US1850710A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

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SUCTION CLEANER Filed Feb. 17. 19:50

Patented Mar. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD G. FAIRFAX, OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T THE HOOVER COMPANY, OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO, .A CORPORATION OF OHIO BUCTION CLEANER Application med February 17, 1930. Serial No. 428,862.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners and particularly to means for adjusting the height of the nozzle of a suction cleaner above. the surface covering undergoing cleaning. More specifically the invention relates to a new and novel means for adjusting the rear castor of the suction cleaner so that the cleaner is pivoted about the front-supporting wheels as an axis.

A suction cleaner must be adaptable foi use upon surface coverings of various thicknesses and degrees of stiffness and, in order that the machine may always function with maximum efficiency, it is necessary that the lips of the nozzle of the suction cleaner contact the surface covering undergoing cleaning, for without such Contact the air enters the nozzle of the cleaner without passing over or through the surface covering and performs no useful function. When used upon a surface covering in which the pile or nap is relatively short the front-supporting wheels of the cleaner rest substantially upon the top of the surface covering and do not sink into it and it is necessary to adjust the nozzle to a relatively low position in order that it may contact the covering. If the cleaner is taken from such a covering toy a covering provide with relatively long and soft pile into which the front-supporting wheels will sink, the lips of the nozzle will not only contact the top of the pile of the covering` but will extend thereinto resulting in a condition in which the cleaner is hard to operate and also in reduced cleaning efficiency. In such a condition it is necessary to raise the nozzle so that it will rest lightly upon the upper surface of the surface covering. By means of the present invention the necessary adjustment of the nozzle height may be accomplished;

It is an object of the present invention,-

therefore, to provide a new and novel means for adjusting the height of the suction cleaner nozzle relative to the surface covering. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a construction in which the adjustment is accomplished with a minimum of effort and in which no locking means are reo quired to maintain an adjustment once it has been made. A still further object is the provision of novel height-adjusting means in a .suction cleaner by which the cleaner may be pivoted about the front-supporting wheels through the raising or lowering of'the rear castor. Other and more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and taking into consideration the drawings annexed thereto.

Referring now to the drawings Figure 1 discloses a side view of a suction cleaner embodying the present4 invention with certain parts broken away.

.Figure 2 is a section upon the line 2-2 of F1 re 1. igure 3 is a partial cross section of Figure 2 upon the line 3 3.

In the drawings, a suction cleaner, indicated generally by the reference character 1, comprises the usual parts of a suction cleaner including the nozzle 2, the fan chamber 3, motor casing 4, pivoted handle bail 5, frontsupporting wheels 6, of which only one is shown, and rear-supporting wheel or castor 7. The front-supporting wheels of the cleaner are ixedly attached and serve as the axis about which the cleaner is pivoted for the adj ustment of the nozzle height. Rear castor d 7 is rotatably mounted between two rearwardly extending arms, indicated generally by the reference characters 8 and 9, which form a frame and are pivoted at their 0pposi te ends to the bearing member or bolt 10 which is supported between the downwardly extending legs 11 and 12 of the bracket 13 which is fixedly attached to the bottom of the motor casing 4 as by rivets 14.

Motor casing 4 is provided with a circular thickened portion 15 in its rear face which provides, by means of al circular bore 16 eX- tending therethrough, a seat for the bearing,

.indicated by the reference character 17, which supports the rearward end of the motor shaft 18. Protective shells 19 and 20 are positioned upon the opposite sides of the bearing 17 and are secured to the thickened portion -15 by means of rivets 21 extending therethrough.

