U.S. patent number 3,613,700 [Application Number 04/885,082] was granted by the patent office on 1971-10-19 for filter cleaning apparatus.
Invention is credited to David W. De Remo, Lawrence A. Werth.
United States Patent |
3,613,700 |
Werth , et al. |
October 19, 1971 |
FILTER CLEANING APPARATUS
Abstract
An apparatus for cleaning filters and the like having a pair of
containers in a side-by-side relationship, one of the containers
having a liquid solvent heated to a predetermined temperature for
cleaning filters submerged therein; the other container being a
storage tank adapted to dispense a pressurized solution for spray
rinsing the cleaned filters; the two containers having a common
partition adapted to transfer heat from the liquid solvent holding
container to the storage tank for maintaining the temperature of
the rinsing solution at a value less than the predetermined
temperature of the liquid solvent. In a second embodiment, a dip
rinse container is disposed intermediate the liquid solvent holding
container and the storage tank, the dip rinse container and the
storage tank having the common partition for the transfer of heat
to the storage tank while the liquid solvent holding container and
the dip rinsing container utilize a common heating means.
Inventors: |
Werth; Lawrence A. (Dearborn
Heights, MI), De Remo; David W. (Detroit, MI) |
Family
ID: |
25386095 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/885,082 |
Filed: |
December 15, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/57R; 134/90;
134/94.1; 134/105 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C23G
3/00 (20130101); A47J 37/1223 (20130101); B08B
3/00 (20130101); B08B 3/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47J
37/12 (20060101); B08B 3/00 (20060101); B08B
3/02 (20060101); B08b 003/02 (); B08b 003/08 ();
B08b 003/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;134/84-86,88,90,91,94,102,105,57R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Bleutge; Robert L.
Claims
Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is as
follows:
1. An apparatus for cleaning objects comprising:
a container having two compartments, the first one of which is
adapted to hold a liquid solvent for cleaning objects submerged
therein;
means associated with said one compartment for maintaining said
liquid solvent at a predetermined temperature;
the second compartment adapted to store a rinsing solution therein,
said first and second compartments having partitions to transfer
heat from said first compartment to said second compartment to
maintain the temperature of said rinsing solution at a value less
than said first-mentioned predetermined temperature;
means connected with said second-mentioned compartment for forcibly
spraying said objects with said rinsing solution upon removal of
said objects from said liquid solvent; a third compartment having a
rinsing solution therein, said third compartment being adapted to
rinse said objects when submerged therein, said third compartment
being positioned between said first- and second-mentioned
compartments and having means associated therewith for maintaining
said rinsing solution contained in said third compartment at
substantially the same temperature as said liquid solvent, said
second-mentioned and said third compartments having a common
partition adapted to transfer heat from said third compartment,
thereby maintaining the temperature of said second-mentioned
compartment rinsing solution at a value less than the temperature
of said liquid solvent; said means for maintaining said rinsing
solution contained in said third compartment at said predetermined
temperature comprises a heating conduit submerged in said
first-mentioned compartment proximate the bottom portion of said
first-mentioned compartment, and means for circulating the heated
medium through said conduit.
2. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said
second-mentioned compartment is enclosed and includes means for
pressurizing the rinsing solution stored therein.
3. The combination as defined in claim 2, wherein said
second-mentioned compartment is supplied with compressed air to
maintain said rinsing solution pressurized.
4. The combination as defined in claim 1, including means
associated with said first-mentioned compartment for agitating said
liquid solvent.
5. The combination as defined in claim 4, wherein said agitating
means comprises a perforated wall member disposed proximate the
bottom portion of said first-mentioned compartment and means for
introducing pressurized air through said perforated wall member
whereby air is distributed through said liquid solvent to agitate
the same.
6. The combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said perforated
wall member is an elongated cylindrically shaped pipe having a
plurality of axially spaced holes extending therethrough, said
pressurized air being directed from the interior of said pipe
through said holes and into said liquid-filled first-mentioned
compartment.
7. The combination as defined in claim 1, including sensing means
responsive to the temperature of said liquid solvent to control the
circulation of said heated medium.
8. The combination as defined in claim 7, wherein said heated
medium is a hot gas.
