Method and apparatus for percolating vacuum cleaning

Claim 1

A method for percolating vacuum cleaning comprising: providing a vacuum cleaning container including a bottom wall, a top wall, and sidewalls defining an interior chamber, the top wall supporting a vacuum initiator thereon, the vacuum initiator having an inlet, providing a volume of liquid within a bottom portion of the interior chamber, a top surface level of the liquid being substantially variable, providing a moveable deflector within the interior chamber, the deflector having float means attached to the underside thereof so as to maintain the underside of the deflector a predetermined distance above the top surface of the liquid, providing an intake into the vacuum cleaning container, the intake being rigidly connected within an aperture of one of the walls of the container, the aperture being above the top surface of the volume of liquid, rigidly connecting an immersion tube to and through the deflector, the immersion tube being of a length such that a lower, open end thereof is always below the surface of the volume of liquid, providing a length of flexible tubing connected between the intake and an upper end of the immersion tube, uninterrupted change from wet to dry or from dry to wet suctioning of a mixture of air and contaminants into the volume of liquid sequentially through the intake, the flexible tubing, and the immersion tube so as to input the mixture of air and contaminants beneath the surface of the volume of liquid, percolating the mixture through the liquid volume, the contaminants therein being deposited within the liquid volume, and the air cleansed by the liquid passing around the deflector and up to the vacuum initiator, and exhausting the clean air from the container through an outlet of the vacuum initiator.

Claim 2

A method for percolating vacuum cleaning comprising: providing a vacuum cleaning container including a bottom wall, a top wall, and sidewalls defining an interior chamber, the top wall supporting a vacuum initiator thereon, the vacuum initiator having an inlet, providing a volume of liquid within a bottom portion of the interior chamber, a top surface level of the liquid being substantially variable, providing a moveable deflector within the interior chamber, the deflector having float means attached to the underside thereof so as to maintain the underside of the deflector a predetermined distance above the top surface of the liquid, providing an intake into the vacuum cleaning container, the intake being rigidly connected within an aperture of one of the walls of the container, the aperture being above the top surface of the volume of liquid, rigidly connecting an immersion tube to and through the deflector, the immersion tube being of a length such that a lower, open end thereof is always below the surface of the volume of liquid, providing a length of flexible tubing connected between the intake and an upper end of the immersion tube, uninterrupted change from wet to dry or from dry to wet suctioning of a mixture of air and contaminants into the volume of liquid sequentially through the intake, the flexible tubing, and the immersion tube so as to input the mixture of air and contaminants beneath the surface of the volume of liquid, percolating the mixture through the liquid volume, the contaminants therein being deposited within the liquid volume, and the air cleansed by the liquid passing around the deflector and up to the vacuum initiator, and exhausting the clean air from the container through an outlet of the vacuum initiator.

Claim 4

An apparatus for percolating vacuum cleaning comprising: a container including a bottom wall, a top wall, and sidewalls to define an interior chamber, the top wall supporting a vacuum initiator thereon, the vacuum initiator having an inlet and an exhaust outlet for exhausting clean air from the container, a volume of liquid within a bottom portion of the interior chamber, a top surface level of the liquid being substantially variable, a moveable deflector within the interior chamber, float means on the underside of the deflector to maintain the underside of the deflector a predetermined distance above the top surface of the liquid, intake means for inputting a contaminated air mixture into the container, the intake means being rigidly connected to an aperture within a wall of the container, the aperture being above the surface of the liquid and the intake means being connected to an immersion tube via a flexible tube, the immersion tube being rigidly connected to and passing through the deflector, and the immersion tube having a length sufficient that contaminated air passing therethrough is injected beneath the surface of the liquid.

Claim 5

An apparatus for percolating vacuum cleaning comprising: a container including a bottom wall, a top wall, and sidewalls to define an interior chamber, the top wall supporting a vacuum initiator thereon, the vacuum initiator having an inlet and an exhaust outlet for exhausting clean air from the container, a volume of liquid within a bottom portion of the interior chamber, a top surface level of the liquid being substantially variable, a moveable deflector within the interior chamber, float means on the underside of the deflector to maintain the underside of the deflector a predetermined distance above the top surface of the liquid, intake means for inputting a contaminated air mixture into the container, the intake means being rigidly connected to an aperture within a wall of the container, the aperture being above the surface of the liquid and the intake means being connected to an immersion tube via a flexible tube, the immersion tube being rigidly connected to and passing through the deflector, and the immersion tube having a length sufficient that contaminated air passing therethrough is injected beneath the surface of the liquid.