US2389881A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 27, 1945. H. B. WHITE 2,389,881

SUCTION CLEANER Filed April 19, I943 2 Sheets-Sheet l /9 1 Y I v INVENTOR. Harry B Wk 1 19 Mm @455. H. 5. WHITE 2938998831 SUCTION CLEANER Filed April 19, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 27, 1945 SUCTION CLEANER Harry B. White, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, .North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 19, 1943, Serial No. 483,549

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and more particularly to a new and novel semi-automatic nozzle-height-adjusting construction for a suction cleaner. More specifically, the invention comprises an improved and simplified semi-automatic nozzle height adjustment which is characterized by the simplicity of the mechanism which accomplishes the correct positioning of the nozzle for cleaning upon any surface covering upon the operator depressing a foot lever and thereafter releasing the same lever.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved semi-automatic nozzleheight-adjusting construction in a suction cleaner. A further object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner having movably mounted front wheels which are semi-automatically positioned at the correct height upon any surface covering by the operator depressing a foot pedal. A still further object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner in which the operator need only depress a foot lever to enable the machine to lower itself into contact with the surface covering to determine the top plane thereof, the release of the foot lever automatically positioning the front wheels of the machine to a correct height for operation upon that covering. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the a tached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed and in which the same reference character refers to the same part throughout:

Figure 1 is a side view of a suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention positioned upon a bare surface, certain parts being broken away and shown in section to disclose the semi-automatic nozzle-height-positioning means;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the cleaner illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial side view of the cleaner illustrated in Figure 1 and shows the nozzle position upon the cleaner being transferred to a surface covering and with the nozzle height adjusted for very thin rugs or bare floors as in Figure 1;

Figure 4 discloses a step in the adjusting'operation with the foot lever depressed; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 but with the foot lever released from its position in Figure 4 and the nozzle adjusted to its proper operating position fo the surface covering upon which it is supported.

The early forms of nozzle-height adjusting mechanisms for suction cleaners comprised manual adjusting means which required the operator to use his judgment in making the adjustment. Usually the operator was required to bend over the cleaner and while in an uncomfortable position make the adjustment. Experience indicated that these nozzle height adjusting means were usually left in a mid-position for all supporting coverings and that only infrequently did an operator make the adjustment necessary for emcient cleaning.

In the nozzle height adjustment constructed in accordance with the present invention it is not necessary for the operator to bend over the machine no to exercise a judgment in positioning the nozzle at a proper height for cleaning efhciency. With a very thin covering the nozzle can be adjusted low relative to the plane of the supporting wheels, whereas with a thick covering the nozzle adjustment would be relatively high with respect to that same plane. In the construction of applicants'invention, the operator need only depress an operating foot lever which effects the release of the nozzle which then drops into con tact with the supporting surface thereby determining the plane of that surface with respect to the plane of the supporting wheels. The latter carry a part of the cleaner weight and are therefore somewhat depressed into the supporting surface covering. Subsequent release of the foot lever results in the raising of the nozzle through a travel which is dependent upon the initial rela-' tionship of the plane of the nozzle mouth and the plane of the supporting wheels as mentioned. No judgment upon the part of the operator is required, merely an actuating force upon the lever.

Referring again to the drawings a suction cleaner is illustrated which is seen to comprise a main casing including a nozzle I which houses a rotatable agitator 2 having rigid heater and brush elements and which is adapted for rotation in contact with a surface covering undergoing cleaning between the nozzle lips 3 and 4. Nozzle l is interiorly connected by an air passageway 6 to the eye I of the fan chamber 8 which houses a rotatable fan 9 carried by the dependin end of a motor shaft II, the motor being positioned within an overlying casing 2 and being indicated generally by the reference character l 3 and being of any well known type suitable for the propulsion of a suction cleaner fan and agitator... The

lower end of the motor shaft II is formed as a pulley and drives a, power-transmitting belt I 4 which connects to a centrally located pulley formed upon agitator 2 to revolve that element. The rotation of the suction-creating fan 9 creates a reduced pressure within the nozzle l which draws cleaning air between the lips 3 and 4, rearwardly through the air passage-way 6 and through the eye 1 into the fan chamber 8, from which it is exhausted via an exhaust passageway I6 into a suitable dust bag l1 which is removably secured by manually operable nuts Hi to the rear face of the cleaner formed by the junction of side walls l9 which extend rearwardly from the ends of the nozzle to form skirts at the sides of the fan chamber and exhaust passageway I6. A pivoted handle It] provides means by which the cleaner may be propelled.