9. The combination as defined in claim 1, including sensing means
responsive to temperature of said liquid solvent to control the
circulation of said heated medium through said conduit passing
through said first-mentioned and third compartments.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for cleaning objects and
more particularly to apparatus for cleaning filters which have
become contaminated with cooking grease, dirt, food particles and
the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore no attempt has been made to treat and wash filters of
the type utilized in combination with commercial cooking apparatus,
such as in restaurants and the like. Such filters are adapted to
filter grease and food particles admitted to the atmosphere by such
cooking apparatus. Normally, such filters are disposed of when they
have become clogged and are replaced with a new filter, and since
such filters are relatively expensive it would be desirable to
provide apparatus for cleaning clogged filters to extend their
useful life to four or five times that of the disposable-type
filter.
Other related prior art apparatus have been employed to remove
grease and the like from objects and generally are comprised of a
plurality of open compartments each containing different solvents
and rinsing solutions; the object to be cleaned being successively
dipped into each tank to remove the grease and other foreign
materials contained thereon. In certain prior art apparatus one of
the open compartments is directly heated while the adjacent open
compartments are maintained at a predetermined temperature by heat
transferred through common partitions separating the several
compartments. Other apparatus illustrate the several compartments
as each being directly heated by one or more heating elements;
however, none of the related prior art devices illustrate a liquid
solvent holding compartment having a common partition with an
enclosed storage tank containing a rinsing solution which is
maintained at a predetermined temperature by heat transferred from
the open compartment prior to the use of the rinsing solution.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, which will be subsequently described in
greater detail, comprises an apparatus for cleaning objects such as
filters and the like, having a pair of fluid containers connected
to one another by a common partition. One of the containers is
provided with a liquid solvent heated to a predetermined
temperature for cleaning the objects submerged therein, while the
other container is an enclosed storage tank that can selectively
dispense a pressurized rinsing solution for spraying the clean
filters to remove the liquid solvent therefrom. The pressurized
solution within the storage tank is maintained at some lower
temperature by the heat transferred from the liquid solvent holding
tank through the aforementioned common partition.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel
means for storing and heating a rinsing solution at some
predetermined temperature without the necessity of direct
heating.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a filter-cleaning
apparatus having a cleaning compartment and a storage compartment
arrangement which is not only of a compact construction and
inexpensive to manufacture, but is of such a design that it is
economical in operation.
Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention
will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the
accompanying description of some examples of the best modes
contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings
wherein like reference numerals refer to like or equivalent parts
and in which:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal plane view of a preferred apparatus
employing the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating a modification of
the invention; and
FIG. 4 is a top view of the modified apparatus illustrated in FIG.
3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The cleaning apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a vessel 10
which is subdivided transversely into two containers 12, 14, the
container 12 being adapted to hold a liquid solvent 16 such as a
metal stripper in which a plurality of filters (not shown) are
submerged for the purpose of removing grease and other
contaminating particles in a manner to be described in greater
detail hereinafter. The container 14 is an enclosed storage tank
adapted to hold a rinsing solution comprised of a rust inhibitor
and a drying agent, which likewise will be described in greater
detail hereinafter.
The vessel 10 is of a generally rectangular shape, the longer sides
18, 20 being welded at adjacent corners to the shorter sides 22,
24. A plurality of legs 25 are welded to the corners and
midsections of the longer sides 18, 20 to support the vessel 10 at
a sufficient distance above the ground floor to protect the same as
the solvent and rinsing solutions are heated in a manner to be
described hereinafter.
The cleaning container 12 and the storage container 14 are
separated by a common partition 28, the peripheral edges of which
are welded to the abutting longer sides 18 and 20 and the vessel
bottom 30, which likewise is welded to the lower peripheral edges
of longer and shorter sides 18, 20, 22 and 24.
The storage container 14 is enclosed by a top plate 31, the
peripheral edges of which are welded to the abutting portions of
the longer sides 18, 20 and the shorter side 24 and the partition
28. The top plate 31 carries a removable cap 32 which is adapted to
permit refill of the storage container 14 with the rinsing solution
as the same is removed therefrom during normal operation thereof.
