US1896004A - Pipe cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 31, 1933. B. LEWIS ET AL 1,396,004

PIPE CLEANER Filed' Jan.- 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR W' BY WITNESS! Jan. 31, 1933. B. I Ewls ET AL 1,896,004

PIPE CLEANER Filed Jan. 28. 1931 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 B/VJHMI/VLEWIS 6 WqL TER JOSEPH INVENTOR ATTORNEY W TNESS:

Patented Jan. 3l, n

annum Lawn. or" woons'mn PATENT .oFFlcEff um wanna .rosa-rx, or LONG :stam: crrir, 'maw Yonx' ifi-r11.' enzima' p I Application 'med vJanuary B8, 1,981.-v Berlal Io. '$11,884.

This invention relates to pipe cleaners, and the principal object is to provide anovel and improved pipe cleaner over that shown and described 1n U. S. 'Letters Patent No. I 1,078,253. 4

.While the resent invention vis especially adapted for c eaning pipes leadingfrom beer barrels to the faucets, it is equally applicable for cleaning pipes of soda water fountains,

boilers or anyother 1pipes which may be coupled in pairs; and-t us the present inven- 'tion has the same general fields of utility as' the patented structuile just referred tof-but with additional possible utilizations, and, 1n Il practically every'case, with marked advan tages, as will appear hereinafter.

- According to said patent, a device is prolvided which may be readily connected with two faucets or other openings from two pipes `2t the ends of which may be cou lcd together,

4such, device including means or then forcing a cleaning solution through the pipes'irst i ,in one direction and then in the oppositedirection. It'has been found exceedingly diiii- .25 cult to maintain said solution exactl as predetermined, and to employ said so ution .as required in various'situations, in a combination like that of the patented device, wherein a pair of inspection and iiuidguiding cylin- 80 ders are presentin such relation to a valve and its associated solution-propelling means that the solution has to be placed initially in one orA the other-of said cylinders. One

of the chief operating troubles encountered 85 is that if it is the pipe oppositethe Aother cylinder than the one a pointed for the first introduction zof. the so ution which is the dirtier and hence ito be principally or solely ltreated by surging the solution therethrough 40 'back and forth, the solution must make a substantially 'complete circuit, -that is, traverse both cylinders and both pipes, in every case, even where only one pipe-is desired to be cleaned and is the pipe coupled to the other j cylinder. A i

Therefore, it is '-an important object ofthe invention to provide an arrangement to obvifa-te the 'diiiicu-lty just mentioned; and an arrangement which, preferably, is able to be operated bythe selective use of `compressed air and water, the air merely todrive the solution first in one direction and then inthe other through the pipe or pipes to becleaned, and th'e waterto further dilute the solution, or further dilutethe same wliile driving the sof3 lution in a desired direction through such pipe or pipes-with the air and water, alone or ]o1ntly, employed in an sequence desired, to clean out the device lo residual solution after a pipe cleaning o eration.

Another important o ject of the invention is to provide an im roved construction for the cylinder assemb y, wherein the number of coupling elements between the end-plates of .the cylinders and the side walls thereof, whtch latter are preferably cylindrical glass tubes as in the patent aforesaid, is materially reduced, and wherein also the work ofassemblingthe cylinders in the proper fluidtight manner is made easier and sure," i Other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter specifically pointed out, or will become apparent, as the-specifi cation proceeds.

.the invention resides in 'certain novel constructions and combinations and arr e-l ments of parts,l clearly described in the ol lowing specification and fullyvillus'trated in the' accompanyin drawings, which show an embodiment of t e invention as at present preferred. I

`In 4said Adrawings-, Fig. 1 is a top nlan view ofa pipe cleaner" constructed i-n accordance with our invention, and shown in connection with two beer pipes;

Fig. 2 is, on an enlarged scale, an lend elevation of the cleaner, partially broken away and partiall insection; l i

Fig. 3, .a so partially broken away and partiallyv in section, is atop plan-view of, the parts shown in Fig. 2; j Fig..4 isa longitudinal vertical 'se'ctio'1'i",.lv 44 taken on substantially the-line 4-,4 of Fig. 3;

Fi 5 isa horizontal section, taken on substantially the line`5-f5 of Fig. 2; and

6 is a transverse vertical section, taken on su stantially the line. 6--6 ofFig. 5.

In carrying out our invention, we employ two cylinders `10 and'jll, preferably formed 100 n cap 34a,

from glass, and closed at theirrear ends by identical metal caps 10 and 11. These caps n are joined by an integral cross-rib 12, and the general structure thereby established has a pair of supporting legs 13. p

Opening through the plates 10 and 11' into the respectivecylinders, are integral, threaded nipples 14 and 15; the threads of these nipples taking manually removable nuts 16, whereby there may be readily detachably secured in place a pair of hose nipples 17, whichv latter nipples may be connected by iiexible tubes 18 and 19 with faucetsl 2 0 and 21.

In illustrating our invention, we have shown the device in connection with beer pipes, the faucet 20 being connected with one end of a refrigerating coil 22 which extends toa-barrel 23, and the other faucet 21 bein connected to a refrigerating coil 24 leading to a barrel 25.