The front of the machine is adjustably supported by spaced wheels 2| carried upon a pivoted crank shaft 22 which extends across the machine and over the passageway 6 within the motor hood l2. The adjustment by which the position of the wheels 2| relative to the machine body is fixed will be hereinafter fully disclosed and comprises the present invention. The rear wheels are indicated at 23 and are carried by a U-shaped bracket 24 which is pivoted at each of its side arms at 25, the forward extremities of the arms forming abutment surfaces 26 adapted to contact the underside of the fan chamber 8 to determine the lowermost position of the wheels 23 un.- der a downward force exerted by a coil spring 21 positioned directly above the bracket between the wheels 23. The coil spring 21 is ufficiently strong that it holds the rear wheels 23 in the lowermost position made possible by the contact of the abutment element 26 with the underside of the fan chamber. The only purpose for making the bracket 24 pivoted is that one of the abutment elements 26 normally obstructs a converter seat 28 which is adapted to receive and seat a converter element when the cleaner is to be used in off-the-floor cleaning. Abutment element 26 within converter seat 28 prevents 'the insertion of a dusting tool until the rear of the machine has been forced downwardly against the action of the coil spring 21, thereby raising the nozzle and the enclosed agitator '2 into an inoperative position. In this depressed position, the interfering abutment element 26 is removed from the converter seat 28 and the operator can insert a converter element.

Turning now to the adjustment for the front wheels 2|, it is seen that one of the wheel is supported upon an integral crank arm which is abutted by a large relatively strong coil spring 3| which at all times exerts a force to lower the Wheels. The opposite crank arm of the shaft 22, however, comprises a separate element 32 which is fixed to the shaft. Element 32 comprises a clamping seat 33 which seats upon the shaft 22 proper and an offset plate 34 which extends rearwardly and is formed at its rearward edge as a toothed sector 36. The seat 33 and the sector plate 34 are joined by an offset portion which in effect forms the crank arm and the wheel 2| is supported adjacent thereto. Sector plate 34 is completed by an abutment or stop element 31 which provides a substantially vertical rearward- Iy facing contact edge.

Cooperating with the sector plate 34 to fix the position of the front wheels 2| is a pivoted pedal 4| "the rearward extremity of which extends outwardly at the side of the cleaner and under the adjacent skirt I9. Pedal 4| is pivoted upon a pin 42 carried by a bracket 43 attached to the underside of the fan chamber 8 and its end forward of pivot 42 is formed as a stop or shoulder 44 adapted to abut the stop plate 31 on the plate 34 to prevent the further downward pivotal movement of the sector plate under the urging of the coilspring 3| which acts upon shaft 22.

A coil spring 46 carried by the pivot pin 42 of the pedal 4| contacts at one of its ends a fixed pin 41 on the bracket 43 and at its opposite end exerts a force upon a pawl 48 which i pivoted to pedal 4| at 49. Spring 46 contacts pawl 48 near point 49 and exerts a pivoting force both upon the pawl, tending to move it to its outermost position in which it abuts the shoulder 44 upon the pedal and also, through exerting a force adjacent pivot pin 49 of the pawl, exerts a force upon the pedal itself which tends to pivot it in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 1, for example, that is, exerts 'a force which tends to lift the pedal 4|. Pawl 48 carries a pin 5| at its end which is of a size and which is so positioned as to be adapted to engage the teeth 36 of the sector plate 34. Under the actuation of the coil spring 46 and in the operation of the machine, pawl 48 engages the toothed sector of plate 34 and forces the plate downward until further movement is prevented by the contact of abutments 31 and 44 upon the plate 34 and lever 4!, respectively. Obviously the final posion of plate 34, and so of the front wheels 2| which move down as the plate 34 moves down, will be determined by the point of initial engagement of the pawl with the toothed sector which point is in turn determined by the angular position of plate 34 relative to the body when t cleaner nozzle is resting upon the surface, the lever 4| being depressed.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The machine having been adjusted for use upon a very thin rug or bare surface is related relative to the supporting surface at its nozzle end as illustrated in Figure 1. Let us assume that the cleaner so adjusted is transferred and without ad justment from that bare floor or very thin rug to a relatively thick rug, of the type illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The nozzle I is then t o low at its surface-contacting mouth, defined by the lips 3 and 4, for effective cleaning. The nozzle lips are so low that the covering could not be lifted by the nozzle suction from the supporting surface and the lips would tend to dig into the covering and to make cleaner propulsion unduly difficult. In Figure 3 the cleaner is shown in this improper adjustment for the supporting rug and it is seen that the nozzle is in contact with the surface covering and rests thereon. The front wheels 2| have penetrated to a distance or below the top plane of the supportingsurface.

