US1929025A - Bagless vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

0C@ 3, 1933. w. LEATHERs I BAGLESS VACUUM CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 2, 1950 INVENTOR.

Oct. 3, 1933. w LEATHERS 1,929,025

EAGLES S VACUUM CLEANER Original Filed Aug. 2, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVEN TOR.

Patented Oct. 3, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A Quadrex Corporation necticut a corporation of Con- Applicatlon August 2, 1930, Serial No. 472,703 Renewed March 1, 1933.

4 claims. (ci. iss-3s) The object of my invention is to produce vacuum cleaners without the dirt bag commonly used. In order to accomplish this purpose'I have invented new means of filtering the exhaust air, of'

catching the dirt in a receptacle, and of locating the same in suitable and novel places.

In the following description I have set forth the possibilities involved in my invention and have appended thereto, for purposes of clarity,

1o drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a vacuum cleaner Fig. 2 is the same Fig. 3 is a cross-section of handle filter and dirt container t Fig. 4 is a cross-section of modified handle fil- Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a hollow yoke providing double air exhaust Fig. 6 is a side view of vacuum cleaner with parallel filter Fig. 7 is a modified double air exhaust Fig. 8 is a cross-section of same Fig. 9 is an attaching device Fig. 10 is a handle.

In Figure 1 I have shown a conventional vacuum cleaner for light or heavy duty, depending upon size, in which 1 is the motor case, 2 is the blower case, 3 is the nozzle case. It is usual practice with rotary blowers to take the exhaust from a spiral enlargement at the periphery of the rotor. I have taken the exhaust from the rotor in the conventional manner, except that I have used two outlets, 4 and 5, on opposite sides of the blower case. These are taken off spirally in the direction of rotation and turned around in such manner that the two exhausts turn toward each other immediately back of the blower case.

Connected to theseoutlets 4 and 5, in a hinged manner, is ahollow air conductor 6 provided with exhaust ducts shown at 7 (see Fig. 7). At the top of 6 there is an enlargedportion 8, to the bottom side of which is latched, or fastened, the dirtv receptacle 9 and to the top side of which is attached thehandle 10. 11 is a hook for holding `the electric cord. 12 is the same. 12 may be folded into thehandle 13. At 14 I have shown a tightly closeddoor 14, hinged at 15, released by a latch at 16, the purpose of which is to permit instantaneous cleaning of the filter in the handle by means of the blast from the blower itself.

If the filter is in thehandle 10 it is obvious that the household user can drop the handle out an open window while the motor is running, release anysuitable latch 16, and thedoor 14 will be blown open and the filter cleaned.

In Figure 2 I have shown a similar arrangement of air-duct, handle filter and dirt receptacle, except that the exhaust ducts from the blower casing,extensions 4 and 5, continue their separation to the top of the dirt receptacle 9 instead of being 00 joined together as in Figure 1 (see Fig. 5).

Figure 3, theupper portion 8 of thehollow yoke bracket 6, is shown in'cross-section. Air from the blower comes up through thepassage 17 and is deflected vdownward by abaille 18, after which it 05 continues its travel upward through thehollow handle 10. The baffle is for the purpose of defiecting heavier objects and particles directly into the dirt receptacle 9 instead of permitting their entrance into the handle filter. The dirt receptacle 9 may be made of any suitable material and in any suitable shape and attached to 8 in any desirable manner. I have shown it in a preferable form, made of transparent material such as ce1- luloid, equipped at its top with ametal rim 19, this metal rim is provided with a verysteep thread 20 which engages a similar thread in thecasting 8, said thread being so steep that a partial turn of the receptacle 9, such as 45 will release or engage said thread. Thehandle 21 is rigidly attached ao to the rim-19 and thereby provides simple means of manually attaching and detaching the dirt receptacle 9 from the machine.

The filter handle may be provided with its filter elements on the outside (Fig. 3) or on the inside (Fig. 4). In Figure 3, 22 is a hollow tube, preferably of thin-walled hard fibre, about 11/2 inches in diameter. 22 is provided withports 23 in any desired size, number and arrangement, and is attached to 8 in suitable manner (shown with screw thread), and at the top to a suitable handle top as 24 in Figure 1. Thehollow tube 22 is then covered with any suitable filter material. It may be a specially woven porous material, or a felt-like material or preferably a Velvet shown at 25. 'Ihis material must be of a highly porous character. It may be put on thetube 22 reasonably tight or reasonably loose as is required for permitting the air to creep beneath it and escape over its entire area rather than through only those areas in juxtaposition to the ports. Thefilter cover 25 is fastened at both ends in any suitable manner. I have shown it sewn to a metal ring 26 and anchored by a threadedcollar 27.

