Air scrubbing device

Claim 1

IN AN AIR SCRUBBER FOR ASSOCIATION WITH A TANK OPEN AT THE TOP TO THE AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE AND HAVING THEREIN A SUBSTANCE INTO WHICH AN ARTICLE MAY BE TEMPORARILY PLACED THROUGH SAID TOP FOR TREATMENT BY THE SUBSTANCE WHICH TENDS T CONTAMINATE THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE THE TANK, THE IMPROVEMENT INCLUDING A HOOD IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE OPEN TOP OF THE TANK HAVING THE MAJOR PORTION THEREOF VERTICALLY ARRANGED AND HAVING A WALL STRUCTURE COMPRISING FRONT, REAR AND SIDE WALLS DEFINING AN AIR CONDUIT WHICH IS OBLONG IN CROSS SECTION, THE WALL STRUCTURE HAVING MEANS AT ONE END DEFINING AN AIR INLET, CLOSELY OVERHANGING A PORTION OF THE TANK TOP BUT LEAVING A LARGE PORTION OF THE OPEN TO ACCESSIBLE FOR THE PLACEMENT OF ARTICLES IN THE TANK, AND HAVING AT THE OTHER END MEANS DEFINING AN AIR OUTLET, SAID AIR INLET MEANS PROVIDING AN OPENING EXTENDING HORIZONTIALLY A DISTANCE APPROXIMATING ONE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION OF SAD OPEN TOP AND THE AIR INLET BEING CONSIDERABLY LARGER THAN THE AIR OUTLET, SAID SIDE WALLS CONVERGING TOWARD ONE ANOTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF THE AIR OUTLET, THE FRONT WALL HAVING AN INCLINED PORTION TENDING TO ENTRAP ANY AIR OVER THE TANK TENDING TO ENTER THE AIR CONDUIT EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION TOWARD THE REAR WALL, WHICH WITH THE LATTER AND THE SIDE WALLS RESTRICTS THE AIR CONDUIT INTERMEDIATE OF ITS ENDS, THE FRONT WALL BETWEEN SAID RESTRICTION AND THE MEANS DEFINING AWAY FROM THE LET HAVING A PORTION INCLINED IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE REAR WALL AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE AIR OUTLET, A BAFFLE-LIKE PART EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDE WALLS IN FIXED RELATION THERETO FORMING A FURTHER RESTRICTION OF THE AIR CONDUIT, SAID BAFFLE-LIKE PART DEFINING AT LEAST IN PART A TROUGH, A POWER-DRIVEN AIR IMPELLER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID AIR CONDUIT ON THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF SAID TROUGH TO SUCK AIR OVER THE TANK INTO THE AIR CONDUIT AND EXPELL IT THROUGH SAID OUTLET, A SPRAY NOZZLE FOR CONNECTION TO A FLUID SOURCE, LOCATED IN THE AIR CONDUIT IN SPACED AND OPPOSING RELATION TO SAID TROUGH TO SPRAY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE AIR CONDUIT AND ENTRAP AIR CONTAMINANTS, MEANS DEFINING A FLUID DEFLECTOR AND SUMP SPACED BELOW SAID TROUGH, SAID SUMP COMMUNICATING WTH THE LOWER END OF THE AIR CONDUIT FORMED BY THE AFOREMENTIONED WALL STRUCTURE, SAID TROUGH OVERHANGING SAID DEFLECTOR, AND SAID DEFLECTOR BEING ARRANGED TO DEFLECT FLUID FROM THE NOZZLE, INCLUDING THAT TEMPORARILY COLLECTED IN SAID TROUGH FROM THE NOZZLE, TO THE SUMP, SAID BAFFLE-LIKE PART AND SAID DEFLECTOR SERVING TO PREVENT FLUID FROM THE NOZZLE AND ANY CONTAMINANTS ENTRAPPED IN THE FLUID FROM ENTERING THE TANK AND SEVERING TO DIRECT BY GRAVITY ANY ENTRAPPED CONTAMINANTS TO THE SUMP, THE RESTRICTION OF THE AIR CONDUIT, FORMED AT LEAST IN PART BY SAID BAFFLE-LIKE PART PROVIDING IN ITSELF AT LEAST PART OF THE TROUGH, TENDING TO PROVIDE A NONTORTUOUS AIR PATH, AND TENDING TO INCREASE THE SPEED OF AIR FLOW FROM ONE PART OF THE AIR CONDUIT TO ANOTHER TO THEREBY INCREASE THE AIR SUCTION.