US2174311A - Service unit for air cleaners and process of use therefor - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 26, 1939.

J. M. BORN 2,174,311

SERVICE UNIT FOR- AIR CLEANERS AND PROCESS OF USE THEREFOR Filed July 29. 1937 Patenteci Sept. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES SERVICE UNIT FOR AIR CLEANERS AND PROCESS OF USE THEREFOR Julius M. Born, St; Paul, Minn., assignor to Vulcan Manufacturing 00., Inc., St. Paul, Minn., a corporation Minnesota Application July 29, 1937, Serial No. 156,375

d Claims.

Still a further object is to provide a cleaning and reoiling unit for air cleaners having a reservoir for cleaning fluid and convenient means for withdrawing the cleaning fluid therefrom and projecting it through an air cleaner merely by applying a compressed vair chuck to the unit. such as is found availableiat garages and service 15 stations.

A further object is to provide the unit with means ,for dryingthe air cleaner by evaporating the cleaning fluid therefrom, this also being accomplished by applying a compressed air chuck to the unit.

Another object is to provide a container connected with the unit for containing a supply of oil to reoil the air cleaner after it is cleaned and dried, the oil being withdrawn therefrom and discharged into the air cleaner by applying an air chuck to an air nozzle provided therefor.

Still a. further object is to provide a unit which, during the cleaning, drying and reoillng of an air cleaner, involves the process of first discharging cleaning fluid therethrough; second, discharging air therethrough to dry the cleaner; and third, discharging oil into the air cleaner for reoiling it for its intended service.

With these and other objects in view, my in vention' consists in the construction, arrangement'and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are ettained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a service unit for air cleaners embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the, line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views showing respectively the steps of cleaning and drying the air cleaner by means of my service, unit; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to a portion of Figure 1 illustrating a modified type of reolling container for my service unit.

On the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral III to indicate a base. A tubular post-like reservoir H extends upwardly there- 55 from. The post H is secured to the base ill by means of a clean out nipple It. The upper end of the nipple I2 is threaded into a closure plate I 3 formed on the bottom of the reservoir M and which is welded in position, as indicatedat it.

Within the base It a lock nut 55 is positioned 55 on the lower end of the nipple l2 and a clean out cap i8 closes the lower end of the nipple. A drain cock l'i projects into the side of the reser voir II and is located slightly above the bottom plate l3.

At the top 01' the post or reservoir it I provide a head plate l8, above which is mounted a container comprising a bottom part it and a cover 20. The bottom part IS, the plate It and the upper end of the reservoir H are secured to- 15 gether by means of a series of bolts 2i. The head plate l8 has an air inlet passageway 22, a cleaning 'fluid passageway or orifice 23 and an oil and air passageway 24., An air nipple or nozzle 25 communicates with the passageway 22 and is adapted for connection of the usual air or tire chuck therewith for discharging air into the reservoir II to displace its contents.

' The contents of the reservoir l-l may comprise any suitable cleaning fluid, such as gasoline, in- I dicated at 26 in Figure 3, and this fluid is displaced through an intake pipe 21 leading to the discharge orifice 23.

An air and oil nozzle 28 communicates with one end of the passageway 24 while the other end thereof communicates with an upright pipe 29. The pipe 29 has an air nozzle 30 at its upper end and a Venturi tube 3| extending into its side. The pipe 29' and the tube 3| are located in an oil container 32 carried by the base plate Ill.

The cover 2|!- is hinged to the container bottom l9 as indicated at 33. A handle 34 is provided for the convenience of the operator in opening the container. Louvered perforations 35 are provided in the cover 20 to permit the escape of air without permitting the escape of any droplets of cleaning fluid or oil which might be prejected into the cover 20.

Arc CLEANER. Snnvromo Process 1. Cleaning the air cleaner Initially a quantity of gasoline or other clean-. ing fluid is poured into the container bottom l9 andflows down the pipe 2'! to fill the reservoir I I. When it starts running out of the air chuck 25, the operator knows. that the reservoir is full.

' The first step of the process involves projecting the cleaning fluid 26 through the air cleaner as illustrated in Figure 3. After the air cleaner, indicated at A0, is placed in the container l9-20 (these cleaners being usually a perforated sheetmetal container filled with copper wool or other air filtering material which is oiled to catch dust from the air passing through the air cleaner) an air or tire chuck 30 of a compressed air hose 3! is applied to the air nozzle 25 for discharging air into the reservoir H, m indicated by the dash line arrows. The cleaning fluid 2 6 is thereby displaced through the pipe 21 and discharge oriflce 2!, the nozzle spraying the air cleaner AC as indicated by the solid line arrows.

The cleaning fluid will collect in the container bottom II, as indicated at 26a, during this step of the process, the excess air escaping through \reasonably included within their scope.

the louvered openings 85.

