US3619830A - Combined spotting board and spotting gun incorporating novel spotting method - Google Patents

Abstract

A SPOTTING GUN INCLUDING A SELECTIVELY CONTROLLED CHAMBER ADAPTED TO RECEIVE QUANTITIES OF FLUID AND AIR UNDER PRESSURE WHEREIN THE SAME IS MIXED AND DISCHARGED IN ATOMIZED CONDITION AGAINST A SPOT OR STAIN FOR REMOVING THE SAME FROM A PIECE OF FABRIC.

Description

N v- 16, 1971 w. M. HARRIS ETAL COMBlNED SPO TTINJ BOARD AND SPOTTINU GUN INCORPORATING NOVEL SPOT'IING METHOD 5 Sheets-Sheet J.

Original Filed April 19, 1963 Will/hm M. Harris Jul/an Reese WW 19m w. M. HARRIS ETAL 3,619,830 COMBINED SPOTTING BOARD AND SPOTTING GUN Nov. 16, 1971 INCORPORATING NOVEL SPOTTING METHOD Original Filed April 19, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 73 um 3w m& .3.

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William M. Harris Julian Reese INVIL'N'I'ORS m QM WW 3m Nov. 16, 1971 w. M. HARRIS ETAL 3,619,830 COMBINED SPO TTING BOARD AND SPOTTING GUN INCORPORATING NOVEL SPOTTING METHOD Original Filed April 19, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 f w m s m m W0 A m w W. E 6 M8 R mm wmm M W J M i Nov. 16, 1971 w. M. HARRIS ETAL 3,619,830 COMBINED SPOTTING BOARD AND SPOTTING GUN INCORPORATING NOVEL SPOTTING METHOD Original Filed April 19, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Fig. 7

Will/hm M. Harris Julian Reese 1971 w. M. HARRIS ETAL 3,619,330

COMBINED SPOTTING BOARD AND SPOTTING GUN INCORPORATING NOVEL SPOTTING METHOD Original Filed April 19, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet h 378 see 398 374 4/ 428 396 380 see 572 40a 4/4 427 442 440 e4 436 394 Q i :r"3.;': |f 3 O 1 a 3 L 7' 4/6 WIY/I'am M Harris Jul/an Reese Fig. /3

WWW/115m United States Patent 3,619,830 COMBINED SPOTIING BOARD AND SPOTTING GUN INCORPORATING NOVEL SPOTTING METHOD William M. Harris and Julian Reese, Spartanburg, S.C., assignors to Spotting Equipment Co., Inc., Spartanburg,

Continuation of application Ser. No. 781,6 49, Sept. 9, 1968, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 274,104, Apr. 19, 1963. This application Mar. 25, 1970,

Ser. No. 20,474

Int. Cl. B05b 7/04 U.S. Cl. 8149.1 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A spotting gun including a selectively controlled chamber adapted to receive quantities of fluid and air under pressure wherein the same is mixed and discharged in atomized condition against a spot or stain for removing the same from a piece of fabric.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 781,649, filed Sept. 9, 1968, and now abandoned, which is in turn a continuation of Ser. No. 274,104, filed Apr. 19, 1963 and now abandoned.

The present invention generally relates to a supporting table for use in the inspection and spot cleaning of textiles and includes a novel spotting board and a novel spotting gun together with a novel procedure in spotting textiles or garments either with a vacuum or without a vacuum.

Very often, during the manufacture of fabrics, dirt, grease or the like sometimes accidentally is transferred to the fabric. Inasmuch as dirt or grease spots are commercially objectionable, the fabric is normally inspected prior to its sale or use. Also, in the manufacture of dresses and other garments, spots quite often are left on the dresses which are discovered during the normal final inspection. Since these spots are objectionable, the dresses are usually completely cleaned which not only is costly but also is somewhat objectionable since the cleaning operation reduces to some extent the desirability of the garment in that the appearance is slightly affected and the feel of the fabric also is adversely affected. The spotting gun of the present invention may be placed directly at the final inspection station for purposes of use when a spot is discovered on a garment so that the spot may be quite readily and quickly removed and thereby eliminating any delay in delivery of the garment such as would be encountered when it is necessary to dry clean the complete garment. The spotting gun may be employed with a vacuum manifold assembly that can have any desirable shape or configuration to facilitate placement of the garment thereover and also the vacuum manifold may be swivelly mounted so that it can be pivoted to an out-ofthe-way position in relation to the inspection table when the spotting equipment is not employed. Of course, the spotting gun may be employed without the vacuum manifold since the air will actually pick-up the cleaning solution and the dirt or soil and carry it on through the fabric and out the other side whereby some absorbent backing may be employed for absorbing the cleaning solution and the soil thereby eliminating any residual soil spot or ring in the garment.

