A NEW AND USEFUL OR IMPROVED CARPET SWEEPER
Year: 1859

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Joseph Harris at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 16th March 1859, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT
KNOWN that I, JOSEPH HARRIS, JR., of the State of Massachusetts, of the
United States of America, have invented "A NEW AND USEFUL OR IMPROVED
CARPET SWEEPER," and I do hereby declare that the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which it is to be performed, or in other words its
construction and mode of operation, are fully described .and ascertained in
and by the following Specification and the accompanying Drawings, of which
Fig. 1 denotes a top view of the said carpet sweeper; Fig. 2, a longitudinal
and horizontal section of the same; Fig 3, an end elevation of the same as its
appears with the adjacent end of the case removed; Fig. 4 is the bottom view
of it as it appears with the dust chambers turned outward; Fig. 5 is an inner
side view of one of the adjustable bearings of the brush shaft; Fig. 6 is an
edge view of the same.
The nature of my Invention consists in combining with the case and the
notary brush of a carpet sweeper, a means or mechanism for imparting rotary
motion to said brush. It also consists in the peculiar application and
arrangement of the dust receptacles or chambers with reference to the
brush, viz., so that in whichever direction the brush may be rotated, the dust
raised by such brush shall not fail to be received into one of the chambers.
It further consists in a peculiar means or mechanism for adjusting the

page_text: brush with reference to the carpet or surface to be swept. It further consists
in so applying the dust receptacles or chambers to the frame or case as to
enable such receptacles to be turned outward and upward with respect to the
side of the case for the purpose of readily discharging any dust or matter
which may have accumulated within the said receptacles.
In the Drawings, A represents the case of the carpet sweeper as provided
with a brush B, whose journals a, b, turn in bearings or cylindrical projections
C, C, arranged respectively in each end of the case, as shown in the Drawings.
The said brush extends a short distance out of a rectangular opening D at
the bottom of the case, and carries upon its shaft or one of its journals a
pinion D', which engages with teeth or cogs formed on the outer face of the
driving wheel E, as shewn in Figure 3. When the sweeper is in use, its
case is supported on the floor or carpet by means of the driving wheel E, and
three or any other suitable number of curved slides or supporters F, F, F,
disposed on the case as shown in Figure 4, and furthermore the said wheel E
is made smooth on its periphery so as not to injure the carpet in passing over
it. The bristles are arranged longitudinally upon the body of the brush in
four rows standing at right angles to each other, in order that when the brush
is put in rotation such may not only act as a brush, but as a fan to aid in
elevating the dust into the dust receptacles or chambers. When the said
sweeper is drawn or moved in either direction (that is, either forward or
backward,) over the carpet by means of the handle, the said driving wheel E,
by friction against the carpet, will be put in revolution, and consequently
by its connection with the pinion on the shaft of the brush, the said brush
will receive rotary motion thereby and raise or brush the dust from the carpet
upward into one of the dust chambers. Through each end of the case
A, a slot or opening c is made for the reception of a circular metallic
disk G, from whose inner surface and at right angles thereto there extends
a cylindrical projection C (as shown in Figure 6), which serves as a bearing
for one of the journals of the brush shaft. Through the axes of each of
the said disks a cylindrical hole is formed for the reception of a screw or pin,
which serves not only to confine the said disk to the case A, but as a journal
on which the disk may be rotated. The axes of the said cylindrical projections or
bearings C, C, are not in the same line with the axis of the disks G, G, but are
placed near to the periphery of the said disks, as shown in Figure 6. The
object of this arrangement of the axes is to provide a ready means by which
the brush can be raised or lowered according to the wear of the same, or as
circumstances may require. Should the brush become worn, so as not to
extend sufficiently below the case, or should it extend too far below the same,.

