US1782882A

US1782882A - Vacuum-cleaner nozzle

Info

Publication number: US1782882A
Application number: US239652A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rippey Samuel Howard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1927-12-13
Filing date: 1927-12-13
Publication date: 1930-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 1947-11-25

Description

Nov. 25, 1930. s. H. RIPPEY VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE Filed Dec;

a W M Patented Nov. 25, 1930 APATENT' OFFICE SAMUEL HOWARD RIPPEY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA VACUUM-CLEANER nozznn Application filed December 13, 1927. Serial No. 239,652.

This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and particularly to the construction of a nozzle for a vacuum cleaner which will produce results not obtainable by those heretofore in use.

One type of vacuum cleaner which is upon the market has a nozzle in the form of an elongated casing having a slot formed in its I lower end, and tapering from the slot to an exit connected with a fan for producing a suction adapted to draw dirt from a rug. At first such nozzles wereinade so that the open inlet assageway would be completely covered y thesrug, which was drawn thereagainst to seal the same,-the object of this design being to cause air to flow through the rug and thereby remove dirt both within or under the rug and on top of the rug. It was found, however, that while fine dust would be removed from the body and surface of the rug, the air passing through the rug did not have suflicient velocity or the proper direction to remove surface dirt consisting of threads, hairs, lint, or the like, since such dirt wouldapparently not be raised' by the slowly moving current of air. In order to facilitate the removal of such surface dirt, the walls of the nozzle about the slot were cut away to provide passageways through which the air would be drawn across the sur-' face of the rug at high velocity, which localized currents of air would remove hair, thread or the like from the surface of the rug. A

most effective structure of this kind was found to be one in which such passageways were provided at the ends of the slot, so that they could be moved into corners and remove dirt therefrom.. Although this type of noz .zle, as has been stated, would remove more symmetry.

remaining, either by an old-fashioned carpet sweeper or by a brush. A newer type of vacuum cleaner, f[put on the market primarily to avoid the di culty inherent in the vacuum cleaner 'just described, is provided not onlywith a suction nozzle but also with a rotat ing brush, and dependence is placed on the brush to remove the lint which is left by the suction nozzle. This brush is detrimental. to. rugs, however, since it not only removes surface lint but also portions of the fibre and consequently this type of vacuum cleaner has not been generally adopted, but dealers of rugs and housekeepers generally prefer to use that type of cleaner described above, which will clean dirt which is ground-into a rug, although it leaves much surface dirt, the surface dirt being subsequently removed by careful brushing. v

It is the object of the present invention to adapt a nozzle ofa vacuum cleaner of the first type described to enable it to pick up, without fail, surface dirt from a rug or carpet being cleaned.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of a the improved nozzle;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the nozzle partly broken away to show the interior thereof;

prefered form of and tially broken away on its vertical plane of The nozzle, which is similar in general shape and appearance to an ordinary type, is

designated at 2, and comprises a casing tapering from an elongated lower slotted opening 4 to an exit 6, which is adapted to be connected by suitable means of the ordinary variety to a, suction fan which maybe either electrically or mechanically driven. At the ends of slot 4 the walls of the casing are notched to provide passageways 8 and there is also provided in the front wall at the central portion of the slot a similar passageway Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the nozzle par- 10. Passageways 8 are of the type commonly provided in this form of nozzle and the air passing horizontally therethrough over the surface of the rug, because ofitshighvelocity, will effectively dislodge and remove surface dirt, the removal being proportional to the velocity. Provision of two such passage ways at opposite ends of the slot will ordinaril produce two streams of air and dirt traveing in opposite directions, which, if uncontrolled, will meet each other and air through the middle of the slotabout the center of the nozzle, forming eddies in which the air will be of reduced velocity and accordingly, the dirt will drop of its own weight back upon the floor. In the present invention, interference of the two currents of air is prevented by guiding the currents directly from the passageways to the exit, or at least to such a distance toward the exit that the velocity of the incoming air will increase, owing to the reduced cross section of the nozzle, to such an extent that hair and other relatively heavy dirt will be carried out through the exit to the fan.

In the modification of the invention disclosed, vanes 12 are shown forming conduits 14 leading from inlet passageways'8 directly to the exit. A similar conduit is formed adjacent passageway 10 by the vertically extending vanes 16. It will be readily understood that interference of the currents of air entering the

passageways

8 and 10 with each other, or with the current of air entering through the main portions of slot 4, will be effectively prevented. It will also be clear that vanes 12 or 16 may terminate short of the exit so that the extend to a point at which the velocity 0 air passing outwardly from the nozzle is sufliciently great, notwithstanding an interference, to carry along with it relatively heavy. dirt.

