US1283298A - Suction-cleaner. - Google Patents

Description

F. J. OUIST. sucnom' CLEANER.

. I APPLICATION FILED JULY 13.]9l6.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHED 1.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fiwcrzz ov Fri @1056.

citizen of the United States,

FRANK J'. QU'IST, OF WORCESTER,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DOMESTIC VACUUM CLEANER COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

SUCTION-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Oct. 29, Mild.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. QUIsT, a residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Suction-Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a suction cleaner of that type having a brush in addition to the suction cleaning mechanism, and most of the features of the invention are especially adapted for that type used for cleaning carpets, rugs, and the like, in which the suction producing device is of the mechanical type operated. by the wheels as the device travels over the floor.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a more efficient combination between the suction and the brushlcleanin'g means than has been the case heretofore, whereby each will work with maximum efiiciency, and there Will be practically no diminution of, the efficiency of either in order to permit the other to work effectively; to

provide a construction which will be more sanitary than those that have been used because while operating any dust stirred up by the brush is immedlately taken care of by the suction, and because when cleaning it all the parts with which the dust comes into contact will be at the top; also to provide means whereby the brush will be brought in close contact with the nap of the carpet, and the suction means will at the same time be so located as to draw the entire current of air through the carpet under the slot in which the brush is located to provide effective means for operating the brush while the 'slot is in contact with the carpet to provide the brush operating means in such arrangement and position that it will not reduce the length of the slot, or project beyond the end of it, whereby the effect of the suction will be distributed throughout the maximum width ofthe whole device, and to provide improvements in other features of construction and combinations of parts as will appear.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side view of a carpet cleaner constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the endthereof with the end plate removed to show the con- Fig. 3 is a horizontal l1ne 33 in Fig. 2;

F1g. 4 is a longitudinal central sectional View of the cleaner;

Fig. o is a side view showing how the cleaner 1s tipped up on end and opened for removal of the dust bag;

Fig. 6 1s a fragmentary plan of the dust bag frame";

Fig. '7 is a fra entary bottom plan View as lndlcated by t e arrow 7 in Fig. 1; and

1g. 8 is a sectional view on the line 88 in Fi 7 As is well known, carpet cleaning devices sectional view on the carrying all of their own power and adapted to be pushed over the carpet to be cleaned are divided into two kinds, the brush type and the suction type. Each one of these has been developed to a high degree of eliiciency, but each one fails to perform some of the functions of the other. For this reason various attempts have been made to combine them, but these combinations have usually been made at the expense of one or the other of these devices. In some cases the suction cleaner is rendered only partially effective by the fact that a wide slot was thought necessary in order to allow the brush to project through it, to perform its functions, and this difliculty has been increased by support- 1ng this slot above the surface of the carpet to be cleaned, thus letting the air in at the sides of the slot and wasting a material percentage of the power in this way. Where a narrow slotted suction device has been used the brush has, so far as I am aware, always been located separately from it, so that the two parts do not act together and the suction mechanism does not help to clean the brush, and furthermore dust pans had to be employed in addition to the dust bag. This entailed another objection, namely, that it was extremely diflicult to empty the dust pans without dislodging some dust from the slot or dust bag, and vice versa. There has also been a difliculty owing to the fact that the passage for the air from the wide slot terminated in an opening for the dust bag of practically the same area as the slot, so that there was no change in the velocity of the air at this point. Therefore the dust had a tendency to remain suspended in the air, and

permit the brush to retain its high state of efficiency and also cause the suction mechanism to operate at even a higher state of efficiency than has been the case in the practical devices with which I am familiar.

Also by this invention, the narrow slot being used and the opening from the brush chamber into the dust bag being larger in area than the slot, the air has a chance to have its velocity reduced at this point, and the dust tends to settle back in the dust chamber even after momentary stopping of the device, instead of being deposited through the slot on the floor.

