US1904974A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

April 18, 1933. H, H ER Y 1,904,974

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Dec. 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

I NVENTOR Howma 54R. #00 V67? ATTO RN EY H. E. HOOVER SUCTION CLEANER April 18, 1933.

Filed Dec. 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR How/W0 [/ML H00 v5? JIM ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 18, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD EARL HOOVER, or GLENcOE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNQR To THE HOOVER COMPANY,

OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO sUoTION CLEANER Application filed December 17; 1931. Serial No. 581,569.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners and particularly to improvements in suction cleaner construction adapted to increase the operating effectiveness of the cleaner under all conditions and upon all types of surface coverings. More particularly the invention comprises the provision of a suction cleaner construction in which the nozzle mouth width is varied as the nozzle is raised or lowered relative to the surface covering.

A suction cleaner must be adapted to operate upon surface coverings of all types, weights and thicknesses.- Operating conditions upon these different types of coverings are quite different, and, in order to obtain the greatest cleaning efliciency, means should be provided in the cleaner to accommodate and compensatefor these differences. Consider an ordinary rotary agitator suction cleaner provided with suction-creating means and supporting means therefor, in use upon a light, and therefore short pile, covering. The supporting means for the cleaner, and particularly the supporting means adjacent the nozzle, will sink only slightly intothe covering and will rest substantially upon the top thereof. With the machine in operation and the suction-creating means drawing air through the nozzle mouth a reduced pressure is created in the nozzle which functions to lift the surface covering. If the covering be of the aforedescribed thin," light type it is necessary to lower-nthe nozzle in order to bring it into operative relationship with the covering. Means to raise and lower the nozzle mouth to accommodate different types of surface coverings are old and well known in the prior art. It is also desirable, however, that a cleaner for use upon surface coverings which are relatively light, thin, and therefore usually flexible, should have a relatively narrow mouth in order to prevent excessive displacement of the covering within the mouth for, if this condition exists, the movement of the cleaner relative to the covering will be characterized by an excessive force requirement. One lip of the cleaner, depending upon the direction of cleaner movement,

will be attempting to .climb that portion of commodate the short pile, lightsurface covering function, when the cleaner is adjusted the rug which is humped or displaced within the month. In the cleaner constructed in accordance' with the present invention means are provided which narrow the width of the nozzle mouth as the cleaner nozzle is lowered for use upon thin, light coverings.

.With the cleaner in use upon a thick pile, soft and relatively heavy surface covering, the supporting means for the cleaner sink thereinto a relatively great distance. If the cleaner has previously been adjusted for use upon a short pile, light covering, it is aparent that upon being positioned upon a.

ong pile, heavy coverlng the front of the nozzle will tend to dig into the covering. It is absolutely necessary, if the cleaner be of. the modern type provided with rotary agitating means, that the nozzle be spaced from the rug surface in order that the covering may be lifted above its supporting surface. According to the present invention the same means which function to narrow the nozzle mouth when the nozzle was lowered to acfor use on a long, heavy pile surface covering,

to raise the nozzle and to increase its width. This increase in nozzle width gives greater lifting power to the cleaner as a greater suction surface is presented to' the, surface covering. The present invention lies in the manner and means thruwhich a. suction cleaner is improved in Order to accomplish the described functions.

It is an Object, therefore,'to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is a fur-- ther object to provide in a suction cleaner, combination nozzle-height and nozzle-area varying means. A still further object is the' provision in a suction cleaner, of means to raise and lower the nozzle and simultaneously widen or narrow the nozzle mouth width. Still another Object is the -provision ofa suction cleaner in which the nozzle width is variable with the nozzle height. A still further object is the provision of manuall adjustable nozzle-height and nozzle-wid't controlling means in a suction cleaner. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings.

present invention, the nozzle being shown in section upon the line 1--1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the cleaner shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a "suction cleaner embodying the present invention in modified form. V

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section upon the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. r

