US2271556A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Feb. $1942. R, s. BOYLE ETAL SUCTION CLEANER Filed D90. 23, 1938 Sheets-Sheet 1' Robert .5. flo yle a I tfi'arlea' 11. Taylor 5, MM ATTORNEY Feb. 3, 1942. v R. s. BOYLE Em. 2,271,556

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Dec. 25, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Robert JZBoyleli ilzai-lea H; T a /101 f yi ATTORNEY Feb. 3, 1942. R, s. BoYL E rAL sucnou CLEANER Filed Dec. 2:. 1938 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 R ob erf J. Boyle (3 I 6' arles Ta ylor' ATTORNEY Patentedomen STAT-ES- PATENT OFFICE v 2,57 ,556 l SUCTION cums Robert .s'. Boyle, Akron, out, and Charles H.

' Taylor, Springfield, Mass.

Hoover Company, Nort poration Ohio assignors to The Canton, Ohio, a cor- Application December 2:, 1938, Serial No. 241,430

15 Claims. gcl. 15-l83) vention comprises a rotary agitator for a'suction cleaner which includes helically extending brush elements which are subjected to wear in use, means being provided by which the brush elementscan' be adjusted radially to compensate for decreasein bristle length after prolonged use has made such adjustment necessary.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved rotary agitator for a. suction clean- A still further object of the invention is to provide a rotary agitator for a suction-cleaner which includes a helical brush which is radially adjustable. tion is to provide new and improved means by which a helically extending brush in a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner can be radially adjusted to compensate fordecrease in bristle length occasioned by wear. A still further object of the invention is to provide a helically $34, Figure 11 isasection through the brush extending brush element in a rotary agitator which includes a rigid back and flexible bristle the first embodiment of the present invention and embodying helically extending bristle elements;

A still further object of the invenelements, there being cooperating seats upon the element longitudinally within the brush seat.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which preferred embodiments of the presentinvention are disclosed and in which the same reference character refers to the same part throughout: 7 Figure 1 is a side elevation of a suction cleanerembodying the present invention, a section being a. shown through the forward part of the machine to illustrate the rotary agitator positioned within l the nomle;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the suction cleaner rotary. agitator in accordance with Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken along the helical brush element:

Figure 4 is a tranversesection through the agitator upon'the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view in perspective of the agitator with a portion of the body thereof broken away to illustrate the adjustable brush positioned therein; v

Figure 6 is an illustration of the helical brush positioned by the adjusting means in the "new brush" position;

Figure 7 is a view similar to brush positioned in the old brush position;

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the manually adjustable bar positioned in the bottom of the brush seat by which the user can adjust the brush position:

Figure 10 is a view similar toFigure 6 and shows a second preferred type oi adjustment in which the brush is moved longitudinally in its seat to accomplish the adjustment; 1 d its seat upon the line il-ll of Figure 10; I

Figure 12 is a section upon the line l2-I2 of Figure 10;

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figures 6 and 10 and illustrates a third preferred form of the brush adjustment; g

Figure 14 is a view in perspective of the'adjustment bar which is manually movable in the brush seat to accomplish the adjustment;

vFigure 15 is a section upon the line lB-i! of Figure 13; and

Figure 16 is a' fragmentary view of the indicating means for the adjuster looking in the direction indicated by the arrows lI-il of Figure '13.

In the modern suction cleaner foreign mate- 4 rial is dislodged from a surface covering undergoing cleaning by. a rotary agitator and is removed by the stream of air drawn through the machine by the suction-creating means thereof.

The preferred form of rotary agitator embodies both rigid heating elements and flexible brush elements. The former elements positively vibrate the surface covering and effectively dislodge therefrom the embedded foreign material while the latter elements effect a pile-straightening,