A very important feature of this invention consists in the arrangement of the parts in i such a way that the narrow inlet opening rests directly on the surface of the carpet to be cleaned so that there is no space each side underneath it for the outside air to enter, and all the air entering it must pass through the nap of the carpet being cleaned. By locating the brush so that it sweeps across this narrow opening the ends of its bristles simply engage the top of the nap of the carpet and pick up the lint. The bristles also agitate the nap so as to loosen the dust, but the dust is mostly taken up by the suction and not by the brush. The air current passing as it does directly through the brush,

constantly cleans it of lint and dust so that .it remains in a comparatively clean and sanitary condition instead of always ready to shed dust as in the usual types. Furthermore, by having a wide dust bag inlet opening just at the back of the brush, dust and lint taken up are-thrown by it directly into this inlet opening and not deposited in? the passage in which the brush is located, so that the return of the dust and lint through the slot when stopping is greatly reduced. The brush is considerably wider than the inlet slot, and cannot be taken out through it in the usual way. In this way a concentrated air current passes directly through the brush and through the bristles that are in the act of picking up lint, instead of merely passing over the edge of the slot and away from the brush.

Another feature of the invention consists in the lengthening of the slot out beyond the mechanism which operates the brush so as to get the efiect of the suction throughout the width of the Whole mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the invention I is shown as applied to a floor type of cleaner,

and as comprlsing a casing 10 operated by a handle 11 in the usual way. The rear of this casing is supported by wheels 12 on a crank shaft 13 journaled in the casing, which shaft as usual operates the suction producing devices 14, preferably located in the top of the casing. I do not claim herein any novelty for the suction producing device.

- This holds In the casing is located a. dust box 15 through which air is drawn by the suction 'of wire fixed to the frame 16. This wire frame consists of two U-shaped members at the ends connected by a longitudinal wire 19 extending the length thereof at the rear. the dust bag distended, and keeps it in the same form at all times independently of the suction.

The inlet end of the dust box 15 is covered by a hollow member 20. This is of a boxlike construction, and is hinged by pivot pins 21 on brackets 22 to a forwardly projecting portion of the casing 10. This member 20 therefore can be moved from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5, for the removal of the dust bag which is shown partially removed in the latter figure. Fastening means 23 and 24 are shown for holding it in the position indicated in Fig. 1.

The operative face, that is usually the bottom of this member 20, is shown as covered by a sheet metal plate 25 which has an outwardly or downwardly projecting central portion provided with a narrow central slot 26 extending across it, for a purpose which will be referred to later. This slot extends all the way through the sheet metal member throughout the central portion thereof, but on the ends of the sheet metal member is concaved inwardly at 27 so as to provide a continuation of the slot beyond the perforation itself.

I have shown a brush mechanism in this member which, in itself, is arranged similarly to that shown in the application filed jointly by myself and Anders Anderson, Serial No. 81,624, and it will not be necessary to describe the same in detail. It will be sufficient to say that the brush 30 is located in this member in such a position as to just project into the slot 26 so as to agitate the nap'of a carpet on which this plate 25 rests. Shafts 31 are shown at the ends for operating this brush and rolls 32 for rotating them. These rolls are shown as supported in this case substantially in the same manner as indicated in the Quist &

Anderson case mentioned, the provision for In this dust box is located a dust roller 38 down against the floor. A sprin ers 38 in contact with the rolls 32 with yielding pressure. The remainder of the connections for carrying the roller 38 are shown substantially the same as in the Quist and Anderson case above mentioned, and do not constitute a part of this invention.

- It is to be noted that the plate projects out beyond each side of the casing to furnish a bottom for the space receiving the rolls 32 and 38 and their supporting mechanism, and the. front board of the member 20 also projects out the same distance. plates are fixed over the ends ofthe same so asto cover the spaces for these parts and protect them. These cover plates are supported entirely by the member 20 and move, with the same as do the rollers 38.

The springs 36 are not strong enough to hold the casing up off the floor. Therefore the plate 25 rests directly on the surface to be cleaned, and at all times the rollers 38 are pressed against this surface with a sufficient force to cause them to rotate as the machine is passed over the floor, and to transmit that rotation to the brush. In this way the brush acts on the carpet to pick up the lint but it does not actually plck up a great part of the dust for the suction device is depended on to take all the dust that is dislodgedwithin the narrow slot 26, and deposit it in the dust bag. It will be noted that the air current constantly tends to draw the dust directly through the brush into the dust bag and holdit at the rear end of the latter. Moreover, the brush rotates 1n such direction as to throw lint directly back into the dust bag so that there is no danger of the lint taken up by the brush being deposited back on the carpet either whilesweeping or while resting or while emptying the dust from the dust bag. It is to be noted that the latter operation is performed by turning the-sweeper up on end and sw1ng-' ing the member 20 back on 1ts pivots until it rests against the convex surface of the casing which constitutes a stop. In the position shown in Fig. 5 there is no part of the mechanism which can receive dust that is so located as to be able to drop the dust back on'the carpet. All the surfaces with which the dust has been able to come into contact are then located at the top so that the dust cannot fall from them back on the carpet. Any dust that may lodge near the slot will fall back into a corner or pocket 49.