In the drawings, and in Figures 1 and 2 in particular, a; modern suction cleaner is disclosed which comprises a motor casing 1, which houses a driving motor whichis not shown; a fan chamber 2, within which is the suction-creating fan 3 driven by the motor within the casin'g 1; and 'a nozzle 4 which is interiorly connected to the fan chamber 2-through the fan chamber inlet 5. A dust bag 6, is suitably connected to the exhaust outlet of the fan chamber 2 and is adapted to receive the dirt-laden air which is ex hausted therefrom. A pivoted handle 7 is mounted upon the motor casing and is pro, vided with an arcuate sector 8 which is positioned to cooperate with a spring-pressed plunger 9 to' secure the handle in certain predetermined positions. The supporting means for the cleaner comprise spaced front wheels 10, 10 which are pivoted to the cleaner by means of the arms 11, 11. The rear supporting wheels 12, 12 are 'rotatably mounted upon the transverse axle 13 which is itself pivotally supported "upon the rear of the motor casing by the spaced arms 14, 14 carried by the pin 15 seated at the end of the bracket 16 which is secured to the under side of the motor casing 1. Between each of the front-wheel-supporting arms 11, 11 and the rear-supporting-wheel axle 13 extend arms 17, 17 which positively provide for the synchronous adjustment of. all wheels, thereby insuring that the plane of the nozzle mouth will, at all times, be parallel to the surface -covering undergoing cleaning regardless of the nozzle height. The adjustment of the cleaner nozzleheight, or viewed differently, the raising or loweringof the supporting wheels relative to the cleaner, is accomplished at the rear of the machine where a U-shaped member 18 is connected to the supporting axle 13 and is also pivoted to the pivotal pin 15 above which itlis provided with a toothed sector 19. A rotatable member 20 is carried at the rear of the motor casing and is provided with a portion formed as a spiral gear which line bearing the character A.

Within the nozzle 4, as in the usual modern is adapted to mesh with the toothed sector 19, there being provided knurled knob 21 by means of which the member 20 may be rotated. The rotation of member 20, upon the application of a rotating force to the knurled knob 21, results in the pivotal movement of the U-shaped member 18 upwardly or downwardly, depending upon the direction of rotation of the member 20 which is in intermeshing relationship with the sector 19. Asthe U-shaped member 18 is directly connected to the rear-wheel supporting axle 13, which is itself connected through the members 17, 17 to the front-wheel-supporting members, it is obvious that upon the movement of the U-shaped member'18 the supporting wheels will be pivoted about,

their respective pivots resulting in the rais ing or lowering of the machine.

The nozzle 4 of the machine is provided with a front lip 22 which is rigidly secured in place in the operation of the machine. The rear nozzle lip, indicated by the reference character 23, is formed as the lower surface-contacting edge of the rear wall 24 which is pivoted, by means of pins 25, 25, to the nozzle end walls. At its upper edge the rear wall 24 isprovided with a curved surface 26 I which lies upon a curve having the pin 25 at its center. A correspondingly curved section 27 is formed upon the integral part of the nozzle 4 which extends closely adjacent, I

the section 26 and permits of the angular movement of the rear wall about its pivot parent that as the arms 11, 11 are-pivoted upw wardly ordownwardly that the links 28, 28 will be moved forwardly or rearwardly of the cleaner, resulting in the pivotalmovement of the wall. The maximum nozzle width obtainable is indicated in Figure l by the line bearing the reference character B while the minimum width is indicated by the suction cleaner, is provided a rotary agitator which is indicated generally by the reference character 29. This agitator comprises rigid beater members 30, 30 and brushes 31, 31 and has its rotative force supplied through the power-transmitting belt 32 which extends from the agitator to the pulley 33 positioned on the forwardly extended end of the motordriven fan within the nozzle 4.

Referring now to Figures 3 to 5, inclusive, a second modification of the present invention is disclosed. In the first modification the invention was embodied in a horizontalaxis-t upon which the fan is'mounted, as in the usual cleaner of this type, extends in'o the air passageway 39 where it is provided with a pulley 42. A pivoted handle 43 is provided which is pivoted in the present in-- stance, to the fan casing 38. As in the aforedescribed embodiment a rotatable agitator 44, comprising beating elements 45, 45 and brushes 46, 46, is positioned within thenozzle 37 and is connected to the pulley 42 by means of a power-transmitting belt 47 which extends within the air passageway 39. The '25 supporting wheels for the present machine comprise spaced front supporting wheels 48, 48 positioned within wheel pockets formed in 'the main casing 36 immediately in the rear of the nozzle proper. Wheels 48, 48 are mounted upon supporting arms 49,49 which are keyed to the rotatable shafts 50, 50 carried by bearings51, 51 in the wheel pockets.

