Improvements in Carpet Sweepers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1895-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1895
Improvements in Carpet Sweepers.
A communication from THOMAS STEWART WHITE, THOMAS FRIANT, GAIUS
WILLIAM PERKINS, and CHARLES JAMES REED, all of Grand Rapids,
Michigan, United States of America, Manufacturers.
1, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :---
This invention relates to improvements in carpet sweepers, and its object is to
provide novel means whereby the brush will be lowered by pressure upon the bale
and also to simplify and cheapen the construction reference being had to the
accompanying drawing in which :
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a device embodying this invention, and
Figure 2 a plan view of one end of the same, with parts in horizontal section to
show the construction.
Like letters refer to like parts in all of the figures.
A represents the case of the usual construction and provided with driving and
supporting wheels B, which wheels engage the brush pulley D and rotate the same.
I is a guard bar made of a strip of flexible metal arranged with the width in a
vertical plane, and extending parallel with the end of the case and outside the
wheels B and pulley D. Said guard bar is divided and overlapped at the middle
and perforated through the overlapping part to receive the inwardly-turned end E¹
of the bale E, which end thus pivotally connects the overlapping ends of said
guard bar. Said inwardly-turned end E' also projects within an axial opening in
the brush shaft and serves as a journal for said shaft.
The inwardly-extended parts C₁ C' of the guard bar are firmly secured to the
case and the portions of the same opposite the wheels B are free to twist as the
jointed middle part of the said guard bar descends thus providing a vertically
flexible guard bar to which the bale and brush shaft are attached, and which
supports the same. The guard bar thus serves the usual purpose of such bars
and also as a yielding support for both the bale and brush shaft, whereby
downward pressure on the bale lowers the brush into closer contact with the floor or
carpet.
The inwardly-turned ends of the bale while serving the usual purpose of pivoting
the bale to the sweeper also serves to pivotally connect the overlapping parts of
the guard bar and also as a journal for the brush shaft. I thus secure an
extremely simple structure which operates quite as well as the previous more
complicated and expensive devices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is
1. In a carpet sweeper, in combination with a case having driving and
supporting wheels, and a brush shaft having pulleys engaging said wheels, vertically
flexible guard bars supporting said brush shaft and a bale attached to said bars,
substantially as described.
2. In a carpet sweeper, in combination with a case having driving and supporting
wheels and a brush shaft having pulleys engaging said wheels, guard bars secured

page_text: to said case at their ends and projecting outward from said case, said bars
also having overlapping and pivoted portions near the middle, journals for said
brush shaft and a bale attached to and supported by said bars, substantially as
described.
3. In a carpet sweeper, guard bars attached at their respective ends to the
sweeper case, and having divided and overlapping middle portions, a bale having
inwardly-projecting ends, passing through said middle portions, a brush shaft
journaled on the said inwardly projecting ends of said bale, and means for rotating
said brush shaft, substantially as described.
4. In a carpet sweeper in combination with a case having driving and supporting
wheels and a brush shaft having pulleys engaging said wheels, guard bars having
divided and overlapping middle portions and a bale having inwardly projecting
ends passing through said middle portion and engaging axial openings in said
brush shaft, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of July 1895
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.