Thus, the improved spotting method may be employed with the spotting table or a spotting board of any suitable shape or size.

One practical application of the spotting table has been in manufacturing plants such as knitting mills or the like where the spotting table has peculiar advantages in the inspection and spotting of fabric that is normally wound into rolls by the knitting machinery.

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Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a novel combined inspection table and spotting board over which the fabric is moved so that the fabric may not only be inspected for dirt spots, grease spots, imperfections or the like but also the dirt spots or grease spots may be rapidly and quickly removed in an expeditious manner and in such a novel manner that no spot or ring is left after the cleaning operation has been carried out.

In carrying out an important object of the present invention, the spotting board includes an area of reticulated material disposed in a table top surface together with a trough-like adapter underlying the reticulated area and communicated with a vacuum producing mechanism whereby the cleaning solution or solvent together with the dirt or grease will be drawn downwardly through the fabric after application of the cleaning solvent onto the soiled spot on the fabric thereby quickly and easily removing the soiled spot and also removing the cleaning solvent thus eliminating the formation of a cleaning ring or the like such as occurs when a cleaning solution is placed onto the dirt or grease spot and the dirt or grease is merely spread over a larger area.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a spotting board combined with an inspection table having novel means thereon for supporting a supply roll of fabric and supporting a take-up roll both of which are driven in a particular manner from a single prime mover such as an electric motor. This assembly enables the movement of the fabric to be reversed and at all times retained in a wrinkle-free condition with both the supply roll and take-up roll being driven in such a manner that the fabric is not stretched which would cause the edges thereof to pull inwardly.

Still another feature of the present invention is to provide a spotting board and inspection table which is simple in construction, easy to install, easy to operate, effective for the purposes of cleaning and inspecting the fabric, dependable and long-lasting and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the spotting board and inspection table of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the construction of FIG. 1 illustrating the orientation of the components of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a vertical, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 33 of FIG. 1 illustrating the structural arrangement of the components of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a detailed top plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 44 of FIG. 3 illustrating the bafiie construction employed in the vacuum trough;

FIG. 5 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5-5 of FIG. 1 illustrating further structural details of the drive mechamsm;

FIG. 6 is a top plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 6-6 of FIG. 5 illustrating further structural details of the drive mechamsm;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a spotting board and spotting gun assembly such as would be employed adjacent an inspection table for garments;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the spotting gun of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the discharge end of the spotting gun;

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 10-10 of FIG. 9 illustrating the details of construction of the FIG. 11 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 1111 of FIG. 10 illustrating further structural details of the FIG. 12 is a perspective end view of the spotting gun with the barrel removed; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the barrel that is detachably connected to the gun.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the spotting board of the present invention which includes a supporting member 12 generally in the form of a table top which inclines from the front thereof as illustrated in FIG. 1 towards the rear and upwardly to provide a flat but upwardly inclined supporting surface for fabric or textile 14 to be inspected and cleaned when necessary. The support member 12 is supported by four vertically disposed corner legs 16 of any convenient construction such as angle iron members. The upper ends of the end legs 16 are interconnected by side members 18 also preferably of angle iron construction. Interconnecting the upper ends of the front legs 18 is a longitudinal angle iron member 20 and interconnecting the upper ends of the rear legs 16 is a longitudinal angle iron member 22. Intermediate the vertical height of the rear legs 16, there is provided a longitudinal angle iron member 24 rigidly interconnecting the legs and extending between the front and rear legs at each end of the supporting structure is a pair of angle iron members 26 which join to the rear legs 16 in the same horizontal plane as the angle iron member 24 and which are joined at their front ends to the front legs 16. Adjacent the bottom of the supporting structure, the rear legs are interconnected by an angle iron member 28 and angle iron members 30 interconnect the rear legs and the front legs. Interconnecting the front legs 16 is a tubular brace member 32 in the form of a pipe or the like and the tubular member 32 has a plurality of longitudinally spaced depending brackets 34 thereon which pivotally support an elongated foot pedal or treadle 36 which has a plurality of forwardly extending brackets 38 thereon pivotally connected to the depending brackets 34 by a pivot pin 40. One of the brackets 38 is continuous and includes an elongated rearwardly extending operating rod 42 which extends to the rear of the supporting structure and is pivotally connected to an upstanding operating rod 44 which extends upwardly behind the operating structure.

The front edge of the supporting surface 12 is downturned as indicated at 46 for providing a smooth surface and a roller 48 is disposed immediately forwardly of the corner of the supporting surface 12 and the roller 48 includes axially extending spindles 50 journaled in brackets 52 attached to the corner legs 16. The brackets 52 have an upwardly opening notch 54 in the upper surface thereof for enabling the roller 48 to be removed when desired.

