US2112776A - Electric cable winding and reeling device - Google Patents

Description

Ma 29, 1938. w HARRis 2,112,776

ELECTRIC CABLE WINDING AND REELING DEVICE Filed Jan. 7, 1956 3 Shets-Sheet 1 imicm owwis.

March 29, 1938 J. w. HARRIS 2,112,776

ELECTRIC CABLE WINDING AND REELINQ DEVICE FiledJan. '7', 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 2 J. W. HARRIS ELECTRIC CABLE WINDING AND REELXN'E DEVICE Filed Jan. 7, 1956 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 21 @Mmm xxox 59 16 Patented Mar. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES ELECTRIC CABLE WINDING AND REELING DEVICE Julian W. Harris, Tulsa, Okla.

Application January 7, 1936, Serial No. 57,994

1 Claim.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in electric cable winding and reeling devices, for wheeled electrical or other power driven devices and particularly adapted for use in connection with vacuum cleaners adapted to take up slack in the cable when the vacuum cleaner is being rolled in reverse directions over a rug or surface.

The primary object. of this invention is to provide a cable take-up device associated with a vacuum cleaner in such a manner that the cable 01' a portion thereof will be stored when the vacuum cleaner is being used thereby preventing the cord from becoming entangled with objects such as chairs and tables.

A further object of this invention is to provide traction operating means for reeling and unreeling the electric cable which supplies the vacuum cleaner motor with current from the domestic outlet plug and said means is controllable to esl-ablish a direct drive between the traction wheels of the vacuum cleaner and the winding drum or by operating a simple lever the gearing may be disconnected and placed in a neutral position whereby said vacuum cleaner may berolled across the floor without effecting the winding and reeling of the electric cable.

A further object of this invention is to provide a traversing guide whereby said cable may be evenly wound and unwound upon the drum and said traversing guide is also controllable by the shiftable gearing which connects the traction wheel drive with the reeling and unreeling drum.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a casing or housing for the winding and reeling drum preferably formed of hard rubber or other material having an attractively finished surface which may be conveniently secured to the operating handle of a vacuum cleaner without detracting from the operation or appearance thereof.

A still further object of this invention is to provide means for controlling the operation of the gearing, from a position adjacent and convenient to the handle of the vacuum cleaner within easy reach of the operator whereby reverse motion may be imparted to the winding drum or the same may be disconnected from the traction wheel drive as desired by or at the will of the operator.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description, taken with the drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum cleaner illustrating an embodiment of this invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the flexible drive shaft between the wheel axle of the vacuum cleaner and the gear mechanism;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view showing the clutch connection between the flexible drive shaft and gear mechanism;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the winding and reeling drum and showing the manner in which the same is geared to the flexible traction drive;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 4, illustrating the electrical connection between the cable and the lead wire conmeeting the electric motor of the vacuum cleaner;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through the casing illustrating in detail the construction of the traversing guide for the purpose of winding and unwinding the electric cable upon the drum;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line i--'I of Figure 4, illustrating the gear set for engaging the flexible drive with the winding and unwinding drum and said gearing is illustrated as being in its neutral position;

Figure 8 is a similar view illustrating the gear set placed in position for directly connecting the flexible traction wheel drive with the cable winding and reeling drum; and

Figure 9 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 99 of Figure 4, illustrating the gearing arranged for reversing the drive between the flexible drive shaft and reeling and unreeling drum.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustrating the invention and wherein like reference characters will be employed to designate like parts throughout the same, the reference character 5 will generally be employed to designate a casing preferably formed of hard rubber and the casing is cylindrical and provided at one end with a disk-shaped closure 6. The casing'5 may be secured as by meansv of a strap band I to the handle ,8 of a vacuum cleaner A as shown in Figure l.

The vacuum cleaner A is provided with the usual head 9 adapted to be supported upon the floor by means of rear rollers I0. I

The usual dust receiving bag or collector II isalso carried by the handle 8 in a well known conventional manner.

Rotatably mounted within the cylindrical casing 5 is a drum l2 having a'reduced portion l3 at one endand a similarly reduced portion M at 5 the cables 25 and 25 and is secured to the detachthe opposite end and said reduced portions are Journalledin bearings 5 and l5 carried by the end walls of the casing 5.

