US3030793A

US3030793A - Apparatus for cleaning furs

Info

Publication number: US3030793A
Application number: US101414A
Authority: US
Inventors: Benjamin A Datlow; Max M Datlow
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-04-07
Filing date: 1961-04-07
Publication date: 1962-04-24
Anticipated expiration: 1979-04-24

Description

April 1962 a. A. DATLOW ETAL 3,030,793

APPARATUS. FOR CLEANING FURS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 7, 1961 FIG. 2

INVENTORS BENJAMIN A. DATLOW MAX M. DATLOW BY W Mafia ATTORNEY April 24, 1962 B. A. DATLOW ETAL 3,030,793

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FURS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April '7, 1961 BENJAMIN A. DAT'LOW MAX M. DATLOW I BY ww, M

ATTORNEY 3,030,793 -Patented Apr. 24, 1962 3,030,793 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FURS Benjamin A. Datlow, 1440 Rock Creek Ford Road NW.,

This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning furs, particularly fur garments which have become dirty and soiled in normal use. The machine can advantageously be used also for cleaning artificial furs or in fact any high pile fabrics.

It has been previously known that the application of materials such as fine saw dust, or the fine dust of ground shells of nuts, or fullers earth, along with a small amount of water or a solvent such as carbon tetrachloride or perchlorethylene, to the fur garment, will cause the particles of dirt and grease in the garment to be attracted to and absorbed by these materials and that upon removal of the latter, the garment will be effectively cleaned. The said cleaning materials may be applied to the garment by tumbling it in a rotating drum, to which said cleaning materials have been added, for a time sufiicient to cause an intimate application of said materials to all portions of the garment, clear down to the hide which carries the fur.

To complete the operation it is of course necessary that the cleaning materials which have been applied to the fur, be completely removed, carrying with them the dirt and grease which have been absorbed into or become attached to the said cleansing materials. It is with the problem of the complete and expeditious removal of said materials together with the dirt and grease that this invention is particularly concerned.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for expeditiously removing from a fur garment, cleaning materials, previously applied thereto, together with the dirt absorbed thereby.

A further object of the invention is to facilitate the removal of said materials and dirt by subjecting the garments to a tumbling action in a current of air.

A further object is to prevent the cleaning materials and the dirt from returning to the garments after they are separated therefrom.

Another object is to prevent the formation of static electrical charges on the garments being cleaned.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description and to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of the front side of the apparatus exemplifying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section view on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the rear side of the apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of one of the end units of the apparatus, on line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the middle unit of the apparatus, on line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

The apparatus shown in the drawings consists of three casings 1, 2 and 3 mounted on suitable supports 4. The three casings have in common a trough like bottom 5 which in the use of the apparatus, will be partially filled with water for a purpose which will be explained later. Each of the casings 1, 2 and 3 has a slot 6 in its rear wall to admit air thereto and each of the casings has a large opening 7 through which the fur garments to be cleaned may be inserted or withdrawn. A removable closure 8 is provided for each of said openings 7. Opening into casings 1 and 3 are pipes 9 for conveying water vapor into these casings when necessary, to maintain the humidity therein sufiiciently high to prevent the occurrences of static electricity within these casings. This Water vapor may be steam coming from a supply pipe 10 shown in FIG. 3.

Within casings 1, 2 and 3 there are cylindrical drums 1 1, 12 and 13 supported for rotation on bearings 24. The motive means for rotating the drums are separate electric motors 14 connected through belts 15, pulleys 16 and

gears

17 and 17a to the drums. Thus any one of the drums may be rotated or stopped independently of the others.

The middle drum 12 has solid imperforate walls. It is into this drum that the soiled fur garments are first placed for the purpose of applying to them intimately and thoroughly the cleaning materials. The interior side'of the cylindrical wall of this drum is provided with deep ribs or vanes 18 the purpose of which is to cause the soiled garments to be tumbled about as this drum turns, to aid in the thorough application of the cleaning materials to the garments.

The other two drums 11 and 13 differ from the drum 12 in that their cylindrical walls 19 are perforate. In practice the cylindrical walls are made of wire mesh with openings approximately /2 inch square.

The inner sides of the cylindrical walls 19 are provided with deep ribs or vanes 20 similar to the ribs 18 of drum 12. It is into the drums 111 and 13 that the garments are placed after they have been subjected to a thorough application of the cleaning materials in drum 12.