function. According to the present invention 7 helically arranged removable brush elements are embodied in the rotary agitator and are adjustable relative to the agitator body to compensate Figure 6 with the a ure 1 in particular, a modern suction cleaner is' Axially extending brush eleillustrated in which a main casing l includes a nozzle 2, a fan chamber 3 having an eye 4, an interconnecting air passageway 5, and an exhaustoutlet 6. Upon the casing is a motor casing I within which is positioned an unshown driving motor, the shaft 8 of which extends downwardly through the fan chamber 3-where it carries a suction creating fan 9 effective in cleaner operation to draw air into the nozzle 2 between the surface-contacting lips I0 and II, rearwardly through the air passageway 5, and through the eye l into the fan chamber 3. From the fan chamber 3 the air is exhausted through the outlet 6 into the filter bag l2 which is removably attached to the outlet 6 by manually operable means l3. This air stream passing through the cleaner removes any foreign material from a surface covering under-cleaning which has been dislodged by the rotating agitator positioned in the nozzle and indicated generally by the reference character l5. This agitator is rotated by means of the power-transmitting belt 16 which connects to the pulley i'i positioned at the lower end of the motor shafts.

The cleaner is movably supported upon an underlying surface by front wheels, indicated by the reference character IB, and by rear wheels, indicated by the reference character it, and, also in the manner of the usual cleaner, 8. pivoted handle 20 is provided by which the operator may exert the propelling force necessary to operate the machine. The cleaner in its general arrangement is common and well known tially midway of its length with a circumferential groove which functions as a pulley to seat the power-transmitting belt by which the agitator is driven. Agitator body 26 is provided with helically extending recessed brush seats 28 which may be integrally formed or formed of separate elements secured fixedly in place therein as by welding. Within each brush seat at is removably positioned a helical brush element 21 hereinafter more fully disclosed. Fixedly secured upon the surface of agitator body 25 and extending helically are rigid beater elements 28 which cooperate with the brush elements 21, in the operation of the agitator, to dislodge and clean the surface covering undergoing cleaning.

Cylindrical agitator body 24 is rotatably supand extends helically, preferably in alignmentwith a rigid beating element 28 upon the opposite side of the pulley '25, as illustrated in Figure 2. The side walls of the brush seat, in any given transverse plane of the agitator body, as illustrated in Figure 4, extend parallel to a radial line through the brush seat center in that plane, and the bottom wall of the seat extends perpendicular thereto in any given plane. The brush element 21 comprises a rigid back 3| which is shaped exactly as the brush seat 26 but is slightly narrower than that seat thereby providing a small clearance. The back 3i is fabricated of an outer relatively large U-shaped channel member 32, the bottom of which is closed by an inner relatively small U-shaped channel member 33. The flexible brush bristles 34, 34 etc. are secured to member 33 and extend upwardly and through the top of the large U- channel member 32.

The opposite ends of the brush back 3! are provided on their undersides with series of steps or seats 35, 35 which slope in the same direction at th opposite ends of the'back. The steps or seats at the two ends are equi-spaced and identical in arrangement. As a matter of fact there are two series of steps at each end of the brush back, one series on each side wall of the U-channel members,-but. as the two series of steps at each end of the back function together, they may be considered as a single series, and each pair of steps at the same height and at the same end of the brush back and may be considered as a single step or seat.

The brush 21 is removably held in its seat 28 by manually removable screws 40, 40 which extend downwardly through the back 3| into threaded relationship with the bottom wall of the seat which is reinforced at that point to receive the screw. The screws pass through the is provided at its opposite ends with pairs of shoulders 31, 31 which are spaced and positioned so as to cooperate with and support the brush Zack 3| by contacting seats thereon of the same e ght.

The adjusting bar 36 is adapted to be shifted along the brush back and accordingly is provided ported at each of its ends upon a shaft 29 by an end plate 30 which seats a ball bearing 22. A thread guard 23 carried by the shaft 29 adjacent each end plate 30 overlies -that.member to proat one end with a plurality of screw holes 4| which, while interconnected, are so spaced that with the screw ll! positioned in one, it cannot accidentally pass to an adjacent hole. Centers of the screw holes are spaced apart by a distance equal to the spacing of adjacent seats on the brush back, the relationship being such that the adjusting bar can be moved longitudinally of the brush back and retained in position by the screw 40 extending through the screw holes ll. Longitudinal movement'of the adjusting bar 38 causes tact and support the shoulders 35 which are uppermost on the brush back 3|. This permits the brush to have its innermost radial position relative to the agitator As the brush bristles become worn the adjusting bar will, from time to time be adjusted so as to cooperate with shoulders or seats 35 which are lower upon the brush back 3 I. This will result in the brush back being Y held at a greater radial extension to compensate tact with the shoulders" upon the brush back means of a shifting force applied to the adjust- .ing lever I to shift the adjuster bar 50 to bring the supporting shoulders 31 thereof into conwhich are lower-thereon for the purpose of holding the back to a greater radial extension. with the brush securely secured in position by the screws l0, 40 the adjuster bar 50 is clamped in tend to a radial distance which is substantially equal to that of the rigid beater bars 28, 28.

