US1613213A - Apparatus for cleaning and polishing automobiles - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 4, 1927. 1,513,213

| J. WILDE ET AL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING AUTOMOBILES Filed March 26, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTORS Lou/s J. W/LDE BY BEE K. @ILLESP/E A TTORNEYS;

- 1,613,213 1927' L. J. WILDE E T AL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING AUTOMOBILES Fiied March 26 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Lou/5 JJ/V/LDE BY BEE KG/LLESPIE Patented Jan. 4,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT oi-nice;

hours .v. wrnnn mm mm x. surname; or 10s manna-s, curromvm APPAB A'I'US 1 6B CLEANING AND POL ISHING AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed larch 2s, 192a Serial m. 18,550,,

Our invention relates to and has for its purpose the provision of an apparatus by which the performance of the several operationsnecwsary in'the cleaning and polish- 5 ing of automobiles both inter orly and exteriorly are greatly facilitated and in such manner that any number oi automobiles can be cleaned and polished sucessively and in rapid order. y

L It is also thepurpose of our invention to provide an apparatus of the above described character wliicli embodies comparatively simple and inexpensive means for bodily and successively-conveying a number of automol biles througha predetermined path from a givenfpoint and in such manner as to successively return the vehicle to the given point, each vehicle being'moved slowly through the predetermined path so as to give the operal tors ample opportunity to perform the several operations of the cleanin and polishing oi the ear whereby a vehicledischarged onto the conve means at-a given point will be returned to such a point completely cleaned 35 and polished.

We will describe only one form of ap paratns for cleaning and polishing a1uto mobiles embodying our invention and will then. point out the novel featuresthereot W in claims. i

lin-the accompanying drawings: Figural. a view showing in horizontal 7 section one form 0t apparatus embodying our invention g l 1 =5 Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2oif Figure l.

V Figure-3" an enlargedfragmenta'ry verti cal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 o i e 1. ll igure 4s-is a .iragmentary sectional view. tallrgeipontm line of Figflzedll eerrin speclfi'c tot awingsin which referemliv characters refer to .7 similar-parts in each: of the views, our invention inim present embodiment comprises a. circular inclosure or bull L1 ineluding-a conical shaped root supported onan outer circular wall so as to accommodate'therebetweena circular pit. 19 formed in the ground and over which .the-inclosure isadapted toy-be built. Ex-

tending inwardly from; the winner '17 are radial walls 20 which co-operate with tonnectingwalls 21 to form compartments with the rails.

ing curved beams 42 connected by cross ties:

or rooms 22. -Within the circle defined by the connecting walls 21 a central inclosure 23 is formed, and access is to be had to this 7 inclosure from a point exteriorly of the building through doors 24. These doors 24 divide'the central inelosure forming a runway 25, and the runway leads outwardly to a stationaryplatform 26.

As illustrated to advantage in Figure 2, the pit 19-is provided with an inclined bottom wall 27 w ich effects drainage of water and other liquids into what is termed a well 28. This well 28 is of circular form and as illustrated in Figure 1 slopes downward-and outword from the platform 26 to a point diametrically opposed with respect to the platform wherein the wellcommunicates with I a sump 29. Formed on the inclined wall of the pit 19 is a track bed 30 upon which are secured rails 31 constituting a circular track. Movable on the track is a circular, wheeled carria e made up of a plurality oi sections am? each section comprising a pair of arcuate heams-32 uponvwhich'pairs of wheels 33 are mounted for en agement The ends of the cams of any one section have 'rabbeted engagement with the beams of adjacent sections as indicated at 34, and'in this manner the several sectionsaremaintained in end to end relation to form the circular carriage.

Asectional crown gear 35 is fixed to the inner beams 32 of the movable carriage to be engaged by a gear 36 fixed to the outer end or a shaft 37, the latter extending through a suitable opening 38 formed in the-earth for connection with-a conventional fonm of reduction gearing 39 locatedin a it 40. Thereduction ear in turn is adapte to be driven by an ectric motor 41 whereby the shaft 37 and the gear 38 are constantly driven in one direction thereby efl'ecting continuous rotation of the crown gear a carriage in a clockwise direction as when viewe in Figure 1. i -v For supporting automobileson the movable carriage a circular platform is provided; l6and an inner circular wall 17 spaced irom the outer wall and this p atform is constructed of a plurality of arcuate sections, each section compris 43, the latter beingairan in spaced relay tion'to each otherfso' as to allow the free drainage of water the platform sections'and'into the 19; The opposite ends 36 of the former is provlded with a raised 48.

" with those of adjacent sections as shown. -To endof the stationary platform is first submaintain the platform sections againstdisjected to a cleaning action by playing thereplacement from the movable carriage the on needle sprays of cold water. InFigure platform sections'are provided with owel 2, we have shown one form of apparatus 131118 44 which are removable in sockets or which may be used for purpose, such openmgs 45 formed in the beams 32 of the apparatus including a flexible hose 49 suscarnage sections. In this manner the platform sections are held against lateral dis- 50 and adapted to be swung by a" manual placement but the upward displacement mani' ulation" of a cord 51 from a latformthereof can be "readily effected to provide 52. n this manner the s ray rom the success to the pit when desired. I

