US1530557A - Chimney sweeper - Google Patents

Description

March 24, 1925. 1,530,557

H. GRUBE ET AL CHIMNEY SWEEPER Filed April 18, 1922 y INVENTORS W wish? uwgejwz ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 24, 19258 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY GRUBE, 0F JERSEY CITY, AND GEORGE JUST, OF I-IOIBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

CHIMNEY $WEEPER.

Application filed. A ril 18, 1922. Serial No. 555,495.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HARRY GnUBn and GEORGE JosT, citizens of the United States, and residents of Jersey City and Hoboken, respectively, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chimney Sweepers, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to improvements in chimney cleaners.

Its objects are to provide an inexpensive and efl'ective apparatus of this kind, which is easy to operate and has the advantage of being automatically guided within the chimney and'against its walls, and is particularly adapted to clean chimneys or ducts which are curved, recessed or sloping at any of their portions.

Another object of ourinvention is to provide hinged cleansing means, so constructed as to effectively bear against the walls of a chimney and adjust themselves to varying distances between the walls automatically and without necessitating special operating means for causing such adjustment.

Another object of our invention is to provide a rest or stop plate adapted to limit the downward motion of said cleansing means.

A still further object of our invention is to provide in connection with the cleansing means individual stop devices adapted to limit each cleansing member individually in its swinging motion, and prevent it from tipping over.

Another object of our invention is to pro vide an armored weight member which not only serves as weight, but also for removing obstructions within the chimney, as for instance, bricks, and it is so constructed as to readily break through such obstructions.

Another object of our invention is to pro vide in connection with such weight member, guide means whereby the cleansing members are guided to engage the walls in proper relation thereto, and are moved substantially centrally within such chimney whether the latter is straight, curved, or of any other shape.

Another object of our invention is to provide stop means associated with the guide member adapted to hold the latter in proper engagement with its suspension.

A further object of our invention is to provide a swivel joint between the plate member and the weight member facilitating the latter to swing in any desired direction.

The foregoing and further objects will be more fully apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of our device, placed within a chimney.

Figure 2 is a top view thereof, showing our device in operation.

Referring to the drawings, numeral 10 denotes the straight vertical part of a chimney, which latter continues at 11 at an incline. Suspended by cable 12, which engages a link 18 of suspension member 14, is a plate 15 preferably of rectangular shape.

Attached thereto by means of eye-bolts 16 are generally U-shaped hinge members 17 actuated by coil springs 18, which latter are adapted to press hinge members 17 outwards. Pivotally attached to said hinge. members at 19 are cleansing means 20 provided in the present case with stiff brushes indicated at 21, adapted to bear against the walls of chimney 10, as shown in broken linesat 21'.

Associated at 22 with the cleansing members 20 are anchoring members 23 engaging with their hook ends 24 the link 13. They are made releasable by means of cords 25. However, they may also be operated direct- 1y by hand.

Plate 15 serves not only as support for the Ushaped hinge members, but limits also the downward movement of the cleansing means, as indicated in broken lines at 21". Attached to the body of the cleansing members at 26 are loops 27 engaging the arms of hinge members 17 and are so ar ranged as to limit the swing of the cleansing members about their pivotal point 19. At the lower end of suspension member 14, to which is attached at 28 the plate 15, a hinge is formed at 29 from which depends a bolt 30 passing through a loop 31 of the weight member 32.

The end of; the bolt is provided with a head 38, which permits weight 32 to swivel while hinge 29 permits it to swing. The weight is armored, as indicated at 84, so as to facilitate the breaking of any, obstructions gathered within the chimney when the apparatus is placed thereinto.

It will be observed that the wei ht is of general cone shape, which shape acilitates the breaking of obstructions. At its reduced end there is provided a fork 35 in which is hingedly mounted at 36 an arm 37 of the guide member 38, which is shown to be a wheel adapted to bear against the wall of the chimney. Arm 37 is prevented from swinging in downward direction by a pin 39 which bears against the fork 35.

In operation our device is first placed into the chimney, as shown in Fig. 1, while the cleansing members 20 are anchored to link 13. Now the anchoring members 23 are released, thereby permitting springs 18 to force cleansing means 21 against the wall of chimney 10. Guide member 38 also bears against the wall and causes, when our device is lead into the chimney, to guide not only the weight member 32 but also the cleansing means, substantially centrally within the chimney no matter whether its shape is straight vertical, curved or otherwise deflected.

It will be seen that the spring actuated cleansing members cooperate with the guide member 38, when it is assumed that our device travels at a slant. When it is desired to draw back our device, without wanting to proceed with cleansing of the chimney in upward direction, which sometimes is desirable, the rope 25 is pulled upwards, thereby causing cleansing members 22 to travel toward each other and release the chimney wall. Then cable 12 is operated in upward direction and our apparatus moves, being guided by wheel 38, to the mouth of the chimney.

It will be seen that our device is very simple in manufacture and effective in its operation. It is of course obvious that we shall not be limited to the actual showing and we reserve for ourselves the right to make changes, improvements or modified designs without departing from the broad scope of our invention, for which we claim 1. A new article of manufacture, comprising a spring controlled cleansing member, a rotatably mounted weight member associated with the latter, and meansconnected with said weight member for directing and positioning said cleansing member within a chimney.

2. A new article of manufacture, comprising a spring controlled cleansing member, a cleansing member rest means for limiting the movement of said cleansing member when not in operation, a rotatable weight member associated with said rest means, and guide means associated with said weight member and adapted to directing the positioning of said cleansing member within the walls of the chimney. I

3. In a new article of manufacture, a plurality of spring controlled cleansing members adaptedto bear against the walls of a chimney or the like, rest means connected with said cleansing members and adapted to limit their movement when freed of the chimney walls, a swivelly suspended weight member associated with said rest means and means connected with said weight member for directing said cleansing and weight members over the contours of a chimney wall.

4. In a chimney cleaning device, aplurality of spring actuated cleansing members, a

rest plate disposed below said cleansing members and adapted to limit their movement when freed of the chimney walls, a weight member associated with said plate, a swivel joint connecting it to said plate, and guide means suspended from said weight member adapted to lead said cleansing means in proper relation to and over the contour of chimney walls.

5. In a chimney cleansing, device, a plurality of spring actuated cleansing means adapted to bear against the walls of a chimney, a rest plate serving as support and adapted to limit the movement of said cleansing means when not restrained by the walls of the chimney, releasable anchoring means for keeping said cleansing means. in inoperative position when desired, a weight member disposed below said plate, a swivel joint connecting the former to the latter, a guide member associated with said weight member and adapted to guide said cleansing means relative to the walls of a chimney.

6. A chimney cleansing device, comprising in combination, a suspension member, a rest plate secured thereto, a pair of hinged spring actuated cleansing members associated with said plate, releasable anchoring means connected with each cleansing member, guards provided with each cleansing member limiting their individual swinging motion, a swivel joint associated with said suspension member and below said rest plate, a weight suspended from said joint, guide means depending from said weight adapted to guide and keep said cleansing means in proper relation to the walls of a chimney.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 14th day of April, A. -D.-1922. I

' HARRY GRUBE.

GEORGE J 0ST.

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