US2052129A

US2052129A - Vacuum cleaner

Info

Publication number: US2052129A
Application number: US722683A
Authority: US
Inventors: Campbell Edward
Original assignee: SHERMAN T HANDY
Current assignee: SHERMAN T HANDY
Priority date: 1934-04-27
Filing date: 1934-04-27
Publication date: 1936-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1953-08-25

Description

Aug. 25, 1936. E. CAMPBELL 2,052,129

VACUUM CLEANER Filed April 27, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR. 501mm Qf'MPflHL ATTORNEY-5'.

Aug. 25, 1936. E. CAMPBELL 2,052,129

VACUUM CLEANER Filed April 2'7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. [0 WA /W2 Omwm.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 25, 1936 vacuum-chasm Y mm Campbell, Detroit, Mich. asslgnor of Sherman T. Hand! Application April 27-, 1934, Serial No. 722,683

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner.

It has to do particularly with a cleaner of the type which creates its own draft of air. One of the objects of the invention is a provision of a nozzle structure whereby the width of the nozzle or the mouth of the cleaner which moves over the floor surface, or the like, to be cleaned may be increased without impairing the function of the machine and without requiring any substantial increase in the size of the propelling motor.

Attempts have heretofore been made to increase the width of the nozzle of vacuum' cleaners, in order to cover a wider area; but when this is done the draft of air, at the ends 'of the nozzle diminishes with the result that the cleaning' action near the ends of the nozzle is inefficient. This may be overcome partially by materially increasing the size and power of the draft creating -motor. The present invention dispenses with the ordinary fan which is usually located relatively remote from the nozzle and 1 instead thereof embodies a structure wherein the draft of air is created directly in the nozzle,

with the result that the draft is substantially the same throughout the width of the nozzle.

These and other objects will become more fully appreciated as the detailed description progresses.

Fig. l is a view partly in side elevation and with parts cut away and with parts in section,

illustrating a vacuum cleaner constructed in accordance with the invention, the section being taken is substantially on line l--l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the housing and fan structure taken substantially on line 2- -2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken through the nozzle showing the fan and brush structure taken substantially on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The cleaner shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a housing i which has a nozzle 1 formation 2 with a. mouth or opening 3. The housing tapers rearwardly as shown in Fig. 2, where its rearwardly extending part 4 is attached to a dust bag 5 by any suitable means such as wing nuts 6. A motor I is mounted upon the housing and a suitable handle 8 is attached to 5 the structure pivotally as at 9. The motor has ashaft l0 carrying a pulley wheel ll over which operates a belt I2. I

The housing is supported on forward rollers I5 and a rear roller it which may be attached to the housing by a yoke l'l having arms I8,

embracing opposite sides of the rearwardly extending part of the housing. The arms of the yoke are slotted as at IQ for the reception of screw-threaded studs 20, upon which are mounted wing nuts 2!. This provides for elevational 5 adjustment of the rear roller to vary the position of the housing pivotally around the axes of the wheels l5 to thus in turn adjust the mouth 3 relative to the surface to be cleaned.

A combined brush and fan structure is mount- 10 ed on the nozzle 2. This element may take the form of a rotor having a shaft 25 pivoted in one end of the nozzleas at 26 and in the other end as at 21. The nozzle has a part 2a. hinged to the body as at 38, so that this part of the nozzle 15 closure may be swung on the hinge to permit insertion and removal of the rotor. A removable end.- plate 28 is at one end of the nozzle and is attached to the hinged part. This plate may be removed to mount the rotor in its bearings. 20 Suitable means may be provided for holding the part 2a in operative position.

A number of fans or air propellers are positioned on the shaft 25 and spaced axially thereon. These fans are shown at 30, and it will be 25 noted that 6 of such fans are used as illustrated in Fig. 2, but, of course, this number may be varied. Adjacent each fan may be disposed a sort of closure disc 3|, each preferably nicely fitting the nozzle structure. As willbe noted 30 by reference to Fig. 2, the discs are disposed on. the sides of the fans toward the center of the housing. Each fan and disc may be one integral unit or made separate, and all are fastened on the shaft 25 to rotate therewith. The 35 housing chamber 32 positioned rearwardly of the nozzle may be separated from the nozzle, save for certain specified openings, by a partition 35.

