) 82 which has a screen 94 forming the circumferential wall of the arrestor and which has holes in the bottom of the spark arrestor to allow debris to fall out of the spark arrestor while cleaning the filter 78. The spark arrestor 82 may also serve as the attachment device for holding the filter 78 to the vacuum lid 18 (and thus the vacuum 10). Thus, a filter attachment device is provide which fits over the filter and generally encloses the filter and which also provides both a circumferential screen extending around the sides of the filter in a position which is adjacent and generally parallel to the pleated filter material and holes around the bottom of the attachment device which are not covered by a screen but which are open to allow debris to pass therethrough. This arrangement protects the filter from sparks or embers, for example, but allows debris to fall off of the filter and out of the attachment device while cleaning the filter.

The above description of illustrated examples of the present invention, including what is described in the Abstract, are not intended to be exhaustive or to be limitation to the precise forms disclosed. While specific examples of the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible without departing from the broader scope of the present claims. Indeed, it is appreciated that specific example dimensions, materials, voltages, currents, frequencies, power range values, times, etc., are provided for explanation purposes and that other values may also be employed in other examples in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum comprising: a cylindrical canister for receiving and holding debris, the canister having enclosed bottom and sides and having an opening on a top thereof;a lid attached to the top of the canister, the lid being disposed to cover the opening and close the canister;a rigid cylindrical filter attached to a bottom of the lid such that the filter is disposed inside of the canister;an inlet port which receives a vacuum hose to allow debris to be collected in the canister;a vacuum motor attached to the lid, the vacuum motor drawing air into the canister through the inlet port and drawing the air through the filter and out of the canister;a striking lever pivotably attached to the lid; anda spring attached to the striking lever and to the lid, the spring biasing the striking lever against the lid such that a user may release the striking lever from a vertical position to cause the striking lever to forcefully strike the lid and thereby dislodge debris from the filter and deposit the debris in the canister.

2. The vacuum of claim 1, wherein the striking lever is a vacuum carrying handle.

3. The vacuum of claim 2, wherein the carrying handle is movable between a generally horizontal storage position wherein the carrying handle rests against the lid and a generally vertical carrying position whereby a user may carry the vacuum with the carrying handle, and wherein releasing the carrying handle from the carrying position causes the carrying handle to forcefully strike the lid.

4. The vacuum of claim 1, further comprising a debris guard mounted to the bottom of the lid such that the debris guard encloses the filter.

5. The vacuum of claim 4, wherein the debris guard is generally cylindrical and has bottom plate and a cylindrical side wall, wherein the side wall comprises a screen, the screen being disposed laterally around sides of the filter, and wherein the bottom plate has holes formed therein beneath a lateral perimeter of the filter, the holes allowing debris to fall from the filter and exit the spark arrestor.

6. The vacuum of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum hose attached to the inlet port.

7. A vacuum comprising: a canister for receiving and holding debris, the canister having an opening on a top thereof;a lid attached to the top of the canister;a filter attached to a bottom of the lid such that the filter is disposed inside of the canister;an inlet port which allows debris to be collected in the canister;an exhaust port which allows air to exit the canister;a striking lever pivotably attached to the lid; anda spring attached to the striking lever and to the lid, the spring biasing the striking lever towards the lid such that a user may release the striking lever from an elevated position to cause the striking lever to forcefully strike the lid and thereby dislodge debris from the filter and deposit the debris in the canister.

8. The vacuum of claim 7, wherein the filter is rigid.

9. The vacuum of claim 7, further comprising a vacuum motor attached to the lid, the vacuum motor moving air into the canister through the inlet port, through the filter, and out of the canister through the exhaust port.

10. The vacuum of claim 7, wherein the striking lever is a vacuum carrying handle.

11. The vacuum of claim 10, wherein the carrying handle is movable between a generally horizontal storage position wherein the carrying handle rests against the lid and a generally vertical carrying position whereby a user may carry the vacuum with the carrying handle, and wherein releasing the carrying handle from the carrying position causes the carrying handle to forcefully strike the lid.

12. The vacuum of claim 7, further comprising a debris guard mounted to the bottom of the lid such that the debris guard encloses the filter and such that air must flow through the debris guard to flow through the filter.

13. The vacuum of claim 12, wherein the debris guard is generally cylindrical and has bottom plate and a cylindrical side wall, wherein the side wall comprises a screen, the screen being disposed laterally around sides of the filter, and wherein the bottom plate has holes formed therein beneath a lateral perimeter of the filter, the holes allowing debris to fall from the filter and exit the spark arrestor.

14. A method for cleaning a vacuum filter comprising: providing a vacuum having: a canister for receiving and holding debris, the canister having an opening on a top thereof;a lid attached to the top of the canister;a filter attached to a bottom of the lid such that the filter is disposed inside of the canister;an air inlet disposed in communication with the canister to allow air and debris to be drawn into the canister, through the filter, and out of the vacuum;a striking lever pivotably attached to the lid; anda spring biasing the striking lever towards the lid;pivoting the striking lever away from the canister lid; andreleasing the striking lever such that the striking lever forcibly strikes the canister lid to thereby knock debris from the filter and deposit the debris in the canister.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the filter is rigid.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the striking lever is a vacuum carrying handle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method more specifically comprises carrying the vacuum by the handle and then releasing the handle from an elevated position to allow the handle to forcibly strike the canister lid.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the vacuum further comprises a debris guard mounted to the bottom of the lid such that the debris guard encloses the filter, wherein the debris guard is generally cylindrical and has bottom plate and a cylindrical side wall, wherein the side wall comprises a screen, the screen being disposed laterally around the filter, and wherein the bottom plate has holes formed therein beneath a lateral perimeter of the filter, the holes allowing debris to fall from the filter and exit the spark arrestor.

19. The vacuum of claim 14, wherein the vacuum further comprises a vacuum motor attached to the lid, the vacuum motor moving air into the canister through the inlet port, through the filter, and out of the canister through an exhaust port.