Suction apparatus for liquids and foam

Claim 1

A SUCTION CLEANER FOR PICKING UP LIQUID AND FOAM, INCLUDING: A RECEPTACLE FOR RECEIVING LIQUID AND FOAM, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING AN UPSTANDING SUBSTANTIALLY ROUND WALL AND DEFINING A VERTICAL CENTRAL AXIS; A MOTOR-BLOWER UNIT LOCATED ABOVE SAID RECEPTACLE FOR CREATING A NEGATIVE PRESSURE WITHIN THE RECEPTACLE FOR SUCKING THEREIN LIQUID AND FOAM; A FLUID-TIGHT MEMBER LOCATED BETWEEN SAID UNIT AND SAID RECEPTACLE, FOR PREVENTING FOAM FROM ENTERING SAID UNIT; AN INTAKE OPENING IN SAID WALL OF SAID RECEPTACLE, LOCATED BELOW SAID MEMBER, FOR SUCKING LIQUID, FOAM, AND AIR INTO THE RECEPTACLE; MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID INTAKE OPENING FOR DIRECTING THE SUCKED AIR IN A CIRCULAR PATH WITHIN THE RECEPTACLE; A ROUND OPENING ASSOCIATED WITH SAID MEMBER, LOCATED BETWEEN SAID WALL AND SAID CENTRAL AXIS OF THE RECEPTACLE AND MORE THAN 270* FROM SAID INTAKE OPENING IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE AIR IN SAID CIRCULAR PATH, SAID ROUND OPENING HAVING A TRUNCATED UPWARDLY CONVERGENT CONICAL INNER SURFACE; A FLOAT VALVE IN SAID RECEPTACLE VERTICALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID ROUND OPENING AND VERTICALLY FREELY MOVABLE BETWEEN A LOWER POSITION AND AN UPPER POSITION IN WHICH SAID FLOAT VALVE CLOSES SAID ROUND OPENING, SAID FLOAT VALVE BEING SUFFICIENTLY LIGHT TO FLOAT ON THE FOAM COLLECTED IN THE RECEPTACLE AND RISING IN RESPONSE TO THE RISING FOAM LEVEL; A TRUNCATED UPWARDLY CONVERGENT CONICAL MEMBER LOCATED WITHIN SAID OPENING, THE INCLUDED ANGLE OF SAID INNER SURFACE AND OF SAID CONICAL MEMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL, SAID CONICAL MEMBER AND SAID CONICAL INNER SURFACE DEFINING A PASSAGE, COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE RECEPTACLE AND THE MOTOR-BLOWER UNIT, IN THE FORM OF AN UPWARDLY CONVERGENT CONICAL SHELL, WHEREBY THE AIR IS DRAWN THROUGH SAID PASSAGE APPROXIMATELY IN THE SHAPE OF AN UPWARDLY CONVERGENT CONICAL SHELL WHICH DOES NOT ENTRAIN IN ITS PATH SAID FLOAT FOR ALL POSITIONS THEREOF, AND RAISE SAID FLOAT VALVE TO SAID UPPER POSITION, UNTIL THE USEFUL FOAM CAPACITY OF SAID RECEPTACLE IS REACHED; AND MEANS LOCATED IN SAID RECEPTACLE FOR DEFLECTING SAID CIRCULAR PATH FROM SAID FLOAT.