Supported below and in spaced parallel relation to the roller 48 is a supply roller 56 having axially extending spindles 58. The supply roller 56 receives a supply of the fabric 14 and the spindles 58 are rotatably and removably supported by brackets generally designated by numeral Each bracket includes an elongated member 62 pivotally attached to one of the horizontal braces 26 by a pivot pin or bolt 64. An arcuate slot 66 is provided therein for receiving an adjusting bolt 68 extending therethrough and extending through the front leg 16 thus adjusting the angular orientation of the bracket member 62. The upper edge of the bracket 62 is provided with a longitudinally extending shoulder 70 which projects inwardly thus forming a rolling support for the spindles 58. Adjacent the outer end of the shoulder 70 there is provided a notch or recess 72 which rotatably journals the spindles 58 when they are positioned therein. Thus, with this construction, the angular orientation of the shoulder 70 may be varied thus enabling the supply roll of fabric 14 to roll down the inclined shoulder 70 towards a drive roller 74 journaled on bearing blocks 76 carried by the horizontal braces 26. The roller 74 is provided with a covering 78 of frictionproducing material which is spirally wound on the roller and which will engage the fabric roll and rotate it in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the roller 74. The roller 74 may be of resilient material or it may be of metal material with the coating 78 being of resilient character but provided with a sandpaper-like finish on the external surface thereof. One end of the drive roller 74 is driven by virtue of an extending spindle 80 driven by a sprocket chain 82 encircling a sprocket gear 84 received in a protective housing 86.

Supported on upstanding side plates or brackets 88 is a take-up roll 90 for receiving the fabric 14. The fabric 14 and the take-up roll 90 are driven by a drive roller 92 identical in construction to the drive roller 74. The roller 90 includes axial spindles 94 rotatably and movably received in vertically extending slots 96 in the brackets 88 thereby enabling the spindles 94 to move upwardly as the diameter of the take-up roll 90 increases and also enabling the take-up roll to be removed after all of the fabric 14 has been wound thereon. The external surface of the take-up roll 92 is provided with a coating 94 similar to the coating 78 described in conjunction with the roller 74. Both the spindles 94 and 58 may be provided with abutments 98 to prevent axial shifting of the respective rollers.

At the juncture between the brackets 98 and the table top surface 12, there is provided an idler roller 100 under which the fabric 14 passes. The idler roller 100 is provided with spindles 102 received in inclined notches 104 formed in the forward edges of the brackets for removably receiving the roller 100 which serves to retain the fabric 14 in adjacent parallelism to the table top surface 12 but which will be easily removable when desired and which will somewhat gage the tautness of the fabric and prevent it from being pulled too tightly. The upper end of the bracket 82 is provided with a notch 106 for temporarily holding the take-up roll 90 and also, the roller 100 is provided with abutments 108 similar to the abutments 98.

The roller 92 is mounted on a shaft 110 extending through suitable bearings 112 in the bracket plates 88 with one end of the shaft 100 being connected with a sprocket gear 114 driven from a sprocket chain 116. Both the sprocket chain 82 and sprocket chain 116 are driven from sprocket gears 118 on the output shaft of a power assembly. The output shaft 120 is connected to an upper spur gear 122 in meshing engagement with a lower spur gear 124 which is supported by a shaft 126 having a drive pulley 128 mounted thereon. The sprocket gears 122 and 124 and their respective shafts are supported between plates 130 attached to a lower brace member 30 and a supporting bracket 132 thereon. This will assure that a positive drive is provided for the sprocket gears 118 and that the sprocket chains 116 and 82 will be driven at the same speed. Inasmuch as the drive rollers 74 and 92 are of the same construction and are rotated at the same speed, the peripheral speed of the surface of the rollers will be identical thereby assuring that the same quantity of fabric will be wound on the take-up roll as will be wound off of the supply roll.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 6, the drive assembly is illustrated as including an electric motor 134 of the reversible type mounted on a suitable supporting plate 136. The drive motor has an output pulley 138 engaged with an encircling V-belt 140. The V-belt 140 encircles a large pulley 142 carried by a supporting shaft 144 supported by bearing blocks 146. Disposed on the shaft 144 between the bearing blocks 146 is a small pulley 148 having a V-belt 150 encircling the same with the V-belt 150 also encircling a larger pulley 152 carried by an idler shaft 154 supported on bearing blocks 156. The end of the shaft 154 opposite from the end having the pulley 152 mounted thereon is provided with a pulley 158 receiving a V-belt 160. The V-belt 160 is received over one portion of a variable speed pulley 162 and the other portion of the variable speed pulley is designated by numeral 164 and receives a V-belt 168. The V-belt 168 encircles a pulley 170 mounted on a shaft 172 carried by bearing blocks 174. The outer end of the shaft 172 is provided with a pulley 176 receiving a V-belt 178 which encircles the pulley 128 on the bottom input shaft 126 for driving the bottom spur gear 124 and, of course, a correspondingly driving the upper spur gear 122 which in turn drives the output shaft 120 and the sprockets 118 thereon.

