US3050921A

US3050921A - Suction cleaner center support and cover locking means

Info

Publication number: US3050921A
Application number: US834107A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur W Seyfried
Original assignee: Scovill Inc
Current assignee: Scovill Inc
Priority date: 1959-08-17
Filing date: 1959-08-17
Publication date: 1962-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 1979-08-28

Description

Aug. 28, 1962 A. w. SEYFRIED SUCTION CLEANER CENTER SUPPORT AND COVER LOCKING MEANS Filed Aug. 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VENTOR. ARTHUR n4 SEYFfP/ED ATTORNEY Aug. 28, 1962 A. w. SEYFRIED 3,

SUCTION CLEANER CENTER SUPPORT AND COVER LOCKING MEANS Filed Aug. 17, 1959 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR W. SEYFR/ED B kiwi. 726W United States Patent SUCTION CLEANER CENTER SUPPORT AND COVER LOCKING MEANS Arthur W. Seyfried, Racine, Wis., assiguor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Aug. 17, 1950, Ser. No. 834,107

6 Claims. (Cl. 55-467) This invention relates to a suction cleaner center support and cover locking means.

The cleaner is the kind known as the fiat canister type, and in this embodiment the housing resembles a hat box. When the cleaner is in its operative position, the removable cover of the housing constitutes the top.

The removable cover bears adjacent its edge on the upper edge of the vertical walls of the cleaner housing. The cover also bears centrally on a center support which is provided with means which cooperate with locking means on the cover to position the cover and retain it on the cleaner housing.

' The object of the invention is to provide a very simple and sturdy construction in which the center support cooperates with the cover locking means and also serves to reinforce the structure as a whole and to protect and position the dust bag at one side of the motor-fan unit, between the center support and cleaner wall.

The construction of the cooperating locking means on the cover and on the center support is such that placement of the cover and slight turning of the knob on the cover cause automatic engagement of the cooperating locking means, and slightly further turning of the knob results in yieldingly drawing the cover downwardly 0n the housing body and completes locking engagement between the parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the drawings and following description.

'In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suction cleaner embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the cleaner with the housing broken away to show interior construction partly in elevation and partly in vertical section.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cleaner housing.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view, enlarged, showing the means mounting the center support on the cleaner bottom.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the cover knob and part of the center support, including the cooperating locking means associated therewith, the section being taken in the plane of the line 5-5 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of one of two similar cam members which are part of the cover locking means.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the cam member.

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view through the center support in the plane of the line 8-8 of FIG. 5, looking upwardly.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the cleaner housing 10 resembles a hat box in shape and comprises circular vertical side walls 11, a two piece bottom 12, 13 (FIG. 4), and a cover 14 provided with a resilient head 15 which bears on the upper edge of the side walls 11. The cleaner is supported in its operative position on casters 16, and in stored position on its flat end surface 17 opposite the handle 18 on the front of the housing. The side walls extend downwardly to a skirt portion 19 below the resilient furniture guard 20-.

The center support 21 on which part of the cooperating locking means is mounted comprises an upwardly inclined sectional inner wall member 22, which partially surrounds the motor-fan unit 27, and provides a protecting dust bag supporting and enclosing chamber between its outer curved side wall 22 and the similarly curved side wall -11 of the canister housing 10. This upwardly inclined inner wall member 22 extends a substantial distanee above the side wall 11 at the center of the canister and is curved in horizontal section as shown in FIG. 8, provided with a lower horizontally disposed flange 23 by means of which it is connected to the bottom of the cleaner as shown in FIG. 4. The connecting means are headed bolts 24 which extend through the flange 23, the bottom 12, resilient ring 25 and bottom 13. The overlapping portions of the

bottoms

12, 13 are spaced apart as shown in FIG. 4 to receive the resilient ring 25 in which is mounted the horizontally disposed flange 26 which is part of the motor-fan unit housing 27. The construction thus provides a resilient mounting for the motor-fan unit housing 27 as well as a slightly yielding mounting for the lower end of the center support 21 on the

bottom

12, 13 of the cleaner.

The center support extends upwardly from the bottom to near the top of the cleaner chamber adjacent the inner surface of the cover 14 as 'best shown in FIG. 5. At its upper end said center support member 22 is provided with a horizontally extending flange 28 generally elliptical in shape as shown in FIG. 8. The flat top flange 28 which extends partially over the motor-fan unit 27 is provided with an elongated parallel sided slot 29 enlarged at its center by a round opening 30 which communicates with the parallel sided ends of the slot as shown in FIG. 8. On the under surface of the flange 28, adjacent opposite sides of the slot 29-30, are mounted a pair of similar cam members 31, each comprising a flat end 32 apertured at 33 and an opposite flat end 34 apertured at 35. The end 32 of each cam member has depending from one side a stop ear 36, and between said ends v32, 34, is an inclined cam surface 37. The cam members 31 are mounted on the under side of the flange 28 adjacent said slot 29-30 by means of screws or rivets 38 with the inclined cam surfaces 37 extending in opposite directions, and facing downwardly. The locking parts mounted on the center support 21 cooperate with other locking parts mounted on the cover 14 to position the cover on the housing, to yieldingly draw the cover downwardly and retain it in locked position on the housing.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 5, the cover 14 has rotatably mounted thereon a knob 40 provided with a central hub 41 in which is fixedly mounted a stud 42 having a head 43. The stud 42 extends downwardly below the hub 41 through the cover 14 and ferrule 44 therein. On its lower portion, the stud 42 is provided with a circumferential groove in which is mounted a ring 45. A coiled spring 46 surrounds the upper portion of the stud, below the head 43 and bears at one end against a part of the hub structure and at the other end against the cover 14. A locking pin 47 is fixed in and extends through the lower free end of the stud 42.