The outer wall 16 of the bail is prothe car. As the car advances under the vided 'withman entrance, and wit this movement of the'movable platform, it moves entrance between the inner and 'outer walls clear of the spraying apparatus when 'a 16' and 17 is arranged the stations platgang of operators s form issuperposed with respect to the mov- After this operation, during which the veable platform to allow the free rotation of hicle is continuously moving, it is subjected the latter .therebeneath. As shown in Figsuccessively to other cleaning operations ure 1, the stations platform 26 is inclined and finally to the necessary pohshing operaat its opposite .en in the direction of the tions to that by the time it reaches the right movable platform so as to reduce as much hand end of the stationary platform it is as possible the distance between the two and coinpletel cleaned and hose 49 canbc played over t e entireJtop of.

nge ofl -with warm a form 26. As shown in Figure 3, this platwater the body and enders of the vehicle.

lished. As the.

nded from a support byimg'ans of a cord.

thus minimize the drop or elevation of an vehicle a vances toward t estationary'platautomobile passing ofi of the platform '26 form its front wheels ride onto the stationto the movable'platform or vice versa. a ary platform and at opposite sides of'the To guide an automobile from the platprojection 46 whence it is guided oif of the form 26 to the rotating platfor'm one end stationary platform and into the inclosure portion or projection 46 which is tapered as In shown to allow. the ready movement of deposltedon the movable latform and as .the front wheels of a motor vehicleinto rapidly discharged from t e movable plat--- straddling relation to the projection whereform back onto the stationary platform and by upon continued movement of the vehiwith each car thoroughly cleaned and p01- cle front end first it will be "ded cenished during its course trally onto the movable plat orm. The apparatus. a. other end of the platform 26 is formed The water'and other fluid matter emwith an arcuate projection a? designed to bodied in the cleaning of theautom'obiles is I guide automobiles discharged onto the platfree to drain through the movable platform form from the movable latform and in and carriage into the pit/19, the inclined such manner that they be directed ofl' bottom 27 causing this matter to draininto of the platform with their front ends first the well 28 and by virtue of the sloping'of andonto an inclosure 48. The inclosnre 48 the latter as previously described; it be constitutes a subsidiary entrance to the clear that the fluid matter will drain into.

building and may be divided into rooms or the sump "29. In this .manner the pit and compartments as shown. v '7 well will kept comparatively clean,-but

-Inthe operation of the ap 'aratus, the when necessa carriage together with the movable platform the well /for c purposes is continuously rotated in a clockwise dirmone or more of the carriage and platform tion as when viewed in Figure 1. so that the sections; movable platform is assing in a direction In away from the left and end of the staprojection 54 movable -m' a slot 55 of the tionary platform and in a direction 'tostationary platform 26 ad ae'entto the-proward the stationary platform atthe rightf jection 46. This member 54 is normally I Y suitable eapable of being dc ressed to a apparatus for manipulation-by e operators to efi'ect a thorough cleaning andractice. automobiles are successively,

of travel around the access can be readily had to r by removing hand end of the latter. At intervals around urged upwardly by springs 56 but is; the movable :platformarearra v I registering device 5 By this arrangement,

it. be seen that avehicle moving onto lishmg ofan' automobile so that dtu'ing t e "of an 'automdbile from the discharged end 7 the stat-ionaryplatform to the receiving end thereof 'it is successively subjected to the several eleaning and operations.

' le aniautomobile discharged onto r H e-l ft hand.

. the stationary platform willengage the projection 54 and depress the latter to accommo date the device 57, thereby keeping an ac curate. record of. the number of machmes delivered to the rotary platform, It-is to be understood that the operation-of the.

registering device is such that it requires.

v in Figures 1 and 4, we have shown a two successive depressions of the projection in order to register the passage of asingle vehicle. a

Although we have herein shown and described only one form of apparatus for cleaning and polishing automobiles embodying our-invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made Without departing from the spirit of our invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims. x j

What we claim is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, means constituting a combined entrance and 3 exit for an automobile, and a movable platform correlated with said means, whereby to permit an automobile to be driven front end first therefrom onto said platform and driven front end first. from the platform back to said means and in such manner that the automobile; remains on the platform between the two drivin operations.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a movable platform supported for rotation, means for continuously rotating the-movable platform, a stationary platform superposed with respect to the movable platform, means by which a vehicle is guided on to the movable platform, and means by which a vehicle discharged on to the stantionary platform from the movable platform is guided from the stationary platform.

3. A structure of the class described com-, prising an annular platform, means for continuously revolving the platform, and means to permit automobiles to be driven onto said platform while the latter is in motion and for causing the automobiles to be arranged in an annular series thereon with one di-' means for continuously rotating the plat I form, and a stationary platform superposed with respect to the movable platform whereby vehicles can be delivered to the movable platform and discharged therefrom.

5. Anapparatus as embodied in claim 4 wherein the stationary platform is provided with projections for guiding vehicles there:

from on to the movable platform, and for guiding vehicles discharged on to the sta tionary platform.

6. An apparatus of the character described comprising a circular track, a circular wheeled carriage movable on the track, a circular platform sup orted on and fixed to the carriage, means fbr continuously rotating the carriage, a stationary platform above the first platform, and means on the stationary platform for guiding vehicles therefrom on to the first platform and for automobiles may be positioned on the platform in an annular series with one directly behind another and with their; front ends forward.

8. An apparatus of the class described comprising an annular platform, means for continuously revolving the platform, and

means to permit vehicles to be driven on to the platform while the latter is in motion, for causing the vehicles to be arranged in an annular series thereon, with one directly behind the other, and to cause discharge of the .vehicles from the platform in the same order as delivered thereto and while the platform is in motion.

' LOUIS J. WILDE.

BEE K. GILLESPIE.

apparatus for use in the cleaning

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