In Figure 4 I have shown a similar handle filter modified by placing the filter elements inside theperforated tube 22. The porous element 28 may be of any suitable material, such as felt or velvet. In the latter case the nap is naturally turned out toward thetube 22 to permit the air to escape from the inside duct, over its entire area, finding its way through the nap to theports 23. Another means of permitting the use of the entire filter area is to sew the fabric or filter material into tubular form, slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the perforatedtube 22. A still further method of using thin filter material, such as silk, consists of a thinopen mesh screen 29, to the inside face of which is sewn a filter lining 28 as shown by the stitches at 30. This combination of screen and other filter material, such as silk fabric, may be used as a unit and slid inside of thetube 22 and fastened at both ends in any suitable manner, such as the ring and clamp method shown at 31. l i

Figure 5 is a front view of a hollow yoke bracket 6 (as in Figure 2.) It may be entirely of one casting as shown at 6 in Figure 2 or theportions 7 and 8 may, for purposes of easier manufacture, be separated by tubular or othershaped duct parts 32.

In Figure 6 I have shown a conventional vacuum cleaner with an air-duct yoke-bracket slightly rearranged. The air fromV thepart 6 is carried directly into thehandle 10 with no com- .munication with the dirt-receptacle 9. Thehandle 10 consists of a plain hollow tube of metal or hard fibre. At the top of the handle 10 I have provided ahousing member 33 to which l0 is attached in suitable manner as well as thehandle 13. The blast of air from 10 is turned about within 33 in a suitably formedcavity 34 so that it may exhaust downward into an exposedfilter 35. 35 consists of asleeve or hose of highly porous material. Air and dirt enter its upper portion at 36 and the dirt exhausts from its lower portion at 37 into the dirt-receptacle 9 which is supported by 8, a part of the hollow duct-yoke 6. This is a highly desirable arrangement for high duty purposes because it gives the maximum of air volume and filtration, and a continuous movement of the dirt through the filter aided by both air and gravity. 38 is a stout reinforcement sewn around thefilter tube 35 and provided with a suitable clip whereby it is anchored to thehandle 10.

Figure 'I is a back view of thepart 6.

Figure 8 is a cross-section of thepart 6 in Figure 7. v

Figure 9 illustrates one of many suitable means of attaching thefilter tube 35 to the end-holders 34 and 8. The filter tube in this case is sewn at 39 to a stouter piece of fabric which is again sewn fast to a spiral-spring shown by the dotted lines. At the top of the spiral-spring there is a ring developed from the spring itself by means of which attachment is made to 34 by aclamp ring 40, stouter fabric over the spring covers it completely inside or outside and is sewn to the top ring. The spring mechanism may be used or not as desired, but its object is to provide somev slight elasticity to thefilter tube 35 since in handling the vacuum cleaner with the motor not running thetube 35 may be collapsed against thehandle 10. i

Figure 10 shows ahollow yoke 41 for the same purpose as the lower portion of 6 in Figures 1-.2 and 6. It is attached directly to thehandle 10 which is provided with inside or outside lter as in Figures 3 and 4. Thehandle 13 is provided with arubber bumper 42 and thelatch 14 for the same purpose asin'Figure 1. For light duty vacuum cleaners such a filter handle is highly practical without the dirt receptacle 9 of Figures 1--2 and 6 because thehandle 10 will hold sufficient dirt still permitting of proper filtration for sweeping an ordinary small room or two under normal conditions, and the user may, immediately upon completing such operation. drop the handle end of the vacuum cleaner out an open window or into a suitable receptacle, release the latch '14, and instantly and completely free the vacuum cleaner of all dirt. 14

,may be on the end of 13,a location corresponding 1. In a suction cleaner, a motor-blower unit, i

a perforated hollow handle, filtering material disposed substantially the entire length and area of said handle, a manually removable dirt receptacle operably attached to the bottom of said handle for retrieving dirt from said handle by gravity, and an air ductleading from the outlet of said motor-blower unit to a juncture with the bottom end of said filter handle but above said dirtv receptacle.

2. In a suction cleaner, a motor-blower unit, a perforated hollow handle, filtering material disposed substantially the entire length and area of said handle, a manually removable dirt receptacle operably attached to the bottom of said handle for retrieving dirt from said handle by gravity, an air duct leading from the outlet of said motor-blower unit to a juncture with the bottom of said filter handle but above said dirt receptacle, and with said air duct so operably joined to the motor-blower unit that it may be angularly moved with respect thereto.

3. In a suction cleaner, a motor-blower unit, a perforated hollow handle, filtering material disposed substantially the entire length and area of said handle,a manually removable dirt receptacle operably attached to the bottom of said handle for retrieving dirt from said handle by gravity, an air duct leading from the outlet of said motor-blower to a juncture with the bottom end of said filter handle but above said dirt receptacle, and with a manually operated valve at the top of said handle for the purposes set forth.

4. In a suction cleaner, a motor-blower-unit,

a hollow handle, a tube of filtering material disposed parallel to and substantially the entire length of said handle, means of leading dirtladen air to the bottom of said hollow handle and delivering said dirt-laden air to the top of said filter tube, and with the bottom of said filter tube communicating with a manually removable dirt receptacle.

WARD LEATHERS;

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