The invention of the conduits described for guiding air carrying surface litter from passageways to exit constitute a further imrovement in vacuum cleaner nozzle design y roviding means for making available loca ly for detaching surface litter a higher velocity current at the intakes than the velocity due to the suction in the usual single chamber nozzle casing which is drawing air through the large slot area. This may be accomplished by so proportioning the several air channels as to apply more or less of the suction power of the fan to each channel as desired for its best individual functioning,

' and by communicating through the channels to the intake the velocity of the exit, uninfluenced by the varying velocity and pressure requirements of other parts of the nozzle. The application of the conduitsfor guiding the airconveying the dirt to the exit constitutes a complete invention, and the posnozzle.

pose first stated, but which may be used in connection therewith to render the action more effective.

As shown in Fig. 2, it will be observed that vane 12 is continued down to the extreme bottom of the nozzle and that the same is true of vane 16, so that between each vane 12 and the adjacent vane 16, the portion of the slot 4 is bounded by walls, the outer edges of which contact along their whole extent with the rug, so that the slot 4 is here sealed, and any air entering therethrough must be drawn up through the rug, where it will dislodge and carry along dirt ground into the rug or lying thereunder. It might be considered that the provision of

passageways

8 and 10 through which air is relatively free to move would to such an extent break the partial vacuum existing in the nozzle as to prevent suction of air through a heavy rug. It is found, however, in practice that such breaking of the partial vacuum is so slight that the nozzle acts almost as effectively with the passageways as without, in drawing dirt through the rug. However, since to prevent excessive wear upon the rug, a lower velocity of flow of air may be desirable, or a large number of passageways provided which would break the vacuum to a considerable degree, the partial vacuum in the nozzle may be maintained even at a low air velocity by providing means for closing the conduits leading from the passageways so that the full suction of the fan may be applied to drawdirt from the body of the rug. One such means is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 2 in which 18 is a valve which may be turned either to open or close conduit 14 by means of a knob 20 extending outside the A similar means might, of course, be provided in the conduit formed between vanes 16, and such valve might be operated by means located on the handle of the vacuum cleaner, or might be replaced by slides or plugs similarly actuated, or slides or flaps external to the passageways.

It may be desirable in some similar manner to increase the flow of air through the passageways by decreasing the flow through the slot.

In order to bring out graphically the portions of the nozzle which are adapted to pick up sprface dirt, it may be desirable to provide arrows, such as 22, showing location of the passageways and the direction of passage of air through the nozzle from the passageways.

v The passageway 10 is provided in the center of the nozzle since it is found that this is a desirable position for a passageway because of the fact that the normal way of moving the .nozzle to pick up visible dirt is'to move the same directly over the dirt. Although passageways 8 will effectively pick up dirt and; are necessary to remove dirt from corners, it is generally necessary for the operator to move the nozzle more or lesssidewise and stop at each individual particle of dirt to insure its removal; By primarily using passageway to remove surface dirt, cleaning is found to be more readily accomplished, since stopping ofthe cleaner is unnecessary.

Although there has been illustrated a preferred and practical form of nozzle, it will be understood that the conduits need not necessarily be formed as disclosed, by means of vanes, but may consist of passageways formed in the nozzle casting, or might even consist of separate pipes outside of the suction nozzle proper. In any event, the intake opening designed to draw air through the surface being cleaned will have its boundinlg walls substantially entirely in contact wit the surface, while the opening designed to clear the surface from surface dirt will be arranged to draw a current of air across the surface being cleaned. Furthermore sizes, proportions, number and locations of passageways and conduits are not limited by the arrangement illustrated but may be of varying design to meet varying cleaner requirements. Such modifications are within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A vacuum cleanernozzle having an exit arranged for connection to a suction means, an elongated entrance, and partitions within the nozzle dividing the elongated entrance to form two end intake openings and at least one intermediate opening, the intermediate opening having its bounding walls substantially in oneplane and arranged to contact substantially throughout their extent with a surface being cleaned, and each of the end openings being substantially in said plane and opening in the direction of said plane above said plane to draw a'current of air across the surface being cleaned, the partitions acting to lead air currents from said openings independently towards the exit to prevent interference with each other.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on this 26th day of November, 1927.

SAMUEL HOWARD RIPPEY,