Improvement in Carpet Cleaning Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Mar., 1898-Accepted, 11th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Carpet Cleaning Machines.
We, ALBERT FRED GUE, of 193, Warren Avenue, Inventor, and PATRICK JOSEPHL
BONNER, of 91, Bowdoin Avenue, Dorchester District, Manufacturer, both of the
City of Boston, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, 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:-
Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine embodying the invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the lower part of the same on the line X X in
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the same on the line Y Y in Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the beater operating device.
The base, or lower part, of the machine is indicated by A, and contains the
beaters, G¹, and a rotating brush, E. The beaters are attached to a rocker shaft, G,
and are held slightly raised by a flat spring, G. The beaters are operated in the
following manner. G3, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is a short arm projecting from
the rocker shaft, G, and is acted upon by the striking wheels, H2, carried by the
gear wheel, H. The rotation at a high speed of the said gear wheel brings the
striking wheels, H2, forcibly against the said short arm, G³, and thereby raises
the beaters, G. Soon as said striking wheels pass, the reaction of the flat
spring, G2, throws the beaters instantly downward, and, their momentum carrying
them further downward, they strike the carpet beneath a smart blow, and so beat
it as desired.
Although I have described striking wheels, H2, as the means whereby the
vibratory motion is communicated to the beaters, it is self evident that the gear
wheel, H', may be provided with a number of simple lugs or similar projections
for contacting with the short arm, G³; in the place of the said striking wheels.
The rotating brush E is fixed upon a shaft, El, upon an end of which is mounted
the pulley, E, driven by a belt, E3, passing about the same and the pulley, F',
on the blower shaft, F.
The blower comprises the arms, F; the fans, F2, held by said arms, and
the casing, B. The blower rotated through the action of the gear wheel, H', on the
pinion, F, fixed upon the shaft, F, carrying said fans, is designed to exhaust the
air from within the lower casing, A, through the ducts, A', leading therefrom to
the lateral openings of the blower casing. This air is discharged through the
flue, B¹ C, into the chamber, C.
Said chamber, or water receptacle, C, is supported by the frame, D2, as shown
in Fig. 2, and is removably retained in position by the hooks, L. The flue
terminal, C, is turned vertically downward, as shown in Fig. 2, and is secured
tc said receptacle as a part thereof. The mouth of this receptacle is unclosed,

page_text: but just above said flue terminal, C', are ledges, C+, upon which rests a coarsely
woven wire screen, C2. This in its turn supports a thick layer of curled hair, or
similar fibrous material, C³.
The machine is mounted upon suitable casters, and is provided with handles D),
carrying at their upper ends suitable bearings for the shaft of the pulley, K, and
the crank handle, K. About this pulley a belt, K', passes downward to the
pulley, K2, fixed on the shaft which carries the gear wheel, H¹. Hence, by turning
said crank, the gear wheel, H', is made to rotate quite rapidly, causing the
beaters, G¹, to do their work; while said gear wheel, H', further communicates a
greatly increased speed to the pinion, F3, and consequently to the fan blower and
to the brush, E.
The chamber, or receptacle, C, being partially filled with water, as indicated
in Fig. 2, the dust which is raised from the carpet by the action of the beaters
and revolving brush, and is sucked up by the fan and discharged through the
flue, BC, is received by the water, and all the larger particles thereof held in
the same.
It is impossible, however, to make the water entrap every particle of
such dust, and especially the finer and most disagreeable portion thereof. The
duty of entrapping such escaping dust devolves upon the layer of curled hair
suspended across the mouth of the receptacle; but this it can only accomplish
when in a moistened condition. Such moistening of the curled hair is done by
means of the spray arising from the water when agitated by the impact of the
lust laden air thrown thereon by the fan blower. By suitably proportioning the
height of the receptacle, C, and the distance of the screen and curled hair above
the surface of the water, this is perfectly accomplished. When the distance is too
great, the screen is insufficiently moistened to thoroughly perform its work;
while, if too near, some of the water is forced through the screen and drips down
the outer sides of the receptacle onto the carpet; and, of course, a perfectly dry
carpet is an absolute necessity for thorough beating and cleaning.
The brush, E, serves to collect and force into the field of action of the exhaust
blower, any dust and dirt that might otherwise remain in the rear part of the
casing, A.
