US1589721A

US1589721A - Apparatus for cleaning articles

Info

Publication number: US1589721A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1926-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 1943-06-22

Description

. 1,589,721 c. H. SCHWANER l APPARATUS on CLEANING ARTICLES Fild March 21; 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Juhe 22 1926.

ll 2 67 1| 5 ml h l I v y 6 I 40 nome; wai /nib. cfiwaizer I am,

I, I I I v c. H. SQHWANER APPARATUS FOR CLEANING" ARTICLES Filed llarbh 21', 1922 2 shun-sum 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIII I;

I I f cmnsfimwam Patented June 22, 1926.

CHARLES H, SCHWANER, F SCOTTSBLUFF, NEBRASKA,

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING ARTICLES.

Application filed March 21, 1922. Serial No. 645,584.

This invention relates to apparatus for 'cleaning articles such as watch movements ,1)

and the like and has for an object to provide a mechanism into which and upon fi which the article will be inserted and secured and therein subjected to a stream of cleansing fluidwhile the article itself thus secured is being turned in various positions A further object of the invention is to provide a device for cleaning articles which comprises means for holdin the article firmly in a rotor subject to eing rotated manually or mechanically andduring such rotation or while stationary being subjected to a stream of cleansin fluid under pressure which will, by manipu ation, reach all parts of the article being subjected to the cleaning process. g

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of cleaning which consists in turning and otherwise manipulating an article to be cleaned while also and simultaneously directing thereupon a stream'of cleansing fluid under pressure which will reach and contact with all parts of the article being cleaned.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for cleaning articles being intended especially, though not necessarily essentially, for cleaning watch movements and has for a further object to provide means for holding a watch movement upon a rotating member in such position that a manually directed stream of cleansing fluid may enter into, impinge against and contact with all parts of the watch movement whether stationary or in motion under its own power.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotor mounted upon preferably, though not necessarily, a horizontal axis with means'for gripping an article, such for instance as a watch movement to be practically concentric with the axis of rotation of the rotor, with means for directin a stream of cleansing fluid manually into the edge of the watch movement as thus suspended and secured, whereby when the rotor is manually rotated the watch movement may be reached in every part by such stream to contact with vand eliminate all of the gummy matter found in or about the movement, journals or rotating parts, which said cleansing fluid is conducted away from the point of use to a receptacle wherein such extraneous matter '4 at Figure 2;

may settle, permitting the cleansing fluid to e reused.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotor into which articles such, for instance, as' the watch movement hereinbefore referred to may be inserted and clamped, provided with power for rotating the rotor at a high rate of speed after the cleansing process just above referred to, so that when the cleansing has been completed the article may be rotated at such high rate of speed for the purpose of dryin by centrifugal force.

With these an other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel parts, units, combinations, elements, constructions, mechanical movements and functions, together with mechanical and functional equivalents thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view generally in side elevation, parts being shown in vertical section, of the entire installation;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail View of the rotor showing grasped therein an article intended to conventionally represent a watch movement;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of the rotor seen from the side, indicated by arrow Figure 5 is a detail view, part1 in side elevation and partly in section, 0 a modified type ofv rotor. Figure 6 is a transverse or diametrical sectional view through the strainer or filter for the cleansing fluid.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the severa views.

The improved apparatus which forms the subject matter of this application comprises an arbor 10 journaled in a bearing 11 which is mounted for convenience u on any convenient type of table 12. In a inement with the arbor 10 is a journal bearing 13 journaled also in a member 14 spaced from and equivalent to the member 11. The particular type of journaling or support shown in or indicated by the drawings is not essential,

to the present invention, as any usual and ordinary means for j ournaling such rotating structure is within the scope of the present invention.

shown and as now considered a preferred form, a disk 17 is mounted'rigidly upon the journal 13 having guide slots 18 extending diametrically thereof in which are mounted to slide blocks 19. The ends of the jaw members 16 are pivotally connected with the sliding blocks 19 in any approved manner,

one manner being shown by the telescoping sections 20 at Figure 3 to which the jaws are directly pivoted, as at 21. Any approved means also for producing simultaneous inter-actionof the blocks 19 is provided, as for instance the right and left screw 22, one or both ends of which are provided with a squared extremity 23 'for receiving a a wrench or other implement for rotating the screw 22, which at the center is secured and journaled in the section 13' of the journal 13.