An air inlet nozzle 33 and a pressure gauge 34 are also carried on
the upper surface of the top plate 31 and their mode of operation
will be described subsequently. Proximate the bottom portion of the
storage container 14 there is provided an outlet nozzle 38 which is
adapted to attach thereto a flexible conduit, such as a rubber hose
40, having a spray nozzle 42 attached to the opposite end
thereof.
The vessel 10 is preferably 10 feet long, 4 feet wide and 3 feet
deep, and since both the cleaning container 12 and the storage
container 14 are adapted to be respectively filled with a liquid
solvent and a rinsing solution, the sidewalls 18, 20, 22 and 24 are
subjected to a considerable outwardly directed pressure force. To
insure the structural integrity of the vessel 10, a plurality of
support members 44 extend diagonally across each of the wall
members 18, 20, 22 and 24 and the bottom 30 of the vessel 10 and
are secured to their abutting wall members by any suitable means
such as welding.
The liquid solvent 16 in the cleaning container 12 is heated to a
predetermined temperature, preferably between
160.degree.-190.degree. F., by means of a heating conduit 46, which
is disposed in the lower portion of the cleaning container 12 and
is fully submerged within the liquid solvent. The heating conduit
46 is of a generally W-shape having a circular cross section, the
opposite ends being supported to the wall member 20 by any suitable
means such as welding. Apertures 48, 50 extending through the
longer sidewall member 20 carry the heating conduit 46 externally
of the vessel 10. That portion of the heating conduit 46 extending
through the aperture 50 is connected to a burner 52 which is
adapted to heat air entering the inlet 54 of the conduit 46 and is
further provided with a blower which forces the air through the
conduit 46 to its outlet formed at the aperture 48. The burner 52
may be of any suitable type, such as gas- or oil-burning furnace.
The outlet 48 of the heating conduit 46 is attached to any suitable
exhaust to carry the flue externally of the building in which the
apparatus is disposed. In order to insure proper heating of the
solvent disposed within the cleaning container 12, the conduit 46
should have an outer diameter of approximately 41/2 inches. The
conduit is supported against vertical movement by a plurality of
supports indicated by the numeral 56.
The temperature of the liquid solvent within the container 12 is
automatically maintained between a temperature range of
160.degree.-190.degree. F. by providing a temperature-sensing means
such as a thermocouple 59 extending into the interior of the
cleaning container 12 and attached to the burner 52. The burner 52
may be provided with suitable means to initiate the same in
response to signals received from the thermocouple 59 in a manner
well known in the art of controlling such burner operation.
As will be explained hereinafter, the liquid solvent 16 is agitated
in order to insure the removal of the grease and other foreign
matter lodged within the filters. Such agitation is provided by the
admission of a plurality of airstreams from an air pipe 60 disposed
proximate the bottom portion of the cleaning container 12 above the
heating conduit 46. The air pipe 60 extends longitudinally across
the container 12 and is supported at opposite ends by any suitable
support means secured to the common partition 28 and extends
through an aperture 62 formed in the shorter sidewall 22. Suitable
sealing means must be provided between the outer periphery of the
air pipe and the aperture 62 to prevent the leakage of liquid
solvent therethrough. The air pipe 60 extends from the vessel 10
and is connected to any suitable supply of the air, such as an air
pump or a tank of compressed air. A shutoff valve 64 is provided
externally of the vessel 10 within the air pipe 60 to terminate the
supply there when the same is not required.
The storage container 14 is adapted to be pressurized by supplying
compressed air through the air inlet 33. In the same manner as the
air pipe 60, compressed air may be supplied to the storage
container by any one of a plurality of means, such as from a pump
or a compressed air tank. A pressure gauge 34 is provided to
indicate that the rinsing solution is being maintained at a proper
pressure. Compressed air within the storage container 14 acts to
force the rinsing solution therein through the outlet nozzle 38,
and via the hose 40 and spray nozzle 42, the filters may be sprayed
to remove the liquid solvent therefrom after the same have been
removed from the cleaning container 12. Although not illustrated,
other methods may be utilized for providing a pressure spray from
the spray nozzle 42, such as providing a pressure pump intermediate
the outlet nozzle 38 and the spray nozzle 42 in lieu of using
pressurized air within the storage container 14.
