Vacuum cleaning apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF SOAP SUDS INTO A BLOWER OF A VACUUM CLEANER, INCLUDING A TANK FOR STORING LIQUIDS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A VALVE ENCLOSURE, A PORTION OF SAID ENCLOSURE COMPRISING A FORAMINOUS MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES THEREIN COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID ENCLOSURE AND SAID TANK, SAID ENCLOSURE HAVING A FIRST PORT THEREIN BETWEEN SAID ENCLOSURE AND SAID BLOWER AND A SECOND PORT THEREIN BETWEEN SAID ENCLOSURE AND SAID TANK, A VALVE SEAT COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID FIRST PORT AND SAID ENCLOSURE, A MOVABLE VALVE ELEMENT WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE, SAID VALVE ELEMENT BEING NORMALLY GRAVITATIONALLY RETAINED IN A POSITION OBSTRUCTING THE PASSAGE OF AIR FLOW THROUGH SAID SECOND PORT, THE AIR PASSING INTO SAID BLOWER BEING THEREBY DISPOSED TO PASS NORMALLY THROUGH SAID APERTURES OF SAID FORAMINOUS MEMBER AND ABOUT SAID MOVABLE VALVE ELEMENT, RETAINER MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID MOVABLE VALVE ELEMENT WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE, THE WEIGHT OF SAID MOVABLE ELEMENT AND THE SIZE OF THE SAID APERTURES IN SAID FORAMINOUS MEMBER BEING ADJUSTED RELATIVELY TO EACH OTHER SUCH THAT A SOAP FILM FROM SAID SUDS WILL BE RETAINED WITHIN THE APERTURES OF SAID FORAMINOUS MEMBER WHILE A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL EXISTS THEREACROSS SUFFICIENT TO RAISE SAID MOVABLE VALVE ELEMENT AGAINST THE FORCE OF GRAVITY, SAID VALVE ELEMENT BEING MOVABLE UPWARDLY AGAINST THE FORCE OF GRAVITY TO A SEATED POSITION ON SAID VALVE SEAT TO THEREBY OBSTRUCT THE FLOW OF AIR THROUGH SAID FIRST PORT RESPONSIVE TO AN INCREASE TO THE AMOUNT OF AIR FLOWING THROUGH SAID SECOND PORT DUE TO OBSTRUCTION OF SAID APERTURES BY SAID SOAP FILM AND THE SUCTION CREATED BY SAID BLOWER BEING ADAPTED TO RETAIN SAID MOVABLE VALVE ELEMENT AGAINST SAID VALVE SEAT TO THEREBY INTERRUPT FURTHER FLOW OF AIR INTO SAID BLOWER FROM SAID ENCLOSURE WHEREBY THE PASSAGE OF SUDS OR FOAM INTO SAID BLOWER IS PREVENTED.