US2663045A

US2663045A - Portable brushing and nap-raising attachment for carpet cleaning machines

Info

Publication number: US2663045A
Application number: US147603A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph D Conway
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-03-04
Filing date: 1950-03-04
Publication date: 1953-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 1970-12-22

Description

Dec. 22, 1953 J. D. CONWAY 2,663,045

' PORTABLE BRUSHING AND NAP-RAISING ATTACHMENT I FOR CARPET CLEANING MACHINES Filed March 4, 1950 4 8; 656A, 6?: 1 VENTOR.

48 2195RPM DCONWAY 47 M M I Fm, 5

ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 22, 1953 .PORIEABLE BRUSHING AND NAP RAISING ATTACHMENT FOR CARPET CLEANING MACHINES Joseph. :Gonway, Cleveland ..-He ights, .Ohio Application March'A, 1950, 'Serial'No. 147,603

1 Therpresent' invention relates to rug-and 'carpet 'felearfing apparatus; and more particularly; 450 a power driven-apparatus for renovating the nap view -of the development o'f'portable scru bibing and "-lathering machines, *much of the 'rug and carpetcleaning -which is "now per-formed l'iaikes place on the-premises where the" carpet lies. Formerly it had been the practice to remove earpetsirom thenoor and-eend them to commercia restablishments to= be cleaned. The portableenewing machines do a highly satisffactory {fob of' cieaning' and obviate 1 the necessity of' remov ing the ear-pet. v I

The carpet'which is-to he"cleaned has usually been "walked upon for a -='eonsiderable length of itim into the carpet. 'Ihw'scrubbing machines c'anremove most l 'of thi s flirt, but in viewo'f the riat, matted condition of the pile and deep penetra- :1ti'on -of =the dirt, it is "desirable that the carpet receive some preiiminary itrea'tment "which :Wi ll serve- -to raise the {dirtcloser to the surface so thatit can beremoved'bythe:scrubbing machine.

#Siich treatmentshoals-e150 remove some of the dirtwan'dshould iniise the'pile or nap efthe-carpe't 'fso thatthe action of -the=.scrubb'ingflnachine will =-n'ot :b'e nuliified by:-matted threads and fibers. mhe apreserrt invention serves this purpose;

El'he use of the scrubbing machine onzthe carpet metsittne pile to :some extent and this wettin-g action plus l'the .f'h'orizon'tal :meohanicalz action :of the-rotary scrirbbingr brush which is used again causes the-pile zoranap ito flatten. 'Thissflattening Iii. mattingzof ."theinap .wm ro'c'cunmost frequently inlzdeep'rpile :carpets where: it Lis -most undesirable and ispoils ethe -appearance 101' the carpet. The 'apparatuseof myin-ven-tion' will serve to raisethis flattened nap andrenew the appearance :of the carpet. v

-!Thus,'= it .is a ,primary object of my invention :to :providegpoweredriven .apparatus for restoring the new .of .carpets to raised condition both before .and'after thescriibbing operation.

' A further object of my inventionis to provide apparatus of the character described, which will penetrate .the pile of aca'rp-et and raise "the ingraineddirt and grit toward the "surface where itcan' be acted' upon by 'a scrubbing machine.

m'iother 'object of myin-vention is to "provide apparatus wlrich' will brush thenapof a pile fabric into an upright position-so that it will be soft and yi'elding. 1

ano'ther obj ect of my invention is to prowrifieaappar'atns i'off .Ethefchara'cter described-, -w-hieh d dirt anddust have been tread' deeply .16 Claims. (01. 15-328) n the power driven by the power unit of the scrubbing-apparatus.

"Afurther object of my invention-istoprovide such apparatus with reversing means so that its operation will be effectivewhether it be moving forwardly or rearwardly.

Still another object of my invention is "toipro vide apparatus of the character--dcscribejdywhich is light-weight, portable, andileiriblein-operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention 'will be apparent during the course or the following description.

In the accompanying? drawings forming apart of 'this specification, and in whidhiike numerals are employed to-designate like parts throughout the same,

"Fig. '1 "is a side elevation-eta nap brushing apparatus embodying the --fea'tures of myinvention, portions thereof --be"ing broken-a-Wayto Show details of construction.

"Fig. 2 is a "bottomplan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. '1, with certain parts-removed or broken away to'clearly 'il'lustrate the invention.