The drum i2 is adapted to have wound thereon a flexible electric cable I1 and one end of the cable is adapted to pass through a slot l9 formed in the wall of the casing and may have its ends provided with an appliance attachment plug for connection with a conventional outlet wall socket. The opposite end of the cable |l may be fixedly connected to the drum and the conductors l9 and 25 may be electrically connected to collector rings 2| and 22 spaced apart by insulation 23 and 24. As shown in Figure 5, the wires or conductors l9 and 25 extend into the drum through passages formed therein and through the bearing portion H in axial bores and connect the connector rings 2| and 22 by lateral connections.

Electric communication is established between the cables i9 and 25 and the take- ofl cables 25 and 25 leading to the electric motor of the vacuum cleaner by means of collector brushes 21 and 25 respectively which have their ends anchored to the detachable head 5 of the casing 5 and their inner ends presented in electric contact with the collector rings 2| and 22. A cover plate 29 houses able head 5 by means of machine screws 35.

Secured to the lower portion of the cylindrical housing 5 is a detachable gear casing 3| having an annular flange 32 for receiving the lower end or bottom of the cylindrical container 5. As shown more clearly in Figures 2 and 3; a tubular boss 33 surrounds an opening and depends centrally from the bottom wall of the gear casing 3| and in which boss a bearing 34is journalled that has a key socket 341: in its lower end. A flexible shaft 35 is rotatable in the tubular casing 35 and forms communication between the axle support for the rear wheels |5 of the vacuum cleaner and the rotatable bearing 34.. The upper end of the flexible shaft 35 has a key portion 350 adapted to be received in the key socket 34a in the bearing 34 and the lower end of the flexible shaft 35 extends through the bearings for the wheels I 5 as at 35b with one of the wheels I 5 secured as at 350 to the shaft section 35d.

The ' key portions 35a and 34a constitute clutch elements that are engaged and disengaged with each other by means of a pair of clamp levers 35d pivotally supported as at 35c on a collar 35! fixed to the flexible shaft casing 35, the levers 35d being tensioned as at 35;! to move the hook ends 35h thereof into selective reception in spaced notches 35i formed in the outer side of the tubular boss 33;

Rigidly secured to the reduced bearing portion l3 of the drum I2 is a gear 45 which is adapted to be driven by the drive gear 4| secured to the upper end of'the bearing 34 and said gears 45 and 4| are connected and adapted to be driven in the same direction by means of an idle gear 42 mounted upon a pin 43 having sliding movement within slots 44 and 440 formed in the bottom wall of the casing 5 and the bottom wall of the gear casing 3| and whereby said idle gear 42 may be moved-toward and away from the gears 45 extending through .an opening 41 formed'in the cylindrical casing 5 and into the handle 5 through an opening 45 and connected to one throw of a crank 49 having the stub shaft 55 journalled in bearings formed in the handle 3 as at 5|. The arm 45 of the yoke 45 is provided with a bearing 52 on one end thereof which encircles the throw 49 so'that rotation of the crank 55 will efl'ect the movement of the yoke 45 and'cause'the idle gear 42 to be moved into and out of mesh with the gears 45 and 4| whereby a direct drive will be established between the flexible shaft 35' and winding and unwinding drum i2.

The crank 55 is provided with a crank throw 53 to which is attached a connecting rod 54 as at 55 and the opposite end of the connecting rod 54 is attached to an operating flnger piece 55 mounted adjacent the grip Portion of the handle 5 as clearly shown in Figure 1; Said finger piece operates in a slot 51 formed in the handle 5 ad- Jacent the motor control switch 55 to which may be connected the cables 25 and 25 encased in a housing 55a. The cables may then be connected to the electric motor which is mounted on the suction head of the vacuum cleaner 9.