Therear supporting wheels 52, 52 are mounted upon the lower horizontally extending portion of the L-shaped member 53 which is suitably connected at its upper end to manually adjustable'means, indicated generallyby the reference character 54', which control its height relative to the cleaner. The horizontally extending portion of arm 53 is also pivotally mounted to the underside of the cleaner by means of a U-shaped bracket 55 which is pivoted to a transversely extending pin 56 carried by frame 57. To insure the synchronous adjustment of the front and rear supporting wheels substantially horizontal arms 58, 58' extend between the .horizontal portion of the L-shaped arm 53 and lever arms 59, 59 which are rigidly carried by the rotatable'shafts 50, 50.

The undersideof the air passageway 39,

which extends between the nozzle 37 and the fan chamber 38, is formed by a bottom plate face with wedge-shaped projections at spaced points which are adapted to cooperate with the dove-tail slots to slidingly support the lip. These wedge-shaped projections are in- *7 shaped arm 53 is raised or lowered and the front wheels and the rear wheels, being held in synchronous adjustment by means of the arms 58, 58,- are pivoted upwardly or downwardly about their pivot points comprising the axles .50, 50 and 56, respectively. If the front wheels are pivoted forwardly and up- 'wardly, resulting in the lowering of the nozv zle, the lever arms 59, 59 are also moved for- Wardly, resulting in the, forward movement of the rear lip which is connected to the levers 59, 59 thru the links 65, 65. Upon the raising of thenozzle, which is accomplished by the rotation of member 54 in the opposite direction, the front wheels are lowered and moved to the rear and the rearward movement of the rear lip results. With the nozzle in the low position the nozzle width is as indicated by the length of the line bearing the reference character X in Figure 3, and with the nozzle in the raised position the rear lip is retracted until the nozzle width is as indicated by the reference character Y. Iclaim," 1-. In a suction cleaner a body including a nozzle, a movable lip on said nozzle defining one side of a nozzle mouth, means to raise and lower said body relative to asu'pporting surface, and means operable upon the adjustment of said last mentioned means to move said lip to widen or narrow said nozzle mouth.

2. In a suction cleaner a body includingl a nozzle, an adjustable lip on said nozzle fining a side of the nozzle mouth, wheels supporting said body, means to position said mentioned meansto said adjustable lip to.

vary the'nozzle width upon adjustment of the nozzle height. 1

3. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, spaced lips upon. said nozzle defining a mouth,

means supporting one of said lips for movement relative to the other, means supporting said nozzle above a surface covering undergoing cleaning, and'means to simultaneously vary the position of said supporting means relative to said nozzle and the position of the movable lip. a

4. In a suction cleaner, a'body having a nozzle, said nozzle being provided with a movable wall, means supporting said body, means to adjust said supporting means rela- 'tive to'said body to vary the position of said nozzle, and means operable upon the adjustment of said supporting means to move said movable wall rearwardly or forwardly relative to said body.

5. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle, spaced lips defining the nozzle mouth, means slidingly supporting one of said lips for movement toward and from the remaining lip,- means supporting said nozzle above the supporting surface, means to adjust said supporting means, and means operable upon the adjustment of said supporting means to slide said lip.

6. In a suction cleaner, anozzle, spaced lips defining the nozzle mouth, one of said lips mounted for movement toward and from the other lip, means supporting said nozzle above a surface covering undergoing cleaning, means to raise and lower said supporting means relative to said nozzle, and means operable to move said movable lip to increase the nozzle width upon the raising of said supports and to decrease the nozzle Width upon the lowering of said supports.

Signed at Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, this 12th day of December 1931.

HOWARD EARL HOOVER.

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