AC/DC portable wet/dry vacuum having improved portability and convenience

Abstract

A wet/dry utility vacuum with a canister, a powerhead assembly with a fan, a shut-off device that prevents the fan from drawing liquids into the fan inlet when a volume of the liquid in the canister exceeds a predetermined volume. The powerhead assembly includes a controller that permits the utility vacuum to be operated in a desired power mode so that the user may employ either an AC power source or a DC power source, such as a battery pack, for example. In some applications, the battery pack may be interchangeable with the battery packs of various cordless tools, including drill/drivers and saws. A tool set and a method for operating a battery-powered tool set are also provided.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10 / 640,267, filed Aug. 13, 2003, now pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 425,371, filed Nov. 12, 2002.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention generally relates to vacuum appliances and more particularly to an AC / DC powered hand-portable wet / dry vacuum having improved convenience and performance. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Vacuum appliances that are capable of picking up both wet and dry materials are commonly known as wet / dry vacuums. Such wet / dry vacuums are well known in the art and are commercially available in a variety of sizes and configurations. Recent consumer trends have placed significant cost pressures the commercially available wet / dry vacuums and as such, many manufacturers are presently producing low-end, relatively small capacity low-cost units and / or high-end, relatively high capacity high-co...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] In one form, the present invention provides a utility vacuum that includes a canister, a powerhead assembly, a shut-off device, an electrical cord, and a battery pack. The powerhead assembly is coupled to the canister and includes a fan, a motor for providing rotary power to the fan, and a power supply for distributing electrical power to the motor. The shut-off device is associated with the powerhead assembly and configured to prevent the fan from drawing a liquid into an inlet of the fan when a volume of the liquid in the canister exceeds a predetermined volume. The electrical cord is associated with the power supply and configured to selectively couple the power supply to a source of alternating current power. The battery is associated with the power supply and provides a source of direct current electrical power for powering the power supply when the power supply is not receiving alternating current power from the source of alternating current power.

Problems solved by technology

Recent consumer trends have placed significant cost pressures the commercially available wet / dry vacuums and as such, many manufacturers are presently producing low-end, relatively small capacity low-cost units and / or high-end, relatively high capacity high-cost professional grade units.

One such drawback relates to convenience of the known wet / dry vacuums and in particular the relatively long amount of time that is necessary for their set-up, the frequency with which the hose becomes disconnected during transport or use and the frequency with which the attachments are lost.

Another drawback relates to the availability of electrical power on a given jobsite.

The inconvenience of heavy extension cords and the expense and inconvenience of a portable generator is highly undesirable to a professional user, particularly considering that the professional user frequently uses the wet / dry vacuum for less than 10 minutes on a given jobsite.

Yet another drawback concerns the filter system of the known wet / dry vacuums.

When clogged, the disposable filter can severely limit the flow of air through the fan, which significantly impairs the ability of the wet / dry vacuum to pick up debris.

Often times, however, a replacement filter is not available to the professional user so that the wet / dry vacuum is simply used at reduced efficiency.

Other drawbacks of the known filtering systems include the inconvenience of servicing a filter, which usually entails disassembly of the wet / dry vacuum so as to expose the jobsite to the contents of the canister, and insufficient filtering that results in the discharge of dust from the wet / dry vacuum when the wet / dry vacuum is turned on.

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