IMPROVEMENTS IN CARPET CLEANERS
Year: 1883

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LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Julius Boult of 323 High Holborn in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CARPET
CLEANERS a communication from Seth Boughton Ryder of Elizabeth in
the County of Union and State of New Jersey, in the United States of
America
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alfred Julius Boult at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th October 1883.
ALFRED JULIUS BOULT 323 of High Holborn, in the county of Middlesex
Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN "CARPET CLEANERS" communicated to me by Seth
Boughton Ryder of Elizabeth in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,
in the United States of America,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved apparatus arranged for use,
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same upon a line having a right angle to the
axis and Figures 3 and 4 are like views showing a modification in the construction
of the lifting ledges Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the
figures. This invention is an improvement upon a class of carpet cleaners in which
the fabric to be operated upon is enclosed within a revolving drum, and alternately
elevated by the action of engaging ledges and then permitted to fall upon the
slatted openwork lower side of the periphery of said cage and It consists
principally in a journalled revolvable cage provided with a series of rollers
which are journalled parallel with the axis of said cage and near its inner
periphery substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified. It consists
farther in combining with the rollers or lifting ledges, elastic bearing strips
stretched beneath or over the same and arranged to form panels which are convex
upon their inner faces, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown.
In the annexed drawings A and A represent the ends of the cage, which ends are
secured to or upon a shaft B that is journalled within suitable bearings C so as
to be capable of revolution therein The periphery D of said cage is preferably
composed of slats wire-cloth or other like material through which air may
circulate freely and has preferably twelve sides, although if desired a greater

page_text: or less number may be used. At points radially inward from equi-distant
portions of the periphery D of the cage are a series of rollers E which longi-
tudinally are arranged parallel with the shaft B and have each a length
substantially equal to the distance between the ends A within which they are
journalled In place of each single roller which extend the entire distance
between said heads, if desired, a number of short rollers may be arranged end
to end upon a rode that extends between and is secured to said heads, The
shaft B is hollow and within the cage is provided with radial openings b
through which air forced into one end of said shaft may pass outward into
said cage.
A door formed within one of the ends or within the periphery of said cage for
the insertion within or removal therefrom of carpets completes the device the
operation of which is as follows viz:-The carpet to be cleaned having been placed
within the cage and the door secured said cage is caused to revolve and air is
forced inward through the hollow axis. As each roller comes into contact with
the carpet it engages with and carries the same upward until near or above the
vertical centre of the apparatus, when said carpet becomes detached and falls
downward upon the lower side of said cage, during which operation it is partially
turned so as to expose a different portion of its surface while by its impact upon
said cage bottom a portion of the dust or dirt contained in said carpet is driven
outward, The operation described is repeated until no more dust remains in the
carpet after which the latter is removed from the cage. In consequence of the
easy rotation of the rollers no injury is possible to the carpet from the clinging
of the latter to the former while the releasing therefrom of said carpet is certain
and ready and a new surface is presented at each fall, The current of air passing
outward from the hollow shaft causes the dust within the cage to be more
effectually and quickly removed than would otherwise be practicable and lessens
the time necessary for cleaning a carpet, In Figures 3 and 4 are shown a
modification in the form of the inner periphery of the cage, produced by the
stretching of elastic strips F from each corner bar over an intermediate bearing
bar G which is placed immediately outside of each roller E the result being the
formation of a series of panels which have convex inner faces. The strips F may
be constructed from wood, metal, cord, rubber, leather or other like material the
object sought by their use being the formation of panels which shall furnish elastic
bearings for the carpet to fall upon. If desired in order to cheapen the apparatus
the rollers may be omitted and the convex panels relied upon to lift the fabric.
Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of the invention what I claim
as new is-1 A journalled revolvable cage provided with a series of rollers
which are journalled parallel with the axis of said cage and near its inner periphery
substantially as and for the purpose specified. 2nd In combination with the rollers
or lifting ledges elastic bearing strips stretched beneath or over the same and
arranged to form panels which are convex upon their inner faces substantially as
and for the purpose shown.
In witness whereof I the said Alfred Julius Boult have hereunto set my hand
and seal this fifteenth day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand Eight
hundred and Eighty three.