US2243985A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

c. H. sPARKLlN 2,243,985

SUCTION CLEANER June 3, 1941.

Filed Feb. 1o. 1939 :s sheets-Sheet 1 June 3, 1941. Q H, sPARKLlN 2,243,985

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Feb. 10,1939- 3 sheets-sheet 2.

June 3, .1941. c. H. sPARKLlN SUCTION CLEANER Filed Feb. 10, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Athe handle is released or not.

' Patented-June 3, 1941 ICE 2.243.985 SUC'EION CLEANER.

ohm n. swims, cnam. ni., minor to' Birtman Electric Company, Chicago, lll.. a corporation of Iliinois Application February 10, 1939, Serial No. 255,782

iClaim.

cleaned. This does not damage the'earpet. how' ever, as long as the cleaner is kept in motion 'or not allowed to remain in one [place for too long a time. It has happened, however, that the operator has been called away from her work -by a telephone call or other interruption and inedvertently left the cleanerstanding in one place with the current turned on. When this has happened, the engagement of the rotating brush with the carpet in .one spot for such a long time has caused undesirable wear and damage to the such an occurrence.

The principal feature of my invention is the provision of means for lifting the .nozzle and consequently the brush inside, out of contact with the material being cleaned, whenever the cleaner is leit unattended. This `raisingof the nozzle is automatic and is caused by the weight of the handle when the latter is released.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of means for causing the weight of the dust bag with a predetermined amount of dirt therein to lift the nozzle, as described above, whether This makes the cleaner inoperative when thel dust bag has recelved an accumulation of a predetermined amount of dirt and operates as a signaL'showing that the bag needs emptying. I preferably provide so that either the weight of the handleor the dust bag with a predetermined 'amount of dirt therein will lift the nozzle.

Other features and advantages will appear more fully as I proceed with my specication. In that form of device embodyingthe features of my invention. shown in the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a view in slde'elevation: Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view; F153 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the nozzle inaflowered position; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the cleaner operating on a carpet Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the cleaner on the same carpet with the handle released and the current still turned on. the weight of the handle alone raising the nozzle from contact with the carpet;

carpet. My improvement is designed to prevent and Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the handle in operating position lbut showing the weight of an accumulation of dirt in the bag raising the nozzle. ,Y

As shown in the drawings, Il indicates a inotor casing, II the usual fan casing; I2 the nozzle, and I3 a motor-driven brush in the homie. As here shown, the motor casing. fan casing, and homie are. made in one unit. I5. I5 indicate two supporting wheels with aligned axes placed some distance bwk of the nozzle. 'The unit, in cluding the motorcaslng, fan casing and nomle, is piviotally mounted on the supporting wheels ISfIby means of the'stub axlesll, Il secured to the plates I1 carried by the unit.' The nozzle I2 is vertically movable with respect to the surface being cleaned. This is accomplished by pivotally supporting the unit including -the motor casingffan casing and nozzle, on the wheels I5 which lie rearwardly of the nozzle. This pivoting permits the nozzle at the forward end of the cleaner to be moved upwardly and down- Waldly., 1

The stub axles Il, I6 are'so located that the nozzle is substantially counterbalanoed 'but preferably so that it will .normally tend to rock downwardly.

'I'he two wide rollers 26,4 26 form the nozzle support. These rollers are wide enough so that they will ride more or less on the surface of thick carpet and, consequently. elevate the nozzle.A ForV example, as shown in Fig. 4.the surface being cleaned is indicated hyrather thick carpet. The topmost surface of this carpet is indicated by 21. As here shown, the rollers 2i have sunk downiinto the carpet to some extent: that is, to the level oi' the line indicated byv 27a; but they have not .sunk down as llow as the wheels I5 which are at the level of the line 21h which may -be very near the bottom suriace of the thick carpet.

The cleaner is shown in Fig.. 3 as operating on a hard floor 28 and here the rollers 28 naturally-rest at the same level 'as the 'wheels It and itwill be seen that the nozzle consequently is also lowered.

The rollers 26 are wide enough to thus suppofrt the nozzle a slightvdistance, above the surface of the material being cleaned regardless of its character and regardless of the degree of sink of the supporting wheels I i into the material being cleaned.

3l indicates a rear wheel carried by the unit acting as a stop to limit vthe rearward pivoting of the cleaner and thus limit the upward move- 2 ment of the nozzle.v This stop'is desirable to prevent the nozzle from being r-'aisedunnecessarily high when it is elevated to move the machine from one rug to another or to lavoid engagement with the fringe at the edge of a rug.

With the construction shown the rollers 26 provide additionalsupporting means for the nozzle or means limiting the downward movement of the noz'zle operative especially whenthecleaner is in operation. They are adapted to float or,

ride substantially onthe surface of the material being cleaned. With this construction the nozzle is, the nozzle and the motor casing with the motor inside, and f-an casing, are formed as a unit as is customary with portable suction cleaners, and the entire -unit is carried by the two wheels The unit, however, is pivotally mounted on the,rv

wheels as explained above so that the nozzle itself is vertically movable with respect to the surface being cleaned. The nozzle supporting means, therefore, in the form of the rollers 26, 26, act to limit downward movement of the nozzle, particularly under suction. This support for Vthe nozzel is obtained by the-rollers floating or rolling substantially on the Asurface of the carpet.` In using the word carpet I mean to indicate any surface being cleaned.