The variable speed pulley assemblies are journaled on a shaft 180 which is supported by a pair of offset links 182 attached to a shaft 184 that is carried by the base plate 136 by brackets 186. One end of the shaft 184 is provided with an offset arm 188 to which an operating link 190 is attached. The operating link 190 is connected with a handle structure 192 whereby movement of the handle structure will cause the output speed of the machine to vary. The handle structure includes an operating handle 194 extending upwardly alongside of the supporting structure for controlling the speed of the drive rollers by varying the relative diameters of the variable speed pulleys by shifting the position of the rotational axis 180 thereof thus correspondingly increasing and decreasing the diameters of the pulleys 162 and 164 for varying the relative speeds of the V-belts 160 and 168 in an obvious manner.

Adjacent the forward end of the supporting surface 12, there is provided an elongated opening 196 having a transparent panel 198 therein which may be either glass, plastic or the like. Disposed under the panel 198 is a fluorescent lighting fixture 200 having the usual elongated fluorescent tube or tubes 202. A suitable reflector and support structure of generally U-shaped trough-like configuration 204 is provided for supporting the fluorescent fixture 200 from the undersurface of the table top surface 12. The fluorescent fixture and the reflector 204 may be supported in any suitable manner. For example one edge of the fluorescent reflector trough 204 may be supported from the longitudinal angle iron member and a similar longitudinal angle iron member 206 may be provided for supporting the rear edge of the trough 204. Thus, as the cloth or fabric 14 passes over the transparent panel 198 which is illuminated by the elongated bulb or bulbs 202, any grease spots, dirt or other imperfections or foreign material will be easily observed by an operator.

Disposed rearwardly of the angle iron member 206 is a vacuum trough 208 supported from the angle iron member 206 and from a similar longitudinal angle iron member 210 spaced therefrom. Forming a closure for the trough-like vacuum channel 208 is a perforated screen member 212 such as a reticulated or foraminous stainless steel panel or the like. This will enable air to pass downwardly through the screen-like panel 212 into the vacuum trough 208 which has a depending tube 214 connected therewith together with a suitable hose 216 connected thereto by a clamp 218. The hose 216 extends to a source of vacuum such as a conventional industrial vacuum machine or vacuum cleaner which induces a vacuum in the trough 208 and pulls the air down through the perforated screen 212. Thus, when any cleaning solvent is applied to the fabric, the cleaning fluid along with the soil entrained therein will be drawn downwardly through the perforated screen 212 thus completely cleaning the fabric 14 and eliminating any dirt ring or soil ring therein.

Disposed within the trough-like member 208 is an inverted V-shaped baflle 220 extending throughout the length thereof. The batfle 220 has a plurality of apertures or holes 222 formed therein and as illustrated in FIG. 4, the apertures adjacent the center of the baflle 220 are smaller than the apertures at the outer ends thereof. The gradient between the sizes of the apertures is provided for providing an even vacuum throughout the entire area of the screen 212. In other words, with the baflle arranged in the manner illustrated and with the holes orientated in the manner illustrated, the vacuum induced by connection of the hose 216 to a suitable vacuum cleaner will be evenly distributed throughout the entire area of the reticulated or screen member.

One rear corner of the supporting frame is provided with a generally L-shaped supporting rod 224 having a depending hook 226 on the free end thereof for sup-- porting a conductor or insulated wire assembly 228. The conductor assembly 22 8 has a control switch 230 on the terminal end thereof which hangs in overlying relation to the table surface thereby enabling an operator to readily and quickly start and stop motor 134.

Various control mechanisms are provided including a reversing switch 232 for the reversible motor 134 to reverse movement of the fabric when desired. A switch (not shown) is provided for controlling the vacuum cleaner and a switch 234 is provided for controlling the fluorescent inspection light and the speed of operation of the drive rollers may be varied by varying the variable speed pulley assembly.

The supply roll 14 is loaded onto the machine by placing the spindles 58 in the notches 72 carried by the brackets 60 so that the supply roll 14 is freely rotatable. Thus, the fabric may be hand pulled upwardly and passed over the idler roller 48 and then rearwardly over the supporting surface, under the roller 100' and then around the take-up roller so that at least one convolution of fabric is placed on the take-up roller 90. The supply roll 14 is then moved inwardly so that the spindles 58 rest on the inclined shoulders 70 and due to gravity, the supply roll 14 is adjacent the outer end of the brackets 60. The fabric from the supply roll is taken off at the front edge of the supply roll as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 whereby the upward pull on the cloth or fabric will roll the supply roll upwardly of the inclined surface of the shoulder 70 into engagement with the supply roll drive roller. The upward pull on the cloth is produced by the fact that the take-up roll drive roller is operating by virtue of the hand switch 230 being closed and of course, the reverse switch 232 being in the proper position. As soon as the supply roll engages the drive roller 74, the drive roller will cause rotation of the supply roll whereby the peripheral speed of feeding of the supply roll will be the same as the peripheral speed of the take-up of the take-up roll so that no excessive tension is provided in the fabric which would cause the fabric to pull inwardly from the side edges thus reducing the width and causing the fabric to be rejected since it does not conform to the standard width desired.