To adjust the machine properly for its new supporting covering, the operator exerts .a down-. ward force upon the foot pedal 4| and depresses it to the position illustrated in Figure 4. This results in the forward end of the pedal including the pawl 48 and abutment 44 moving from'the sector 36 and the abutment 31. Theshaft .22 then free and the front supporting wheels 2z| are forced to a firm base in the covering under the actuation of the coil spring 3|. The increase in the penetration of the front wheels 2| is indicated by the increase in the depth b in Figure 4 over the depth a as illustrated in Figure 3. The nozzle still rests upon the supporting surface but the cleaner weight which it carries is much greduced. In this relationship the plane of the nozzle mouth is at a height 12 above the plane of the front supporting Wheels 2|.

This preliminary determination having been made, that is, the determination of the plane of the top of the covering and the plane of the front wheels 2! at the firm base, the machine is now ready to adjust itself. The operator now releases the foot pedal 41 which moves in a counter-clockwise direction, from the position illustrated in Figure 4 to that illustrated in Figure 5, and under the urging of the coil spring 45. The pawl 48 has been pivoted to the extreme forward position permitted by the stop 44 upon the pedal 4| when the pedal was depressed, as illustrated in Figure 4, and as the lever pivots in a counter-clockwise direction, the pin 5| upon the pawl seats between two teeth of the sector 36. The particular point of engagement is determined, as previously stated by the position of the sector plate 34 relative to the cleaner body which in turn is related to the distance b which separates the plane of the front supporting wheels and the plane of the nozzle mouth. Pin 5| having engaged the sector, the forward and counterclockwise movement of pedal 4| continues under the actuation of coil spring 46 and the pawl meshing with the sector pivots the sector plate 34 downwardly from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 5. This downward movement of the plate continues, it being accompanied by the downward movement of wheels 2|, until the pedal abutment 44 contacts the sector plate abutment 31. Further downward movement of sector plate 34 under the urging of the coil spring 46 is then prevented by the resulting locking action and the cleaner is now in proper adjustment for the covering which supports it.

Were the machine now to be returned to its initial supporting surface illustrated in Figure 1,

the depression and subsequent release of the pedal 4| would result in the re-engagement of the pawl 48 with the sector 36 at the point illustrated in Figure 1 and the nozzle would be adjusted to the height illustrated in Figure 1.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a body having a nozzle 4 with lips, a wheel, means pivotally mounting said wheel on said body, a toothed sector fixedly connected to said mounting means and movable relative to said body in the pivotal movement of said means, a pedal pivotally mounted on said body, a

pivoted pawl carried by said pedal adapted to seat selectively upon said sector in the movement of said pedal in one direction, spring means between said body and said pedal to move said pedal in a direction to effect the engagement of said pawl and sector and to move said mounting means after said engagement, and means to limit the conjoint movement of said pawl and sector after said engagement.

2. In a suction cleaner, a body having a nozzle with lips, a wheel, means pivotally mounting said wheel on said body, a toothed sector connected to said mounting means and movablerelative to said body in the pivotal movement of said means, a stop movable with said sector, a pedal pivotally mounted on said body, a pawl pivotally mounted on said pedal adapted to engage said sector selectively in the pivotal movement of said pedal and as determined by the position of said sector at the time of engagement, stop means movable with said pedal adapted to engage the first mentioned stop means to prevent further movement of the sector and pedal in one direction, and resilient means to move said pedal to effect engagement of said pawl and sector and the movement of the latter to lower said mounting means and wheel until prevented by the engagement of said stops.

3. In a suction cleaner, a body, a wheel, pivotal means mounting said wheel on said body, an operator-operated pedal pivoted on said body on an axis spaced from the pivotal axis of said wheel, cooperating clutch means carried by and movable with said pivotal means and with said pedal and including elements adjustably engageable upon the movement of said pedal in one direction and disengageable upon the movement of said pedal in the opposite direction, said clutch means functioning to connect said pedal to said pivotal means for conjoint movement to adjust said wheel relative to said body, spring means urging said pedal to engage said clutch and to move said pedal and said pivotal means after the-engagement, and means on said pedal and pivotal means and movable therewith to limit the conjoint movement thereof.

HARRY 33. WHITE,

Images