The outer face of the rear wall of casing 4 is provided with a circular recess, indicated generally by the reference character 22, and seated within recess 22 is a circular 10 plate 23 with its outer face substantially fiush with the surface of casing 4. Plate 23 is provided with a cylindrical body portion 24 at its diametrical center which is internally threaded. Positioned within the body 24 of plate 23, in screw-threaded relation therewith, is a bolt securing-member 25 which is provided with an intermediate cylindrical shoulder 26 and a hexagonal head. The diameter of the cylindrical shoulder 26 is substantially that of the outer surface of body 24 and, in fact, forms a continuation thereof. Rotatably mounted and spaced from the hexagonal head of the bolt 25 which vsecures it in place, by means of a washer 27, is the rotatable knob member 28 which is provided with a cylindrical extension 29 at its center which closely surrounds the shoulder 26 and extends over upon body portion 24 of plate 23. Fixedly carried by the inner end of cylindrical portion 29 is the cam member 30 whose outer surface resembles a spiral of Archimedes. Slidingly positioned between the opposing faces of the cam 30 and the plate 23 is a vertically movable member or riser 31 provided with an elongated eye 32 at its upper end of a width corresponding to the diameter of the cylindrical portion 24 of plate 23 and which permits member 31 to slide vertically relative to said central portion. The lower end of member 31 extends through a keyway 33 in the channel member 13 and its lower extremity extends at right angles to its major portion and, being slightly curved downwardly at its end, forms a seat which rests upon the transversely extending pin 35 carried by arm members 8 and 9. Positioned upon member 31 immediately below the eye 32 is a small circular pin 36 which is adapted to contact the surface of cam 30 to limit the upward movement of the member 31.

`Wound about the bolt 10 with one of its ends contacting the under surface of channel 13 while the other contacts the underside of pin 35 between the legs 8 and 9 is a spring 37 which functions at all times to urge the frame, comprising the arm members 8 and 9 and the pin 35, upwardly about its pivot point and the pin 35 against the seat 34 of the vertical member 31, which is accordingly maintained in its uppermost position permitted by the cam 30.

The adjustment of the nozzle height in a cleaner provided with the adjusting means constructed as in the present invention, is comparatively simple. Depending upon Whether it is desired to raise or lower the nozzle the knob member 28 is turned to the right or left. As knob 28 rotates, cam 30 also rotates and its outer surface contacts the pin 36 carried by the vertically movable member 31 which is spring pressed into contact therewith by action of the spring 37. As the cam rotates the pin 36 is either depressed down- Wardly or is permitted to move upwardly under the action of the spring. As the vertical member 31 contacts the rigidly carried pin 35 at its lower end, any change in vertical position ot member 31 results in a pivotal movement of the arm members 8 and 9 and accordingly the castor 7 about the pivot point of the arms at the bolt 10. With the desired adjustment set it is unnecessary to provide any means to insure its continuance for the force which may be exerted upon the rear castor cannot be transmitted into a rotational torque of the cam member 30 as the pin 36 through which such a force would necessarily be transmitted to the cam is positioned directly below the cam center and, no lever arm being present. the force cannot be transmitted into a rotational torque.

I claim j 1. In a suction cleaner, a casing, a rear wheel, a frame pivotally connecting said wheel to said casing, and means to angularly adjust said frame comprising a rotatable cam carried by said casing and a member vertically slidable relative to the casing which contacts said frame.

2. In a suction cleaner, a supporting element, a casing, a frame pivotally connecting said element to said casing, a plate including a cylindrical hub portion carried by said casing, a rotatable member including a cam mounted on said hub portion and a member slidable on said hub extending between said cam and said frame and adapted to transmit force therebetween.

3. In a suction cleaner, a supporting element` a casing, a frame pivotally connecting said element to said casing. a plate including a cylindrical internally threaded hub portion carried by said casing. a rotatable member including a cam mounted on said hub portion, a securing member threadedly connected to said hub portion and contacting said rotatable member, and a member having `an eve at its upper end surrounding said hub portion and slidable thereon extending between said cam and said frame and adapted to transmit torce therebetween.

4. Ina suction cleaner, a. casing, a rear wheel. means pivotallv connecting said wheel to said casing. a member rotatablv mounted at the rear of said casing including a cam and a verticallv adjustable member operativelv connected between said cam and said pivotal connecting means to exert a force therebetween, and spring means to maintain said pivotal connecting means against said vertically adjustable member and said verticallv adjustable member against said cam.

5. In a device of the kind described, a body to be supported, a supporting element, a. framepivotallv connecting said element to said bodv, and means to cause pivotal movement of said element comprising a rotatable member having a cam surface and carried by said body and spaced from said frame, and a second member slidable on said body extending between said cam surface and said frame and adapted to transmit force therebetween.

Signed at North Canton, in the county of Stark, and State of ho, this 10th day of February, A. D. 1930.

HOWARD G. FAIRFAX.

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