Abstract: Vacuum cleaner canisters and vacuum cleaner filter bags are provided with weir members disposed in the path of particle laden air flowing through the vacuum cleaner. The particle laden air flows across the top and/or side edges of the weir members creating a pressure drop thereacross and an area of low pressure on the downstream sides of the weir members whereby particles in the airstream are influenced to drop out of the airstream and into the low pressure areas.

Abstract: Vacuum cleaner canisters and vacuum cleaner filter bags are provided with weir members disposed in the path of particle laden air flowing through the vacuum cleaner. The particle laden air flows across the top and/or side edges of the weir members creating a pressure drop thereacross and an area of low pressure on the downstream sides of the weir members whereby particles in the airstream are influenced to drop out of the airstream and into the low pressure areas.

Abstract: An upright vacuum cleaner having a filter bag housing assembly comprised of a fabric or otherwise flexible and air permeable bag housing resiliently supported at its bottom end relative to the operator handle such that the bag housing is always in tension and is prevented from twisting about the axis of the operator handle. The bag housing assembly includes rigid upper and lower frame members thereby maintaining the assembly in a prescribed geometric shape. The lower frame member which defines the bottom of the bag housing includes a pair of laterally disposed elongated track members telescopically disposed within respective guide track members fixed to the handle and resiliently biased relative to the respective guide track member to thereby maintain the bag housing in tension and provide lateral stability to the bag housing at the same time.

Abstract: A filter device, usable as a self-contained or freestanding unit or in association with an associated air treatment installation such as a furnace or air conditioner.A preferred embodiment has a housing in which is supported a parallel-arranged plurality of filter bags folded over to achieve high filter area in comparison to the size of the housing; and ductwork leads the incoming air to the filter bags, which are formed of HEPA paper for screening out even extremely small particles.The housing is hermetically sealed; and there is provided a blower for drawing in air, and causing it to pass through the filter bag system and into the interior of the housing, and then out the housing outlet for entrance to the associated air treatment installation.

Abstract: A bag is shown for use with an upright vacuum cleaner of the type having a motor fan contained in a main housing for producing an air flow out an air duct of the housing. The bag includes a flexible body having side walls formed of an air pervious material which define a normally closed interior and a mouth opening. The mouth opening of the flexible body is secured to the air duct of the main housing to produce an air flow through the flexible body for exhaust to the atmosphere. An oscillator tube, formed of a flexible material, has an interior, an open end at one extent and an intake opening at the opposite extent. The intake opening is arranged to communicate with the mouth opening of the bag body so that the air flow from the main housing passes through the oscillator tube and causes oscillations, the oscillations of the tube serving to vibrate the bag and prevent the buildup of dirt on the bag interior side walls.

Abstract: An improved filter bag is provided for swimming pool cleaners and the like particularly of the type designed for travel along submerged pool surfaces to dislodge and collect debris. The filter bag is formed from an elongated stretch of porous fabric, such as nylon mesh, folded upon itself to define conforming left and right sidewalls joined by front and rear seams and a seamless upper end. The lower ends of the sidewalls are secured to a mounting collar which cooperates therewith to define an open mouth for entry of debris into the bag and means for attachment about the discharge end of a pool cleaner suction mast. Water and debris are drawn by the cleaner through the mounting collar into a primary flow chamber within a forward region of the filter bag and separated from a rear collection chamber by an upstanding divider seam which terminates below the seamless upper end of the bag.

Abstract: A floor care appliance having a filter bag with an inlet chamber accessed by an inlet aperture, and a quiescent storage chamber connected to the inlet chamber by an opening adjacent the top thereof. The filter bag is formed of filter sheet material as an elongate tubular member having the opposite ends folded and sealed to define an air impermeable seal. An inlet aperture extends into the interior of the tubular member adjacent one end thereof and the tubular member is folded upon itself spaced from the other end thereof with confronting portions of the tubular member being sealed together and including an opening adjacent the fold between the confronting portions to maintain an open air path from the inlet aperture to the other end of the filter bag.

Abstract: A connector for connecting a filter bag to the suction inlet of a vacuum cleaner. The filter bag connector includes a dirt interceptor extending across the air flow path from the suction inlet to intercept high speed dirt particles at the center and upper center portion of the air flow path, absorb kinetic energy therefrom, and deliver the intercepted dirt particles into the substantially unimpeded lower and side portions of the air flow path for delivery with the slower moving dirt particles therein freely into the filter bag. Resultingly, abrasion of the filter bag is effectively minimized for providing extended useful life of the filter bag. In the illustrated embodiment, the dirt interceptor includes an upper flat portion and a lower flat portion extending at different angles to the perpendicular to the flow path. In the illustrated embodiment, the dirt interceptor tapers across its width and in thickness toward the distal end thereof.

