Patent US6494940B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
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 11:42
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.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2335056A
Cited
US2638644A
Cited
US3024655A
Cited
US3518046A
Cited
US3600590A
Cited
US3745750A
Cited
US3757495A
Cited
US3860818A
Cited
US3948445A
Cited
US3936284A
Cited
US4040568A
Cited
US4004361A
Cited
US4118191A
Cited
US4210429A
Cited
US4214146A
Cited
US4504290A
Cited
US4605425A
Cited
US4666638A
Cited
US4719662A
Cited
US4701195A
Cited
US4737173A
Cited
US4859220A
Cited
US4792345A
Cited
US4743406A
Cited
US4737174A
Cited
USD308415S
Cited
US4839014A
Cited
US4937912A
Cited
US4849862A
Cited
US5163202A
Cited
US4917862A
Cited
US5061296A
Cited
US5014338A
Cited
US5111529A
Cited
US4931224A
Cited
US5089144B1
Cited
US5089144A
Cited
US5112370A
Cited
JPH03254808A
Cited
US5266004A
Cited
US5036698A
Cited
USD324098S
Cited
US5131932A
Cited
US5250232A
Cited
US5230723A
Cited
US5210818A
Cited
US5330722A
Cited
US5139546A
Cited
USD335702S
Cited
US5236477A
Cited
US5240478A
Cited
USD345010S
Cited
USD357330S
Cited
JP3254808B2
Cited
US5378254A
Cited
USD360028S
Cited
US5407469A
Cited
US5891399A
Cited
US5800741A
Cited
USD379220S
Cited
US5547615A
Cited
US5601636A
Cited
US5656242A
Cited
US5679137A
Cited
USD374713S
Cited
USD377213S
Cited
US5611967A
Cited
US5616172A
Cited
US6013121A
Cited
US5862737A
Cited
US5811004A
Cited
US5800583A
Cited
US5840092A
Cited
US5925172A
Cited
US5803940A
Cited
US5762667A
Cited
US5792230A
Cited
US5948355A
Cited
USD395146S
Cited
US5735918A
Cited
US5772732A
Cited
US5914453A
Cited
USD396275S
Cited
US5879435A
Cited
US5783117A
Cited
US5819367A
Cited
US6051144A
Cited
US6293983B1
Cited
US6045596A
Cited
US5837207A
Cited
USD390940S
Cited
US5810908A
Cited
US5925320A
Cited
USD394100S
Cited
US5997619A
Cited
US5986555A
Cited
USD409741S
Cited
USD416613S
Cited
US5893939A
Cited
USD402022S
Cited
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 |