Fig. '3 is a fragmentarycross-sectional view of the-spline'd connectin -shaft. taken on line 'O'fFigJZ.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the coupling plate or the apparatus.

Fig. 5 is an elevational *view, partially in secition, showing "the bayonet-type connector -=w-hieh engages the coupling plate of Fig. 4.

- Referring more particularly to the drawings, the apparatus isrs'een' to comprise a housing "I having a top 2,-opposi'te1y disposed sides Sandi,

.andanarcuate closed end portion 5, wh ich form's the rear of the housing.

A closed "chambert is formed in the housin '1 by m'eans of, an L-shapedpartition "I I which is :secured to the housing as by welding. The partition has a"horizontallyexten'ding portion 8 formin a bottom and has a vertically extending sideportionfl which may be'secured, for purposes'ofreinforcement, to a'transvers'e piece of angle iron 1 1D which is'Welded'tothe underside of the "top 2. of the housing.

conventional form of motor driven exhaust ZblOWGI H "is mounted onthe top 2 of "the housing and extends into theehamber fi throughan opening 1'2 which-is provided therefor 'i-r-1 the' top 2. "Thabl'Ower 'is'eqnipped with a cloth dust collector or filter l'3 for a purpose to be more fully described hereinafter.

The lportion o'f the housing 1 which 'lie's forward :of the :chamber '6 is open :atthe bottom an'dain this iorwardxportion is monnted acyl'indrical brush I4 comprising bristles I5 which are set in a wooden core I8. One end of the brush has an axially extending stub shaft I! which is journalled in a bearing [8 which is secured to the side 4 of the housing I. The other end of the brush is provided with a square socket which is engaged by the square end [9 of a shaft which is journalled in a bearing 2| in the side 3 of the housing.

A portion of the shaft 29 extends ex-teriorly of the housing I and has secured thereto a sprocket 22 which is connected by roller chain 23 to a sprocket 24 which is secured to a shaft 25.

The shaft 25 is journalled in a bearing 26 which is secured .to the side 3 of the housing. The shaft 25 has a hollow portion 21 of enlarged diameter which projects interiorly of the housing and which is provided with longitudinally extending internal splines 28. The output shaft 29 of a gear box or powertransmission 30 is provided with a splined portion SI which slidably engages the connector portion 21 of shaft 25.

The transmission case 30 is secured by means of bolts 32 to the underside of the top 2 of housing I and its driving member has secured thereto an adapter plate 33 which in turn has rigidly secured thereto a coupling plate 34 which will be more fully described hereinafter. An opening 35 is provided in the top 2 through which the adapter plate 33 and coupling plate 34 project.

Secured to the

sides

3 and 4 of the housing and extending therebetween is a nozzle body 36 having a flared opening 31 which lies closely adjacent to the brush I4 and parallel thereto. The nozzle 36 is connected to the vacuum chamber 6 by means of a hose 38 one end of which slidably connects to a fitting 39 on the nOZZle and the other end of which slidably connects to a fitting 40 which is secured to the wall 9 of the partition I. It will be understood that suitable openings are provided in the nozzle 36 and wall 9 in alignment with

fittings

39 and 40 so that the nozzle communicates with the chamber 6.

Secured between the sides 4| of the nozzle 36 so as to be centrally positioned in the opening 31 thereof is a stripper or comb 43 which comprises a body portion 44 which extends parallel to the brush I4 and in which are mounted teeth or pins 45 which project from the body 44 so as todiametrically intercept the bristles I5 of the brush l4.

Power means for actuating the brushing mechanism is provided by a scrubbing machine S which may be of the type disclosed in my United States Patent No. 2,217,617, granted October 8, 1940,

Such scrubbing machines are powered by an electric motor which serves to rotate a circular brush in a horizontal plane, as described in detail in said patent. The scrubbing brush is releasably secured to the motor driven spindle by means of a bayonet type of joint.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown the manner in which the machine S is utilized to drive the nap raising apparatus. The rotating spindle 45 of the scrubbing machine S has secured thereto for rotation therewith a connector plate 41 which has three circumferentially spaced lugs or dogs 48 extending radially outwardly therefrom. The dogs 48 are adapted to pass through recesses 49 which extend radially outwardly from a central opening 59 provided in the coupling plate 34, heretofore mentioned. The coupling plate has three circumferentially spaced legs 5| depending from its under surface adjacent the opening 50, each leg being intermediate two of the recesses 49. The legs 5| rest upon and are secured to the adapter plate 33 which, as heretofore stated, connects with the transmission train 39.

