Combined Street Sweeping and Dirt Elevating Machine.
Year: 1895

page_text: "Date of Application, 14th 'Dec., 1895
.Complete.Specification. Left, 11th Sept.,11896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
Combined Street Sweeping and Dirt Elevating Machine.
.
We, NAPOLEON BONAPART MILLER and FREDERICK MOHLE; both of
Omaha, County of Douglas, Nebraska, U.S.A., Mechanics; doi hereby declare the
nature of.this invention to. be as follows:-
The machine of this invention is carried on four wheels. The two side.frames
are bent round at the rear.to a bow shape where bearings are provided for the rear
axle, from both ends of which a main brooms and a trailing broom' are driven from
chain wheels through chains. Each set of chain wheel gearing may be 'disconnected
from the driving shaft by a spring actuated ratchet clutch so as to allow of the
machine being turned round or allow one wheel and set of gearing to move at a
greater speed than the other. The brooms are held pressed against the ground by
springs and are also adjustable as to height of their position in the machine frame
and may be lifted up from therground by operating a lever. The dirt is brushed
from the ground into a casing carried between the side frames and from thence is
raised up by means of an endless belt or endless chain elevator through a trunk for
delivery into a waggon attached to the machine. The elevator is also driven from
the rear axle through chain wheels and chain.
Datadithio'14th day of. Denimber'1905
THOMAS R: SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
Combined Street Sweeping and Dirt Elevating, Machine.
We, NAPOLEON BONAPART MILLER and FREDERICK MOHLE, both of
Omaha, County of Douglas, Nebraska, U.S.A., Mechanics, 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 :-
The machine of this invention is shewn in the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1
being a perspective view. thereof dook from the rear and upon one side and shewing
also the rear end of a waggon to which: the. sweeper is attached. Fig. 2 a side
elevation thereof with. the side casing removed. Fig. 3 a detail view of the wheel
hub ratchet with part of the taxle.
1 is the frame, preferably made of two Ushaped iron plates connected by inter-
mediate vertical posts 2, 2, 3, and by a. forwardly inclined U shaped plate 4 which
forms the frame of the elevator trunk. The rear end of the frame 1 is bowed and
supports strap. bearings 5 for the driving axle 6 upon which are the loose driving
wheels 7.
An intermediate lower cross bar-8 and an upper forward end cross plate 9 connect
the Ushaped plates of frame 1. laterally at said points and the plate 9 is fitted:
with a bearing to support a vertical pivot. pin:10 upon the truck frame 11 which
J

page_text: latter is secured to the axle 12 of a pair of wheels 13 which support the forward
end of the sweeper thus providing a four wheeled frame especially adapted to
support and carry the casing 14 elevator 15 and brushes 16 and 17 of a street
Bweeper.
The casing 14 covers the middle portion and inner sides of the frame 1 and also
extends upwardly and forwardly to form a trunk 18 between and upon each side of
the truck frame 4 which encloses the elevator 15 to conduct the dirt from the
brushes to a spout 19 at the upper end of said trunk and discharge the same into a
wagon coupled to the sweeping machine. An apron 18ª extends from the lower
and rear side of the truck rearwardly and downwardly between the plates of
frame 1 and partly around the main brush as shewn in Fig. 2.
The main driving axle 6 carries sprocket wheels 21, and a sprocket chain 22
passes under and around said wheels and also around a sprocket wheel 23 upon the
shaft 24 of the main brush 16 thence over an idler sprocket wheel 25 on the rear
vertical post 2, thence forwardly around a sprocket wheel 26 on shaft 27 at the
lower end of the conveyor, thence rearwardly around a sprocket wheel 28 upon
the end of shaft 29 of the trailing brush 17, thence forwardly over idler sprocket 30,
and rearwardly under idler sprocket 31, to and around the initial sprocket wheel 21
upon the driving axle.
A corresponding sprocket chain carried by sprocket wheels upon the opposite
side of the machine connects a driving sprocket wheel 21" with the brush shafts 29
and 24 to thus drive said shafts at both ends and ensure an equal distribution and
an economic transmission of power from the driving wheels.
Spring actuated ratchet clutches 32 upon the axle 6 to engage with the ratchet
faces 13 of the wheel hubs allow each set of sprocket gearing to revolve
independently of the other and thus admit of the machine being turned round with
one wheel stationary, or allow one wheel or set of sprocket gearing to move at a
greater speed than the the other and thus avoid unequal stress upon the gearing.
The mode of gearing thus described is simple, strong, inexpensive, and effective,
and accomplishes what has heretofore been difficult, viz., the propulsion of the
brushes from the rear driving and supporting wheels with little expenditure of
power.
The brushes 16, 17, are adjustable in the following manner :-Brush 16 is fixed
to a shaft 24 which has bearings in blocks 24, supported and moving vertically
between posts 2, 2, of the frame. A spiral spring 33 encircles a vertical rod 34
adjustable in the frame 1, between the posts 2, and presses between the underside
of frame 1 and the top of the block 24, to hold the latter with the revolving brush
upon the ground, with an adjusted elastic pressure to allow the brush to follow
closely the undulations of the ground and also allow it to roll or be lifted over
obstacles that may come beneath it.
A lever 35, pivotted to the top rail of frame 1, has a slotted end engaging with
a projection on the rod 34 and serving to lift said rod with the bearing blocks 24",
shaft 24, and brush 16, up from contact with the ground when it is desired to move
from place to place without sweeping. A spring arm 36 secured at its lower end
to the frame 1, has a pin 36ª which engages with the lever 35 and holds the latter
with the brush connected thereto, in a raised position when required.
The shaft 29 of the smaller brush 17 is also supported in blocks 29* which move
in guide blocks 37, of the lower bar of the frame 1, and a spiral spring 38 encircles
an adjustable rod 39 and bears between the block 29ª and cap 1 of the frame piece,
and admits of the self adjustment of the trailing brush 17 in a like manner to that
of the larger brush A lever 39" secured to the rear post 2 engages at its free
slotted end with a pin projecting from the rod 39 and serves to lift said rod and
the bearing block and trailing axle secured thereto by means of an adjusting screw
secured to the frame cap 1 and provided with a crank handle 40°. The brushes
are quite heavy but may be easily raised to clear the ground when it is desired to 5
move the machine without using the brush for sweeping.