Referring now to Figures to 12, inclusive, of the drawings, the second preferred embodiment of the-invention is illustrated. In this embodiment the general appearance of the agitator and the arrangement of the brush elements relative to the beater elements is identical to that of the first embodiment as illustrated in Figure 2, and the difference in the embodiments lies inthe 1 means .by which the radial adjustment of the brushes is obtained. According to this second embodiment of the invention, when it is desired to adjust radially the brush element to compensate for bristle wear the retaining screws 40, are loosened sumciently topermit the brushv 21 to be shifted longitudinally, or more accurately helically, in the brush seat 26 so that lower shoulders 35 upon the brush back may engage the adjuster bar shoulders 31 which, in this embodiment, are fixedly positioned in the bottom of the brush seat. Each screw to extends in threaded relationship into a'nut which is slidingly carried in a guideway 46 on the underside of the bottom wall of the brush seat to permit the screw to be shifted with the brush. The second embodiment is characterized by the advantage that radial adjustment can be obtained without removing the brush from the agitator.

Referring now to Figures 13 to 16, inclusive, the third preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. As in the case of the second embodiment, it is not necessary to remove the brush in order to obtain radial adjustment. The removable helically extending brush 21 with its rigid back 3| is again retained within the helicallyextending brush seat 26 by screws 40, ll! which extend into reinforced portions of the'bottom of brushseat. The brush back is again formed with a series of sloping seats 35, 35 characteristic of the first two embodiments. The adjuster bar, in the present embodiment, is indicated by the reference character I50 and is formed with an upwardly extending lever 5| formed as a pointer at its end which extends upwardly adjacent the side of the brush seat near the iongitudinal midpointv thereof, as illustrated in Figure 15, and ends .adjacent a series of spaced numerals positioned upon the agitator surface, as

illustrated in Figure 16. Adjuster bar 50 is pro-- vided at its ends with the supporting shoulders 31, 81 which cooperate, as in the two previous embodiments with the brush back seats 35. In

. .this instance, however, the .bar is formed with position relative to the back and to the seat and it is impossible for a change in adjustment to takeplace. As distinguished from embodiment 2 in which the brush was itself shifted longitudinall'y in order to accomplish radial adjustment, in the present embodiment it is the adjuster bar which is shifted longitudinally.

We claim:

1. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, a part comprising a body including a helically extending brush seat, a part comprising a helically extending brush element in said seat, cooperating means to vary the radial extension of said brush element and comprising an angularly inclined support on one ofsaid parts and a cooperating support on the other part, sai supports being relatively adjustable longitudinally of said body and the position of said brush element in said seat being determined by the relationship of said supports, and means to secure said brush in said seat and the relative positions of said supports.

2. In a-rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, a part comprising a body including a helically extending brush seat, a part comprising a helically extending brush element in said seat, cooperating means to vary the radialextension of said brush to contact said seats, and means to secure said cooperating means in listed position and said element in said seat.

3. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, a

. part comprising a body including a helically ex adjustably positioned in said seat and adapted to extended slots 52 through-which 'the screws to extend, the relationship being such that with the contact selectively said supporting seats to vary 1 l.

the position of said element in said seat.

4. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, 9. part comprising a body including a helically extending brush seat, a part comprising a helically extending brush element removably positioned in said seat, spaced supporting seats at various heights on said element, supporting means adjustably positioned in said seat'and adapted to contact selectively said supporting seats to vary the position of said element in said seat, andmeans removably securing said element in said seat and said adjustable support in a fixed position.

prising a body rotatable about its major axis andincluding an elongated brush seat having a bottom wall, a brush element including a back and bristles positioned in said seat, cooperating rela--- tively movable supporting means on said back and in said seat, the said means in said seat being carried by and longitudinally shiftable along'said. bottom wall, the said cooperating supporting means being sov constructed and arranged that I said brush is supported at diiierent radial posi-.

screws loosened suiiiciently' it is possible, by "-5 tions relative to said major axis'inthe diflerent 5. A rotary agitator for a suction cleaner comlongitudinal positions of said means in said seat,- and manually operable means forcing said back into said seat and securing said cooperating means in a selected position.

