US2205249A - Cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

June 18, 1940- w.`R. FITZGERALD Er AL 2,205,249

CLEANING MACHINE Filed Aug. 17, 193B 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 .lime 1s, 1940.

W. R. FITZGERALD El' AL CLEANING MACHINE Filed Aug. 17, 1938 3 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 www/w52 @M X .www Zia y June 18, 1940. w. R. rrzGERALD ET A1. A 2,205,249

CLEANING MACHINE Filed Aug. 1'7, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June v18, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANING MACHINE Application August 17. 1938, Serial No. 225,402

4 Claims. (Ol. 15-)50) This invention relates to improvements in cleaning machines and more particularly to the type employing a power driven rotary brush.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of a power driven cleaning machine which is adapted for cleaning floors, rough surfaces and the like.

Another object is the provision of a power driven cleaning machine which is adapted to be used both for sweeping and washing of oor surfaces.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a cleaning machine which s simple in construction, highly eicient in operation, and which can be constructed and operated at low cost.

With the foregoing and other objects in"'view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as here- 20 inafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts through the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a cleaning machine constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of same.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken online 30 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1. v

partly in cross section showing the positioning of tank containing the washing uid compound.

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view showing the fluid discharge mechanism.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fractional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings the preferred embodiment of our invention comprises a frame I0 on which is supported a housing II. The frame I0 is formed of two downwardly inclined side arms I2 and I3 and a transverse bar |4 adapted to serve as a handle bar. A bracing bar |60. is secured to the side arms I2 and I3 and to the rear portion of the housing II. Said housing is formed of an arcuate shield IB and side members I1 and I8 welded thereto. The side members I1 and I8 have forwardly extending portions I1a and I8a to which are secured the side arms I2 and I3 respectively. A transverse bar I5 secured to the forward portions |1a and Ila serves as a Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view brace for same. Mounted on said portions |1a and Ila and projecting outwardly thereof are short shafts I9 and20 'which serve as axles for the rubber tired carrying wheels Isa and a, respectively.

Mounted rearwardly of the housing II on the arcuate shield I6 is a vertical bearing member 2|. Rotatably and slidably mounted in said bearing member is avertical shaft 22 having at one end ayoke member 23 in which is .iournaled arear trailer wheel 24. The upper portion of theshaft 22 is provided with a concave recess 22a which is adapted to bear. against a ball bearing 25. Threaded into the upper portion of the bearing member 2| is 'an adjustingrod 26 which is provided withwheel 21. The lower end of said adjusting rod is adapted to bear against a slidably mountedmember 28 which is provided with a concave surface 28a to receive the ball bearing 25. It will thus be seen that by means of thewheel 21 the height of thebrush 3| with respect to the floor can be easily adjusted.

Journaled in thebearings 29 and 29a which are mounted on the sides I1 and I8 respectively, of the housing I I, is abrush shaft 30 on which thebrush 3| is mounted for rotation therewith. 'I'heshaft 30 projects through thebearing 29 to accommodate agrooved pulley 32 which is xedly mounted on said shaft and is adapted to rotate therewith.

'Thebrush 3| comprises acylinder 33 having end walls 34 provided with apertures 34a for mounting on theshaft 30.End members 35 provided Wlth setscrews 36 serve to position and secure thecylinder 33 on theshaft 30. Spacedly mounted on said cylinder and secured by bolts 33a are a plurality ofbrush sections 31 having tempered steel bristles 3B secured in asuitable base 33. A brush of this construction not only provides a sweeping action but also a fan action A which serves to carry the sweepings well into the interior of the dirt collectingbin 40. It is apparent that any onebrush section 31 may be removed and replaced without interfering with any of the other of said brush sections on thecylinder 33. Economy in maintenance of the machine is thus effected.

The dirt collecting bin extends the full width of the machine and is shaped in cross section substantially as that shown in Fig. 3. 'Ihe bottom edge "a of thepin 40 is provided with a flexible lip 4| which engages the floor and prevents scattering of the sweepings. removably mounted on the machine and is supported on the transverse bar I5 and projecting Said bin is y flange l6b of the arcuate shield I6. A coil spring 42 secured to anangle iron 43 of the engine,-

mounting presentlyto be described is adapted to engage a lug 44positioned on thebin 40 to retain same in position.Handles 45 mounted on thebin 46 facilitates the handling of same.