When the connector 41 is engaged with the coupling plate 34, the dogs 48 abut the legs 5I thereby driving the coupling plate 34. The rotation of the coupling plate is transmitted through the gear box 30 to the sprocket 24 through the

shafts

29 and 25, the gear box 39 serving to change the axis of rotation from the vertical to the horizontal.

The brush I4 is thereby caused to .rotate at a suitable rate of speed, its direction of rotation being controlled by a shift lever 52 which is connected to the shaft 29 so as to move it axially whereby to engage a reversing gear as is well known in the art. The splined connection between shaft 29 and shaft extension 2! of shaft 25 permits sliding movement of shaft 29 in response to movement of shift lever 52.

The brush I4 is so mounted that the bristles I5 extend beyond the forward edges 53 of the

sides

3, 4 of the housing I, and also extend well below the bottom edge 54 of said sides. This positioning of the brush allows the brush to be brought fairly close to walls or baseboards when the carpeting covers the floor completely from wall to wall of a room.

In order to minimize the escape of dust or fibers from the apparatus, a skirt 55 of rubber or the like is secured to the

sides

3 and 4 near the bottom edge 54 thereof. Further, the front end of the housing I is closed by a plate 56 which is-flanged as at 5'! and which is pivotally secured to the sides of the housing so that it rests of its own weight upon the brush l4. The plate 56 is also provided with skirt 55. For clarity of illustration, the skirt 55 is not shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In order to allow the apparatus to be moved easily over the rug surface, two swivel casters 58 are secured to the bottom 8 of partition I. Additionally, two transversely spaced rollers 59 which are rotatably mounted on an axle 60 are provided about midway between the brush I4 and the casters 58. The ends of the axle 60 are rigidly secured in arms 6I which in turn are rig-- idly secured to stub shafts 62 which are journalled in bearings 63 in the

sides

3 and 4 of the housing. One of the shafts 62 has an extension 64 on which is secured a lever 65 which is provided with a spring-pressed knob 66 which is movable to bring a pin or dowel portion 61 thereof into or out of contact with the side 4. An arcuate row of circular cavities 68 are provided in the side 4 in the path of movement of the dowel 61 so that the lever 65 may be locked in any selected position. It will be apparent that manipulation of the lever 65 will cause the axle 60 to pivot about the axis defined by shafts 62 and thus raise or lower the rollers 59 relatively to floor level. Thereby the effective height of the brush I4 is adjusted so as to give satisfactory results on any thickness of carpet.

In operating the apparatus, the scrubbing brush, which is normally connected to the scrubbing machine S, is removed therefrom, and the scrubbing machine is placed on top of the housing I and connected to the coupling plate 34 by means of the connector plate 41.

The dome-shaped casing of the scrubbing machine serves to enclose the connection between the machine and coupling plate 34 and thus safeanacea guatds the connection against injury as well as :preventing the-operator -from' bemg accidentally iniiur'ed by therapidly-rotating parts. Thedomesh'a'ped teasing also ser-ves as- =a shield 'against idirt, liquids, or falling obi'ectswliich might-possibfly injure the-conneeting parts if they' were f'exposed.

'-The -motor -of- -the-scrubbing==machine is *then started and the --blower -l-| is 'likewise" actuated. With the brush M revolving clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 1, the apparatus tends to move forwardly and is merely guided in that direction by the operator. The movement of the brush raises the nap or pile of the carpet and restores it subs'rantially to its original appearance. Fibers which are picked up by the revolving brush, are stripped from the brush by the teeth 45 of the comb 43 and are drawn by the blower I I through nozzle 36 into chamber 6 where they collect on the exterior of the bag or filter [3.

When the forward movement of the apparatus brings it up against a wall of the room, the shift lever 52 is manipulated to cause a reversal of rotation of the brush [4 and the apparatus accordingly moves rearwardly and can be guided over another area of carpet. Thus it is not necessary to swing the apparatus around to change its direction of travel. I

The skirt 55 maintains any dust and fibers within the housing and thereby prevents their escape into the room proper.

