US2144660A - Expanding and dilating device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 24, 1939. J. o. MICHEL EXPANDING AND DILATING DEVICE Filed Oct. 30, 1936 INVENTOR James 0. flab/w Z- ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 24, 1939 r 2,144,660

STATES ATEN'l" GEFFIQE EXPANDING AND DCELATING DEVICE James 0. Michel, Cliffside Park, N. 3., assignor of one-third to Louis J. Schroeder, North Bergen, N. J.

Application October 30, 1936, Serial No. 108,332

7 Claims. (Cl. 2941) This invention relates generally to expanding Therefore, the primary object of this invention or dilating devices and is more particularly diis to provide a simple, economical means for elimi'ectecl to so-called expanding rings, such as are inating the disadvantages which reside in existinserted in the open ends of bags and the like, ing methods of emptying the dust-collecting bags to facilitate the performance of a filling or other of vacuum cleaners. operation. It is also an important object of this invention While this invention is susceptible of a wide to provide a simple and efficient device for exrange of use, as hereinafter will become evident, panding the mouth of a bag or similar flexible for the purposes of this disclosure, I have elected container, which may be economically produced 113 to present it as it may be employed to expedite and readily installed in the bag as a temporary 10 the emptying of the dust-collecting bags of vacor permanent part thereof, the device possessing uum cleaners, to which it is especially applicable. characteristics which facilitate its performance However, it will be understood that this is not of its intended function. to be construed as a limitation of the scope or Another object of my invention is to provide utility of my invention, since those features a device for expanding the wall of a bag or simi- 5 which render it peculiarly adaptable in meeting lar container formed of flexible material, espesanitary and other requirements in handling the cially in the zone of its mouth or outlet and at dust-collecting bags of vacuum cleaners, will also the same time enable the user to direct the disbe found to be advantageous in the handling of charge of the bag contents from the expanded bags designed for other purposes. mouth or outlet onto a suitable receiving sur- 20 As is well known, the dust-collecting bags of face, without the escape of particles of the conthe conventional household types of vacuum tents into the surrounding atmosphere, the decleaners, is open at both ends, one being provided vice being adapted to maintain the discharge oriwith a collar or fitting for attachment to the suc lice in close contact or association with such surtion chamber, while the other, constituting the face. 25 mouth, is of an enlarged area and is adapted to A further object of my invention is to provide be temporarily sealed by a slide clamp which enan adjustable expanding device for vacuum gages with a bead surrounding the mouth. cleaner dust-collecting bags, which may be read- When functioning as a collector, the bag is supily inserted within and attached to the bag, the ported from the apparatus with the sealed mouth device being so constituted that it may be 001- 30 disposed toward the outer end of the handle or lapsed Within the bag when the latter is in its shaft by means of which the cleaner is manipunormal position upon the cleaning apparatus and lated. actuated into functioning condition for the emp- When the bag is to be emptied, it must be distying of the bag contents, in a single continuconnected from the apparatus, the slide clamp ing operation. 35 removed and the bag then held in an inverted Other objects nd advantages flo ro the position to permit the contents to issue fro-m practicing of my invention will become evident its mouth. Because of the cohesive characteras the description proceeds and I would have it istics of the dust or sweepings and the lightness clearly understood that I reserve unto myself all of the material it does not readily gravitate from rights to the full range of equivalents of my in- 40 the mouth of the inverted bag and, in consevention as disclosed, both in structure and in quence, the bag must be agitated either by shakuse, to which I may be entitled under my invening or striking it with the hand. This makes it tion in its broadest aspect. impossible to discharge the bag contents into the In the accompanying drawing I have illusreceiving receptacle or upon a sheet of paper, trated a preferred form of my invention which 45 as is the more general practice, without spillage is designed for use in conjunction with vacuum of the contents with a resultant flotation of large dust-collecting bags, although, as will be maniquantities of the dust particles in the surroundfest, it may also be used for other purposes. Obing atmosphere. Obviously, apart from the unviously, my invention may take other forms withsanitary conditions to which the methods that in the scope of this disclosure and within the 50 must now be followed in emptying the bag conpurview of the appended claims. tribute, there is a distinct health menace, due In the drawing: to the inhalation of the suspended dust particles, Figure 1 is a plan View of my expanding dewhich, in many instances are bacteria laden, by vice, showing the hinged or rotatable legs folded the person doing the work. within the ring or body-portion thereof. 56

Figure 2 is a view in perspective of a portion of a'vacuum cleaner dust-collecting bag, illustrative of the method of employingthe expanding device of the preceding figure.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the dust-collecting bag, showing the position which my device assumes when functioning as an expander of the mouth of the bag, one of the legs being in its collapsed or folded condition while the other is partly raised, and

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a section of the dust-collecting bag when the latter is inverted for emptying, the legs of the expanding device being extended outwardly so that pressure may be applied to them to maintain the mouth of the bag in contact with the surface upon which the contents thereof are to be disposed.

