Patent Application
20200398237
The invention pertains to the field of particulate collectors. More particularly, the invention pertains to a particulate collector for drums.
In many facilities, powders are mixed together to form a powdery compound product which are either sold outright or are further processed by mixing the powdery compound with other products. This mixing often needs to occur within a hood or a specialized area within the facility due to the particulates that end up in the air during the mixing of powders. The problems that can arise during the mixing process of powders in large volumes include, when the powder is poured into a container, for example drums, the powder particulates billow out and create a mess. The powder particulates can also be harmful if breathed in by users preparing the powdery compounds. Additionally, when the powders or the powdery compound are mixed together, additional particulates are created during the process.
The inner chamber 430 of the particulate collector 400 is defined between an upper protruding rim 421, an inner surface 424, and a lower protruding rim 422. The upper protruding rim 421 and the lower protruding rim 422 are semicircular shaped and preferably corresponds to the shape of an outer lip along the rim of a drum with the back end of the particulate collector extending out from the drum. Vacuum ports 437, 438 allow air to flow from the inner chamber 430 and into the collection chamber 431. The outer ends 425 of the particulate collector 400 are curved outward to aid in maintaining contact between the drum 60 and the particulate collector 400 through friction. At opposing ends of the particulate collector 400 are slots 432, 434. The slots 432, 434 define an opening 435, 436 to allow movement of clips within the slots 432, 434.
Some of the disadvantages associated with the conventional particulate collector are the angle of the pipe 402 relative to the collection chamber 431 limits the airflow and does not capture the particulates in the drum.
A particulate collector for attachment to a vacuum cleaner and for preventing particulates from spilling over a top of an opening defined by a rim with an outer lip during mixing of material in a drum. The collector comprises a body, a hollow pipe for connection to the body and vacuum hose and a funnel shield. The body of the particulate collector has opposing curved ends, a top portion extending to an upper rim and a bottom portion extended to a lower rim, and an inner wall surface having at least three ports. The top portion, bottom portion and inner wall surface define a first chamber and the lower rim, upper rim and inner wall surface define a second chamber, with the first chamber being connected to the second chamber through the at least three ports of the inner wall surface. The hollow pipe has a tubular body with an outer end for attachment to a vacuum cleaner and an inner end mounted to the body, in communication with the first chamber via a port. The funnel shield is mounted to the top portion of the body, extending beyond the upper rim and the lower rim of the body, the funnel shield having a funnel body with a top surface, a bottom surface, and curved outer ends, the bottom surface of the funnel shield body and the top surface of the body defining at least one angled passage.
When the body of the particulate collector is placed in the opening of the drum and rests on the rim of the opening, with a vacuum cleaner connected to the outer end of the hollow pipe, particulates which are present in the opening of the drum are sucked into the vacuum cleaner.
The particulate collector 100 has a semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 with a funneling shield 117. The semielliptical body 101 has a top portion 103 connected to a bottom portion 102 through C-shaped sides 104. Between the top portion 103 and the bottom portion 102 is an inner surface wall 107 containing vacuum ports 108, 109, 110. The area A1, A2, A3 of the openings of the vacuum ports 108, 109, 110 can be the same or can vary in size between the ports. The top portion 103, bottom portion 102, inner surface wall 107, and a C-shaped sides 104 define a first chamber 105, referred to as a collection chamber. While three vacuum ports 108, 109, 110 are shown, the number of ports may be increased or decreased. The collection chamber 105 is also in communication with a first end 106a of a hollow pipe 106 through an opening 120 on the C-shaped sides 104 at a back of the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101, opposite the inner surface wall 107. The second end 106b of the hollow pipe 106 is attached to a vacuum hose 66 during use of the particulate collector 100. The hollow pipe 106 may be integrally formed with the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 of the particulate collector 100 or secured through other means. The hollow pipe 106 is preferably connected to semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 of the particulate collector 100 along a centerline C-C. The hollow pipe 106 can be attached to the bottom portion 102 of the particulate collector 100. The hollow pipe 106 can also be connected at an angle relative to the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 of the particulate collector 100.