I have found an extremely efficient form of cleaner to be the result of the peculiar cooperation of the brush and suction parts of the device, as explained above.

Although I have illustrated and described only one form of the invention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in, the art with- Cover out departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction. herein shown and described, but what I'do claim is 1. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a hollow member-having an inlet slot through the bottom surface thereof, the outer surface of which is adapted to come into direct contact with and rest upon the surface to be cleaned, a rotary brush located in said hollow member above the slot movable up and down therein and materially wider than the slot, wheels for driving the brush movable up and down therewith, and yielding means for holding said brush down so as to project into but not through the slot whereby it will engage the napof a carpet over which the cleaner is operated but w1ll not press against the warp and weft thereof, said yielding means also holding the Wheels down in contact with the surface to be cleaned.

2. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing, a hollow member provided with an inlet slot and supporting one end of the cas ing, a rotary brush located in said hollow member over the slot, means for rotating the brush comprising a on the casing and springs having one end connected with the casing and the other end holding sald brush down and the rollers in pair of rollers movable contact with the surface being cleaned, said other end of said springs pressing t-he'rollers down to permit the surface containing the slot to rest on the surface being cleaned with less than the pressure due to the weight of the parts.

3. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing provided with a wide inlet opening, a hollow member located outside the casing supporting it, covering said opening and provided with an inlet slot and with an unobstructed free passage therefrom to said inlet opening, a rotary brush located within said hollow member over the slot, shafts for supporting the ends' of said brush, means for carrying said shafts mounted to move up and down relatively to the casing, rollers on said shaft carrying means for rotating the brush, and means for yieldingly forcing said carrying means down so as to bring the rollers into contact with the surface being cleaned, said yielding means being incapable of lifting the slot off such surface but reducing the pressure with which it would rest thereon.

4:. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing, a hollow member removably connected with, and supporting one end of the casing, and provided with an inlet slot, a rotary brush located in said hollow member in position for the ends of its bristles to project into the slot, rollers for operating said brush located adjacent thereto "and movably mounted in position to engage the surface ing at being cleaned, and yielding means connected with the casing and with the rollers for forcing the rollers into contact with the surface being cleaned to cause the rollers to be rotated, but allowing said hollow member normally to rest on said surface and partially support that end of the casing.

5. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing having a substantially horizontal dust box provided with a wide inlet opening at its end, a member covering said opening and provided with a brush and an air inlet slot, means carried by said member for operating the brush, said member being pivoted to the casing at a point near the top and at the end thereof whereby the casing can be turned up on its other end, and said member turned back to expose the mouth of the dust box at the top, and at the same time leave said member in a position with the surface thereof which engages the end of the dust box at the top.

6. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing with a pivoted hollow member for closing the end thereof having a wide openits end toward the casing and a narrow inlet slot in a wall substantially at right an les to the plane of said wide opening,

o u I u said member being pivoted tothe casing at a point at the top of one end thereof, and

the member and easing being shaped at their outer surfaces so as to provide a stop whereby when the casing is turned up'on itsother end and the member swung back on its pivots said wide opening will be located at top.

the

the top, said narrow slot being located at a.

distance from the inner wall of the casing whereby a pocket is formed for the collection of dust when said member is thrown i back, the pocket being located below the slot in that position.

8. In a carpet cleaner, the combination of a casing and nozzle member pivoted thereto, with a brush in the nozzle member, said nozzle member having an opening large enough for the passage of the brush located in its wall adjacent to the casing and having an air inlet slot narrower than the brush, whereby said brush-is removable from the nozzle member only through the wall thereof which fits the end of the casing.

9. As an article of manufacture, a suction cleaner provided with a nozzle plate having a slot extending therethrough throughout the central portion of the length thereof, and concaved inwardly at the ends of said slot to form unobstructed end continuations of substantially the same width as the slot.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

FRANK J. QUIST.

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