US1999696A - Suction cleaner - Google Patents

Description

W. H. KlTTO April 39, 31935.

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Ivay 5, 1933 IN VE N TO R Wjiam HM ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 30, 1935 l n UN/ITED STATES lPATENT OFFICE sUc'rroN CLEANER William H. Kitto, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a. corporation of Ohio Application May 5, 1933, Serial No. 669,489

6 Claims. (Cl. 15-8) The present invention relates to suction clean- 'which comprises a nozzle I, encircled and proers in general, and more particularly to a new tected by a resilient furniture guard 2, a motor and novel agitator bearing-protective construccasing 3 which houses an unshown driving motor tion for use in a suction cleaner. arranged to drive the unshown suction-creating 5 It is an object of the present invention to promeans of the cleaner, a pivoted handle 4, through 5 vide a new and improved suction cleaner agitator which the operator may exert the propelling force construction. A further object is the provisionA necessary to operate theI cleaner, and the usual of a new and novel construction to prevent the supporting wheels 5, 5, etc. which make the macollection of dirt and foreign matter inthe agichine readily movable. Within the nozzle I and lo tator bearing. Still another object is the proviextending transversely thereacross is a rotary agision, in a suction cleaner, of an agitator contator comprising a relatively large diameter cystruction which includes a supporting shaft, alindrcal body 6 which is provided on its surface rotatable body mounted upon the shaft, a bearwith helically extending surface contacting beater ing which rotatably supports the body upon the elements l, 1, and which carries brushes 8, 8

shaft, and means concentric with the bearing and which co-operate with the beater elements to 15 the shaft to protect the said bearing from forremove the foreign matter from the surface coveign matter. These and other more specific obering. Substantially centrally of thebody 6 is jects will appear upon reading the following speprovided a pulley surface 9 of reduced diameter cication and claims, and upon considering in which as adapted to receive a driving belt from connection therewith the attached drawing to an unshown motor pulley. Athrough supporting 20 which they relate. shaft II! extends across the nozzle I and is non- In the drawing, in which a preferred embodirotatably mounted in Suitable Supports at the ment of the present invention is disclosed: nozzle side walls. The shaft rotatably supports Figure l is a front view of amodern suction body 6 by means of a ball bearing II at each of cleaner with the nozzle partially broken away its ends, the outer rate 0f each bearingseating 25 showing a rotary agitator embodied therein; Within an end wall or cup I2 on the outer shoul- Figure 2 is an enlarged section of the end conder I3 of which an end of the cylindrical body struction of the cleaner agitator; seats. Each end wall or annulus I2 is shaped Figure 3 is a side elevation of the agitator, in a very denite manner, beine formed with a partially in section, showing the bearing-protectperipheral flange I4, a Cirenmferential Channel 30 ing means constructed in accordance with the l5, Which, in the assembled relation, iS divided present invention; and into channels I6 and I 'I by a permanently ati Figure 4 is an exploded View of the agitator end taohed ring member i3. A seal I9 iS Carried by construction made in accordance with the present the end wall I2 which encircles the shaft I0 construction. closely adjacent the bearing II and prevents the 35 In the modern suction cleaner positive agitatpassage of dirt-laden air therethrough with the ing means are provided to assist the cleaning air help of aSeal 20 Which iS Carried by the bearing in its function of removing foreign matter from itself upon its opposite Side. the surface covering undergoing cleaning. It has A member, Commonly known as a threadbeen determined that rotary agitators, comprisguard, indicated generally by the reference char- 40 ing a large diameter body provided with rigid acter 2l, is manufactured of three pieces comsurface-conta/cting beating elements and flexible DI'iSing aPlate 22, provided With an Outer flange' surface-contacting brushes, are the most satis- 23. a channeledring 24, the axially eXtending factory agitators. Such agitators are normally sides of which are indicated by the reference positioned within the cleaner nozzle in thepath characters 25 and 26 and which are of such diam- 45 of the cleaning air which carries the foreign mateter that they are adapted-t0 extend within the ter from the surface covering undergoing clean- Channels I6 and l1, and a nut member 2l, which ing. In Isuch position it is necessary to protect secures the thread-guard to the threaded end of the agitator bearings from the passing foreign the stationary shaft Ill. For manufacturing matter. In the agitator constructed in accordpurposes, it is found desirable to make the 50 ance with the present invention means have been thread-guard 2| of the three elements described, provided which insure the long life of the bearbut in actual use in a suction cleaner these ele- Iings and their freedom from foreignrnatter. ments are xedly and permanently secured to- Referring again to the drawing, and Figure 1 gether, as by welding, and form a unitary conin particular, a modern suction cleaner is shown struction, as do the end-cup I2 and the ring I8. 55

