US2281863A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

May 5, 1942. D. G. SMELLIE 2,281,863

/ suc'rIoN CLEANR Filed July 1o, v1939 INVENTOR omuw a.. @meme BY :fwd/sys@ ATTORN EY APeltcntefl MBV 51 'l-UNITED STATES PATENT ica SUCTION CLEANER mmm a. saisine.' canton, omo, assigner to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio," a

corporation of Ohio Application July 10, 1939, Serial N0. 283,517

of use, it becomes necessary that they be ad- )usted radially in order that they continue to operate satisfactorily. The present invention is directed to a construction -by which the agitating elements subject to wear can be adjusted radially in a simple lmanner and by a construction whichv cannot be clogged by the foreign material with vide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner rotary agitator. A

vfurther object of the invention is to provide new and improved agitating element adjusting means in a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner. A-

further object of the inventionv is to provide means to adjust the brush element radially in a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner which means are so constructed and arranged as to prevent which the agitator is always' in contact in operation.

Referring again to the drawing, and to Figure 1 in particular, a modern suction cleaner is shown and is seen to comprise a nozzle i which is interiorly connected through a passageway 2 clogging with foreign material, etc. Still another object of the invention is to provide a rotary agitaior in which the brush element is radially adjustable by manually operable meanswhich are so related that it is not necessary to reverse the brush end for end. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon con- 4 `sidering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now tothe drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, and in' which the same reference character'refers to the same parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a front view of a suction cleaner embodying the present invention with the nozzle broken away and shown in section to illustrate the suction cleaner agitator embodying the present invention positioned therein;

`Figure 2 is `a partial longitudinal section through the agitator; y

' Figure 3 is a partial side elevation of the rotary agitator constructed in accordance with the present invention with certain parts of the cylindrical casing broken away and the adjustable brush element illustrated in its outer radial position;

Figure t is a section through the brush securing means of the agitator upon the line l-l of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a section upon the line 5 5 of Figure 2.

In the modern suction cleaner rigid beating elements and flexible brush elements are provided which cooperate in beating and brushing the surface covering undergoing cleaning. The brush elements are made of flexible bristles which a second downwardly facing shoulder 24. the opposite or outer end of each brush seat the to a fan chamber 3 which houses a suctioncreating fan I. The fan 4 is carried by the de pending motor shaft i which extends downwardly from an unshown motor positioned within the motor casing 6 immediately above the fan chamber. Within the cleaner nozzle I is positioned an agitator, indicated generally by the reference character Il, which is rotatably supported by a through supporting shaft il and which is seen to comprise a cylindrical body i2 upon the surface of which are helically extending rigid beater bars i3. Body I2 is provided with axially extending brush seats Il within each of which is adjustably positioned a brush element indicated 4generally by I5. Agitator ill is driven from the depending motor shaft i by a power-transmit- 'ting belt IB and in the operation of the machine is adapted to contact a surface covering undergoing cleaning below the nozzle. The-cleaner is movably supported by wheels 'I l and there is provided, as in the usual suction cleaner, a handle I8 by which the operator may exert the propelling force, the incoming current leads being carried by the handle and extending down into themotor casing 8.

The cylindrical hollow body i2 of the' agitator il has each of its ends closed by an end plate 2li which centrally seats a ball bearing 2l heldin place by a thread guard 21 screwed upon the end of the shaft il. 'I'he shaft Il itself seats the inner race of the ball bearing 2|.

The flexible agitating element or brush i5 of the agitator is adjustably positioned within the open bottom seat il which is seen to comprise side walls I1 and axially spaced end walls 22.

The inner end wall 22, that adjacent the pulley,

is seen to be formed with a `downwardly facing shoulder 23 and to be spaced under the extension of thezbody I2 thereabove which in effect forms At are subject to wear and after a certain period end wall 22 isformed with a lower upwardly facing shoulder 2t and an upper 'upwardly facing shoulder Z5. yCarried by the body I2 and extended under the inwardly facing shoulders 23 and 24 is an elongated leaf spring 28 which is adapted to underlie the brush back to force it upwardly into contact with the shoulders -as will be explained. In the case of the outer shoulders 25 and it, the lower shoulder 25 is provided with an internally Athreaded bore 3@ which seats the threaded bolt 3i, the headed end of which is adapted to clamp the end of the brush back in place. The side walls il of the agitator brush seat iare parallel and at their lower ends are provided with inturned shoulders 32 which 'are adapted to cooperate with the shoulders i5 and 23 in positioning the brush element in its lowenradial position.