The operation of the described locking parts is as follows: When the cover 14 has been loosely placed on the housing wall 11 with the resilient bead 15 hearing on the upper edge of said wall, slight turning of the knob 40 will cause the locking pin 47 and stud 42 to register with the

slot

29, 30 in the center support flange 28 and automatically to pass downwardly through said slot, thereby centering the cover on the housing and center support in its intended position. A degree turn of the knob then moves the locking pin into the position shown in FIG. 5, where the opposite ends of the pin 47 begin to engage the oppositely inclined cam surfaces 37 of the members 31. Continued slight turning of the knob in a counter clockwise direction .as viewed from FIG. 8, causes the locking pin to engage the deepest portions of the cam surfaces 37 and to contact the stop cars 36 as shown in said figure. The resilient mounting of the stud 42 and pin' 47 relatively to the cover 14 provides the yielding play required to permit the pin ends to pass over the cam surfaces 3'7 and to lock the cover in stationary position on the housing. Turning of the knob in the reverse direction to a position where the locking pin 47 again registers with the slot 29 permits the cover to be raised and the pin 47 and stud 42 to be withdrawn from engagement with the locking parts on the center support.

The yielding means 15 between cover and housing, the yielding means 25 associated with the bolts 24 connecting the lower end of the center support to the cleaner bottom, and the spring 46 between knob 40 and cover, all contribute to smooth, noiseless and eflicient operation of the locking means whereby the cover is retained on the housing and center support.

Changes maybe made in details of construction and form and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1 claim:

l. A suction cleaner of the canister type having a housing including a bottom, vertical side walls and an open top, a removable cover closing said top, the bottom comprising two connected parts having overlapping edges and resilient means between said edges, a center support comprising an upright wall member and upper and lower flanges projecting laterally from said upright member, means extending through said overlapping edges of the bottom parts, resilient means between said edges, and through the lower flange connecting said center support to the bottom, said upright member extending from the bottom to near'the under side of the cover, and manually operable locking means. on top of the cover extending through the cover into engagement with the upper flange of the center support and drawing the cover downwardly on the housing side walls.

2. A suction cleaner of the canister type having a housing including a bottom, vertical side walls and an open top, a removable cover closing said top, a resilient peripheral member on the cover bearing on the upper edges of the side walls, the bottom comprising two connected parts having overlapping edges and resilient means between said edges, a center support comprising an upright wall member and upper and lower flanges projecting laterally from said upright member, means extending through said overlapping edges of the bottom parts, resilient means between said edges and through the lower flange connecting said center support to the bottom, said A upright member extending from the bottom to near the under side of the cover, and manually operable yielding locking means on top of the cover extending through the cover into engagement with the upper flange of the center support and yieldingly drawing the cover downwardly on the housing walls.

3. In a suction cleaner of the canister type having a dust bag and motor-fan unit housing including a bottom, vertical side walls and an open top, a removable cover closing said top, a housing sealing resilient peripheral member on the cover bearing on the upper edges of the side walls, a center-support for said cover extending around one side of said motor-fan unit comprising an upwardly inclined wall curved in horizontal section and located in dust bag protecting position in the housing, said upright wall having a bottom engaging laterally extending flange on its lower end and a horizontally extending flange on its upper edge located below and adjacent to the center of the cover, means connecting the lower flange to the bottom of the cleaner, and manually operable yielding locking means carried by the cover extending through the cover into engagement with said upper flange of the upwright wall and yieldingly drawing the cover downwardly on the housing side walls.

4. The suction cleaner defined by claim 3, in which the upper flange on the upright wall is slotted, and the locking means carried by the cover extends through the slotted flange and engages the under side of said flange in locking position.

5. The suction cleaner defined by claim 3, in which the flanges on the upright member extend laterally therefrom in opposite directions.

6. The suction cleaner defined by claim 3, in which the upright wall and flanges are integrally formed, the bottom engaging flange is connected to the bottom off center, and the upright wall is inclined upwardly from said bottom engaging flange to the flange on the upper edge of the wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,792,537 Irwin Feb. 17, 1931 1,933,105 Forsberg Oct. 31, 1933 2,287,806 Kamrath June 30, 1942 2,383,364 Bechman Aug. 21, 1945 2,584,551 Chambers et a1. Feb. 5, 1952 2,594,417 Gerber Apr. 29, 1 952 FOREIGN PATENTS 567,351 Great Britain Feb. 9, 1 945