The rollers 26, v2li will sinke into the carpet only to a very small extent, if at all; and not nearly as much into soft carpet as the supporting wheels I5, I5. -Being in the form of rollersl they will slide easily over the surface of the carpet and thus lessen the friction. The rollers preferably have considerable width, thus giving at least a line contact of considerable length and in all probability a surface contact of considerable area; thus preventing the rollers from sinking into the surface of even soft thick carpets to any great extent. By surface is meant the very top of the carpet. It is contemplated that the rollers will rest substantially on the upper ends of the threads forming the pile of a thick carpet without bending them over or crushing them down to any considerable extent.

It is realized, of course, that even withvide rollers Ithe same will sink into a soft carpet to some extent, and thereforefl have placed the rollers at such height that even when they thus sink into ,the surface to some extent, as shown in Fig. 4i thev nozzle will still be held slightly above the surface. This construction may be made as desired. For example, the parts can be so made that the nozzle will just llie in contact with the surface before or after suction or even be drawn more or less tightly against the surface or into it under the force of suction. As shown in the drawings, the construction may be so that the nozzle:vv I2 lies slightly above the surface when there is no suction. In such case suotion may draw the carpet up slightly to cause contact between the nozzle and the carpet, as ,shown I 1 50 indicates the bail of the handle 50' pivoted to the cleaner atvthe points 5I, 5I. Ihe pivot points 5I, 5I are preferably so located that foro ward and backward movement and acceleration imparted to the cleaner by the handle will not cause undue rocking of the cleaner on the wheels 2 I5. That is. the resistance caused by the weight of the parts below the pivot points 5I, 5I, and

the friction of the wheels I5, is balanced against the r ce caused by the weight of the parts above the points 5I, 5I, so thatpressure on the pivot points 5I, 5Ik by the handle in operating the cleaner backwardly and forwardly will not cause undue pivoting on the wheels I5, and therefore will not unduly affect the vertical movement of the nozzle I2. In speaking of the resistance offered by the weight of the parts, I refer to the inertia offthe same. In order to prevent undue rocking, vthe pivot points 5I are preferably placed so that when the handle is in the normal operating position as indicated by the line 53, the lineof force, extended below the pivot points, will lie in front of the wheels I5. It is here shown as intersecting the carpet substantially where the rollers 26 lie.

52 indicates the dust or dirt bag for the cleaner .with its' lower end attached to the outlet 54 of the fan easing in` the usual manner. The unit is so balanced upon the wheels I5, however, that the weight of a predetermined amount of dirt in the bag 52 with the weight of the bag itself will serve to rock the unit backwardly' as shown in Fig. 6 and thus elevate the nozzle and remove the brush I3 from contact with the carpet.

55 indicates a stop for the handle 50' adapted to hold the same substantially in horizontal position when released, as shown in Fig. 5. There is a stop55 on each side of the'fan casing engaged by the bail 5l. The handle is of sufficient length and weight so that when it is released and lies back against the stops 55 it will cause the cleaner to rock backwardly on the wheels I5 and lift the nozzle and brush I3 from engagement with the material being cleaned, as shown in Fig.

5. This will occur even if the current remains turned on.

As shown in Fig. 4, in normal operation the suction may operate to raise the carpet slightly into contact with the nozzle and brush. When the carpet is thus in contact with the nozzle it will be seen that the suction will also tend to hold the nozzle in contact with the carpet,.either by holding the nozzle down, or lifting the carpet, or both. In other words. the suction causes more or less ofY a" seal between the carpet and the nozzle that must be broken before the nozzle can be raised. This seal, however, varies under difierent conditions. required lto break it than in others. It is contemplated that the weight f the predetermined amount of dirt in the dust ba'g with the weight Y break any seal that there might be, as just described.

It is to be particularly noted that Athe weight of the handle alone in released position is suicient to elevate the nozzle. Likewise, the weight of the dust bag with a predetermined amount of dirt therein alone is preferably sufllcient to elevate the nozzle whether the handle is in released position or not.

It will be seen that the wheels I5 furnish the main support or carriage for the cleaner proper.

In some cases, more force is'v That is. they take most of the weight; and therefore may be referred to a's the main supporting means. 'I'he wide rollers 26, 26 may be referred to as the nozzle supporting means.

While there are shown and described certain embodiments of the invention, it isrto be under'- stood that it is capable of many modifications.

Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claim, in which it is intended to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A suction cleaner of the character described, including: a casing having a downwardly opening nozzle at the forward end thereof; suction means connected to the nozzle; a rotatable cleaning member in the nozzle normally in contact with` the material being cleaned; a motor in the cas-` ing for rotating the rotatable cleaning member; a handle pivotally attached to the casing and adapted to extend upwardly and rearwardly therefrom during normal-usage of the cleaner; a pair of main supporting wheels on which the casing is mounted, said wheels being only slightly to the rearof the center of gravity of the cleaner in normal usage; forward-supporting means for normally maintaining the nozzle in proper 4operative relation to the surface being cleaned; stop means on the casing engaged by the handleupon rearward and downward movement beyond that to be expected ln normal usage, the weight of the otherwise unsupported handle when in en'- gagement with the. stop-means being sufficient to shift the centerof gravity to the rear of the main supporting Wheels, whereby releasing the liandle automaticallyl causes the cleaner to pivot about the axis of said wheels to elevate the nozzle and lift the rotatable cleaning member from contact with the material being cleaned; and rear supporting means normally spaced from said surface but adaptedA to engage it to support the cleaner )in position with the nozzle elevated.

v CHARLES H. SPARKLIN.

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