US2690582A - Cleaning device having an indexible wiping member - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 5, 1954 c. A. SUNDELL 2,690,582

CLEANING DEVICE HAVING AN INDEXIBLE WIPING MEMBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 26, 1951 Patented Oct. 5, 1954 CLEANING DEVICE HAVING AN INDEXIBLE WKEING MEMBER Carl A. Sundell, Muskegon Heights, Mich, assignor to lhe Brunswick-Balke-(lollender Com- Application April 26, 1951, Serial No. 223,000

(Cl. l5228) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a cleaning device for a flat surface such as a bowling alley and particularly to a duster in which a clean wiping member is readily obtainable thereby avoiding any likelihood that the surface can pick up any dirt from the device or that any grit which may have been picked up by the device can have an abrasive eifect upon the surface finish of the surface.

In a bowling alley it is highly important that the surface have a mirror-like finish and that it be kept that way at all times. An alley gradually accumulates dust from the air and dirt from the balls which pass thereover. It is important that the abrasion from particles which lodge on the surface of the alley be kept at a minimum. One way of accomplishing this is to clean the alley with a device which itself has a clean surface. Thus, any particles of grit which are picked up from the alley are prevented from acting as an abrasive for injuring the highly polished surface of the alley.

Accordingly, it is an object of thisinvention to provide a cleaning device in which a fresh cleaning surface may be obtained quickly at the will of the operator.

Another object of this invention is to produce a cleaning device in which both sides of a cleaning material are utilized simultaneously for picking up dirt.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning device having a pair of spaced parallel rollers each adapted to receive the end of a strip of cleaning material to be wound therearound and stretched therebetween, the device being so arranged that the cleaning material around each roll contacts the area to be cleaned during a single pass of the device with each roll pressing opposite sides of the material against the surface.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the duster showing a strip of cleaning material thereon;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device of Fig. 1 with the handle removed therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the device of this invention with the handle broken away;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the device taken along the lines 44 of Fig. 2 showing the manner in which cleaning material is fed on the device in order to clean with both sides of the material in a single pass;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken sectional view showing the pawl and ratchet mechanism whereby cleaning material is advanced;

Fig. 6 is a broken sectional view taken along the line B6 of Fig. 3 showing the manner of assembling the device;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of a part of the roll turning mechanism; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 88 of Fig. '7.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one specific embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be noted that the cleaning device of this invention includes a transverse hollow frame rod I0 to which a handle I! is pivoted for free swinging movement. Secured to the ends of the frame rod it are end pieces l2 and l3.

The end piece 13 is removably secured to the center bar it so that the rollers which form the support means for the strip of cleaning material may readily be removed for the insertion of a fresh strip. To this end, the end piece I3 is provided with a central opening through which a rod l i (Fig. 6) extends'the rod being threaded at its outer end to receive the internal threads in a knurled knob 01' nut l5. The inner end of the rod extends into the hollow frame rod and is surrounded by a coil compression spring it therein. The spring has one end bearing against a plate ll welded to the end of the frame rod 10 and its other end bears against a thrust washer it held on the rod IQ by means of a transverse pin is. The ends of the pin extend through a pair of parallel slots 2%) in the frame rod l0 and the ends of the pin are retained in position in the slots by washers 2! affixed thereto.

It will be noted that the plate I! is provided with a pair of pins 22 which extend into openings 23 in the end piece l3 correctly to align the plate I? therewith. Thus the end piece 53 is urged toward the end plate ll by the compression of the spring l5 which compression may be regulated by varying the degree to which the knob i5 is tightened on the threaded rod I l.

Secured adjacent each end of the end piece 12 are pins 25 and 2d which extend inwardly from the end piece to be received in suitable openings in wooden plugs 21 and 28 respectively. The plug 2! is secured, by the pins shown, to a metal plug 21a to which is secured a metal tube 211) to support a cardboard roller 29 which carries a strip of cleaning material 30 wound thereabout. The opposite end of the metal tube 211) is secured to a metal driving plug 3| which is provided with flattened upper and lower surfaces 32 received in flange portions 33 of a plate member 34. The cardboard tube is secured to the wooden plugs by the nails 29a as shown to provide a driving connection between the cardboard roller and the wooden plugs, and the latter are pinned to the metal plugs by the engaging pins shown. The plate member is fixed to the end of a shaft 35 rotatably mounted in the end piece I3. The outer end of the shaft 35 is provided with an internally threaded opening 36 provided for a purpose hereinafter to be described. Fixed to the outer end of the shaft 35 is a star wheel 31 which engages a complementary formed portion 38 formed on the inner surface of a sleeve 39 rotatably mounted in and forming a part of a ratchet wrench 60. The ratchet wrench illustrated is of the type shown in U. S. Patent 2,500,835. The outer periphery of the collar 39 is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth 4! adapted to be engaged by a pivotal pawl 42 carried by the wrench and urged into contact with the ratchet teeth by a leaf spring 43 so that pivotal movement of the wrench 410 in one direction serves to rotate the collar 39 and hence the shaft 35 to rotate the roller 29.

