Turbine Driven Cleaning Tool

Abstract

In a cleaning tool having a nozzle provided with a brush rotated by an air turbine to remove direct from surfaces, the body sections of the tool cooperate to form dirty and clean air passageways, support the turbine brush drive and enclose the latter in the nozzle to prevent contact with the dirty air stream.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 805,486, filed Mar. 10, 1969, now abandoned.

Description

The invention relates to cleaning tools having a turbine driven brush operated by connection to the suction pressure of a suction cleaner and is particularly adapted to remove lint and dirt from upholstered furniture, draperies, clothing and similar materials.

SUMMARY

The cleaning tool is provided with a body having a plurality of sections some or all of which cooperate to provide a chamber for an air turbine, a nozzle chamber for a surface engaging brush, and clean and dirty air passageways connectable to the source of suction pressure in a suction cleaner.

One of the body sections forms part of the nozzle chamber mouth and also cooperates with another section to enclose that part of a brush drive mechanism projecting into the nozzle chamber to thereby protect the brush drive from contact with the dirty air passing through the nozzle chamber.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view of the cleaning tool connected by a hose to a suction cleaner which provides a dirt filter and suction pressure,

FIG. 2 is a top view with parts of the body broken away to more clearly show the interior of the nozzle chamber, turbine chamber and outlet chamber,

FIG. 3 is a section along the line 3--3 in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a section along the line 4--4 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a bottom view with parts of the body broken away to more clearly show the internal structure,

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sections along the lines 6--6 and 7--7 in FIG. 5,

FIG. 8 is a section along the line 8--8 in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 9 is a section along the line 9--9 in FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises surface cleaning tool having a body 10 formed by cooperating body portions identified as the lower or first section 11, an upper or second section 12 and a partition or third section 13, all of which are formed of molded plastic material. The lower and upper sections 11-12 are substantially T-shaped and their meeting surfaces 14 and 15 are substantially planar and joined together at the line 16 by a plurality of screws 17 to form part of a nozzle chamber 18 at its forward end and a rearwardly projecting tubular end section 19. The partition 13 has a portion 20 disposed in the nozzle chamber 18 and a semi-cylindrical portion 21 nested between the body sections 11-12 forming the tubular rear end 19.

The tubular rear end 19 has a pin 22 for connection to a flexible hose 23 attached to a canister-type cleaner 24 having a dirt-filtering bag 25 and a motor-fan unit 26 which provides the suction air pressure for operating the cleaning tool.

The nozzle chamber 18 is defined by a front wall 27, opposite end walls 28 and 29 from each of which extends respectively a rear wall 30 and 31 joined to the tubular rear end 19 at the point 32 indicated in FIGS. 2 and 5, and all of such walls are formed by cooperating portions of the lower and upper body sections 11 and 12. A surface engaging mouth for the nozzle chamber 18 is formed partly in the lower body section 11 by a front lip 34, opposite end lips 35, and a rear lip 37.

In the central area of the nozzle chamber 18 is a pair of spaced lower transverse walls 38 upstanding from the body lower section 11 and each is provided with an upwardly facing arcuate surface 40. The lower transverse walls 38 extend between the nozzle front and rear lips 34-37. The nozzle portion 20 of the partition 13 includes a bottom wall 42 from which upwardly projects a front wall 43, rear wall 44 and a pair of spaced side walls 45, the latter arranged alongside the inner surfaces of the lower transverse walls 38. The partition side walls 45 each have a lower upwardly facing semi-cylindrical flange 47 which rests in the similar contoured arcuate surfaces 40 in the lower transverse walls 38. Depending from the top wall 48 of the nozzle is a pair of spaced upper transverse walls 48 each provided with downwardly facing semi-cylindrical surface 50.

The upwardly facing semi-cylindrical surfaces 47 in the partition side walls 45 cooperate with the downwardly facing semi-cylindrical surfaces 50 in the depending upper transverse walls 49 to form therebetween a support for bearings 51 of a shaft 52 forming part of a brush drive mechanism hereinafter more fully described. The partition 13 is attached to the body upper section 12 by a screw 41 threaded into the nozzle front wall 27 as shown in FIG. 3. The partition bottom wall 42 spans the space between the nozzle front and rear lips 34 and 37 to form a bottom wall in the central portion of the nozzle chamber 18.

The depending upper transverse walls 49 and the partition side walls 45 together with the lower transverse walls 38 cooperate to divide the nozzle chamber 18 into two separate sections 53 and 54 each of which has a dirty air inlet 55 and 56 respectively extending to the adjacent nozzle end lips 35.

Disposed in each nozzle chamber section 53-54 is a brush 57 having a central twisted wire shaft 58 to which is secured bristles 59. The outer ends 60 of each brush shaft 58 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 61 seated in cooperating recesses 62 between the meeting surfaces 14-15 of the body upper section 12 and the body lower section 11 forming the end walls 28-29 of the nozzle. The inner end 63 of each brush shaft 58 is rectangular in cross section and is removably seated in the shaft 52 for rotation therewith.

