US2937396A - Vacuum cleaners with cord reels - Google Patents

Description

May 24, 1960 s .1.w. MOMBERG ETAL '2,937,396

VACUUM CLEANERS WITH CORD REELs Filed Jan. 15, '1957 INVENTORS James M4 Momberg By Franc/1s A. Ga/l y AT TRNEY United States Patent O VACUUM CLEANERS WITH CORD REELS James W. Momberg, Somerville, and Francis A. Gall, Plainfield, NJ., assignors to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, NJ., a corporation of New Jerseyl Filed Jan. 15, 1957, Ser. No. 634,235

Claims. (Cl. 15-323) This invention relates to domestic appliances and more particularly to a rotatable, canister-type vacuum cleaner equipped with a cord reel, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an improved domestic appliance device of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved domestic appliance in the form of a canister type vacuum cleaner in which an upper portion of the cleaner is rotatably mounted on a base portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide an irnproved domestic appliance in the form of a canister type vacuum cleaner having a cord reel rotatably mounted in the base portion of the cleaner.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved domestic appliance in the form of a canister type vacuum cleaner having both an upper portion and a cord reel rotatably mounted with respect to the base portion of the cleaner.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafterset forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a canister type vacuum cleaner embodying the present invention and,

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional View disclosing details of the lower portion of the vacuum cleaner shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, this invention is illustrated as embodied in a domestic appliance in the form of a canister type vacuum cleaner which has two superimposed can-shaped members, thelower member 16 being upwardly open, and the upper member 17 being inverted to form a cover for thelower member 16. The twomembers 16 and 17 are held together by agasket 18 and a plurality oflocking devices 19. The upper member 17 houses a dust bag (not shown) and is provided with an integrally formed intake fitting 21. Theintake fitting 21 receives ahose 22 and supports a pick-up handle 23. Thelower member 16 houses an electrically operated motor-fan unit 24, and supports anelectric switch 26 and a normally closedblower connection 27. Alowermost portion 28 of the lower member 16'has abottom wall 31 and a cylindrical side wally 32, the latter being provided with a plurality ofexhaust ports 33. Theportion 28 of themember 16 is surrounded by abase member 34. Thebase 34, by means of a plurality ofballs 35, rotatably supports themembers 16 and 17 which of course function as a unit. Each of theballs 35 is received in opposedcomplemental cavities 36, one cavity being formed in thebottom wall 31 and the other cavity being formed in ashelf wall 37, which is part of thebase member 34.

Thebase member 34, in addition to the previously Cil , 2,937,396 Patented May 24, 1960 ICC mentionedshelf wall 37, has abottom wall 38 which has a dependingfoot nng 39; a lowercylindrical side wall 41, which connects the external perimeter of thebottom wall 38 with the internal perimeter of theshelf wall 37; an uppercylindrical side wall 42; and an inturnedlip 43. The lip 43'is carried onthe upper edge of thewall 42, whereas the Vlower edge of thewall 42 is joined to vthe outer perimeter of theshelf wall 37. The base member 314 is rotatably held to thelower member 16 by a vertically extendingshouldered screw 44 which is surrounded by alixed bushing 45. Ashouldered portion 46 of thescrew 44 is received by the internal hole of an externallyv threaded bushing 48, which at its lower end has aange 49. Anut 51, positioned above awasher 52, is threaded to the bushing 48 and thereby causes thellange 49 to secure aninsulated strip 53 .to the bottom surface of thebottom wall 31. The lower end of the reducedneck portion 54 of thescrew 44 is threaded and, after passing through a hole in thebottom wall 38, receives anut 58. Thescrew 44 and thenut 58 hold thelower member 16 to thebase member 34 in such a manner that the member 16-17 can, as previously indicated, rotate as a unit with respect to the base member 3'4.

In addition to the above, acord reel 61 is rotatably mounted with-respect to thebase member 34. Thecord reel 61 may be of any known construction and may, for example, be equivalent to the cord reel shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,639,456. Preferably thecord reel 61 Will be rotatably mounted on the bushing 45 and will comprise a pair ofilanges 63 and 64, acoiled spring 66, a pair ofslip rings 67 and 68, the latter being engaged by a pair ofliexible brushes 7l and 72 carried by theinsulated strip 53. It will be understood that the various parts of thecord reel 61 will be fastened together and that one end of thespring 66 will be secured to the fixedbushing 45 and that the other end of thespring 66 will be attached to thecord reel 61. Wound around thecord reel 61 is anelectric extension cord 73, the free end of which passes through a hole 74 formed in the wall r41. From thehole 41, thecord 73 passes through achute 76 which is held to thebase member 34 by rivets77. A cordstop having arms 78 and 79 is pivotally mounted on thechute 76,arm 78 being biased downwardly by ahelical spring 81. Thearm 78 may also be moved upwardly against thespring 81 by one arm of a pivotally mountedfoot pedal 82. The space between the walls32 and 42 is iilled with a porous sound deadening material into which air from theports 33 exhausts.