When the movement of the fabric is reversed by reversing the direction of the electric motor 134, the supply roll will kick away from the drive roller 74 due to the action of gravity and also due to the initial rotational movement of the supply roll while it is still engaged temporarily with the drive roller 74 therefor.

As indicated before, the notch is used when loading the machine or if it is desired to merely transfer fabric from one roll to another without inspecting it, the supply roll can be placed in the notches. Inasmuch as the supply roll will be in a position to be engaged by the knees of an operator, very little exertion is required in engaging either a single knee or both knees with the supply roll and forcing it inwardly so that the spindles are moved inwardly out of the notches in the brackets 60 onto the shoulders 70. Of course, with the supply roll being substantially filled with fabric, the supply roll cannot move inwardly to a degree that would enable the angulation thereof to cause one of the spindles to drop off of the shoulder '70.

As illustrated, the orientation of the drive roller 74 in relation to the supply roll is critical inasmuch as the angle of attack or engagement between the drive roll and the supply roll eliminates slack and tensioning. Tensioning reduces the width of the fabric while slack quite often gets on the floor, becomes dirty and sometimes will double back and become tangled. Thus, this particular arrangement with the rotational axis of the drive roller slightly above the rotational axis of the supply roll is necessary for proper operation of the supply roll during discharge of the fabric therefrom.

It is pointed out that the inspection table of the present invention is useful in inspecting fabric without the use of the vacuum trough inasmuch as the orientation of the lights enables inspections for holes, imperfections and the like. The vacuum system also will remove any dust which may be in the fabric but the primary purpose for the vacuum is for use in combination with a spotting gun, the details of which are illustrated in FIGS. 8-13 of the drawings. The spotting gun may be supported in any suitable manner such as on the hook 226 or preferably alongside of the frame at a desired position so that the hoses which extend from the air supply and cleaning solution supply do not become excessively worn or entangled. The foot pedal 36 operates the air supply by controlling a solenoid valve switch that is actuated by the operating rod or link 44 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 7, the spotting gun is generally designated by numeral 240' and a cleaning solution hose 242 extends from the spotting gun 240 into a pressure tank 244 containing cleaning solution and which is pressurized by air. The air is supplied to the pressure tank 244 through an inlet fitting 246 and, of course, a suitable regulating valve may be provided for maintaining the pressure within the tank at a desired level. A pressure gage 248 is provided for indicating the pressure within the cleaning solution supply tank 24 and a removable closure 250 and retainer 252 therefor is provided for enabling replenishment of the supply of cleaning solution. The hose 242 is of any suitable type, preferably constructed of nylon provided with a reinforced fiber cover or the like.

The spotting gun 240 is also provided with an air supply hose 254 which, in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, is communicated with a suitable source of air pressure through the solenoid valve assembly which is controlled by the switch actuated by the foot pedal 36 whereby actuation of the foot pedal 36 will cause discharge of air from the spotting gun which is uncontrolled at the gun itself. Thus, the only control for the air is the foot pedal 36 and, of course, the spotting gun is hand held and thumb pressure may be exerted for controlling the discharge of the cleaning solution in a manner described in detail hereinafter in conjunction with the structure illustrated in FIGS. 8-13.

Referring further to FIG. 7, the air supply hose 254 extends into a valve housing 256 mounted on top of a tubular housing or casing 258 having an air inlet fitting 260 extending thereinto adjacent the top but spaced from the top thereof. The air inlet 260 is connected to a suitable source of pressurized air. The tubular housing or casing 258 forms a buffer tank so that the air pressure will be substantially constant when delivered through the hose 254 even though the valve may be opened and closed a number of times. The valve assembly is of conventional construction and includes a stem 262 slidablyextending through a guide plate 264 and engaged by a pivotal lever 266 for causing reciprocation of the stem 262. The lever 266 is pivoted to a bifurcated bracket 268 and has an operating end 270 extending through a slotted or bifurcated upper end 272 of a generally U-shaped guide memher 274. A compression coil spring 276 encircles the stem 262 and engages the transverse guide member 264 and 8 also engages a washer or abutment 278 at the upper end thereof for retaining the stem 262 to a closed position. Inasmuch as the upper end of the stem 2'62 engages the undersurface of the lever or arm 266, the lever or arm 266 may be pivoted downwardly so that the stem 262 may be reciprocated.