page_text: all we have to do is to simply turn the disks G, G, on their axes in one
direction or the other as the case may be in order to properly adjust the
brush. By means of such appliances it will readily be seen that any little
wear of the brush will not require such brush to be discarded and another
substituted, but as it becomes worn, it can be lowered or adjusted until its
bristles become so worn as to be unfit for further use. Within the rectangular
opening D, and on each side of the brush, I arrange a long dust receptacle or
chamber H, the front part of which is curved in conformity to the periphery
of the brush, and is formed in transverse section, as shown in Figure 3. The
object of such curves is to prevent any dust which may have been raised by
the brush from falling back again upon the carpet, for should it fall from the
brush before it has been raised to the top or upper edge of the dust chamber,
it would be caught by the succeeding rows of bristles; and carried upward by
them into the dust chamber. Furthermore each of the dust receptacles is
hinged respectively to the lower side of the case A by hinges e, e, so as to
enable it to be turned outward and upward into the position as shown in
Figure 4, the same being to enable any dust or other matters which have
accumulated therein to be discharged therefrom. Furthermore these dust
chambers are prevented from falling below the proper level by means of
buttons ff, which turn on screws 9, 9, and are fastened under the slides F, F,
but still they (the said chambers) are not rigidly confined in position, but are
allowed to rise and fall, should any obstacle come in contact with them.
For the purpose of impelling the carpet sweeper over the surface of the carpet,
I attach to the top of the case A a socketed bar K, whose journals are
sustained in holes formed in the brackets i, i, and to the middle of the said
bar K, and extending at right angles therefrom, 1 affix a handle L, the whole
being shown in Figure 1; and furthermore, in order to readily connect the
handle to the case or disconnect it therefrom, I file or reduce one of the
journals of the said bar K upon two of its opposite sides, so as to have it.in
thickness about one-third of its former diameter, thus forming a kind of
To correspond with the journal so reduced, I cut into one of the holes
or bearings formed in the brackets a slot or passage equal in width to the
thickness of the said journal, such slot entering the said hole or bearing at or
near its lowest point in order that when the sweeper is in use, the said journal
may be above the mouth of the passage, and not be liable to fall or slip out of
its bearing and cause the handle to be disconnected from the case; but should
the operator wish to detach the handle from the case, he has only to allow the
flattened journal to fall to the mouth of the slot and draw it (the journal)
backward, and the object is accomplished.
tenon.

page_text: Instead of the driving wheel.and pinion constructed and operating as above
set forth for rotating the brush, the periphery of the driving wheel may be
formed concave, and a rubber ring (or its equivalent) be drawn thereon, and
the same be made to operate in connection with a rough or smooth pinion or
drum affixed to the shaft of the brush, or should circumstances render it
desirable, the following construction of mechanism may be used for putting the
brusli in revolution. I construct on the inner surface of the driving wheel a
continuous row of teeth which engage with a small pinion turning on a
fulcrum or screw pin attached to the end of the case A; with this last pinion
another small pinion engages, the latter pinion being attached to the shaft of
the brush, the said driving wheel being allowed to rotate freely on the shaft of
the brush. Now it is evident that if the driving wheel be put in rotation,
motion will be communicated to the gear or pinion with which it engages, and
that this last-mentioned pinion will impart motion to the pinion affixed to the
shaft of the rotary brush. From the above it will readily be seen that a carpet
sweeper constructed in my improved manner will operate to excellent
advantage for the purpose for which it is intended.
Having thus described my Invention, what I claim is as follows:-
I claim combining with the case and the rotary brush of the carpet sweeper
a means or mechanism substantially as described (or its equivalent) for putting
such brush in revolution.
I also claim the application and arrangement of the dust receptacles or
chambers, viz., in the case of the carpet sweeper, and on opposite sides of the
brush, the same being substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
I also claim the peculiar means or mechanism herein-before described for
adjusting the brush with reference to the carpet or surface to be swept..
I also claim the application of the dust receptacles to the frame or case in
such manner as to be capable of being swung or turned outward and upward
therefrom, substantially in manner and for the discharge of dust as specified.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my signature and seal.