6. A rotary agitator for a suction cleaner comprising a body, an elongated helically extending agitating element seat in said body, fixed means to support an agitating element in said seat, an elongated agitating element in said seat provided with longitudinally spaced supports at varying heights thereon adapted to cooperate selectively with the support means of said seat to position said element at a plurality of radial positions relative to said body, and adjustable means to retain said agitating element in adjusted position in said body.

'7. A rotary agitator for a suction cleaner comprising a body, an elongated helically extending agitating element seat in said body, an elongated agitating element longitudinally and radially adjustable in said body, fixed means to support said agitating element in said seat, and support means at various heights on said agitating element adapted to cooperate selectively with said fixed means to adjust said agitating element radially as it is manually adjusted longitudinally, and means to retain said agitating element in adjusted position.

8. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, a body, an elongated longitudinally extending helical seat fixedly positioned in said body, an

elongated helical agitating element positioned in said seat, helically arranged cooperating supporting means on said body and said agitating element to adjust said agitating element radially in said body, one of said means being longitudinally movable relative to said seat, and manually adjustable means to secure said agitating element in adjusted position.

9. In a rotary agitator for suction cleaners, a rotatable body formed with a helically extending brush seat, a helically extending brush including a rigid helically extending rigid back posiof varying heights longitudinally of said helically extending seat, said supporting means being adapted to cooperate selectively upon being j shifted longitudinally relative to one another.

tioned in and extended from-said seat, brush adjusting means slidable in said seat to adjust the radial position of said brush, and manually operable means extended to the surface of said body adjacent said brush seat, operable from the exterior of said body, and shiftabie longitudinally of said body to position said brush-adjusting means.

12. In a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner, a cylindrical body including an elongated helically extending brushseat, an elongated helical brush including a rigid back and bristles positioned in said seat, manually releasable means op 'erable' from the exterior of said body securing means in said seat to adjust said brush radially,

and manually operable-means positioned adjacent said brush seat at the surface of said body and shiftable longitudinally relative thereto to position said brush adjusting means.

13. A suction cleaner rotary agitator having a major axis of rotation and including an elongated brush seat, a brush-adjusting element in said seat shiftable longitudinally of said agitator including portions adapted to contact a brush positioned in said seat, and manually operable positioning means connected to said brush-adjusting element and extended to the peripheral surface of said agitator and adapted to transmit ashifting force to said element.

14. In a suction cleaner rotary agitator, a. body having an agitating element seat, an agitating element positioned in said seat and extended radially beyond said body, a plurality of means tioned in said seat and of slightly lesser width than said seat, and brush tufts extended from said rigid back beyond said body. and means to adjust said element radially in said seat and relative to the axis of rotation of said body including means dispiaceabie longitudinally rela-. tive to said back and positioned between said back and said seat. 7

10. In a rotary agitator for suction cleaners, a rotatable body formed with a helically extending brush seat, a helically extending brush inranged longitudinally relative to said back and fixed to said body adapted to contact said element to determine the radial position thereof relative to the axis of agitator rotation, said element being shiftable lengthwise of said seat to contact selectively certain of said fixed means,

and means cooperating with said fixed means to secure said element in said seat.

15. A rotary agitator for a suction cleaner comprising a body, an elongated agitating element seat on said body, an elongated agitating element in said seat and movable longitudinally thereof, cooperating supporting means on said element and said seat to position said element at various radial positions relative to the axis of rotation of said body in the various longitudinal positions of said element in said seat, and manually operable means to position fixedly said element and adapted to release said element to enable it to be adjusted to a new position.

, ROBERT S. BOYLE. CHARLES H. TAYLOR.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,271,556. February 5, 19m.

ROBERT S. BOYLE, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, sec-- ond colmnh, line 56, for adjustable seats" read -spaced seats--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this Ltth day of May, A. D. 19L;5.

. Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) v Acting cormnissioner of Patents.

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