To secure the ratchet wrench in position on the star wheel 31 there is provided a pin M which extends through an opening 45 in the shaft 35 which is coaxial with the opening 38 and thence into an opening G in the plug 3i. The pin 44 is provided with an externally threaded sleeve 4'! secured thereto, the threads of which engage the internal threads in the opening 36. The outer end of the pin 44 is provided with an enlarged slot head 48 which engages the sides of the sleeve 39 on the ratchet wrench securely to hold the same in position.

Rotation of the roller 29 by means of the ratchet mechanism serves to wind up the strip 30 of cleaning material from another roller 50 rotatably journalled between the and pieces I2 and I3.

The roller 59 is also preferably formed of cardboard and has one end secured to the plug 28 and its other end secured to a second plug 5| rotatably mounted upon a pin 52 in the end piece [3. The mounting of the roller 50 includes a metal tube secured to metal plugs as previously described for the roller 29. Thus as the wrench 40 is pivoted counterclockwise from the position shown in Fig. 3 the cleaning material 30 is unwound from the roller 59 and wound up upon the roller 29. Release of the wrench 40 after effecting pivotal movement to wind up the strip permits a spring 53 to return the handle to the position shown in Fig. 8 and against a stop 54 integrally formed in the end piece I3. As best seen from an inspection of Figs. 5 and '7, the spring 53 has one end secured to the end piece l3 and its other end wound about the handle of the ratchet wrench while an intermediate portion of the spring is wound around the outer extension of the shaft 35.

As will be noted in Fig. 3, as the cleaning device is moved across the floor, the rollers do not rotate but rather remain stationary and the strip of material wound upon each is in contact with the surface to be cleaned. It will be noted, however, that one side of the portion of the strip wound around the roller 50 contacts the surface to be cleaned while the opposite side of that portion of the strip wound around the roller 29 is in contact with the surface. Thus during each pass of the cleaning device the surface to be cleaned is contacted twice, that is by the material wound around the roller 50 and the material wound around the roller 29 and in each case the opposite side of the material is presented to the surface. When that portion of the strip which contacts the surface becomes dirty, pivotal movement of the ratchet wrench serves to unwind a small portion of the strip from the roller 50 winding it up upon the roller 29 and thus a fresh portion of the material is presented to the surface to he :leaned during succeeding passes of the device, It is contemplated that during sweeping operation the tension of the spring IE will be such as to press the wooden plugs and metal tube which support the rollers sufficiently tight against the end pieces so as to prevent rotation of the rollers. Thus, the same surface of the cleaning material is presented to the area to be swept during each pass and is moved only with movement of the ratchet mechanism 50 and that only when the portion of the cleaning material which is in contact with the floor is sufficiently soiled as to warrant it.

Thus this invention provides a device which not only utilizes both sides of a strip of cleaning material which may be absorbent paper or other materials specifically prepared for this purpose, but also contacts the surface to be cleaned twice during each pass.

I claim:

1. A cleaning device comprising a frame, a pair of end pieces, one being mounted on each end of the frame, support means on each end piece, a pair of parallel rollers rotatably mounted on said support means, means for resiliently urging one end piece toward the other frictionally to hold said rollers against rotation, a ratchet and pawl device on one end piece for rotating one of the rollers, a strip of cleaning material Wound on said rollers, said strip unwinding from the top of one roller and around the bottom of the other roller whereby one side of said cleaning material on one roller and the other side of said cleaning material on the other roller both contact the area to be cleaned during a single pass.

2. A cleaning device comprising a frame bar, a handle pivotally mounted on said frame bar, a pair of end pieces, one being mounted on each end of the frame, support means on each end piece, a pair of parallel rollers rotatably mounted on said support means, means for resiliently urging one end piece toward the other frictionally to hold said rollers against rotation, a ratchet and pawl device on one end piece for rotating one of the rollers, a strip of cleaning material wound on said rollers, said strip unwinding from the top of one roller and around the bottom of the other roller whereby one side of said cleaning material on one roller and the other side of said cleaning material on the other roller both contact the area to be cleaned during a single pass.

3. A cleaning device comprising a hollow frame bar, an end piece mounted on one end of said frame bar, a second end piece, means for removably securing said second end piece to the frame bar including a spring within the bar, a threaded rod engaging the spring and extending through an opening in said second end piece,

and a nut engaging the threads and adapted to bear against the last mentioned end piece resiliently to urge the end pieces together, support means on each end piece, a pair of parallel rollers rotatably mounted on said support means and frictionally held against rotation by the tension of said spring, a ratchet and pawl device on one end piece for rotating one of the rollers, and a strip of cleaning material wound on said rollers, said strip unwinding from the top of one roller and around the bottom of the other roller whereby one side of said cleaning material on one roller and the other side of said cleaning material on the other roller both contact the area to be cleaned during a single pass.

eferences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 899,725 Goodier Sept. 29, 1908 899,726 Goodier Sept. 29, 1908 899,727 Goodier Sept. 29, 1908 1,130,064 Buchanan Mar. 2, 1915 1,146,668 Tanaka July 13, 1915 2,394,585 Bailey Feb. 12, 1946

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