, The front ends of the cylinders 10 and 11 are closed by a structure 26 including integrally a pair of ca s 27 for the front cylinder ends, and a cruci orm valve structure comnipple and the bore of the feeder connection -33 as shown best in Fig. 4, a pair of upper,

^ oppositely p nection directed, sidewisely extended threaded nipples 340 and 34d. The ni ple 34d has screwed thereon a faucet 35, which faucet4 `carries a threaded nipple 36. The threads of the nipples 34o and 36 take manually removable nuts 37, whereby there may be readily detachably secured inplace a pair of hose nipples 38 and 38. The nipple 38 is internally threaded, and has screwed therein, as shown in Fig.l 2, an air-cock 39 provided with a hose nipple 39.

l'To the nipple 38 is connected a hose 40 to a' suitable source of water supply, and to the nipple 39 is connected a hose 41 leading to a suitablesource of compressed air. v

Reverting to the details of construction of the cruciform valve structure formed integrally as' above described with the front cylinder caps 27,- this structure, it will be observed, is easily and quickly opened u in.

all parts, by disassembling the associate fitments, partially or completely, for cleaning, whenever desired each of the two connections 31 and 32 (Fig.y 5) having removable screwplugs 40`at"their outer ends, the drain con# 30 leading to a threadedly connected and readily detachable drain sput 41, the valve 29 itself being readily removable by pulling forwardly on its handle 29a followline up'the bore of said ing removal of a single nut 296, and the auxiliary tank 34 being disengageable at its nipple 346 from thev feeder connection 33.

The manner of assembly of the front strucL ture 26 including the caps 27, with the rear plates or caps 10 and 11, to lock therebetween the glass cylinders 10 and 11, is also of extreme simplicity and reliablity. According to the patented structure aforesaid, a number of exterior tie bolts are employed, running lengthwisely of the cylinders but exterior thereto, this due to the fact that the filling-plug for the cylinder in which as aforesaid the cleaning solution is inserted, is located in one of the end plates or caps for that cylinder. These exterior tie rods have been found very diiiicult to tighten up evenly. In the structure of the present invention, it will be noted that only a single tie rod 42 is used for each cylinder, this rod extending inside the cylinder and axially thereof. As shown best in Figs. 4 and 5, each such rod is really only a very large or rather long bolt having a head 42a and having a threaded inner end to be screwed up into an internally threaded boss 26 on the rear of said structure 26 and located centrally of the Aappropriate front cylinder cap 27. Thisfconstruction, as providedpreferably with gaskets as shown at 43 in Fig. 4 and at 44`in Fig. 5, permits `instantaneous tightening up of but a single bolt, thereby to surely and safely and easily close each cylinder in the desired fluid tight manl ner. The importance of this improvement will be immediately appreciated, it being noted, and more full explainedA hereinafter, that the cleaning so ution is never directly inserted in either one of the cylinders 10 and 11, but, instead, is alWa-ys deposited, preparatory to a use of the device, in auxiliary tank 34, simply as a result of temporarily removing the cap 34a.

The front structure 26 has a pairof legs 45, which, combine with the legs 13 on the rear structure to suitably space the device on and above any suitable support 45.',l in coactionwith the rods 42 which rigidify. the

device longitudinally,thus providing a much lighter 'and a more satisfactory device.

throughout.

The -valve 29, as shown best in Fig. 6, is adapted to be thrown tb either one of two positions; toopen a passage from the tank 34 to the cylinder 10, meanwhile connecting the cylinder 11 with the drain spout 41, and to open a passage from the tank 34 to the cylinder 11, meanwhile connecting the cylinder 10 to said spout. l

Preparatory to cleaning the pipes air may be forced through the coils so as to drive vthe contents back into the barrels or recepf tacles 23 and 25, and then the ends 22 and 24 of the coils 22 and 24'will be discon- -nected from the respective barrels and coupled together as shown in broken lines in suitable cleaning solution will then be placed in the tank 34 and the valve 29 will be turned to connect the tank with the particular cylinder l0 or l1 which leads directly to the coil 22 or 24 needing cleanin most or through which for any reason it 1s desired first to send the cleaning solution. If the cleaning solution is of the right strength, it

may be sent around the circuit in the direction just indicated by compressed air, on properly opening the cock 39. If it is desired to dilute the solution incident to such travel, water may be employed as the sole or partial propulsion fluid, by properl opening the faucet or said faucet and t e cock 39. The situation may always be checked visually through the glass cyhnder or c'lln- '20 ders. If only one coil is to be cleane cleaned first because the dirtier, the fluid is sent through that cylinder and its connectedY coil, back and forth, as many times as necessary; the direction of fluid iow being 5 reversed, after complete passage in the previous direction either through the coil being now specially cleaned or through both coils, as the particular situation requires. Such reversal is accomplished by reversing the 3 valve 29 as shown in Fig. 6 from the position there illustrated in full lines to that shown in broken lines, or vice versa. When the coil or coils being treated are thorough?l cleansed, the water supply may be shut o 35 if water is then being employed, and air adtion can be sent direct to 5 any necessity to lose the strength of the soluvtion withei 0 originally has to be tion, as in a coil not particularl needing cleaning at the time, because ofi' aving to send the solution around the entire circuit following from the fact that the vsolution placed in the apparatus by direct and initial deposit in one cylinder or the other.

We claim:

device :for the purpose indicated com- 5 prismg a duality of .transparent walled cyllnders, a valve car head in communication with said rymg cylinders, a two-way valve in andthe valve being m le to lace either cylinder in communicatlonl wi said disc arge spout, and a cleaning'uid container said head, the latter havinga dlscharge spout OVB surmounting said cylinders. and in communicationV at its lower end with said head, said valve placin said container in communicaer cylinder when the opposite and water may be coils 'may be had cylinder is in communication with -the dis- C arge. spout, said container having air and fluid supply connections adjacent its upper end and said cylinders having nipples at the ends remote from said head for connection to circulating pipes to be cleaned.

In testimony whereof We hereby ailix our signatures.

BENJAMIN LEWIS. AVVALTLER JOSEPH.

Images