The brushes 57 are removed from the nozzle chamber sections 53-54 by disconnecting the screws 17 and lifting the body lower section 11 from the body upper section 12 to expose the outer brush bearings 61. Each exposed bearing 61 is lifted out of its seat in the body upper section 12 and the inner ends of each brush shaft 58 is pulled out of the shaft 52, whereby each brush 57 is free to be removed from the body upper section 12.

Depending from the nozzle top wall 48 rearwardly of the brush 57 is an interior wall 64, the lower edge 65 of which is in the planar surface 15 of the body upper section 12. The marginal edge 65 of the nozzle interior wall 64 is arranged adjacent to the ends 66 of the bristles 59, as shown in FIG. 7, to remove lint and other material therefrom as the brushes 57 are rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 67.

A flexible wire nozzle guard 68 is arranged across the nozzle mouth of each nozzle chamber section and has its opposite ends 69 rotatably seated in recesses 70 in the nozzle front lip 34 and is releasably retained in position by flexing the U-shaped rear portions 71 normally positioned behind projections 72 on the nozzle rear lip 37.

The semi-cylindrical portion 21 of the partition 13 has a front wall 73 formed in part by the partition rear wall 44 and from which projects a downwardly inclined arcuate section 74 merging into a lower arcuate section 75 extending rearwardly into the tubular rear end 19. The spaced side walls of the body upper section 12 extends forwardly into the nozzle chamber 18 as indicated at 76 to the nozzle interior wall 64 and its lower marginal edges 77 abut the upper edges 78 of the inclined and lower arcuate sections 74 and 75 respectively in the partition 13. The wall of the lower arcuate section 75 of the partition 13 is also provided with shoulders 79 which seat in cooperating recesses 80 formed in the wall of the body lower section 11.

The interior surface 82 of the partition semi-cylindrical portion 21 cooperates with the opposite interior surface 83 in the body upper section 12 to provide therebetween a turbine chamber 84 extending from the nozzle interior wall 64 and the cooperating partition wall 73 to the rear end of the partition as indicated at 85. A plurality of slots 86 are provided in the nozzle top wall 48 for entrance of clean ambient air into the turbine chamber 84 and the latter communicates with an outlet chamber 87 in the tubular end 19. When the tubular end 19 is connected to the flexible hose 23 and the motor-fan unit 26 energized, then the suction pressure draws ambient clean air through the slots 86 and turbine chamber 84.

The mechanism for rotating the brushes 57 comprises a shaft 89 rotatably mounted by bearings 90 in opposite ends of a tubular housing 91. The housing 91 is supported at its forward end 92 between the body top section 12 and the rear wall 44 of the partition 13. The rear end 93 of the shaft housing 91 is mounted in the hub 94 of a turbine stator 95 having spaced radial blades 96. The stator blades 96 have their extreme ends 97 seated in cooperating recesses 98 and 99 in the body partition 13 and the body upper section 12 respectively, as clearly shown in FIG. 3. A pinion gear 101 at the front end of the shaft 89 engages a ring gear 102 rigidly attached to the shaft 52 in the nozzle chamber 18. A turbine fan 103 having blades 104 is rigidly attached to the rear end of the shaft 89. Ambient air entering the slots 86 and passing through the stator blades 96 is directed by the latter to impinge upon the turbine blades 104 to rotate the latter and thus the shaft 89 which in turn rotates the pinion 101 and the ring gear 102 causing the brushes 57 to be rotated in the direction of the arrow 67 in FIG. 7.

It will be noted that the ring gear 102, pinion 101 and the adjacent portion of the shaft 89 are arranged within the nozzle chamber 18 but are enclosed by that portion of the partition 13 disposed between the nozzle front and rear lips 34 and 37 respectively and the two transverse walls 49 of the body upper section 12 to thereby protect the gears 101 and 102 from contact with the dirt-laden air normally present in the nozzle chamber.

An elongated U-shaped upper rib 105 projects downwardly from the outer surface 106 of the partition 13 and abuts a similar lower rib 107 upstanding from the inner surface 108 of the body lower section 11. The upper rib 105 has a bight portion 109 and spaced portions 110, the ends of which are adjacent to the partition rear wall 44. The lower rib 107 also has a bight portion 111 and spaced side portions 112 extending forwardly to the transverse walls 38 and are integrally formed therewith. The cooperating ribs 105 and 107 enclose an area into which dirt-laden air does not enter.

Each of the nozzle chamber sections 53 and 54 are respectively connected to a dirty air passageway 114 and 115 for conveying dirt-laden air from the nozzle chamber sections to the outlet chamber 87 beyond the turbine chamber 84. Each air passageway is defined between the ribs 105 and 107 and the adjacent wall areas 116 and 117 of the body lower section 11 and the partition 13. The entrance 118 to each dirty air passageway is defined by a transverse rib 119 depending downwardly from the partition 13. The transverse ribs 119 reduce the area of the inlets 118 relative to the enlarged area in the rear of the air passageways where the ribs 105 and 107 turn inwardly to form the bights 109 and 111 of the ribs.