page_text: I ne conveyor 15 consists of chains supported upon sprocket wheels 200 20
and buckets 15 secured to said chains and moving in the direction of the arrows
(Fig. 2). A concave basin 41 formed of sheet metal is secured to the casing
between the plates of frame 1, and beneath the curved path of the buckets 15° at
the foot of the conveyor, thence being bent downwardly and rearwardly around
the brush in close proximity thereto, to receive the dirt thrown up by the brush
and deposit it in the basin 41 from which it is dipped out by the buckets 15* and
raised to the upper end of the truck 18 and deposited in the spout 19 leading to a
waggon 42 to which the forward end of the sweeping machine is attached. An
apron 43 supported upon the upper conveyor shaft 27 by means of a coiled
spring 44 secured to said apron and by its ends to the trunk casing, receives.
the dirt carried over by the buckets and deflects it to the spout 19, the coiled
spring allowing the apron to yield for the downward passage of the conveyor
buckets.
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. A street sweeping machine comprising a Ụ shaped frame supported at its rear-
end upon a
driving wheel shaft connected at its forward upper ends by a plate
which carries a pivot bearing, a forward wheel truck having a bolt supported in
Baid bearings, a trunk frame secured to the main frame, inclined forwardly and
upwardly, an elevator supported and enclosed therein, and a brush supported upon
a shaft having bearings in the main U shaped frame intermediately thereof,.
substantially as described and shewn.
2. A street sweeping machine having a main frame comprising U shaped
horizontal side pieces, the upper arms of which project forwardly beyond the lower
arms and are connected by a bearing block plate to support the forward truck
frame, and an inverted U shaped trunk frame secured to the main frame to project
upwardly and forwardly therefrom, suitable connecting bars and posts upon said
main and trunk frames, in combination with a main driving wheel axle secured by
strap bearings to the middle of the bowed end of the main frame, a brush supported
upon said frame, and a conveyor supported upon the trunk frame, substantially as.
described and shewn.
3. A street sweeping machine comprising frame pieces 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, truck.
wheel 13, driving wheel 7, conveyor 15, a forward brush 16, shaft 24 supported in
bearings adjustable between posts 2, 2, and spout 19, substantially as described
and shewn.
4. A street sweeping machine, comprising a main frame, a driving axle, and
wheels supported at the rear end thereof, truck wheels pivotted at the forward end
thereof, main brush 16, trailing brush 17, sprocket chain gearing connecting the
driving wheel and brushes and also connected to and operating an elevator
projecting upwardly and forwardly from the brushes, substantially as described
and shewn.
5. A street sweeper, comprising U shaped frames connected at the middle of
their bow shaped ends by straps with the axle of driving wheels, vertical guide
and brace posts connecting the parallel ends of said frame, a brush supported upon.
a shaft having hearing blocks fitted between said vertical guide posts, a lifting rod
secured to said block, a spring encircling the same to bear upon said bearing blocks,.
and a lever pivotted to the frame and connected with the said rod to elevate and
hold the same, substantially as described and shewn.
6. A street sweeping machine, comprising a frame carrying a driving axle at its.
rear end, a brush supported in bearings therein, an upwardly and forwardly inclined
endless belt, elevator, and trunk; a double system of sprocket chain gearing, one
upon each side of the machine and connecting both ends of the axle, brush shaft,
and conveyor shaft, and spring actuated ratchet blocks secured to the driving axle,.

page_text: and interlocking ratchets upon the faces of the hubs of the supporting wheels,
substantially as described and shewn.
'Dated this 11th day of September 1896.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.