Reverse gearing is provided for causing the drum l2 to operate or rotate in a reverse direction from the drive shaft 35 and includes a gear 55 adapted to mesh with the gear 4| and such gear 551s rigidly secured to a shaft 5| on the opposite end of which is provided a smaller gear 52, both gears being mounted in a yoke 53 having slots 54 for-receivingthe shaftii. An arm 55 connects the yoke 53 as at. 55 to a throw 51 of the crank shaft 55 whereby saidiyoke 53 may be moved toward and away from the gears 45 and 4|. The yoke 53 is extended as at 53 and between the arms of the yoke there is provided a gear 59 mounted on a pin 53 which gear is in mesh with the gear 52 and is adapted to mesh with the gear 45 when the crank 55 is moved by means of the connecting rod 54 to cause the shifting of the yoke with the resultant movement of the gear 59 into engagement with the gear 45. It is to be understood that the gear 52 is smaller in diameter than the gear 55 whereby said gear 55 may mesh with the gear 4| but the gear 52 will not engage the gear so, -that,,rthe shaft 35 may rotate in one direction and the drum l2 may be rotated in the opposite direction. I

' As the finger piece 55 is operated to shift the double gear 42 and reversing gears 55, 52, and 59 toward and away from the gears 45 and 4|, either a direct drive may be established between the flexible shaft 35 and drum '|2 or the drum l2 may operate or rotate in a reverse direction with respect to the shaft 35. This is necessary when it is desired to wind the cable |I upon the drum 12 when the vacuum cleaner is being moved toward the outlet plug andfaiter the cleaning operation has been completed and it is desired to store the cable I! within the casing or housing 5 so that the cleaner may be stored.

The cable I! may be guided upon the roller i2 by means of a traversing guide including a reversing screw shaft 15 having its ends journalled in the bottom wall of the cylindrical casing 5 and the top wall 5 and one end of thereversing screw shaft is provided with a gear-1| adapted to mesh with'the gear 4|.so that the guide nut 12 may travel from end to endwith'respect to the reversing screw I5. The guide nut 12 is provided with an arm 13 having an opening 14 for the passage of the. flexible cable .l'l and the nut '12 is retained in place by means of an extension I5 adapted to travel ina longitudinal groove 'i'l formed in a rib I5 on the interiorwall' of the casing .5.

As the traversing screw isrotate'd, the guide nut 12 may strike the end of the casing and be reversed in a fashion well known in the art.

In operation, the free end of the cable ll may be attached to a wall outlet socket by means of an appliance connection and the switch 58 may be closed to cause current to flow to the motor in the suction cleaner head 9. As the vacuum cleaner A is moved along the surface of the floor rotationis applied to the drive connection between the supporting roller [0 and drum I! which will cause the cable II to be played out and retracted as the cleaner is moved toward and away from the wall outlet plug. This is eilected only when the gear 42 is in mesh with the gears 40 and I so that there is a direct drive between the flexible shaft and drum [2 and should it be desired to wind the cable I! within the housing 5 upon the drum I! after use of the vacuum cleaner, the reverse gearing 62 and 68 may be brought into engagement with the gears and U whereby the vacuum cleaner may be moved toward the wall outlet plug or over the floor surface with the result that the cable will be wound upon the drum and stored in the casing B. If it is desired to operate the vacuum cleaner without employing the use of the drum l2, the finger piece 56 may be operated to cause the direct drive gear 42 and gears 60, 62 and 68 to be moved out of engagement with the gears 40 and ll. When the gears are in the above position, the winding drum l2 becomes inoperative and the cleaner may be used in the conventional fashion. While the cable take-up device has herein been described as associated with a vacuum cleaner of one type, the invention in its broad aspect may be designed for association with a vacuum cleanerof any character, and may also be used with a wheeled machine, that may be electrically or otherwise driven.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

I claim: i

In combination with a vacuum cleaner or other wheeled electrically driven device having an electric motor, a handle and a supporting wheel, a casing secured to the handle, a cable receiving drum rotatably' mounted in the casing, a gear carried by one end of the drum, a drive shaft having one end adjacent the drum gear and adapted to be driven by the supporting wheel, a gear on the drive shaft, direct and reverse driving gears adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with the drive shaft gear and cable drum gear, means on the handle for controlling the movable gears, and a traversing guide parallel with and adjacent to the drum, and a gear on one end of the traversing guide adapted to be driven from the gear on the cable drum.

- JULIAN W. HARRIS.

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