The outer end of the lever 266, that is, the operating end 270, is provided with an actuating rod 280 having a threaded upper end 282 extending through the apertured and notched end of the lever 280 and retained in adjusted position by any suitable means such as a wing nut 284 or the like. The lower end of the operating rod 280 is provided with a laterally extending lug 286 which is disposed in encircling relation to an elongated operating rod 288 that has an adjustable stop collar 298 slidable thereon. The stop collar 298 is provided with a setscrew 292 for adjusting the collar in relation to the rod 288. The lower end of the rod 288 is disposed in perpendicular relationship as indicated by numeral 294 and extends through the apertured end of an operating arm 296 attached to and movable with a foot pedal 298. The foot pedal 298 is pivotally supported by overlapping lugs 308 carried by the foot pedal 298 and a base plate 302. A hinge rod 304 interconnects the lugs 300 for pivotally mounting the foot pedal 298 on the base plate 302. Suitable retaining elements such as cotter pins 306 or the like are provided for retaining the pivot rod 304 in position and also similar fastening elements 308 are provided for retaining the lower end 294 of the rod 298 attached to the arm 296.

The buffer tank or housing 258 is rigidly affixed to the base 302 such as by welding 310 or the like and also, a vacuum tank 312 is mounted rigidly on the base 302 by similar welding 314 or the like and the vacuum tank 312 is provided with a lateral fitting 316 adjacent the upper end thereof for connection with a suitable vacuum supply such as a vacuum pipe in an industrial plant or a suitable vacuum producing mechanism thereby enabling vacuum to be continuously induced in the vacum tank 312 in the same manner as air pressure is continuously provided in the housing or air tank 258 and also continuously supplied to the cleaning soiution pressure tank 244.

At the upper end of the vacuum tank .312 there is provided a valve assembly generally designated by numeral 318 and including an L-shaped fitting 320 having an operating stem 322 extending upwardly therefrom for engagement with an operating lever 324 that is pivotally supported by a laterally extending bracket 326 attached to the fitting 320 and including a pivotal mounting pin 328 for pivotally interconnecting the lever 324- and the bracket 326 at a point intermediate the ends of the lever 324 whereby the pivotal movement of the lever 324 will result in reciprocation of the valve stem .322 inasmuch as the end of the lever 324 is bifurcated as at 330 for engagement under an abutment washer 332 on the upper end of the valve stem 322.

The end of the lever 324 remote from the valve stem 322 is provided with a laterally extending lug 334 which adjustably and slidably receives the operating rod 288. A compression spring 336 is disposed around the rod 288 above the lug 334 and an adjustable collar 338 engages the upper end of the spring 336 whereby depression of the pedal 298 will move both of the rods 280 and 288 downwardly for opening the air valve and also opening the vacuum valve for supplying air through the spotting gun and at the same time enabling the vacuum to be induced in a hollow adapter or fitting 340 which may be inserted into various parts of the garment in a manner described hereinafter.

The adapter 340 is in the form of a hollow tubular member 342 having closed ends 344 and a perforated area 346 on the upper surface thereof. A depending internally threaded adapter or fitting 348 is provided on the lower end of the tubular member 342 and is threadedly engaged with a short vertical pipe section 350 whereby the tubular member 342 may be swivelled about the longitudinal axis of the pipe member 350 and the fitting 348. Pipe fittings 352 interconnect the vertical pipe 350 and the valve fitting 318 thus communicating the vacuum in the tank 312 with the interior of the tubular spotting board 342 when the valve stem 322 is elevated thus causing air to move inwardly through the perforated portion of the tubular member 342. The tubular member 342 may conveniently be in the form of a stainless steel or other non-corrosive rigid member. For example, a stainless steel pipe may be flattened into substantially an oval-shaped cross-sectional configuration and the ends thereof closed and the apertures or perforations 346 formed therein. The perforations 346 may be over a major portion of the tubular member 342 or only over the end portion as illustrated in FIG. 7. Thus, with the spotting board 340 disposed above the level of an inspection table, it can be swung into a position overlying the edge of the inspection table so that a garment may be placed thereon and the spotting gun 240 employed. Depressing the foot pedal 298 will turn on the air to the spotting gun and at the same time introduce vacuum into the tubular member 342 for causing air to flow downwardly through the garment placed in overlying relation to the perforations 346.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 8-13, the details of construction of the spotting gun is illustrated and this includes a handle 354 which is preferably hollow and provided with end grommets 356 or the like whereby a readily grippable hand-operated gun is provided. The handle portion of this gun may be quite similar to that presently being employed in spotting guns. One end of the handle 354 is provided with a longitudinal rigid tube 358 and a similar rigid tube 360 which are connected to the cleaning solution hose 242 and the air hose 254 respectively. At the opposite end of the handle 354, there is provided a rigid tube 362 for the cleaning solution and a rigid tube 364 for the air both of which extend generally parallel to each other. The tube 362 has an arcuate stop member 366 rigidly attached thereto for engagement with the inner end of an adjustable stop screw 368 carried by a thumb-operated handle 370 which operates a valve stem 372 reciprocally mounted in a tubular housing 374. The valve body 374 is provided with a threaded end portion 376 having a knurled retaining cap 378 thereon. The retaining cap includes an internal flange 380 which is received within a groove 382 formed in a guide member 384. One side of the groove 382 is defined by a peripheral flange 386 which holds the guide member 384 downwardly against a shoulder 388 formed in the valve body 374 and an O-ring seal 390 is provided between the shoulder and the inner end of the guide 384 thereby sealing the guide in relation to the valve body but enabling removal of the guide and the valve stem 372 mounted therein when the cap 378 is unscrewed. The outer end of the guide 384 is provided with a knurled closure cap 392 engaging one end of a coil compression spring 394 which has the other end thereof engaging an enlarged head or upper end 396 on the valve stem 372 which also has a clamping nut 398 thereon engaging the seal 390 which preferably is in the form of a diaphragm for sealing the valve stem so that the pressurized cleaning solvent or solution in the internal bore 400 of the valve body 374 will not leak past the valve stem into the guide 384 since the guide 384 is provided with a notch 402 which receives the inner end of the operating handle 370. The operating handle 370 is provided with a pivot pin 404 which pivotally mounts the operating handle to the guide and the inner end of the handle 370 is bifurcated for receiving the stem 372 and engaging under the head 396 for enabling reciprocation of the valve stem 372 in relation to the valve housing 374.