Abstract: One or more hollow tubular air channeling members are positioned in the interior of an internal collection type filter bag to separate the incoming dirty air into a plurality of portions essentially confined from each other and to direct these separated and confined portions of dirty air to different interior portions of the bag and thereby increase the effective filtering efficiency of the bag and also increase useful bag life.

Abstract: A pocket filter cartridge for removing solid particulates from a dirty gas stream including a plurality of sheath-like filter bags suspended from a common header assembly in side-by-side relation. Each of the filter bags includes a plurality of alternating rows of filamentary stays or span stitching spaced across the width of the bag and extending generally parallel to one another along its length so that upon inflation of the bag by the dirty gas stream during use, the stays shape the bag into a plurality of adjacent tube-like sections opening into one another within the bag. The stays in each row are sized to be of a different length than the stays in the rows adjacent to it to alternately vary the thickness of the bag at the juncture of the tube-like sections formed in the bag.

Abstract: Apparatus for the separation and recovery of a solid product transported by a gas, wherein said apparatus comprises at least one filter cartridge made from a rigid porous material mounted in a sealed enclosure and defining in the latter a first filter chamber within the at least one cartridge and which communicates by its lower end with a tube for the collection of the separated solid product and a second chamber for the collection of the filtered gas outside the said at least one cartridge, the latter having two large-surface opposite porous walls maintained with an appropriate spacing by spacers fixed on the said walls and disposed in the filter chamber in such a way as to form deflectors, means for introducing the gas transporting the solid product to be separated into the said filter chamber and means for extracting the filtered gas from the collection chamber.

Abstract: A filter bag construction for filtering dirt, dust and other materials from the exhaust air flow of an upright vacuum cleaner, wherein an elongated, non-disposable outer fabric bag having a longitudinally extending delivery tube therein provides one stage of filtration and a disposable, inner paper filter bag provides a second stage of filtration. The filter bag construction may be used without the inner, paper filter bag when maximum filtration efficiency is not required or with the inner, paper filter bag when high filtration efficiency and/or the convenience of a disposable filter element is desired. When operating as a single stage filter, the upper end of a flow channeling conduit in the lower end of the outer bag is positioned in the lower end of the delivery tube and, when operating as a two-stage filter, the upper end of the conduit is shifted to another position in the outer bag so that unfiltered air from the cleaner is initially channeled into the inner filter bag.

Abstract: A plurality of elongated tubular porous bags are arranged in a straight line side by side in a housing through which a dirty stream of gas is passed impinging on the outer surfaces of the bags and thus collecting dirt particles there. In the middle of each bag, extending from end to end thereof, is an impervious linear partition dividing the interior of each bag into two non-communicating half portions. To clean the collected dirt off the outer faces of the bags, means is provided for discharging a cleaning stream of gas into two adjacent selected half portions of two different bags under sufficient pressure to pass outwardly through the half portions and dislodge the dirt collected on the outer faces of those half portions, while the apparatus continues to collect direct particles on the other bags including the other half-portions of the two bags currently being cleaned.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner filter bag is made of a porous sheet of material which permits penetration and flow therethrough of air. The bag is generally horseshoe-shaped and has a comparably shaped internal cavity. The bag has two tubular leg portions and a tubular connecting portion between the leg portions. An air inlet opening is provided on the connecting portion for admitting a stream of air under pressure into the cavity and an opening, which permits removal of accumulated debris but which is closed during use of the bag, is also provided on the connecting portion. The air flow between the air inlet opening on the vacuum cleaner housing and the inlet opening of an exhaust motor situated within the vacuum cleaner housing generally tends to primarily penetrate or flow through a wall portion of the bag disposed between the respective inlet air openings.

Abstract: An improved cleaning apparatus for an electrophotographic copying device which comprises (a) a cleaning brush, (b) a casing for said brush having a front end portion which forms a first opening and a rear end portion which forms a second opening adapted to pass a toner therethrough, said brush within said casing and positioned adjacent said first opening so as to be adapted to contact a work surface, (c) a filter bag having a rim which forms an opening adapted to pass toner therethrough and which substantially overlaps said rear end portion, whereby a gap is formed between said rear end portion and said rim, and (d) means for suction of toner-containing air through said filter bag.