US1097418A - Chimney-cleaner. - Google Patents

Description

R. FUCHS & 0. ANDERSON.

GHIMNEY CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.11, 1913.

Patented May 19, 1914.

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CHIMNEY CLEANER.

APPLIGATION PILBD DBG. 4, 1913.

1 ,097,418 Patented May 19, 1914.

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YUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT FUCHS, 0F FORT RIPLEY, AND OLE ANDERSON, 0F BRAINERD, MINNESOTA.

CHIMNEY-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 4, 1913.

To all vso/0m it may concern Be it known that we, ROBERT F UoHs and OLE ANDERSON, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Fort Ripley and Brainerd, in the county of Crow Ving and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chimney- Cleaners; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements 1n chimney cleaners and particularly to those employing a plurality of brushes for loosening the soot on the inside of the chimney.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character so constructed as to obviate the danger of soot being forced out of the chimney holes in the rooms below the point where the ehim ney is being cleaned. y

A secondary object is to provide a simply constructed chimney cleaner which will be strong and efficient in operation and which may be stored in a small space.

lith the above objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of our 11nproved chimney cleaner; Fig. 2 is a side view taken at right angles to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view of the complete device; Fig. 4- is a detail sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1; Figs. 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional views taken on the lines 5--5 and 6 6 of Fig. 1 respectively; Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of one of the brush heads and a portion of one of the supporting arms showing the brush in position to be secured thereon or removed therefrom; Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal scctional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings our improved chimney cleaner is shown as comprising, in general, a main supporting shaft 1, a plurality of flexible arms 2 liingedly connected thereto at their upper or inner ends, cleaning elements 3 carried by said arms, a sleeve e slidably mounted on said shaft for actuating said cleaning elements, and a trigger 5 for normally holding said sleeve down and retaining said arms in a retracted position.

The shaft 1 is preferably formed of square tubing, for the sake of lightness and said shaft is provided at its upper end with an enlarged head 6 carrying a fiat plate 7 provided with a plurality of guide openings and with a stop 8 at its lower end, for a purpose to appear.

Connected by hinges 9 to the head 6 of the shaft 1, are the flexible arms 2 above mentioned. These arms are provided at their lower or outer ends with tapered dove tail heads 10, pivoted resilient latches 11 and slides 12 for normally holding said latches in contact with the outer faces of said arms. These heads 10 are adapted to engage the inner undercut sides of lugs 13 carried by the backs 14; of the cleaning elements 3, here shown as in the form of stiff' brushes. The upper ends of the backs of said brushes are provided with notches 15 in which the resilient latches 11 are adapted to seat when said brushes are in position. The slides 12 are then forced over said latches and hold the same securely seated within said notches 15.

The sleeve f1, above referred to, is provided on one of its sides, near its lower end, with an opening 16 for a purpose to appeal' and on its upper end with a lateral flange 17 provided, at suitable intervals, with guide openings 1S through which the arms 2 loosely project. Cables 19 are connected in any suitable manner to the flange 17 and are passed upwardly through the Guide openings in the plate 7 and are, at a suitable point, knotted and secured to a single cable 20.

The trigger 5 is shown as comprising a shank 21, a lateral foot 22 and a vertical ear 23, said ear being spaced from the lower end of the shaft 1 and provided with an inwardl'y extending stud 24. The shank 21 is provided with lateral flanges which straddle the opposite sides of the shaft 1 and are pivoted thereto by means of a bolt 25.

1n the operation of the device, the sleeve l is lowered thus bringing the arms 2 and the cleaning brushes 3 inwardly. The stud 24 of the trigger 5 is then engaged with the opening 1G in the sleeve and the weight of the lateral foot 22 of said trigger will hold said stud engaged with the opening 16 until said trigger is tripped in a manner to be eX- plained. The entire device is then lowered into the chimney by means of the cable 20 which, pulling on the cables 19, will cause the weight of the entire device to be supported upon the flange 17 of the sleeve 4.

When the trigger 5 contacts with the bottom of the chimney, it will roch around its pivot bolt and the stud 24 will be disengaged from the opening 16 in the sleeve. An upward pull on the cable 20 will now cause the sleeve 4 and the flange 17 to ascend, and owing to the fact, that the upper ends of the arms 2 are substantially in contact with the shaft 1, while the guide openings 1S are spaced a considerable distance therefrom, the ascent of said sleeve will cause the arms 2 and the cleaning brushes 3 to be forced outwardly into contact with the inner walls of the chimney. A further upward pull on the cable 20 will cause the entire device to rise and effectually remove the soot from the inner wall of the chimney. This operation may be repeated until the desired results are obtained.

By the above described arrangement, the brushes 16 will not contact with the walls of the chimney on their descent owing to the fact that they are in a retracted position but when the trigger 5 is tripped, as above described, they are free to engage said walls. This obviates the danger of any soot being forced downwardly in the chimney and out the various chimney holes into the rooms below.

Although we have described our invention with considerable minuteness, we do not wish to be limited to details other than those amplified in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new is:

1. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting device to be lowered and raised in a chimney, retractable members on said device carrying cleaning means, and an automatic trip mechanism having a part to engage the bottom of the chimney for releasing said members.

2. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting device to be lowered and raised in a chimney, retractable members upon said device, cleaning means carried by said members a slide on said device to actuate said members, a suspending cable connected to said slide and a latch mechanism for the slide actuated automatically when the device strikes the bottom of the chimney.

3. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting shaft, fleXible arms hinged at their inner ends to said shaft, cleaning elements carried by the outer ends of said arms, means for retaining said arms in a retracted position, and means including a portion of said first named means for moving the arms outwardly to cause said elements to contact with the inner walls of the chimney.

A. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting shaft, flexible arms hinged at their inner ends to said shaft, cleaning elements carried by the outer ends of said arms, a sleeve slidably mounted on said supporting shaft, said sleeve being provided with an opening in one side, guides on said sleeve slidably engaging said arms, a trigger pivoted to said shaft and having a stud projecting into the opening in said sleeve and a foot for engagement with the bottom of the chimney to retract said stud from said opening, and means for raising said sleeve to force said arms outwardly and to cause said cleaning elements to contact with the inner walls of the chimney.

5. A chimney cleaner comprising a supporting shaft, flexible arms hinged at their inner ends to said shaft, cleaning elements carried by the outer ends of said arms, a sleeve slidably mounted on said supporting shaft, said sleeve being provided with an opening in one side, guides on said sleeve slidably engaging said arms, a trigger pivoted to said shaft and having a. stud project-ing into the opening in said sleeve and a foot for engagement with the bottom of the chimney to retract said stud from said opening, guides carried by said shaft, and cables passing through the same and connected to said sleeve for actuating the same to force said arms outwardly and to cause said cleaning elements to contact with the inner walls of the chimney.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscrib- .ing witnesses.

ROBERT FUCHS.

OLE ANDERSON. Vitnesses:

FRANK Gr. HALL, J. H. WARNER.

Copies of this patent may ne obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of .'iatents,

Washington, D. C.

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