The collection chamber 105 is additionally in communication with a funnel passage 118 through a series of holes 128. The area of the series of holes 128 is equal to the area A1, A2, A3 of at least one of the openings of a vacuum port 108, or vacuum port 109, or vacuum port 110.
The top and bottom portion 102, 103 of the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 extend laterally outwards beyond the inner surface wall 107 to form a top protruding rim 115 and a bottom protruding rim 116. The top and bottom protruding rims 115, 116 are semicircular and preferably correspond to the shape of the outer lip 62 along the rim of the drum 60, with at least a portion of the bottom portion 102 and the hollow pipe 106 of the particulate collector 100 extending out from the drum 60. A second chamber 119 is defined between the top protruding rim 115, a bottom protruding rim 116 and the inner surface wall 107. The second chamber is in communication with the collection chamber 105 via the vacuum ports 108, 109, 110.
The top and bottom portions 102, 103 of the crescent shaped body 101 and the C-shaped sides 104 also form opposed outer curved ends 121 each with outer edges 111. The curve of the outer curved ends 121 aid in maintaining contact between the drum 60 and the particulate collector 100 through friction. The radius of the curve of the outer curved ends 121 also preferably corresponds to a curvature of the outer lip 62 of the rim of the drum 60.
The opposed outer curved ends 121 each contain a slot 112 extending inwards from the outer edge 111. The slots 112 define an opening 113 that contains a stop 114. The openings 113 defined between the slots 114 and the stop 114 are greater in thickness than right and left clips 300, 310 shown in
A funnel shield 117 has a C-shaped dome body 123 attached to or formed integrally with the top portion 103 of the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 of the particulate collector 100 at an angle. The C-shaped dome body 123 of the funnel shield 117 has a top outer surface 125, a bottom inner surface 126 and opposed curved outer ends 124. The opposed curved outer ends 124 of the funnel shield 117 extend beyond the top protruding rim 115 and bottom protruding rim 116 to define at least one angled passage 118 which can funnel particulates towards the collection chamber 105 through the holes 128 and to the second chamber 119 with vacuum ports 108, 109, 110. While the funnel shield is shown as extending beyond the top protruding rim 115, a length, the amount of extension and the length of extension from the top protruding rim 115 can vary.
The angle of the angled passage 118 formed between the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 of the particulate collector 100 relative to the inner surface wall 107 is approximately 15 degrees. A divider wall 127 can be present within the angled passage 118 between the top portion 103 of the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 and the bottom inner surface 126 of the funnel shield 117 to create additional passages. It should be noted that all of the angled passages 118 formed by the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 and the funnel shield 117 are funnel particulates to the collection chamber 105 in communication with the vacuum ports 108, 109, 110 through holes 128.
The semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 of the particulate collector 100 and the funneling shield 117 are preferably symmetric about the centerline C-C.
Referring to
A vacuum hose 66 has a first end coupled to a vacuum cleaner (not shown) and a second end friction fit onto the second end 106b of the hollow pipe 106. When the vacuum cleaner is turned on, a vacuum is created within the collection chamber 105, the second chamber 119, and angled funnel passage 118 defined by the funnel shield 117 and the top portion 103 of the semielliptical or crescent shaped body 101 and as a result, a downward draft is present over the opening 64 of the drum 60. Any billowing particulates are caught within the downward draft, funneled into the angled funnel passage 118 between the funnel shield 117 and the second chamber 119 directly into the second chamber 119 or into the angled funnel passage 118 and to the collection chamber 105. Billowing particulates are sucked from the second chamber 119 through vacuum ports 108, 109, 110 and into the collection chamber 105, then into the opening 120 of the hollow pipe 106 and into a vacuum container (not shown) of the vacuum cleaner coupled to the vacuum hose 66.
Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.