To perform awa'shing operation, thebin 46 isremoved and al baffle plate 4B provided with ,handles 41 is positioned forwardly of the arcuate shield i6, as shown. in. Fig. 6. Atank 48 containling washing fluid is removably mountedon the machine and is supported on legs 49 which are adapted to rest on the transverse bar I5. Said tank is provided with anopening 50 for admitfor'locking saidlt'ank on the machine. Aspring 59 secured to the member 56 and to the 'angle iron 51 is adapted to maintain the slotted portion' 56a in engagement with theangle iron 43 of the engine mounting.

Motive power to the brush 3l is supplied by agasoline engine 58 which is positioned on a frame mounted on the housing Il. Said frame has two vertically mountedbrackets 60 and 6l which are secured bybolts 6| a to the arcuate shield I6 of the housing Il. Pivotally mounted on thebracket 6| are a pair ofspaced angle ironsA 43 and 43a upon which is secured aplate member 62 which serves as a base for theengine 58; Acam member 63 provided with alever 64 is rotatably mounted in thebracket 60 and is adapted to bear against the under side of theplate member 62 to serve as a means for taking up the slack of the driving belt 65.- 'Ihe drivingpulley 66 is mounted on ashaft 61 journaled in a bearing 468 and coupled to the engine shaft 69 by means of acoupling 10.

The operation of the machine is apparent from a consideration of the following. By turning the adjustingwheel 21 the height of the'brush with respect to the floorv is easily adjusted. If the floor is particularly dirty the rear end of the machine is lowered by the adjustingwheel 21 to increase the pressure of the brush 3l on the floor. Thelever 64 is moved to the left so that the high point-of thecam 63 is moved out of engagement withplate 62. This action causes thepulley 65 to move ,downwardly and thus slacken up the driving belt 65.v With the belt in slipping position theengine 58 Ais started in the conventional manner. To impart rotary motion to thebrush 3| thelever 64 is shifted to the right so that the cam 65- is causedto raise the engine mounting. The slack of the drivingbelt 65 is thereby takenj up and thebrush 3| is caused to rotate with same. It will be remembered that during a sweeping operation thedirt collecting bin 40 is always positioned on the machine. ing operation thebin 40 is removed and thebaille plate 46 andtank 48 is secured on the machine.

The cleaning fluid by reason of the positioning of the elongated discharge nozzle 53 is caused to ow evenly in front of the machine to provide for As hereinbefore described, for a wash-J higher emciency in operation. The rate of ilow is manually regulated by the rod 54.

It is' apparent that when the-machine is in operation as a washing machine tne liquid is The positioning of invention herewith shown' and described,` is to' be takenl as 'a preferred example of the same, and -that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of our invention, or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. In a machine of the class described comprising a housing, a rotary brush in said housing, means for rotating said brush, said housing having an upper wall and forwardly extending side portions, a cross-bar mounted at the forward lower end of said side portions, the upper wall of said housing terminating rearwardly of said cross-member, and supporting means connected to said housing above and rearwardly of said cross-member, said means cooperating with said cross-member to form a support for interchangeably receiving a dust-collecting bln or a fluid tank,

,2. In a machine of the class described comprising a housing, a rotary brush in said housing, means for rotating said brush, said housing having an upper wall andforwardly extending side portions, across-member mounted at the forward lower end of v'said side portions, the upper wall of said housing terminating, rearwardly and above said cross-member, and supporting means con- 4nected to said' housing above and rearwardly of4 said cross-member, said meanscooperating with means for rotating said brush, said housing hav-- ing an upper wall and forwardly extending side portions, a cross-member mounted at the forward lower end of said side portions, the upper wall of said housing terminating rearwardly of said cross-member, supporting means connected to said housing above and rearwardly of said crossmember, and a fluid tank removably supported onr said supporting means and on the cross-member.

4. In a machine of the class described comprising a housing, a rotary brush in 'said housing, means for rotating said brush; said housing ha'ving an upper Wall and forwardly extending side portions, a cross-member mounted at the formember, and a baille plate removably supported on said cross-member and on'a portion of said housing.

W. RALPH FITZGERALD.

ANDREW DOCKEN.

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