The hinging of the jaws 16 to the head 15 may be accomplished in any approved manner. As specifically disclosed in the drawings, a strap 24 is employed, rigidly secured to the head 15 in any approved manner, as by the screw 25 and at its opposite ends serving as pivots for the U-bend 26 of the pairs of jaw members 16.

It will be obvious, therefore, that in a structure as specifically shown in the drawings, the rotation of the right and left screw 23 will serve to simultaneously move toward or from each other the blocks 19 and carry therewith the pivoted extremities of the jaw members 16. The jaws are provided at such points as found desirable with notches'27 which will engage the article to be cleaned, as for instance, the plates 28 of a conventional watch movement, shown at Figure 2. B employing a plurality of such notches when found desirable, the movements may be inserted at difierent places along the length of the jaws, but with the swinging movement of thejaws it is not found necessary in most cases to provide more than one set, of such notches, as the greater or less convergence of the jaws will engage and clamp watch movements of any size upon which it is desired to operate.

Mounted conveniently adjacent to the rotor comprising the entire rotating organization is a motor 29, preferably connected with the arbor 10 by means of a universal joint 30. This universal joint 30 also includes preferably a ring 31 knurled about its periphery which serves as a manual means for turning the rotor when the motor 29 is not energized.

As a modified type of rotor and as disclosing one of the many types which may be employed, Figure 5 illustrates fixed jaws 32 which are provided throughout their lengths with a plurality of notches 33 arranged to correspond to the standard sizes of watch movements. A jaw 34 is pivoted to the head 15' at 35 and the disk 17 is provided with a screw-threaded stud 36 with a nut 37 preferably, though not necessarily, knurled, which secures the swinging jaw 34-upon the screw-threaded stud 36 to complete the clamping jaws, so that the watch movement 28 is clamped thereby in the same manner as shown at Figure 2, it being understood, of course, that watch movements of difierent sizes than that indicated conventionally at Figure 5 will be clamped at others of the notches than those shown as clamping the movement at said figure.

Whatever the type of rotor, a trough 38 is placed beneath the rotor extending upwardly about the sides thereof nearly to its axis and communicating by means of a drain-pipe 3.9 with a filter 40. Preferably this trough .39 is made of transparent or translucent glass and a lighting element 41 is placed beneath the glass trough so as to light the interior of the structure when in operation. A dome '42, also preferably of glass, is provided to cover over the rotor and set down upon the trough 38 and is provided with means for inserting a nozzle, as for instance the elongated slot 43, at the top and openings 44 at the ends. The disk 17 is provided preferably with openings, as for instance the arcuate slots 45-, registering radially with the opening 44 at one end of the dome 42, so that the nozzle may be inserted through the opening 44 at that end and through the arcuate slots 45 to direct a stream-of cleansing fluid against that side ofthe movement adjacent to said disk while the nozzle introduced through the opening 44 at the opposite end of the dome permits the direction of a stream of cleansing fluid against the opposite side of the movement clamped in the rotor.

The cleansing fluid employed for cleaning such articles as a. watch movement is, of course, such fluid as will dissolve the accumulation found .in such movements. In ordinary use the cleansing fluid may be the hydrocarbon known as gasoline, but it is to be understood that the present invention is in no way limited to the use of this specific fluid, as any usual and ordinary fluid or any fluid which may be substituted for usual and ordinary fluid, may be employed. The requisite is that it shall be such a fluid as shall dissolve the deposit and is directed upon the article to be cleaned by the nozzle hereinbefore referred to and indicated at -tively which communicate by means of

pipes

55 and 56 with the tanks-50 and 51 respectively adjacent the bottom.

Pressure upon the fluid in the tank is furnished in any approved manner and from any approved source. shown a manual pump 57 connected by means of a flexible pipe 58 and

branch pipes

59 and 60 with said tanks 50 and 51 respectively through

valves

61 and 62. For determining the pressure under which the fluid is delivered,

pressure gauges

63 and 64 are mounted upon the tanks 50 and 51. Other valves 65 and 66 are provided with sleeves 67 which are adapted to receive the drainpipe 68 of the filter 40, so that this filter 40 may be rotated in suchposit-ion that its drain-pipe 68 shall deliver fluid therefrom to either of the valves 65 or 66.