In the'operative relationship the inner race of the bearing II seatsupon the shouldered end of the shaft I and supports the channeled end cup I2. Aspring washer 28 contacts the outer race of the bearing II and the seal I9 and resiliently opposes axial movement of the outer bearing race relative to the inner. The bearing is retained on the shaft by the thread-guard 2| which seats in screw-threaded relationship thereon. With the thread-guard in place itsouter flange 23 overlies the radial flange I4 of the end cup while theflanges 25 and 26 extend within, but are spaced from the walls of, the channels I6 and I1, providing a labyrinth construction in which a circuitous path is formed between the exterior of the agitator and the interior of the bearing II. Viewed separately the individual flanges I4 and 23 cooperate to provide a narrow opening and to restrict the passage of foreign matter inwardly toward the bearing II. Theanges 25 and 26 cooperate with air channels I6 and II to provide a winding pathway which air or foreign matter must traverse in reaching the bearing. In cooperation with this protection are the seals I9 and 20.

I claim:-

1. A suction cleaner agitator including a rotary body, a stationary supporting shaft, a bearing on said shaft, an end member supporting said body on said bearing, concentric radially spaced channels in one side of said member, a stationary end plate carried by said shaft adjacent said end member and provided with concentric spaced flanges extended into said channels, and cooperating therewith to form a labyrinth to protect said bearing against the ingress of foreign matter.

2. A suction cleaner agitator including a rotary body, a stationary supporting shaft, a bearing on said shaft, an end member rotatably supporting said body on said bearing, said member being provided with a radially extending flange on its periphery and spaced concentric axially extending channels, a stationary end plate seated on said shaft provided with an outer flange overlying said radially extending flange and spaced concentric flanges extending in said channels, said flanges and channels cooperating to form a labyrinth to protect said bearing against the ingress of foreign matter.

3. A suction cleaner agitator including a body,

a stationary supporting shaft, a bearing on said shaft, an annulus of channel section with the sides of the channel parallel to the body axis seated on said bearing and rotatably supporting said body. a ring permanently secured in the channel in said annulus and forming two concentric channels, a stationary flanged plate adjacent said annulus with its ange extended thereover, a screw threaded nut permanently attached to said plate securing it to said shaft, a channelled ring member permanently attached to said plate member with the sides of said channel extended into the spaced channels formed in said annulus, the walls of said ring cooperating with the spaced channels to form a labyrinth to protect said bearing against the ingress of foreign matter.

4. In a suction cleaner agitator, a cylindrical closed body, a shaft extended thru said body, a bearing seated on said shaft, means seated on said bearing and mounting said body thereon, said means including radially spaced axially and outwardly directed circular walls, a guard member enclosing said shaft in substantially air tight relationship at the end of said body and immediately adjacent said means and including inwardly directed circular Walls, and means sealing said first means to said shaft adjacent said bearing.

5. In a suction cleaner agitator adapted to be positioned in a dirt-laden air stream, a cylindrical closed body, an end wall closing one end of said body, said wall being formed with a bearingreceiving seat and radially spaced circular channels around said seat, a bearing in said seat, a shaft seated in said bearing, and a guard member carried by said shaft adjacent said end wall and provided with circular radially spaced axially extending walls which extend into the channels formed in said end Wall.

6. In a suction cleaner agitator adapted to be positioned in a dirt-laden air stream, a cylindrical closed body, an end wall closing one end of said body, a bearing carried by said wall, a shaft carried by said bearing, and a guard member mounted on said shaft in sealed relationship adjacent said end Wall, said end wall and said guard member being provided with cooperating channels and flanges positioned concentric relative to the axis of rotation and Within the circumference of said closed body.

WILLIAM H. KITTO.

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