The removable brush element itself is seen to comprise a rigid metallic back t4, the ends of Y which are adapted to abut and underlie the shoulders 23 and 2i! at the inner end of the brush seat and' overlie shoulders db and 26 atthe outer end thereof. The longitudinally extending sides of the back 3% also Contact the` seat shoulders 32 inthe lower radial position. Extending the length of the back it is'a shaft 36 upon which are pivotally mounted a series of adjacent brush tuft seats 3l each of which carries a flexible defensas the back will be disengaged from the shoulder 23 and will be forced by spring 23 outwardly into contact with the overlying shoulder 2t. The operator then tightens the securing bolt 3l and the brush element is again iixed in place.

Among the advantages of the brush adjustment of the present invention is the fact that it is not necessary to remove the brush from the agitator to accomplish the adjustment. The operator need only loosen the screw di, move the brush element slightly axially, and tighten the screw again. A further advantage of the conbrush tuft 3B. The body ,3Q is made in a V-shape which permits each of the tuft seats 3l a range of pivotal movement about the supporting shaft The cleaner being in operation and the'suc- -tion-creating fan il rotating, a iiow of cleaning air is 'moved through the cleaner which effects the-lifting of a surface covering upwardly and into contact with the agitator it. The rotation of the agitator by the 4belt i6 results in the vibrating and brushing ofthe covering which dislodges the embedded foreign material therein.

With the agitator in its new condition the brush elements or tufts extend substantially to the same'radial extension as the rigid beating ele- 1 ments I3. After the cleaner has been in use for a prolonged period, however, the ends of the brush tufts 38 of the brush ll'ivbecome worn and decrease in length. It then becomes necessary for the voperatorto adjust the brush manually. In

vits new brush position, as illustrated in Figure 2, `the rigid vback 34 was positioned in the brush seat ilwithitsinner end seated under the over- ;lying'shoulder 23 against which it was held by "In -'the action of the flat spring 23 in contact with the end thereof. The opposite end of the back was secured to the outwardly facing shoulder 25 .by the headed screw 3i which passed therethrough in a slot 35. To adjust the brushthe operator needs only to loosen the screw 3i enough to permit the brush to be moved outwardly a sufiicient distance at its outer end that that end can pass out and over the outwardly facing shoulder 26, the slot 35 permitting this axial movement.

At such time the opposite end of struction is that there are no openings at the ends of the agitator brush which can 'become lled with foreign material to prevent the adjustment.

'I claim:

l. A rotary agitator for a suction cleaner comprising a body' formed with an agitating element seat, a plurality of. abutments at the opposite ends of said seat, the abutments at each end of said seat being spaced vertically therein and lengthwise `of said seat, an agitating element in -said seat adapted at its opposite ends to contact.

selectively said abutments at various heights therein upon being shifted lengthwise of said seat and for' the purpose of. varying the height of said element relative to said seat, means at one end of said seat to urge said element in all of its lengthwise positions outwardly against the abutments at that end, and means at the opposite end of'said seat to urge said element inwardly inail of its lengthwise positions against the abutments at that end.

2. A rotary agitator for a suction cleaner comprising a body formed with an agitating element seat, an agitating element including a rigid back:

' positioned therein, shiftable lengthwise therein,

and radially relative to the 'axis of rotation of said body, means to abut said element from above' at one end thereof in its various lengthwise and radial positions and from below in its various lengthwise and radial positions at the other end gated iiexible leaf spring carried by said body upon the opposite side of said pulley and 'extended under said pulley surface into a position below said seat in which it is adapted to contact a brush positioned in said seat and exert an outwardlygdirected force thereon.

DONALD G. SMELLIE.

Images