One main reason for the thorough action of this carpet cleaning machine
rests upon the fact that the casing, A, fits so close to the carpet that
insufficient air can rush in between said casing edge and the carpet to
fully supply the exhaust fan. The result is that the carpet itself is
sucked up toward the beater arms and away from the floor at such immediate
neighborhood. Hence, when the beaters strike the carpet, the latter is thrown
back against the floor; the air-exhaust instantly raises it again; the beaters
strike it down; and so the section of carpet beneath the casing is given such
a violent snapping and shaking, in addition to the beating, that the dust is
thoroughly removed therefrom. The same action serves also to suck up through
the carpet itself all the dust which may have sifted through it and have been lying
on the floor beneath.
After cleaning a carpet, the receptacle, C, needs to be emptied of the dirt which
has accumulated therein; and the layer of curled hair must be washed and dried.
To do this, the hooks, L, are unfastened and the receptacle removed from its seat
upon the frame, D³, and from its engagement with the end of the flue-section, B¹.
The curled hair and the screen, C2, can then be taken out and the contents of the
receptacle thrown out. The curled hair should be washed in several waters, and
laid out to sun and dry.
It often happens that the force of the air blast issuing from the flue-terminal, C¹,
causes some of the water to spatter up and over the throat of said flue, and drip
down into the fan-casing, B. To prevent this, a partition, C, is fastened within
the receptacle, C, between the side of the same and the flue-terminal, C. By
means of this partition, the water, W, which frequently is dashed back from the
rear wall of the receptacle up into the flue-terminal, is prevented from reaching
the flue and is made to drip back directly to the water within the receptacle.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In a carpet cleaner, the combination with the casing, the carpet beating
device, and the air-exhaust apparatus, of a water receptacle having the air-exhaust
delivered upon the surface of the water therein, and a moistened screen covering
the mouth of said receptacle, whereby the heavier particles of dirt removed from a
carpet are held by said water free from further action on the part of the discharg-
ing air, and the finer particles of dust are caught by the said screen, which is kept
constantly moistened by the spray arising from said water as disturbed by said
air blast.
2. In a carpet cleaner, the combination with the casing, the carpet beating
device, and the air exhaust apparatus, of a water receptacle having the air-exhaust
delivered upon the surface of the water therein, and a layer of fibrous material
adapted to wholly close the mouth of said receptacle, and to be kept constantly
moistened by the spray arising from the water in the receptacle, substantially
as set forth.
3. In a carpet cleaner, the combination with the casing, the carpet beating
device, and the air exhaust apparatus, of a water receptacle having the air-exhaust
delivered upon the surface of the water therein, a wire screen closing the mouth
of said receptacle and a layer of curled hair supported by said screen, and adapted
to be kept constantly moistened by the spray arising from the agitated water in
the receptacle.
4. In a carpet cleaner, the combination of a series of carpet beating arms, a
casing snugly containing the same, a fan blower and casing therefor centrally
located upon said beater casing, ducts leading from the top of said beater casing
and discharging centrally to each side of said fan blower, means for actuating said
fan blower and beater arms, a water receptacle located immediately behind said
fan blower, and a flue taking the exhaust from the fan and discharging it upon the
surface of the water in said receptacle.
5. In a carpet cleaner, the combination with the casing, the rocker shaft and the
beater arms elastically held, of the rigid arm projecting from said rocker shaft,
the revoluble wheel located above said arm, and the striking wheels linked to said
revoluble wheel, as set forth, whereby the rotation of the latter wheel is adapted
by the forcible impact with said rigid arm of said striking wheels to actuate said
beaters.
6. In a carpet cleaner, the combination with the beating device, and the casing
snugly enclosing the same, of the fan blower located upon said casing and pro-
vided with a casing of its own centrally communicating with said beater casing,
the supporting frame extended rearwardly from said casing, the water receptacle
supported upon said frame, and means for detachably securing said receptacle in
communication with said fan blower.
ALBERT FRED GUE.
PATRICK JOSEPH BONNER.
Edwards & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants, 65 & 66, Chancery Lane, London.

page_text: Page 2, line 30, for "and dust
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2,
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36, for
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read any dust."
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C
intermediate read immediate."