I This partition has openings 36 therein, each of the width of the mouth of the nozzle, so that the apertures extend along the peripheral edge of the fans a distance greater than such extent of the mouth.

Brushes may be provided between each fan and between and fans and end discs. These may 55 take the form of ordinary tuft brushes, each with a back 40 with bristles H. The end brush is carried by'the end discs 38 and the disc on the next adjacent fan and the other brushes carried by the discs adjacent the fans as shown. The belt i2 is designed to operate over a. pulley 43 mounted on the shaft 25. The brushes are preferably arranged angularly about the shaft 25 and in a suitable manner to obtain a correct balancing of' the brush and fan rotor.

The fan blades are .shown as of arcuate formation, as shown in Fig. 1 advantageously arranged so that the convex surface is the leading surface, the direction of rotatable movement being clockwise as Fig. 1 is viewed. The fan blades have some depth as shown in Fig. 2, and the edge of each blade is flanged as at 45, so as to more or less confine the air draft and particles carried thereby for exhausting the same through the apertures 36.

The operation is as follows: When the motor is set into operation, the rotor carrying fans and brushes is rotated through the means of the belt. The fan at the left hand end of the nozzle as Fig. 2 is viewed draws air in through the mouth and through the section defined by the end of the nozzle or the end plate 35 and the fan plate at with the air travelling generally as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2 through the passageway 36 adjacent the fan and into the compartment 32. The next fan draws air through the section defined by the plates 3| of the two left hand fans as Fig. 2 is viewed, with the air passing through the passage adjacent the second mentioned fan into the compartment 32. The fans adjacent the opposite end of the nozzle similarly effect air drafts through respective sections of the nozzle, through the passageways into the compartment 32. It will be noted that the nozzle, accordingly, is more or less divided oil into sections with a fan setting up a draft of air through each section, and each directing its draft of air into the compartment 32, with the air streams then passing from the compartment into the dust bag. The suction or draft created is as strong and efficient near the ends of the nozzle as in the central portions thereof, and it will be apparent that the nozzle may be increased in length without a decrease in the efficiency near the ends of the nozzle. It will also be apparent how the brushes sweep the surface being cleaned to dislodge particles of dust and dirt which are there caught in the air streams and passed to the dust bag.

The invention resides particularly in the employment of a draft creating rotor in the nozzle, and it is to be understood that the structure is subject to changes in design and other similar variations. If desirable the brushes on the rotor may be dispensed with and the cleaner used with vacuum action only without the agitating effect of the brushes. The brushes may be arranged in any suitable manner, preferably so as to balance the rotor, and likewise the brushes may be associated with the rotor in manners different from that shown herein, without departing from the invention.

I claim:

1. A vacuum cleaner comprising a hollow body arranged to be connected to a dust receiver, a nozzle portion on the body member having, a mouth adapted to be located adjacent a surface to be cleaned, a rotor in the nozzle, means for rotating the rotor, a plurality of air fans on the rotor and disposed in axially spaced relation for setting up a current of air passing into the mouth of the nozzle through the nozzle and body member, and a brush positioned between each two adjacent fans and between the end fans and the end of the rotor for brushing the surface to be cleaned.

2. A vacuum cleaner comprising a hollow body arranged to be connected to a dust receiver, an elongated nozzle on the body member, said nozzle having an elongated narrow mouth extending lengthwise of the nozzle, a power driven rotor journaled in the nozzle and paralleling the mouth, a partition between the nozzle and the hollow portion of the body, a plurality of centrifugal air fans spaced axially along the length of the rotor,

the partition having a plurality of apertures therein with each aperture in substantial alignment with and adjacent theperlphery of one of the fans, said apertures having a width substantially the same as the width of the fans, and a length greater than the width of the mouth of the nozzle, whereby a draft may be set up through the mouth into the nozzle and through the apertures into the hollow body, a closure plate adjacent each fan for dividing the nozzle into sections with a fan in each section and with each section communicating only with one aperture, and a plurality of brushes on the rotor, one located in each section of the nozzle.

