US2101575A - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 7, 1937. D, M, ow 2,101,575

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Dec. 4, 1955 E INVENTOR l'{ A v w Haiti; I. @04 Z, f 36 1/0 of I: ATTZRNEY Watented Dec. 7, 1937 ICE Application December 4, 1935, Serial No. 53.6w

2 Claims.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners of the type embodying a fan casing"and handle rigidly attached together. The object of the present invention is to improve upon that type '5 of cleaner by providing an arrangement in which the undercarriage has suiiicient spread to support the cleaner in upstanding position, unaided, on the supporting surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide 10 in a vacuum cleaner, rotary agitator mechanism including independently driven brushing and beating elements coaxially mounted on the same spindle but rotating at different rates of speed so as to achieve a maximum of beating effect with 15 a minimum of wear upon the carpet.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of acleaner embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof, partly in cross section.

Fig. 3 is a partial .sectional view taken longitudinally through the lower region of the cleaner.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the rotary agitator.

5 The invention comprises a floor unit A and a swinging unit B. The former comprises a base member or undercarriage Ill mounted on 'forward and rear wheels H and I2 respectively. A suction nozzle. 13, formed on the forward end of 30 the base overhangs the front wheels H. A motor ii is mounted on top of the nozzle l3 9. d drives a rotary agitator l5; revolubly mou d in the nozzle, by means of a belt l6.

A throat ll, extending rearwardly from the 35 nozzle I 3, is bifurcated to form the opposed hollow bearing members l8. i

The swinging unit B comprises atubular suction handle IS, a fan case Zllrigidly secured thereto, by means of a secondary inlet duct 2!,

40 and a primary inlet duct 22, swivelled to the unit A by means of nipples 23. The latter are;

threaded as at 24 into the ring shaped lower end 25 of the inlet 22, and have trunnion portions 26 journalled in the bearing members I8. 45 A bag 21 is suspended beneath the handle I9 and has a neck 29 coupled to the outlet of the fan case 20, which swings as a unit with thehandle 19, rigidly positioned at a fixed f distance therefrom.

50 The base III has suilicient spread in a air tion longitudinal of the cleaner to support the entire cleaner, unassisted, in an upstanding position as shown, with the unit B upraised off the floor. A ratchet sector 30, secured to the inlet 55 22, coacts with a pawl 3| pivotally mounted in the base I l actuated into operative engagement with the sector 30 by means of a'spring 32, and

- released by depression of a foot lever 33. This pawl eand ratchet arrangement transmits the weight of the unit B to the unit A and supports the unit B in any desired upraised position. A valve 34 selectively connects either inlet 2| or 5 N to the suction. fan 20. i

The rotary agitator it comprises a spindle 3! to the end regions of which are secured a pair of sleeves 32' and on the middle region of which is joumalled a sleeve 33. Mounted'on the sleeves 32' are brushing elements 34' and mounted on the sleeve 33 are beater bars 35. Strips of resilient material 36 form the connection between the beater bars 35 and the sleeve 33.

The sleeve 33 is freely rotatable upon the spindle 3| while the sleeves 32' are fixed relative thereto. The spindle 3! is driven by means of a pulley 31 secured to one of the sleeves 32' and the sleeve 33 is independently driven by a pulley 38. The pulley 31 is driven by the belt i6 which in turn is driven by a -drive pulley 39 on the motor I, while the pulley 38 is driven by a belt 40 which in turn is driven by a drive'pulley 4| on the motor ll. The drive pulley 4| is considerably less in diameter than the pulley 39 so that the brushing elements 34' will be'driven at a considerably slower speed than the beater eleinents 35.

By means of this arrangement, the brushing elements which serveto pick up lint, thread, etc., and to brush up the nap of the carpet, are driven rapidly "enough to perform these functions ef-- flciently and yet they are driven at a much slower rate of rotation than they would be if rigidly associated to the beater members, and thus do 5 much less damage to the carpet than would be true'in the case of rigid association. This is im:- portant because of the fact that the brushing elements do' most of the damage to the carpet, and the beating efiect, which requires a rapid 40 rotation is produced by the faster rotating beater members. Thus beating efiiciency is maintained at a high level while the damage to the rug is greatly reduced.

I claim as my-invention:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, a rotary agitator including a spindle, brushing and beating elements mounted thereon, said elements being rotatable relative to each other, and means for'rotating said elements independently. 5

2. In a vacuum cleaner, a. rotary agitator including a spindle, brushing and beating elements mounted thereon, said elements being rotatable relative to each other, and means for rotating said elements independently at different speeds.

DEWEY M. DOW.

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