Theextension cord 73 has two conductors, one of which is connected to theslip ring 67 and the other of which is connected to theslip ring 68. The twobrushes 71` and 72, which contact theslip rings 67 and 68 respectively, are individually connected toconductors 83 and 84, which by means of athird conductor 86 and theswitch 26 energize themotor 24.

The herein disclosed vacuum cleaner may be placed in the center of a room with thefoot ring 39 resting in a xed position on the floor surface. Pulling theextension cord 73 will unwind sufcient cord from thereel 61, thereby tensioning thespring 66. Then, by use oftheV hose 22 and a dusting tool (not shown), the whole room can be cleaned simply by rotating the combinedmembers 16, 17 and 21 on thebase member 34. It should be noted that both thecord reel 61, and the unit member 16-17 are rotatably mounted on thebase member 34. Also, thecord reel 61 and the combined member 16- 17 are mutually rotatable one with respect to the other. Because of the slip-ring-brush mechanism 67-68-71- 72 it is possible to rotate themotor 24 with respectV to thebase 34 and at the same time to conduct electric energy from thecord 73 to themotor 24. YPlacing the slip rings 67-68 and brushes 71--72 between the two rotatably mountedmembers 16 and 61 makes one set of slip rings and brushes do double duty in that electric current is carried to two rotatably mounted members by one set of slip rings and brushes.

Having thus set forth the nature of our invention, what we claim herein is:

l. A device comprising a base member, a domestic appliance supported on top of said base member and mounted to rotate about a vertical axis, a cord reel mounted to rotate about a vertical axis and interposed between said base member and said domestic appliance, a slip-ring-brush mechanism made up of two elements, one of said elements of said slip-ring-brush mechanism being associated with said cord reel, and the other of said elements of said slip-ringbrush mechanism being associated with said domestic appliance, this association being such that electric current can pass from said cord reel to said domestic appliance while said cord reel and said domestic appliance are rotating with respect to said base and with respect to each other.

2. In a domestic appliance, a base member adapted to rest on a surface, an electrically operated device member supported on top of said base member and mounted to rotate about a vertical axis, a cord reel rotatably mounted to rotate about a vertical axis on one of said members, an electric cord wound on said cord reel and extending from said base member, and a slip-ring-brush mechanism interposed between said cord reel and said electrically operated device member, said slip-ring-brush mechanism having a portion carried by said cord reel and having another portion carried by said electrically operated device member, and said slip-ring-brush mechanism conducting electrical energy from said electric cord to said rotatably mounted electrically operated device member.

3. In a vacuum cleaner assembly, a base member adapted to be placed in the center of a room to be cleaned, a canister type vacuum cleaner member supported on top of said base member and mounted to rotate about a vertical axis, a cord reel rotatably mounted to rotate about a vertical axis on one of said members, an electric cord wound on said cord reel and extending from said base member, a cleaning hose operatively xed to said canister type vacuum cleaner member, and a slip-ringbrush mechanism interposed between said cord reel and said canister type vacuum cleaner member, said slipring-brush mechanism having a portion carried by said cord reel and having another portion carried by said vacuum cleaner member, and said slip-ring-brush mechanism conducting electrical energy from said electric cord to said rotatably mounted canister type vacuum cleaner member.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a base adapted to be placed in the center of a room to be cleaned, a canister type vacuum cleaner supported on top of said base and mounted to rotate about a` vertical axis, a cord reel rotatably mounted to rotate about a vertical axis on said base, an electric cord carried by said cord reel and having a free end extending from said base, a cleaning hose operatively xed to said canister type vacuum cleaner, and a slip ring-brush mechanism interposed between said cord reel and said canister type vacuum cleaner, said slip-ringbrush mechanism having a portion carried by said cord reel and having another portion carried by said vacuum cleaner, and said slip-ring-brush mechanism conducting electrical energy from said electric cord to said rotatably mounted canister type vacuum cleaner.

5. In a vacuum cleaner, a base adapted to be placed in the center of a room to be cleaned, a canister type vacuum cleaner supported on top of said base and mounted to rotate about a vertical axis, a cord reel rotatably mounted to rotate about a vertical axis between said base and said canister type vacuum cleaner, an electric cord carried by said cord reel, and having a free end extending from said base, a cord stop mechanism carried by said base and engaging said electric cord, a cleaning hose operatively fixed to said canister type vacuum cleaner, and a slip-ring-brush mechanism interposed between said cord reel and said canister type vacuum cleaner, said slip-ringbrush mechanism having a portion carried by said cord reel and having another portion carried by said vacuum cleaner, and said slip-ring-brush mechanism conducting electrical energy from said electric cord to said rotatably mounted canister type vacuum cleaner.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,859,352 Albee May 24, 1932 2,246,862 Smellie June 24, 1941 2,248,585 Ross et al. July 8, 1941 2,348,966 Dow et al May 16, 1944 2,591,214 Tamarin Apr. 1, 1952 2,734,214 Gerber Feb. 14, 1956 2,769,997 Sheehan Nov. 13, 1956 2,779,432 Meyerhoefer Jan. 29, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 653,166 Germany Nov. 16, 1937 755,679 Great Britain Aug. 22, 1956

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