3. A vacuum cleaner comprising a hollow body member arranged to be connected to a dust receiver, an elongated nozzle on the body member, said nozzle having an elongated narrow mouth extending lengthwise of the nozzle arranged to be positioned adjacent to the surface to be cleaned, a rotor in the nozzle paralleling the mouth, means for rotating the same, a partition between the nozzle and the hollow part of the body member having a plurality of spaced apertures therein, a plurality of air fans on the rotor, each fan being positioned adjacent an aperture, said apertures having a width substantially the same as the width of the fans, and a length greater than the width of the mouth of the nozzle, and disc-like members, one adjacent one side of each fan and disposed near one side of the aperture for the respective fans and serving to substantially divide the nozzle into sections, the said partition having parts along the edges'of said apertures projecting radially inwardly of the rotor, with each fan and its adjacent disc-like member overlapping said parts, whereby each fan projects into an aperture.

4. A vacuum cleaner comprising, a nozzle having an elongated mouth for disposition adjacent a surface to be cleaned, and through which particles of dirt are to be moved to a receptacle, a power driven rotary member in the nozzle substantially paralleling the mouth, and a plurality of air fans on said-rotary member in axially spaced relation, some of which are adjacent the ends of the nozzle and some of which are near the center portion of the nozzle to set up a draft of air.

5. A vacuum cleaner comprising, a body having a-relatively wide nozzle, said nozzle having an elongated mouth extending lengthwise thereof for disposition adjacent a surface to be cleaned, and through which particles of dirt are to be moved to a receptacle, a plurality of air fans positioned in the nozzle and spaced axially therein with some of the fans near the ends of the nozzle and with some of the fans in the center portion thereof, and means for driving the fans.

6. A vacuum cleaner comprising, a body having a relatively wide nozzle, said nozzle having an elongated mouth extending substantially from one end to the other of the nozzle and for disposition adiacent a surface to be cleaned, means for setting up a current of air through the mouth of the nozzle, with the current of air having substantially uniform rate of flow throughout the, length of the mouth comprising a plurality of air fans in the nozzle disposed in axially spaced relation with some of the fans in the center portion of the nozzle and with fans near the opposite ends of the nozzle, and means for driving said fans.

' '7. A vacuum cleaner comprising,-a body having arelativelywide nozzle, said nozzle having an elongated mouth extending substantially from one end to the other of the nozzle and for disposition adJacent a surface to be cleaned, means for setting up a current of air through the mouth of the nozzle, with the current of air having substantially uniform rate of flow throughout the length of the mouthcomprising a plurality of tentritugal air fans in the nozzle disposed in axially spaced relation with some of the fans in the center portion of the nozzle and with fans near the opposite ends of the nozzle, and means for driving said fans.

8. A vacuum cleaner comprising, a body having a relatively wide nozzle, said nozzle having an elongated mouth extending substantially from one end to the other of the nozzle and for disposition adJacent the surface to be cleaned, means for setting up a current of air through the mouth oi the nozzle, with the current of air having substantially uniform rate of flow throughout the length of the mouth comprising a plurality oi. centrifugal air tans in the nozzle disposed in axially spaced relation with some oi! the fans in the center portion of the nozzle and with fans near the opposite ends of the nozzle, a shaft extending through the nozzle axially, and upon which fans are mounted, and means for driving the shaft.

9. In a vacuum cleaner, a nozzle having a mouth and being of such proportions that the mouth has relatively great length as compared to its width, a plurality of air fans in the nozzle disposed in spaced relation with some fans near the ends of the nozzle and others in the central portion, and means for driving the fans whereby the same set up substantially uniform air drafts through all portions of the mouth.

10. In a vacuum cleaner, a nozzle having a mouth and being 0! such proportions that the mouth has relatively great length as compared to its width, a plurality of air fans in the nozzle disposed in spaced relation with some fans near the ends ofthe nozzle and others in the central portion, the spacing and arrangement of the fans being suchas to divide the nozzle and mouth into substantially equal sections through which air drafts are caused to flow with one fan eflective to set up an air draft through each section, and

means for driving the fans in unison, whereby the air drafts in the several sections are substantially uniform.

EDWARD CAMPBELL.