Wet / dry vacuum and/or blower

Abstract

This application includes vacuums (e.g., wet-dry vacuums) that are configured to resist tipping, for example, due to a lower center of gravity, outriggers supporting casters or skid supports, coupling a hose to a point on the vacuum that is in the lower half of the receptacle, and/or the like. The present vacuums also include various other features as described above, such as a receptacle that can be removed by hand without also removing the motor/blower, height-adjustable supports (e.g., casters), collapsible outriggers for casters, and/or stabilizers adjacent to a hose connection to resist tipping.

1 . A wet/dry vacuum cleaner apparatus comprising:
 a base having a body with a lower side, an upper side, and a lateral periphery, the body defining:
 a blower chamber; 
 a vacuum inlet passage extending through and between the upper side of the body and the lateral periphery of the body; 
 a blower inlet passage in fluid communication with the blower chamber and extending through the upper side of the body; 
 a blower outlet passage in fluid communication with the blower chamber and extending out of the body; 
   an electric motor coupled to the base and configured to rotate a blower wheel in the blower chamber to draw air into the blower chamber through the blower inlet passage and expel the air through the blower outlet passage;   a receptacle having a body with a closed bottom wall and a peripheral wall extending upward from the bottom wall to a peripheral wall upper end, the bottom and peripheral walls cooperating to define a hollow chamber that is configured to receive debris collected by the vacuum cleaner apparatus, the receptacle defining:
 a vacuum intake tube extending from a lower vacuum intake opening through the bottom wall of the receptacle to a vacuum intake tube upper end opening into the receptable at a point that is closer to the peripheral wall upper end than to the bottom wall; and 
 a blower intake tube extending from a lower blower intake tube opening through the bottom wall of the receptacle to a blower intake tube upper end that is closer to the peripheral wall upper end than to the bottom wall; 
   a lid configured to be coupled to the peripheral wall upper end of the receptacle to substantially enclose the chamber;   where the receptacle is configured to be removably coupled to the base such that the lower vacuum intake opening is in fluid communication with the vacuum inlet passage at the upper side of the base, and the lower blower intake tube opening is in fluid communication with the blower inlet passage at the upper side of the base; and   where the apparatus is configured such that, when the lid is coupled to the receptacle and the receptacle is coupled to the base, the motor is configured to draw air sequentially through the vacuum inlet passage, the vacuum intake tube, the receptacle, the motor inlet tube, and the blower inlet passage.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , where the lid includes an upper wall, a peripheral wall, and a lower wall that cooperate with one another to define an intake chamber, the lower wall further defining an air intake passage and a vacuum tube passage; where the lid is configured to be coupled to the receptacle such that the air intake passage is in fluid communication with the chamber of the receptacle, and the vacuum tube passage is in fluid communication with the vacuum intake tube. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising: a filter covering the air intake passage such that air passing from the receptacle to the air intake chamber must pass through the filter. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of casters coupled to the base, each of the casters having a rotational axis about which a wheel of the respective caster rotates.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , where the lower side of the base extends below the rotational axis of at least one of the casters. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , where the casters are each configured to be adjusted from a first configuration at which the respective wheel is at a first vertical position to a second configuration in which the respective wheel is at a second vertical position at which the respective wheel is disposed above at least a portion of the bottom side of the receptacle. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a plurality of outriggers each having a first end coupled to the base and a second end to which one of the casters is coupled.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , where the first end of each outrigger is coupled to the base such that each of the outriggers is movable between a collapsed configuration in which the second end is adjacent to the base, and a deployed configuration in which the second end extends away from the base. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , where when the hollow chamber of the receptacle is empty, the apparatus has a center of gravity in a bottom one-half of the apparatus. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , where when the hollow chamber of the receptacle is empty, the apparatus has a center of gravity in a bottom one-quarter of the apparatus. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , where the receptacle is removable from the base by hand, without tools, such that the receptacle can be lifted and inverted to empty debris without also lifting the base. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , where one of the casters is circumferentially positioned at an angle that is from 170 degrees to 190 degrees around the base from the hose connection. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , where at least one of the casters is circumferentially positioned at an angle that is from 170 degrees to 190 degrees around the base from an outlet opening of the blower outlet passage. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , where the peripheral wall of the receptacle also defines a drain opening, and the drain opening is circumferentially positioned between two casters. 
     
     
         15 . A wet/dry vacuum cleaner apparatus comprising:
 a receptacle having a body with a closed bottom wall and a peripheral wall extending upward from the bottom wall to a peripheral wall upper end, the bottom and peripheral walls cooperating to define a hollow chamber that is configured to receive debris collected by the vacuum cleaner apparatus, the receptacle defining a vacuum intake defined through an upper half of the peripheral wall;   a plurality of casters coupled to the receptacle, each of the casters having a rotational axis about which a wheel of the respective caster rotates;   a lid configured to be coupled to the peripheral wall upper end of the receptacle to substantially enclose the chamber;   an electric motor configured to rotate a blower wheel to draw air into the receptacle through the vacuum intake; and one of elements (a)-(c):   (a) a hose assembly comprising:
 a hose having a first end coupled to the vacuum intake and a hose connection point separated from the first end by a hose length; and 
 a first segment of cord or strap extending between the hose connection point and a first receptacle connection point disposed in a lower half of the receptacle; or 
   (b) a hose adapter comprising substantially rigid conduit having a horizontal first end coupled to the vacuum intake, a first bend segment extending from the first end, a vertical segment extending downward from the first bend segment, a second bend segment extending from a lower end of the vertical segment, and a horizontal second end configured to be coupled to a vacuum hose, where the adapter is coupled to the receptacle such that the second end of the adapter is disposed below the center of gravity of the apparatus; or   (c) a substantially rigid snorkel conduit disposed inside the hollow chamber of the receptacle, the snorkel conduit having a horizontal first end coupled to the vacuum intake, a first bend segment extending from the first end, and a vertical segment extending upward from the first bend segment to a second end disposed above a vertical midpoint of the receptacle.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , where the apparatus comprises element (a) and further comprising:
 a second segment of cord or strap extending between the hose connection point and a second receptacle connection point disposed in a lower half of the receptacle.   
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , where the apparatus comprises element (b) and further comprising:
 a bracket coupled to the hose adapter and to the receptacle.   
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , where the apparatus comprises element (c) and further comprising one or more stabilizers adjacent to the vacuum intake and extending outward from a lower portion of the receptacle to resist tipping of the apparatus. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , where distal ends of the one or more stabilizers are coupled to one or more wheels. 
     
     
         22 . A wet/dry vacuum cleaner apparatus comprising:
 a receptacle having a body with a closed bottom wall and a peripheral wall extending upward from the bottom wall to a peripheral wall upper end, the bottom and peripheral walls cooperating to define a hollow chamber that is configured to receive debris collected by the vacuum cleaner apparatus, the receptacle defining a vacuum intake through the peripheral wall;   a plurality of casters coupled to the receptacle, each of the casters having a rotational axis about which a wheel of the respective caster rotates;   a lid configured to be coupled to the peripheral wall upper end of the receptacle to substantially enclose the chamber; and   an electric motor configured to rotate a blower wheel to draw air into the receptacle through the vacuum intake;   where the casters are coupled to the receptacle such that the height of the receptacle is adjustable relative to a support surface contacted by the casters.   
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , where the casters are coupled to outriggers that are coupled to the receptacle.