Each of the

drums

11, 12 and 13 has a large opening in its cylindrical wall which by rotating the drum can be brought into register with the corresponding opening 7 of the enclosing casing to allow insertion or withdrawal of the garments being cleaned. A removable closure 21 made of wire mesh is provided for each of these openings in the drums 11 and 13. The closure for the opening in drum 12 is solid.

The trough 5 which is at the bottom of the casings 1, 2 and 3 is provided with means whereby air can be drawn from it. This means consists of several exhaust pipes 22 connected to the upper portion of the trough 5 at intervals along its length, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. These pipes are all connected to a large common exhaust conduit 23 which may be provided with a conventional exhaust fan for discharging the vapors to the exterior of the building in which the apparatus is housed.

In operation the fur garments to be cleaned are placed in the middle drum 12 through the opening 7 of easing 2 and the corresponding opening in the drum 12. When the drum has been loaded with garments, a cleaning mixture is also placed in the drum. This mixture may include some or all of the following well known cleaning materials, saw dust, finely ground nut shells, fullers earth, carbon tetrachloride, perchlorethylene and some water.

After the openings have been closed by applying the

closures

21 and 8, the drum '12 is placed in rotation by the motor 14 operating through the belt 15', pulley 16 and

gears

17, 17a. It has been found that for best results the drum 12 should be rotated about 21 revolutions per minute. A much faster rotation would result in the garments being held against the interior surface of the drum by centrifugal force with little penetration of the cleaning materials into the garment. When however the drum is rotated at the proper speed, the garments and the cleaning materials will tumble about under the action of the vanes or ribs 18 and become thoroughly mixed together. During this thorough mixing the particles of dirt or grease with which the garment was soiled, become attached to or absorbed by the particles of the cleaning materials, so that if the cleaning materials be now removed from the garment, they will bring along the dirt and grease, and leave the garment clean.

The removal of the cleaning materials and the dirt they have absorbed is the function of the drums 11 and 13. When the garments have been treated in drum 12 for a sufficient time to cause a thorough application of the cleaning materials thereto, they are removed. Half are put in drum 11 and half in drum 13. It has been found that in the operation of removing the cleaning materials and dirt from the garments, the results are better when only half of the load from the mixing drum 12 is placed in one of the drums 11 and 13. After the

closures

21 and 8 are made fast these drums are set in rotation by the motors 14 at a speed of rotation of about 21 revolutions per minute. The rotation of these drums causes a tumbling of the garments therein and a dislodging of the cleaning materials and the absorbed dirt and grease from the garments. This dislodging action is accelerated by the current of air which coming through the slots 6 into the casing and circulating through the garments in the drum, passes downward and impinges on the surface of the water in the trough below the drum, before passing out the exhaust pipes 22. The result of this action is that the cleaning materials and the dirt are captured or entrapped by the water and are not recirculated through the space Within the casings.

An additional feature of importance is the provision of the pipes 9 and 111 for admitting Water vapor to the interior of casings 1 and 3 to maintain the humidity Within these casings sufficiently high to inhibit the formation of static electric charges within the casing. This is highly t desirable because if static charges are present the individual hairs of the fur have a tendency to mat together and resist removal of the dirt therefrom.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A machine for cleaning furs, including a cylindrical perforate drum rotatably mounted in a casing and adapted to contain the furs to be cleaned, said casing having a portion at its bottom adapted to contain a pool of liquid with a surface below the bottom of the enclosed drum, means for rotating said drum to cause a tumbling of the furs therein, means for producing a current of air through said drum and impingement of said current on the surface of the liquid of said pool, in combination with means for preventing the formation of static electrical charges Within said casing.

2. A machine as set forth in claim 1 in which said means for preventing the formation of static electrical charges within said casing is a pipe connected to said casing for supplying Water vapor to the interior thereof to maintain the humidity therein at a desired level.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,463,075 Friedman July 24, 1923 1,763,462 Gable June 10, 1930 2,293,432 Friedman Aug. 18, 1942 2,316,386 Albrecht Apr. 13, 1943 2,344,247 Hopkins Mar. 14, 1944 2,388,619 Root Nov. 6, 1945 2,531,676 Friedman Nov. 28, 1950 2,591,663 Root Apr. 8, 1952