Referring now to the drawing, in detail, in which like characters of reference are employed to designate similar parts in the several views, 7 indicates the body-portion or member of my expanding device, which is substantially annular in shape or contour and preferably formed from spring metal, in round stock.

As will be observed, the body-portion 1 is not a continuous ring, but terminates in overlapping sections la and lb, each of which embodies an integrally formed hook disposed for engagement with the opposite section, the two hooks 7c and Id serving to retain the ring sections in appropriate relationship and functioning as guides within which the sections may be actuated for varying the diameter of the expander to fit bags of different sizes, the requisite adjustment being maintained by the interengagement of the serrations or teeth la and 7] formed on said sections, as clearly shown in Figure 1.

At diametrically opposite stations on the bodyportion 7, I hinge the legs 8 and 9, which, preferably, are approximately V-shape as shown, though they may take other configurations to suit production or other requirements. Any type of hinge connection that will serve the purposes of my invention may be utilized, in the present instance, the ends of the sides of the legs being looped about the body-portion 'l, as shown at Bar and 9a.

The expanding device is designed to be attached to the bag A when inserted therein, as and for the purposes hereinafter explained. This may be variously accomplished. However, a simple and efficient attaching medium consists of the fitting H which may be produced from any suitable material, and is shaped to embody a loop or tubular bearing portion lfla within which the body-member l of the device is located for rela tive arcuate movement, the fitting being provided with tapered lugs or projections II and I2 which are adapted to be passed through the bag material and folded down thereupon to clamp the fitting to the bag, as shown in Figure 2. Preferably, the fitting I0 is located on the bodyportion 1 intermediate the sides of the shorter leg 8 of the device to facilitate the actuation of the latter into and out of its non-functioning and functioning positions.

t a point approximately opposite that at which the fitting I 0 is engaged with the bag, I provide a second fitting l3, which, likewise, embodies tapered lugs for fixing it to the bag wall, in the manner of the fitting ID, the portion of the fitting I3 which projects inwardly from the wall of the bag being in the form of a hook, as

indicated at 3a, with its opening or jaw disposed downwardly for the reception of the bodymember of the device. (See Figures 2 and 3.) Of course, the fitting l3 may take other forms in the attainment of the objectives of this invention.

In the attachment of the device to the bag A, it is located in juxtaposition to the open end or mouth A which when the bag is supported from the vacuum cleaner is sealed by the clamp A2, engaged with the conventional mouth-defining bead. Therefore, when the bag is thus functioning as a collector, the device is suspended from the fitting H] in parallel with the wall of the bag, the legs 8 and 9 being folded within the area of the body member 1, with the larger leg 9 imderlying the leg 8, as is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Now, when the bag is to be emptied, the clamp A2 is removed, which permits the mouth to open (the bag, of course, having been disconnected from the apparatus and held in an inverted position) whereby the leg 9 may be grasped and drawn upwardly toward the opening to produce a corresponding movement of the body member 7 to which it is hinged, until the latter member is engaged beneath the hook of the fitting l3, assuming a horizontal position as shown in Figure 4, to distend or expand the mouth of the bag in conformity with the contour of the body member.

As the upward movement of the leg 9 is initiated, the leg 8, superimposed thereupon, is simultaneously raised until the leg clears it, to leave the leg 8 in a partially raised position where it may be conveniently grasped to swing or rotate it outwardly, so that both legs may be extended or projected laterally of the bag in the horizontal plane of the body-portion 1 of the device, as shown in Figure 5. Disposal of the bag contents may now be effected, while the bag mouth is maintained in fiat contact with a receiving surface, as a sheet of paper B or the like, by the person doing the work standing upon the legs 8 and 9 and permitting the collected material to gravitate from the distended bag into a pile on such sheet. If agitation of the bagis found to be necessary to thoroughly discharge the contents, it may be shaken without dislodgment from the sheet upon which it is poised and without the emission of dust particles into the atmosphere with its detrimental effects.

Of course, the leg 8 may be the longer or both legs may be of a like length and the sequence of the steps followed in actuating the expanding device into functioning position may be varied. This is also true as to collapsing it or folding it into position within the bag for the replacement of the latter on its mountings of the apparatus. customarily, the leg 9 may be grasped to urge the body-member 1 downwardly out of contact with the fitting l3, the downward movement of the member 1 causing the leg 8 to drop into its normally dependent position as the leg 9 is folded thereunder in the storage operation.