The common partition 28 is of such a thickness as to permit the
transfer of heat from the liquid solvent within the cleaning
container 12 to the rinsing solution within the storage 14 such
that the rinsing solution therein is maintained at a temperature
between 120.degree.-125.degree. F. It can, thus, be seen that the
rinsing solution may be heated and maintained at a predetermined
temperature without the use of separate heating means while the
same is simply being stored during the cleaning process of the
filters which are disposed within the cleaning container 12.
In operation, the cleaning container 12 is filled to a
predetermined level with the metal stripper liquid solvent. The
cleaning container 12, which is approximately 6 feet long, 4 feet
wide and 3 feet in depth, is adapted to receive approximately 60
filters for cleaning at one time. The liquid solvent is preheated
to a temperature ranging between 160.degree.-190.degree. F. and the
filters are submerged therein. During the 90 second period, the
shutoff valve 64 is turned on so as to provide a source of air
pressure into the air pipe 60 which in turn ejects a plurality of
air streams through nozzles 66 axially spaced along the peripheral
surface of the air pipe 58 and each of which is disposed in such a
manner as to direct a vertical stream of air upwardly from the
bottom portion of the cleaning container 12. At the specified
temperature range and with the proper agitation of the liquid
solvent by the aforementioned airstreams, the filters are cleaned
of the grease and other foreign matter lodged therein in
approximately 90 seconds. After the filters have been cleaned, the
same are removed and sprayed with the rinsing solution by means of
the spray nozzle 42 so as to remove the liquid solvent remaining
thereon while at the same time providing a rust inhibitor and
drying agent to the exposed surfaces of each filter. Since the
rinsing solution is heated, the drying agent will tend to evaporate
rather rapidly leaving a dried filter with a protective rust
inhibitor coating thereon in a relatively short period of time.
FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a modification of the invention in having
a dip container 70 disposed intermediate the container 12 and the
storage container 14 and respectively having common partitions 72,
28 with the cleaning container 12 and the storage container 14. The
dip container 70 is adapted to be filled with a rinsing solution,
and preferably the same solution which is retained in the storage
container 14. The modified form of the invention illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 4 is substantially the same as the embodiment disclosed
in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the additional features of the dip tank 70
and the heating conduit 46 which now extends transversely of the
cleaning container 12 and has its inlets and outlets extending
through the shorter wall surface 22. The burner 52 is attached to
the inlet side of the conduit 46 at an aperture 74 formed within
the wall 22 while the outlet side thereof extends through an
aperture 76. The heating conduit 46 of the embodiment illustrated
in FIG. 3 extends through the partition wall 72 and into the dip
container 70 such as to provide direct heating of the
rinsing-solution container therein. Suitable sealing means such as
weld disposed between the outer periphery of the conduit 46 and the
inner periphery of apertures 78 prevent fluid communication between
the chambers 12 and 70, and thus prevents the direct mixing of the
liquid solvent and the rinsing solution while permitting passage of
the heating conduit 46 between the containers 12 and 70.
The rinsing solution contained within the storage container 14 is
maintained between the temperature range 120.degree.-125.degree. F.
by means of the heat transferred between the rinsing solution
contained within the dip container 70 in the same manner as
hereinbefore described in the description of the embodiment
disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2. In operation the filters are cleaned
within the cleaning container 12 in the same manner as described
hereinbefore. After the prescribed period of cleaning time (90
seconds of immersion within the agitation metal stripper at a
temperature between 160.degree.-190.degree. F.) the clean filters
are removed from the cleaning container 12 and are dip rinsed
within the dip container 70 to remove substantially all of the
solvent and at the same time to coat the filter with the rust
inhibitor and drying agent to facilitate the drying thereof. The
dip rinse may be utilized on those filters not having a very fine
mesh. Such dip rinsing alone should suffice to remove all of the
solvent contained on the filter. In those cases in which a finer
mesh is utilized within the filters, the same are spray rinsed with
the pressurized rinsing solution contained within the storage
container 14 in the same manner as hereinbefore described in the
description of the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. It
should be noted however that it is preferably to spray rinse all
the filters as the use of the dip container alone will require more
frequent changes of rinsing solution therein over a shorter period
of time as the same becomes contaminated by the removal of solvent
and other materials from the filters upon dipping therein.
* * * * *