The rigid tubular member 362 communicates with the longitudinal passageway 400 by virtue of a passageway 406 extending radially into the interior of the body 374 for communication with the passageway 400. Also, the valve body 374 includes a threaded end portion 408 for detachably receiving a barrel member 410 which is internally threaded at the inner end thereof as designated by numeral 412 for threaded engagement with the threaded end 408 of the body 374. The barrel 410 includes a longitudinal bore 414 having a concentrically arranged tubular member 416 rigidly attached to the barrel 410 at the inner end thereof by a valve seat 418 for engagement by a resilient sealing member 420 on the end of the stern 372. The sealing member 420 engages the valve seat defined by the partition 418 and the tubular member 416 to normally seal this small passageway designated by numeral 422. Further, a sealing ring 424 is provided between the end of the threaded end portion 408 and the shoulder defined by the partition 418 for forming an effective seal for the barrel 410 whereby the pressurized cleaning solution will be discharged from the outer end of the tube or nozzle 416 into the larger passageway 414 when the valve stem 372 is retracted when the actuating handle 370 is depressed by the thumb.

Also, the housing 374 is provided with a tubular extension 426 which surrounds the barrel 410 and provides an annular space therebetween as designated by numeral 428. The air tube 364 communicates with the space 428 and the barrel 410 is provided with a plurality of radial apertures 430 extending inwardly into the passageway 414 thus introducing pressured air into the passageway 414 at a point spaced inwardly from the discharge end of the tube 416 or nozzle 416. Thus, as the air passes downwardly through the passage 414, it will pick up and entrain the cleaning solution and will also form more or less of an air curtain over the cleaning solution. In fact, the passageway 414 enlarges slightly at the terminal end thereof as designated by numeral 432 and is provided with a threaded terminal end portion 434. A discharge nozzle 436 is attached to the end of the barrel 410 by virtue of a flanged retaining cap 438 which is knurled and which has an internal flange 440 engaging an external flange 442 on the nozzle 436. A sealing gasket 444 is provided between the flange 442 and the terminal end of the barrel 410 and the cap 438 is knurled for ease of removal thereof.

A knurled nut 4 27 is provided for closing the end of the extension or sleeve 426 and serves not only as a closure but a lock nut for retaining the barrel in place. The discharge end of the nozzle 436 is flattened as at 446 for the purpose of providing a slot-like discharge orifice 448 which serves the purpose of concentrating the discharge for the purpose of more effectively removing certain types of spots such as mineral oil, silicon base oil and greases. It is pointed out that the specific shape of the discharge nozzle may vary depending upon the type of spots to be removed and the desired results.

With this gun, the cleaning solution generally referred to in the trade as Perc is mixed with the air in the gun and discharged as a finely atomized pressurized cleaning solution which will effectively remove any spots and at the same time, the air will cause the soil to be discharged from the inner side of the garment or fabric. This basic process of mixing the air and cleaning solution while under pressure may be used along or combined with the vacuum system illustrated either in FIG. 7 or in FIGS. 1-6 whereby the vacuum induced under the garment or fabric will assure that the soil and the cleaning solution both will be removed from the garment thereby eliminating any possibility of a soil ring being formed thereon. This is in clear distinction to conventional procedure wherein air and water are used with the discharge point of the air being spaced away from the discharge point of the cleaning water or solution thereby requiring subsequent treatment by the water or cleaning solution and then the air for, in effect, actually drying the cleaning solution which will leave a soil ring on the fabric or garment.