In operation, the tubular end section 19 of the tool is connected to the hose 23 attached to the cleaner 24 and the motor-fan unit 26 is energized to provide suction pressure in the outlet chamber 87 which communicates with the turbine chamber 84 and also each nozzle section 53 and 54 through the dirty air passageways 114 and 115 respectively.

The suction pressure draws clean ambient air through the slots 86 into the turbine chamber 84 and the air strikes the stator blades 96 which direct the air against the turbine blades 104 causing rotation of the turbine 103. Rotation of the turbine 103 rotates the drive shaft 89 and thus the pinion 101 and ring gear 102, the latter causing the brushes 57 to rotate in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 67 in FIG. 7. During rotation of the brushes 57 the bristles 59 project through the nozzle mouth guards 68 into engagement with the surface to be cleaned, such as upholstery, draperies, and clothing, to loosen the lint and dirt thereon.

The dirt loosened by the rotating brushes 57 is lifted off of the surface by the suction in the nozzle chambers 53-54 and such dirt-laden air is conducted through the dirty air passageways 114 and 115 into the outlet chamber 87 from which it is conveyed by the hose 23 to the dirt filter bag 25. The marginal edge 65 of the nozzle inner wall 64 being arranged adjacent to the ends 66 of the brush bristles 59 acts to scrape the collected dirt therefrom and deposit it into the nozzle sections 53-54 where the suction air pressure therein picks up the removed dirt and conducts it through the dirty air passageways 114-115 into the outlet chamber 87 to the filter bag 25.

In assembling the parts of the tool the partition 13 is attached to the body upper section 12 by the screw 41 threaded into the nozzle front wall 27 to complete the turbine chamber 84 and form the housing within the nozzle to enclose the ring gear 102, pinion 101 and adjacent portion of the shaft 89 to thereby prevent contact with dirt. The front end 92 of the drive shaft housing 91 is supported between the partition 13 and body upper section 12, while the rear end 93 of the housing is supported by the stator blades 96 seated in the recesses 98 and 99 provided respectively in the partition 13 and body upper section 12. Thereafter the body lower section 11 is attached to the body upper section 12 by the screws 17 to form with the partition 13 the dirty-air passageways 114 and 115. It will be noted the dirty air passageways 114-115 do not communicate with the turbine chamber 84, whereby dirt does not collect on the stator 95 and fan 104.

The embodiment of the present invention shown and described is only illustrative and is not to be taken in a limiting sense. The present invention includes all equivalent variations of the embodiment disclosed and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. An air operated surface cleaning tool, comprising: an upper body section having an inner and an outer pair of bearing receiving recesses; a lower body section having a pair of bearing receiving recesses and secured to said upper body section to form the outer body of said surface cleaning tool; said body having a forward portion and a rear portion and said forward portion providing a nozzle chamber and an air inlet and said rear portion providing an air outlet; a pair of surface engaging brushes in axial alignment positioned within said nozzle chamber; brush bearing means located at the outer end of each of said brushes, the lower portion of said brush bearing means being positioned in said lower body section bearing receiving recesses and the upper portion of said brush bearing means being positioned in said upper body section outer pair of bearing receiving recesses; a partition having a pair of bearing receiving recesses and said partition being located between said upper body section and said lower body section; said partition and said lower body section providing a dirty air passage connecting said air outlet and said nozzle chamber; a shaft intermediate and in axial alignment with said brushes and in driving engagement with the inner ends thereof; means for driving said shaft; and axially spaced shaft bearing means rotatably supporting said shaft, the lower portion of said shaft bearing means being positioned in said partition bearing receiving means and the upper portion of said shaft bearing means being positioned in said upper body section inner pair of bearing receiving recesses.

2. An air operated surface cleaning tool as described in claim 1, wherein said means for driving said shaft includes: a ring gear rigidly affixed to said shaft; a pinion which drivingly engages said ring gear; a second shaft one end of which is affixed to said pinion; a housing which supports said second shaft; a rotor affixed to the other end of said second shaft; a stator affixed to said housing at the end adjacent said rotor; and said upper body section providing a clean air inlet which supplies air for rotating said rotor.

3. An air operated surface cleaning tool as described in claim 2, wherein said upper body section and said partition provide: an enclosure for said brush driving shaft, said ring gear, and said pinion and said enclosure is located in said nozzle chamber and said enclosure divides said nozzle chamber into two separate portions wherein air flowing into one of said portions combines with air flowing into the other of said portions only when said air reaches said air outlet.

4. An air operated surface cleaning tool as described in claim 3, wherein said second shaft housing and said stator are clamped between recesses in said partition and said upper body section to rigidly support said drive means for said brush driving shaft; and wherein said partition and said upper body section cooperate to provide a clean air passage separate from said dirty air passage, said clean air passage being located between said clean air inlet and said rotor and said clean air combining with said dirty air after passing through said rotor.