2. Drying the air cleaner After the cleaning fluid 26 has been displaced to the level of the lower end of the pipe 21, the i air chuck it is applied to the air nozzle 30, which at first continues the cleaning process as any of the cleaning fluid m remaining in the container bottom I! will be projected through the air cleaner AC.

As soon as all of this fluid has drained back into the reservoir Ii, through the discharge oriflce 28, however, then air only will pass through the air cleaner and be discharged through the louvered openings 35, this step of the process being continued until the cleaner has been thoroug y dried. v

3. Reoilina the air cleaner The oil container 3! is then fllled with a reoiling fluid ll, such as No. 40 S. A. E. crank case oil to about the level illustrated in Figure l. The air chuck ll is then reapplied to the air nozzle II and will draw the oil I! from the container II in through the tube ll by Venturi ac-' tion andspray it from the nozzle 38 into the air' cleaner.

When the supply of oil has been exhausted, the cleaner will be thoroughly oiled and ready for another period of service.

The cleaning fluid It may be re-used a number of times for successive air cleaner service operations. By permitting it to stand in the reservoir ii, the dirt will settle to the bottom and may be cleaned out by removing the cap I, after draining out the fluid from which the sediment has settled through the drain cock II. Occasionally, of course, the supply of cleaning fluid it must be replenished to take care of evaporation, although the fluid from the drain cock II can be used.

The unit is self-contained and may be operated eiflciently and effectively by the mere introduction of compressed air to the nozzles 25 and ll in the manner described.

As shown in Figure the oil container may comprise a transparent receptacle 32a having a Venturi nozzle "a. The nozzle Ila cooperates with an air nozzle II which in turn is connected with the air nipple a to spray oil by Venturi action into the air stream flowing to the passageway 24a. Air, in passing from the noule 38 across the upper end of the nozzle Ila, will draw oil through a valve II when open and as the oil recedes in the receptacle Ila the quantity thereof being used up can be observed by a scale ll thereon. i

The receptacle 32a is readily removable for instance by being screw threaded into a cap ll connected with a valve 3!. The cap I is provided with a vent opening. The receptacle 82a may be shed with oil and during the process of reconditioning the air cleaner the drying process may be completed while the valve 39 is closed and after its completion it is merely necessary and others may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, an openable container adapted to receive an air cleaner, means for projecting cleaning fluid through said air cleaner comprising a reservoir adapted to contain a supply of cleaning fluid, spray means directed into said container, and communicating with said reservoir adjacent the bottom thereof, an air chuck nipple connected with said reservoir to place the cleaning fluid therein under pressure by connection of an air chuck thereto to project the cleaning fluid through'said spray means into the container, a second air chuck nipple, a passageway leading therefrom, an air discharge nozzle communicating with said passageway and directed upwardly from the bottom of said container, said air discharge nozzle being independent of said spray means and effecting discharge of air through said air cleaner by coaction of an air chuck with said second air chuck nipple and said container having means adjacent the top thereof through which air may escape after passing through the air cleaner.

2. In a device for cleaning air cleaners, an enlarged base member for support on a floor surface, an elongated upright hollow post mounted thereon and constituting a cleaning fluid reservoir, an enlarged diameter container supported on the upper end of said post, said container being of substantially less height than the height of said post and raised substantially above the floor surface by said post, said container being adapted to receive an air cleaner and having spray means and a nozzle directed upwardly from the bottom and toward the interior thereof, means for discharging cleaning fluid through said-spray means from said reservoir and means for discharging air through said nozzle, said container having means through which air may escape from the upper part of said container.

3. In a service unit for air cleaners and the like, an elongated upright hollow post for containing a supply of cleaning fluid, an enlarged base member for supporting said post on a floor surface, an enlarged diameter container supported on the upper end of said post, said container being raised substantially above the floor surface by the post, said container being openable and adapted to receive an air cleaner, said container having spray means and a nozzle directed toward the interior thereof, said upright hollow post constituting means communicating with said spray means for directing cleaning fluid thereto and including an air chuck nipple in communication with said hollow post, a second air chuck nipple connected with said nozzle, said spray means, when an air chuck is associated with the first mentioned one of said air chuck nipples, effecting the passage of cleaning fluid through the air cleaner in the container under the force of pressure produced by the air supplied to said first nipple and said nozzle e!- i'ecting discharge of air through the cleaner when an air chuck is associated with the second air chuck nipple, said container having means through which air may escape therefrom as cleaning fluid or air are discharged into the container.

4. In a device for cleaning air cleaners. a base member for support on a floor surface or the like, an elongated upright hollow post mounted thereon and constituting a support. a container supported on the upper end of said post. said container being of substantially less height than the height oi said post and raised substantially above the floor surface by said post, said container being adapted to receive an air cleaner and having spray means and a nozzle directed upwardly from the bottom and toward the interior thereof, said nozzle terminatinghigher than said spray means, means communicating with said spray means for supplying cleaning fluid thereto and through an air cleaner when received in said container and means for discharging air through said nozzle.

JULIUS M BoRN.

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