In operating the apparatus in practising the process an article such, for instance, as a watch movement, is secured in the rotor in the manner hereinbefore described, the dome 42 being removed manually for the purpose of securing the article in position. The dome 42 is now replaced, this dome being provided only for the purpose of preventing the sp attering of the cleansing fluid during the operation. Assuming that the device is assembled as at Figure 1, the tank 50 is the tank to deliver the cleansing fluid through the nozzle 46. This'comes about through the creatin of air tension in said tank by the use of the apparatus shown, or otherwise, the

valves

61 and 53 being open, the valve 65 closed, the manual valve 48 being also closed. Upon the other side the

valves

54 and 62 are closed and the valve 66 open, whereby fluid from'the pipe 68 may flow through the valve 66 into the tank 51.

The device is now in condition for operation and the operator simply inserts the nozzle 46 through the slot 43 in the top of the dome and simultaneously opens the "alve 48 in the manner indicated at Figure 1. 'VVith the nozzle directed as indicated in that figure the stream of cleansing fluid under pressure will be directed into the watch movement between the plates to impinge against the several wheels, pinions and other parts of the movement. Preferably in practice the escapement of the movement will be removed before the move- In the drawings is ment is placed in this position, although the present invention is in no way limited to this feature and the movement may be cleaned successfully with the escapement in operative posit-ion.

The operator now turns therotor manually by engagement with the knurled sleeve .31 so that all parts of the movement are subject to the dirigible stream of cleansing fluid discharged from the nozzle 46. After this step has been performed the nozzle is inserted laterally through the openings 44 in the ends of the dome whereby the stream is directed against the exterior surface of the plates and against the jewels and bearings accessible from the sides of the plate to complete the cleaning, the cleansing fluid taking up the accumulated matter of the movement and carrying it away, as through the filter, where it is filtered out to the tank 51 where it is allowed to settle furthe', as may be necessary.

The cleaning function completed, which will be done in a very short time, current is supplied to the motor 49 and the rotor carrying the article is rotated at av very high rate of speed, which through centrifugal action drives the cleansing fluid from the article very quickly.

While the use of this device for the cleaning of watch movements has been particularly stressed and emphasized herein, it is to be understood that the invention is in no waylimited to the cleanin of such articles and is applicable to articles of various ty es and kinds and sizes.

Whi e it has also been indicated that gasoline is a desirable solvent, any other solvent may be substituted as hereinbefore noted.

The apparatus disclosed in the application has-been found by experiment to be a desirable form of apparatus for accomplishing the purpose, but it is to be understood that a great variety of other mechanisms and instrumentalities may be substituted for carrying out the mechanical features of the present invention.

What I claim to be new is:

1. An apparatus for cleaning comprising a rotor consisting of converging jaws hinged for relative movement, means to vary the angle of convergence of the jaws to clamp an article between said jaws, means to manually rotate said rotor, means to mechanically drive said rotor at a high rate of speed, and a closure for the rotor providing means for the introduction of a nozzle for; discharging cleansing fluid upon the article.

2. An apparatus for cleaning an article to receive articles of difl'erent sizes and clamp such article between the jaws, a closure for the rotor provided. with openings to permit the insertion therethrough' of a dirigible manual nozzle, means externally of the closure for manual rotation of the rotor within the housing, and a motor connected with and adapted to rotate the rotor at a high rate of speed.

3. An apparatus for cleaning articles com-- prising a rotorhaving diverging jaws, means for clamping the article to be cleaned between the diverging jaws, a housing for the rotor embodying openings proportioned to permit the insertion of a manual nozzle to direct a stream of cleansing fluid upon the article clamped in the jaws, means externally of the housing for imparting manual rotary movement to the rotor, and a motor connected with the rotor adapted to impart ra id rotary motion to the rotor for centrifugal drying.

4. An apparatus a rotor consisting of jaws movable relative to the axis of rotation, means to vary the relation of the jaws to said axis to clamp an for cleaning comprising article between said jaws, means to manually rotate saidrotor, means to mechanically drive said rotor at a high rate of speed, and a closure for the rotor provided with means for introduction of a nozzle for discharging cleansing fluid upon the article.

5. An apparatus for cleaning an article comprising a rotor consisting of jaws arranged to move relative to the axis of rotation, means to manually vary the relation of the jaws relative to said axis to clamp an article between the jaws, a closure for the rotor provided with openings to permit the insertion therethrough of a dirigible man- ;al nozzle, means externally of the closure for manual rotation of the rotor within the housing, and a motor connected with and adapited to rotate the rotor at a high rate of s ee I In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

- CHARLES H. SCHWANER.