Obviously the diameter of the body-member I may be adjusted to the desired size, by separating the overlapping sections thereof and permitting the oppositely disposed teeth or serrations to interengage when the desired diameter has been attained by sliding the sections relatively to one another.

While I have described my invention more or less specifically with reference to the embodiment shown, it will be evident, as heretofore pointed out, that the details of structure may be varied, also the mode of operation and use. Likewise, the invention may be employed in conjunction with other types of bags than that shown and with bags designed for use with apparatus other than vacuum cleaners, or for filling or emptying bags generally, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention which is broadly directed to the attainment of the objectives hereinbefore set forth.

I claim:

1. The combination with a dust-collecting bag of a vacuum cleaner of a device normally separate therefrom for facilitating the emptying of the contents thereof, said device including an approximately annular expansible and contractible member, means for suspending said device within said bag and parallel to the wall thereof for relative arcuate movement to a position at a right angle to said wall and adjacent to the outlet of said bag, to expand said bag outlet in conformation to the shape of said member, and means embracing with said member for relative movement adapted to be projected laterally of said bag in a plane parallel to that of said outlet, to be utilize-d for pressing the expanded outlet into contact with a surface upon which it may be superposed for emptying the bag contents.

2. The combination with a dust-collecting bag of a vacuum cleaner, of a device normally separate therefrom for facilitating the emptying of the contents thereof, said device including an expansible approximately annular member, means for suspending said member within said bag and parallel to the wall thereof for bodily relative movement to a position at a right angle thereto and adjacent to the outlet of said bag, whereby said bag outlet will conform to the shape of said member, means carried by said bag for engaging said member to retain the latter in said outletexpanding position and means hinged to said member adapted to be projected laterally of said bag in the plane of said outlet, to be utilized for pressing the expanded outlet into close association with a surface upon which it may be disposed for the emptying of the contents of the bag thereon.

3. A device for expanding the outlet of a dustcollecting bag of a vacuum cleaner, including an adjustable ring of resilient material normally separate therefrom, means for suspending said ring within the bag for relative movement from a non-functioning to a functioning position and means oppositely disposed in hinged engagement with said ring adapted to be projected laterally of said bag in the plane of said outlet, whereby the latter may be pressed into close association with a surface upon which the contents of the bag are to be discharged.

4. A device for expanding the mouth of a ba or similar receptacle comprising a ring of resilient material normally separate therefrom adapted to be removably inserted in the bag, means for engaging said ring to the bag in its mouth-expanding position and a pair of members embracing said ring for movement to positions laterally of said bag and in the plane of the mouth thereof when expanded, said members serving as media whereby the expanded mouth of the bag may be pressed into close contact with a surface upon which it may be superimposed.

5. A device for expanding the mouth of a bag or similar receptacle, comprising a ring of resilient material normally separate therefrom, adapted to be associated with the mouth of the bag to expand the same and means hinged to said ring, normally disposable within the area of said ring, said means being movable to a position laterally of the bag to be utilized to press the expanded mouth thereof, when the bag is inverted for contact with a surface upon which it may be superimposed for emptying.

6. A device for expanding the discharge outlet of a dust collecting bag of a vacuum cleaning appliance, comprising a ring of resilient material normally separate from the bag, having overlapping ends connected for relative movement, adapted to be associated with said outlet and expand the same in conforming engagement therewith, in response to the relative movement of the overlapped ends, said ring, at diametrically opposite stations, having approximately V-shaped members hinged thereto at their spaced ends, for relatively arcuate movement through a path at a right angle to the plane of the ring to locate them within the ring and in the plane thereof for stowage, and in a reverse direction to dispose them outwardly of said ring, and in the plane thereof, to be utilized in pressing the expanded outlet of the bag in close contact with the surface on which its contents are to be discharged.

'7. A device for expanding the discharge outlet of a vacuum cleaning appliance dust collecting bag for emptying it of its contents, when detached from the appliance, comprising a ring formed of resilient material, normally separate from the bag and attachable thereto for engagement with the outlet defining portion thereof to expand the same in conformity with the shape of said ring, said ring having members diametrically oppositely hinged thereto for movement to a position at a right angle to the wall of the bag to be utilized in pressing the expanded outlet into contact with a surface upon which the contents are to be emptied, said members being reversely movable to locate them within the area of the ring for stowage.

JAMES O. MICHEL.

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