US6494940B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Air purifier
Assignee: Hamilton Beach Brands Inc
•
Filing: 2000-09-29
•
Granted: 2002-12-17
•
Expires: 2020-09-29
Abstract
Abstract An air purifier including a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting the air inlet and the air outlet. The airflow passage is defined by a filtration chamber positioned upstream from a blower chamber and an ultraviolet light chamber. A blower assembly is supported within the blower chamber and includes a fan driven by a motor for forcing air through the air flow passage from the air inlet to the air outlet. A pre-filter and a main filter are removably supported within the air filtration chamber for entrapping particulates having a size of 0.3 microns and greater. An ultraviolet light source is positioned within the light chamber and is positioned proximate the air outlet. An outlet grille is supported proximate the air outlet and provides for the passage of air while substantially preventing the passage of ultraviolet light. The outlet grille includes a louver assembly including a plurality of blades defining a plurality of convoluted passages. An outlet safety switch is selectively engagable with the outlet grille for preventing operation of the ultraviolet light and the blower assembly if the outlet grille is not properly positioned relative to the housing. An air quality sensor is supported by the housing and provides an indication of ambient air quality to a controller which, in turn, varies operation of the blower assembly based upon the indicated ambient air quality. A filter check gauge is removably positioned proximate the air outlet for providing an indication of air flow volume and thereby, the need to replace either the pre-filter or the main filter.
Inventors
- 👤 Marron Hak
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 09:35
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01D; B01D46/00; B01D46/10; A; A61; A61L; A61L9/00; A61L9/16; A61L9/18; A61L9/20; B01D46/0027; B01D46/0028; B01D2273/00; B01D2273/30; B01D2279/00; B01D2279/65; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S55/00; Y10S55/34
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source comprised of an ultraviolet lamp oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to and disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; and an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source comprised of an ultraviolet lamp oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to and disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; and an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The air purifier of claim 1 further comprising a window in visual communication with said ultraviolet light source, said window including a cover for filtering ultraviolet light.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
168 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light; an outlet safety switch engageable with said outlet grille, said outlet safety switch operably connected to said ultraviolet light source for selectively deactivating said ultraviolet light source; an inlet grill supported proximate said air inlet; and an inlet safety switch engageable with said inlet grille, said inlet safety switch operably connected to said blower assembly for selectively deactivating said blower assembly.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
168 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light; an outlet safety switch engageable with said outlet grille, said outlet safety switch operably connected to said ultraviolet light source for selectively deactivating said ultraviolet light source; an inlet grill supported proximate said air inlet; and an inlet safety switch engageable with said inlet grille, said inlet safety switch operably connected to said blower assembly for selectively deactivating said blower assembly.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
129 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light; a securing device supported by said first filter; and a second filter removably supported by said securing device of said first filter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
129 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light; a securing device supported by said first filter; and a second filter removably supported by said securing device of said first filter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The air purifier of claim 4 wherein said first filter comprises a HEPA filter and said second filter comprises a carbon mesh filter, said HEPA filter positioned downstream from said carbon mesh filter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
137 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet, said blower assembly comprises a motor and a centrifugal fan operably connected to said motor, said centrifugal fan having a rotational axis substantially coaxially aligned with an inlet airflow; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; and an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
137 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet, said blower assembly comprises a motor and a centrifugal fan operably connected to said motor, said centrifugal fan having a rotational axis substantially coaxially aligned with an inlet airflow; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; and an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
202 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light; a controller operably connected to said blower assembly for controlling movement of air through said air passage; an air quality sensor including a sampling chamber that is separate from the air flow passage supported by said housing, an optical emitter communicating with said sampling chamber, an optical receptor communicating with said sampling chamber for detecting light emitted from said optical emitter; and wherein said air quality sensor provides a signal indicative of air quality within said sampling chamber to said controller, said controller selectively adjusting operation of said blower assembly in response to said signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
202 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light; a controller operably connected to said blower assembly for controlling movement of air through said air passage; an air quality sensor including a sampling chamber that is separate from the air flow passage supported by said housing, an optical emitter communicating with said sampling chamber, an optical receptor communicating with said sampling chamber for detecting light emitted from said optical emitter; and wherein said air quality sensor provides a signal indicative of air quality within said sampling chamber to said controller, said controller selectively adjusting operation of said blower assembly in response to said signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
The air purifier of claim 7 further comprising: a cleaning member adapted to be removably received within said sampling chamber for cleaning said optical emitter and said optical receptor; and a storage compartment supported by said housing for removably storing said cleaning member.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
125 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light; and a filter check gauge removably positioned proximate said air outlet for providing an indication of air flow.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
125 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source; an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille permeable to air and substantially impermeable to ultraviolet light; and a filter check gauge removably positioned proximate said air outlet for providing an indication of air flow.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The air purifier of claim 9 further comprising a storage compartment supported by said housing for removably storing said filter check gauge.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
129 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; and an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille including a plurality of substantially aligned blades, a plurality of convoluted paths defined intermediate said plurality of blades and permitting passage of air from said air flow passage through said air outlet while substantially preventing the passage of ultraviolet light from said ultraviolet light source through said air outlet.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
129 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said air inlet to said air outlet; an ultraviolet light source disposed in said air flow passage and positioned proximate said air outlet; and an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet, said outlet grille including a plurality of substantially aligned blades, a plurality of convoluted paths defined intermediate said plurality of blades and permitting passage of air from said air flow passage through said air outlet while substantially preventing the passage of ultraviolet light from said ultraviolet light source through said air outlet.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
50 words
The air purifier of claim 11 wherein: each said blade includes a body having opposing longitudinally extending side edges and a longitudinally extending mid portion intermediate said side edges; and said side edges of each said blade overlap laterally with said mid portion of an adjacent one of said blades.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
44 words
The air purifier of claim 11 wherein: said outlet grille further comprises a pair of substantially parallel side rails; and each said blade includes a body having opposing end edges, and tabs extending outwardly from said end edges and secured to said side rails.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
33 words
The air purifier of claim 11 wherein each said blade includes a body having opposing concave and convex outer surfaces, said concave outer surface positioned adjacent said convex surface of an adjacent blade.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
27 words
The air purifier of claim 11 further comprising a first air filter disposed in said air flow passage intermediate said air inlet and said ultraviolet light source.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
78 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said inlet end to said outlet end; an air filter disposed in said air flow passage; and a filter check gauge removably positioned proximate said air outlet for providing an indication of volume of air flow.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
78 words
An air purifier comprising: a housing supporting an air inlet, an air outlet and an air flow passage interconnecting said air inlet and said air outlet; a blower assembly supported within said housing for forcing air through said air flow passage from said inlet end to said outlet end; an air filter disposed in said air flow passage; and a filter check gauge removably positioned proximate said air outlet for providing an indication of volume of air flow.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
22 words
The air purifier of claim 16 further comprising a storage compartment supported by said housing for storing said filter c heck gauge.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
The air purifier of claim 16 further comprising an outlet grille supported by said housing proximate said air outlet and including a recess for removably receiving said filter check gauge.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
36 words
The air purifier of claim 16 wherein said filter check gauge comprises a cylindrical tube and an indicator slidably received within said cylindrical tube for movement in response to air flow through said filter check gauge.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-12-16 | 2006-06-17 | 2006-12-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-12-16 | 2010-06-17 | 2010-12-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-12-16 | 2014-06-17 | 2014-12-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |