US1970293A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

A118- 14, 1934 v H. G. FAIRFAX4 n 1597293 SUCTION CLEANER Filed Jan. 5, .1931 2 sheetsfsheelt 1 Aug. 14, 1934. H. ca FAIRFAX 1,970,293

y SUCTION CLEANER V l Filed Jan. 5. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented` Aug. 14,' 1934 v PATENT ori-ics sUc'rIoN CLEANER -Howard G, Fairfax, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio,

' a corporation of 0hio Application January 5, 1931, Serial No. 506,698

13 Claims. (Cl. 15-10) The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and 'particularly to an improved adjusting mechanism for a non-rotating. sweeping brush.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel brush adjusting mechanism in a suction cleaner. It isa `further object to provide an adjusting mechanism for a vstationary or non-rotating brush which may be operl0. ated with ease by the foot of the operator. Still another object of the present invention is the provision, in a suction cleaner, of an adjusting mechanism by which the stationary scraping brush .may4 be positioned in either the working l5 or the storage position and secured therein against accidental displacement. A still further object comprises the provision of a stationary brush adjusting mechanism which is characterized by its ease `of operation, its simplicity of construction and its durability.

In the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention-is disclosed:

Fig. 1 discloses a side view of a suction cleaner,

partly in section upon the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, with the present invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a section upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view looking in the direction of the arrows on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a detail showing the brush and its operating mechanism with the brush in the storage position;

Fig.,5 is a fragmentary view disclosing a modified embodiment of .l the present invention;

Fig.,6 is a partial view of a. suction cleaner embodying a still further modification;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of still another modication of the present invention;

Referring now to thedrawings, and Figures'l to 4 in particular, a modern suction cleaner is' disclosed which comprises a motor casing land a nozzle casting 2 which includes both the nozzle 3 and a Ian chamber 4. The cleaner is movably mounted by means of front supporting wheels 5, 5 and a rear supporting wheel 6 while a pivoted handle 7, connected to the motor casing 1, is -pro vided by which 4the operator may easily propel the-mach'ine.` Resilient handle-position-retainv ing means are indicated generally by the reference-character 8 which cooperate with an arcuate member 9 carried by the handle -7. A dust bag 10 is connected in a suitable manner to the fan chamber 4 and receives therefrom the dirt-laden air which has been drawn through the nozzle 3 by the action of the fan, which is not shown in justing member 15. The aforedescribed parts of the .present drawings, and which hasbeen exhausted from the fan chamber.

Connecting the sides of the Ian chamber 4 to y the rear of the nozzle proper 3 for the purpose oi improving the appearance of the machine are i skirts or depending walls 11, 11 which are formed integrally with the nozzle 'casting 2. The frontwheei-supporting axle 12 is pivoted on these two skirts on pins 13, 13iwhch are connected to the vaxle by rocker arms 14, 14. The use of the pivotal i mounting of the iront supporting wheels permits of their vertical adjustment relative to the nozzle for the purpose of raising and lowering said nozzle relative to the supporting covering. The adjustment in the present instance,4 is accomplished by means of a manually rotatable screw member l5l which extends thruraninternally threaded shoulder 16 and contacts an inwardly extending arm 17 carried by a rocker arm 14. The rotation of the member 15 by the operator, thru 75 the use of the knurled extremity 18, serves t0 advance or retract the member 15 thruthe internally threaded member 16 resulting in the pivoting of the rocker arm 14 which carries one end of the shaft 12. A spring 19 of the coil type surrounds the axle 12 adjacent the opposite rocker arm 14 with one of its ends overlying vsaid rocker arm while the other end extends adjacent the rear wall of the nozzle 3, said spring functioning to maintain the wheel-carrying shaft 12 inthe uppermost position permitted by the contact of. the arm 17 against the protruding end of the adl the suction cleaner together with the height-indicating arm 20 which is carried by one of the rocker arms 14, comprise no part of the present invention but provide the framework upon which the present invention is embodied.

Carried by the rear wall of the nozzle 3 by means of spaced arms 21, 21 which extend downwardly and rearwardly from said rear wall, is a transversely extending brush-receiving member 22. Member 22 is pivotally mounted relative to the arms 21, 21 by means of spaced apertured lugs 23, 23 etc., which enclose thelends oi.' the arms 2l, 21 and are rotatably mounted relative thereto by pins 24, 24. Seated within the member .22 is a br'ush 25 comprising a metallic back 26 which carries bristle tufts 27, 27 etc., said back being withdrawable longitudinally at either end of the member 22. A

Near one of its ends and outside of the skirt T 11 the brush-receiving member 22 is provided with a rocker arm 28 which is pivoted, in a manner Simile! to that oi the lugs 23, 23 etc., upon Vthe pin 24 carried by the end of the-adjacent arm 21. At the lower end of arm 28 is pivotally connected a lever member 29 which curves upwardly over the extended wheel-carrying axle 12 and ends at the side of the fan chamber 4 in a suitable projecting contact member 30 which is preferably of resilient material and having a smooth contour. Between its ends member 29 is provided with a downwardly extending portion within which is positioned a slot 31 which slidingly encloses the pin 13 upon which the adjacent supporting rocker arm 14 of the axle 12 is mounted. The relationship between the lever 29 and pin 13 is such that the lever may assume either the full line or the dotted line position shown in Figure 1, the latter being more clearly shown in ward relative to the cleaner.

Figure 4 in full lines.

A coil spring 32 is carried on an extension of the pin 24 on which the rocker arm 28 is mounted and between that arm and` the adjacent lug 23. One end of the spring, indicated by the reference character 33, extends downwardly and beside the brush-receiving member 22 while the opposite end 34 seats under a transverse projection 35 carried by the lever 29, the projection being suitably notched on its underside to prevent the accidental displacement of the spring therefrom. With the scraping brush 25 in the .working position, or that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 in full lines, lit extends substantially vertically and slightly below the plane of the lower extremity, known as the mouth, of the nozzle 3. W ith the brush so positioned the lever 29 is in its uppermost position, being retained there by the action of coil spring 32 which, through its contact with the projecting lug 35, urges the lever upwardly, the movement being limited by the pin 13 in the slot 31 of the lever. The end 33 of the spring contacting the member 22 exerts a force thereon which passes nearly thru the pivot point of the brush and member and so exerts but slight pivoting force.

If, upon changing from one type of surface covering to another, the operator desires to rely solely upon the use of cleaning air for the, removal of the foreign matter it becomes only necessary, in order to remove the brush 25 from its surfacecontacting position, to force the lever 29 downwardly, as by means of a downward force exerted by the foot upon the contact member 30. As the lever is forced downwardly the pin 13 slides upwardly in the slot 31 which, because of its inclination serves to advance or move the lever for- The forward lend of the lever 29, or that pivoted to the extremity of the arm 28, is thus moved to a position slightly in advance to the pivot point of the -brush 25 and member 22 namely, the pins 24, 24. With the lever 29 in this position, as is clearly shown in Figure 4, the lifting force exerted by the coil spring 32 serves to lift the lever 29 upwardly, as before, but inasmuch as the forward end thereof is on the same side of the pivot point, comprising the pin 24, as is the brush 25, any upwardmovement of the forward end rof the lever serves only to further move the brush 25 away from its former and lower position. 'Ihe upper, or storage position, of the brush being reached the brush-carrying member 22 contacts the underside of the arms 2121 extending rearwardly and downwardly from the rear ofthe nozzle wall and so limits further movement.

The operation to again position the brush in the working position is the reverse of that just described requiring only that the operator exert is free to move upwardly under theforce of the a slight upward pull, as by means of the toe of the shoe, under the contact member 30 which being made of resilient and rounded material causes no injury thereto. Upon the upward movement of the rear end of the member 29 the member is pulled to the rear as the pin 13 slides in the slot 31 and the forward end of the lever pivots the arm 28 to the rear so the pivotal connection therebetween is again inthe rear ofthe pivot axis of the brush 25 at which time the spring 22 again urges the brush 25 into its working position and the lever 29 upwardly and rearwardly.

Referring now to Figure 5 in particular, a modifled embodiment of the present invention is disclosed which comprises a brush 50 including a metallic back 51, removably carried in a seat member 52, and individual bristle tufts 53. Member 52 is pivoted immediately at the rear of the nozzle 3`by means of a transversely extending pin 54 which is suitably attached to the rear wall of said nozzle as by means of plate 55'. The pivotedv seat member 52 is provided with a downwardly and rearwardly extending arm 56 to which is pivotally connected an adjusting lever 57 provided at its opposite end with a contact member 58. Lever 57 is provided near its center with a slot 59 which extends rearwardly and upwardly and which is provided at its rear end with an offset seat 6 0. Within the slot 59, as in the previous modification, isA a pin member which, in the present instance, is indicated by the reference character 61 and which is carried by the adjacent skirt l1 of the nozzle 10 for the sole purpose of limiting the movement of the lever. In the present modication a coil spring' 62 encloses the extended pin 63 by which the arm 56 and the lever 57 are pivot'- ally connected and with its forward end contacts the said arm 56 while its rearward end extends thru a suitable opening 64 in lever 57 in a manner which permits of a relative sliding movement.

lock the lever in place thru holding the pin 61 in 1 20 the seat 60 of the slot 59. Upon its becoming desirable to use the machine as a straight-air cleaner it is only necessary to urgeV the lever 57 upwardly and rearwardly to the dotted position shown in Figure 5. The upward movement serves to disengage the pin 61 from the seat 6 0 and permits it to slide in the slot 59 to the forward end thereof at which point the lifting action of the coil spring 62 at the lever's end urges the end of the slot into contact with the pin and prevents further movement.

' In Figure 6 a slightly modified embodiment of the invention as disclosed in Figure 5 is shown. According to the4 present embodiment the actuating lever 57 extendssubstantially vertical. The operation of the coil spring 62, in the present embodiment, is the same as in the modincation shown in Figure 5 as it tends at all times to uncoil and raise the pivot pin 63 about which it is coiled. With the brush in the operating position the upward movement of the lever 57 is prevented thru the pin 61 being located within an offset seat 60 of the slot 59 but upon the operator urging the contact member 53 slightly forward the lever 57 spring, said movement being limited when the lower end of the slot 59 contacts the pin 61. The brush 50 is then pivoted to the storage position shown'in dotted lines in the figure.

In the modification disclosed in Figure- 7, which 150 `means exerting aovopos is also similar to that shown to Figure 5, the actuating lever 57 extends under the wheel-supporting axle 12 instead of thereover, as in the previous embodiments, and is provided with a finger-gripping portion instead of the foot-contacting member. comprises merely a depressed seat formed in the lever 57 which is indicated by the reference character 57a and which is adapted to be grasped by .the operator with his thumb and foreflnger. According to the present modification slot 59 is provided at each end with an offset seat 60, that at the forward end of the slot being solely for the purpose of increased rigidity and elimination of any possible slipping. The operation of the lever and brush according to the present modification is exactly similar to that shown in Figures 5 and v6.

1. In a suction cleaner, a body, a non-rotatable surface-contacting brush, means pivotally supporting said brush about a horizontal axis on said body, a rigid actuating arm pivotally connected directly to said brush-supporting means about an axis parallel to the'first-mentioned axis, means slidably mounting said arm relative to said body to accommodate its movement upon the pivoting of said brush-supporting means, means limiting the movement of said arm, and spring means between said brush-supporting means and said actuating arm resistingly holding said arm in its end positions.

2. In a suction cleaner, contacting brush, means supporting said brush relative to said body for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, an actuating arm pivotally kconnected to said supporting means at a point below the pivotal axis first-mentioned and which moves across a vertical plane including said horizontal axis upon the pivoting of said brush between its end positions, said actuating arm being slidable substantially vertically relative to said body between set limits to adjust said brush, a'lifting force on said arm and so on the pivot point of said arm and supporting means to urge said brush to its extreme positions, and means to limit themovement of said brush. A l

3. In a suction cleaner, a body, /a surfacecontac'ting brush, means pivotally supporting said brush abouta horizontal axis on said body, an actuating arm pivoted about a horizontal axis to said supporting means below the pivotal axis thereof and slidable relative to said body, means exerting a lifting force on the pivotal axis of said arm and said supporting means, means to move the pivotal axis of said` arm and supporting means to opposite sides of a vertical plane through the pivotal axis of said supporting means as said arm is moved between its extreme positions, and means to limit the pivotal movement of said brush-supporting means.

4. In a suction cleaner, a body, a surfacecontacting brush, means pivotally supporting said brush on said body about a horizontal axis, an actuating arm pivoted to said supporting means about an axis parallel to the mst-mentioned axis and therebelow, slot, a ,pin carried by said body lpositioned in said slot slidably mounting said arm relative to said body, and spring means connected to the pivoted end of said arm tending to lift said end, said slot being shaped so as to move the pivoted end of said arm The finger-gripping portion a body, a surface-.

said arm having a' transversely asv respects the pivotal axis of said brush-'supporting means upon the application of a vertical force to said arm.

5. In a suction cleaner, a body, a surfacecontacting brush, means pivotally supporting said brush on said body about a horizontal axis, an actuating lever pivotally connected to saidA supporting means so as to be capable of exerting a pivoting force thereon, means preventing movement of said lever independently of said brushsupporting means, resilient means exerting a force on said lever to move it relative to said body to pivot said supporting means, and means to limit the extent of lever movement.

6. In a suction cleaner, a body, a surfacecontacting brush, means pivotally supporting said brush on said body about a horizontal axis, an actuating lever slidably carried by saidbody,

' means pivotally connecting said lever to said supporting means about an axis parallel to the first-mentioned axis, a spring contacting said pivotal connecting means and said lever and exerting a moving force thereon, and means limiting the lever movement and so the movement of said pivotal connection, said supporting means and said brush.

'1. In a suction cleaner, a body, a surfacecontacting brush, means pivotally supporting said brush on said body about a horizontal axis, an actuating lever, means pivotally connecting said lever about a parallel axis to that first-mentioned to said supporting means, means preventing the movement of said lever independently of said brush-supporting means, a coil spring carried by said pivotal connecting means and contacting said supporting means and said lever and exert-4 ing a force to pivot saidlever and supporting means, and means to retain said lever in spaced positions against the action of said spring to determine the brush position.

8. In a suction cleaner, a body, a surface-contacting brush, means pivotally supporting said brush on said body about a horizontal axis, an actuating lever connected to said supporting means and having a slot with seats, means pivotally connecting said lever to said brush-supporting means, a pin on said body extended in said slot and slidingly supporting said lever, a spring carried by said pivotal connecting means exerting a force to pivot said brush and its supporting means, said brush and supporting means being4 secured in various angular positions against the force exerted by said spring by said pin and slot relationship.`

9. In a suction cleaner, a body, a surface-contasting element, means supporting said element 130 upon a horizontal axis for angular movement relative' to said body, an actuating arm pivotally means on said body and on said arm. at a point spaced from said supporting means adapted to direct said arm toward said supporting means upon the reception by said arm of a force whose direction is substantially at right angles to the said direction of movement of said arm, and means to lock said supporting means in certain positions. i

10. In a suction cleaner, a body, a brushing element, means supporting said element for angular movement about an axis relative to said body, an actuating arm extending from said supporting means and pivotally connected thereto about an axis spaced from said mst-mentioned axis and arranged so that said means may be pivoted'by a force on vsaid arm, cooperating guide means on said body and on said arm adapted to direct said arm toward said supporting means upon the reception by said arm of a force transverse to the said resulting dir ection of movement, and means exerting a force at all times tending to pivot said arm about the said guide means.

11. In a suction cleaner, a body, a surfacecontacting element, means supporting said element i'or pivotal movement about an axis on said body,'an actuating arm for said supporting means pivotally connected thereto, cooperating guide means on said arm and on said body adapted to advance or retract said arm relative to said supporting means to pivot said means, depending on the direction of the force applied, between two limits in one of which a circle having the guide means as a center and thedistance from the guide means to the vconnecting point of the arm and the supporting means as a radius does not include the pivotal axis of said supporting means and in the other of which said axis lies on or in said circle, and ,means tending to pivot said arm about said guide means. 12. In a suction cleaner, a body, a surface-contacting brush, means pivotally. supporting said' brush about a horizontal axis on said body, an adJustable actuating arm pivotally connected to said supporting means about a horizontal axis, cooperating means on said arm and body mounting said arm for sliding and pivotal movement upon said body, and means exerting a force tending to -pivot said arm upon said body and move the pivotal axis of said arm and supporting means toward or across an imaginary line thru the pivotal axis of said supporting means and the pivotal axis of said arm on said body,

the extent of the sliding movement of said arm relative to said body being such that the distance between its two pivotal points may be greater -or less than the distance from the axis of said supporting means to the pivotal axis of said arm on said body, thereby making it possible for the force-exerting means to urge the Ibruslfi-supportingmeans in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction 'depending upon the position of said arm relative to said body and sov hold it in either of two positions.

13. In a suction cleaner, a body, a non-rotatable surface-contacting brush, means pivotally supporting said brush for movement about a horizontal axis, an actuating arm pivotally secured relative to'said brush about an axis parallel to said rst-mentioned axis, means slidably mounting said arm relative to said body for movement within a denite range to pivot said brush-supporting means to move said brush from operative to inoperative positions, and vice versa, and resilien-t means exerting a sliding force on said arm.

HOWARD G. FAIRFAX.

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