The adjustable rollers 59 can be locked at the selected position which will bring the brush into proper relationship with the pile fabric which is being renovated.

Thus it will be apparent that I have provided a light-weight portable apparatus which, in combination with a scrubbing machine can be utilized to raise the nap of carpets and pile fabrics before a cleaning operation while simultaneously raising and partially removing ingrained dirt. The apparatus is likewise used after completion of the scrubbing operation to raise the nap which may have become flattened or matted as a consequence of the cleaning and scrubbing operation.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example 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 my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a nap-raising attachment for carpet cleaning machines and an operating mechanism therefor; said operating mechanism consisting of a housing, an operating handle provided on said housing, an electrical motor mounted within said housing, a vertical spindle extending from said motor, and a connector plate secured to said spindle for rotation in a horizontal plane, said connector plate being adapted to operatively engage a rotary carpet cleaning element; and said nap-raising attachment comprising a housing, a brush supported in said housing for rotation about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of said motor spindle, a gear box secured to said housing and oneratively connected to said brush, and a coupling plate operatively secured to said gear box; sa d coupling plate being releasably secured to said connector plate to transmit rotary movement from said motor to said gear box, and said operating mechanism being supported above ground sever by therhousing ion-said :naperai'sing attacb ment.

A combination as i defined in laim 1-min which said housing or said nap -rai'singattachment is provided with: =g1-ound-enga=gin'g= wheels.

3. A combination as defined in claim 'l' in which an exhaust blower is "provided in said housing of said nap-raising attachment.

4:The combination-of "a nap-raising "attachment forzecarpet.cleaning machines and an operating mechanism therefor; -said operating mech- .anism consisting of a housing,.a push han'dlaprovided on said housing, an electrical motor mounted within said housing, a spindle extending vertically from said motor, and a connector plate secured to said spindle for rotation in a horizontal plane, said connector plate being adapted to operatively engage a rotary carpet cleaning element; and said nap-raising attachment comprising a housing, a brush supported in said housing for rotation about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of said motor spindle, a gear box secured to said housing and 0peratively connected to said brush, and a coupling plate operatively secured to said gear box and projecting exteriorly of said housing; said coupling plate projecting into the housing of said operating mechanism and being slidably and releasably secured to said connector plate, and said operating mechanism housing being supported above ground level by the housing of said napraising attachment.

5. The combination of a nap-raising attachment for carpet cleaning machines and an operating mechanism therefor; said operating mechanism consisting of a housing, an operating handle Provided on said housing, an electrical motor mounted within said housing, a vertical spindle extending from said motor, and a connector plate secured to said spindle for rotation in a horizontal plane, said connector plate being adapted to operatively engage a rotary carpet cleaning element; and said nap-raising attachment comprising a housing, a brush'supported in said housing for rotation about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of said motor spindle, a gear box secured to said housin and operatively connected to said brush, a coupling plate operatively secured to said gear box, said coupling plate being releasably secured to said connector plate to transmit rotary movement from said motor to said gear box, and ground-engaging wheels adjustably mounted on said attachment housing for movement in a vertical plane, and said operating mechanism being supported above ground level by the housing of said nap-raising attachment.

6. The combination of a nap-raising attachment for carpet cleaning machines and an operating mechanism therefor; said operating mechanism consisting of a housing, an operating handle provided on said housing, an electrical motor mounted within said housing, a vertical spindle extending from said motor, and a connector plate secured to said spindle for rotation in a horizontal plane, said connector plate being adapted to operatively engage a rotary carpet cleaning element; and said nap-raising attachment comprising a housing, a brush supported in said housing for rotation about an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of said motor spindle, a gear box secured to said housing and operatively connected to said brush, a coupling plate operatively connected to said gear box, said coupling plate being releasably secured to said connector plate to transmit rotary movement 7 from said motor to said gear box, and means mounted on said housing adjacent said brush for cleaning said brush in response to rotation thereof, and said operating mechanism being supported above ground level by the housing of said nap-raising attachment.

JOSEPH D. CONWAY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 8 Name Date- Hoover June 26, 1923 Hume May 19, 1925 Losey May 6, 1930 Hampson Apr. 12, 1932 Ponselle July 19, 1932 Petersen Dec. 13, 1932 Smellie May 12, 1936 Holt July 17, 1951