Heretofore, the cleaning solution known as Perc has not been employed in a spotting gun of this nature since its use has been limited to a cleaning machine. Thus, it is an essential feature of this invention to combine the Perc solution and air and discharge it as a mixed pressurized and atomized cleaning solution while under pressure. Also, a curtain of air may be discharged from the barrel by leaving longitudinal openings in the end of the barrel communicating with the annular space between the barrel and the tubular extension or shroud which surrounds the barrel in concentric relation thereto. This Will discharge longitudinally a tubular curtain of air which will tend to prevent lateral dispersal of the mixed air and cleaning solution.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

We claim:

1. In a cleaning system for textile fabrics and the like having a spotting gun including, a handle, and a flexible fluid pressure line communicating with a source of air and the like under pressure, the improvement comprising: nozzle means including a mixing chamber carried by the handle; a source of liquid cleaning fluid under pressure; a flexible cleaning fluid pressure line communicating between said mixing chamber and said source of liquid cleaning fluid under pressure; a manually operable valve means for selectively opening and closing the mixing chamber to access to said liquid cleaning fluid; said flexible fluid pressure line communicating with said mixing chamber and having valve means for opening and closing the mixing chamber to access to said air under pressure; said mixing chamber having at least one opening through which said air under pressure is introduced therein, at least one said opening being disposed at an angle with respect to said chamber to permit mixing of said air and said cleaning fluid in said chamber, and means defining a restricted discharge orifice communicating with said mixing chamber through which said mixed liquid cleaning fluid and air under pressure may be discharged and directed to fabric to be cleaned; whereby the liquid cleaning fluid is finely atomized in the air, both being under pressure within the mixing chamber, and directed to a soil spot on a fabric so as to cause the cleaning fluid to pass through the fabric carrying the soil without leaving a ring on the fabric.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said fluid pressure line and said cleaning fluid pressure line pass through said handle, said fluid pressure line being fixed with respect to said noule means for introducing air into said mixing chamber intermediate its ends, said manually operable valve means including a thumb actuating member at one end of the nozzle means, a needle discharge orifice opened and closed responsive to movement of said thumb actuating member for controlling the admission of liquid cleaning fluid under pressure into the mixing chamber, said discharge orifice being positioned at the other end of the nozzle means, and said nozzle means defining a discharge orifice defining an elongated slot-like discharge opening.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2, wherein said nozzle means includes a barrel, and a tubular extension spaced concentrically from said barrel to define an annular space therebetween, the source of air under pressure communicating with the annular space from whence air is introduced under pressure into the extension, and said needle discharge orifice introducing liquid cleaning fluid under pressure into said extension, whereby a 1ongitudinal tubular curtain of air tends to prevent lateral dispersion of the mixed air and cleaning solution surrounded thereby.

4. The structure as set forth in claim 2, including a spotting board for receiving the fabric when said finely atomized liquid cleaning fluid and air under pressure is directed thereto.

5. The structure as set forth in claim 2, including an inspection table over which the fabric is passed prior to directing said finely atomized liquid cleaning fluid and air under pressure thereto for locating soil spots.

6. In a process for spot cleaning a fabric orientated to allow atomized fluid to pass freely therethrough by the discharge of atomized fluid from the nozzle of a spray gun, the improvement comprising minimizing the formation of a residual soil ring on the fabric after discharge of the atomized fluid by providing a gun having a mixing chamber with at least one opening disposed at an angle therewithin, fluid conducting lines leading to said chamber, valve means for each of said lines and a restricted dispensing nozzle in communication with the chamber, introducing cleaning fluid under pressure through one of said lines into said chamber by actuation of said valve means, introducing air under pressure through another of said lines into said at least one opening by actuation of said valve means whereby the air and cleaning fluid are mixed in said chamber with the air forming more or less of an air curtain over the cleaning fluid, conducting said pressurized mixture from said mixing chamber to said dispensing nozzle, discharging said mixture from said nozzle whereby the fluid becomes atomized, and directing said discharged atomized fluid against the spot to be cleaned.

7. The process of claim 6 further including the step of providing an additional peripheral curtain of air about the mixture from said air under pressure for confining the same upon its discharge from the nozzle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,284,572 5/ 1942 Holder 68-240 2,619,821 12/1952 Fink 68240 X 2,804,343 8/1957 Friedell 239-398 X 2,967,670 1/ 1961 McRoberts 68240 X WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner P. R. COE, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

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