Improvements in Carpet Sweepers.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1889-Accepted, 22nd June, 1839
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carpet Sweepers.
I REGINALD HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co. Patent Agents of 18 Buckingham
Street Strand W.C. London in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention a communication to me from abroa! by the
Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan in the United States of
America Manufacturers to be as follows:-
My invention relates to carpet sweepers and particularly to mechanism in connection
with the bail for keeping the sweeper case in close contact with the floor.
In carpet sweepers constructed in the usual manner having the bail pivotally con-
nected to the ends of the case in about the central longitudinal line thereof the
sweeper case has a tendency to rise on the farther side of the sweeper is drawn towards
the operator especially when it is being moved rapidly to and fro and being operated
in both directions. This tendency so to rise has been a serious objection to that form
of attaching the bail and to remedy this defect the bail has sometimes been attached to
one side of the central line in order to throw the preponderance of weight on the
other side of the sweeper casing but with this construction the sweeper can be easily
operated from one side only.
The object of my present invention is to provide novel and simple means whereby
the bail of the sweeper having its point of pivotal attachment to the case in about the
central line thereof may be swung from side to side or vibrated over the top of the
sweeper as it is moved to and fro so as to enable it to be operated in both directions
without that tendency to lift or rise above specified this object being accomplished by
providing an elastic connection between the bail and the casing whereby the turning
of the bail to one side will tend to depress the other side of the casing. The bail has
pivotal bearings or journals which are connected to the casing in any ordinary manner
so as to permit the bail and handle to swing back and forth over the sweeper. The
spring or elastic connection between the bail and casing in which my invention
consists I may apply in many forms but I consider the form hereinafter described the
simplest and the type of the others that might accomplish the same purpose. This
elastic connection may be applied to either or both ends of the casing.
Connected to the casing either directly or through an attachment thereon and at a
point substantially in the same vertical plane with the bearings of the bail so as to pull
directly down when the bail is upright is a spiral spring, the length of the spring
being such that it is always under tension the tension being greater when the bail is
upright.
When a sweeper having my invention applied is put into use the operator lowers
the handle toward himself. When in that position it evident that the effect of the
spring will be to tend to lower the bail or if the bail is held stationary the spring will
tend to draw that side of the sweeper nearer the operator from the floor. up towards
the bail and thereby will of necessity tend to depress the further side thus keeping
the further side in close contact with the floor and accomplishing the object above
specified.
I have found that this spring connection between bail and casing not only prevents
the objectional tilting or lifting of the sweeper at times when it otherwise would occur
but also at all times holds the sweeper down close to the floor and insures good work.
The springs should be of sufficient strength to operated as above described but not
strong enough to lift the nearer side of the sweeper off the floor. It is evident that
he bail may be pivoted to any part of the casing and the spring power may be applied

page_text: to bail or casing either by the pushing or expanding or by the pulling or contracting
of the spring in many different ways without departing from my invention.
Dated this 13th day of August 1888
HERBERT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carpet Sweepers.
1, REGINALD HADDAN, of the firm of Herbert & Co., Patent Agents, of 18 Buckingham
Street, Strand, London W.C., in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad by Bissell
Carpet Sweeper Company, of Grand Rapids, State of Michigan, United States of
America, 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 carpet sweepers and particulary to mechanism in connection
with the bail, for keeping the sweeper case in close contact with the floor.
In carpet sweepers constructed in the usual manner, having the bail pivotally
connected to the ends of the case, in about the central longitudinal line thereof, the
sweeper case has a tendency to rise on the farther side as the sweeper is drawn
towards the operator, especially when it is being moved rapidily to and fro, and being
operated in both directions. This tendency so to rise has been a serious objection to
that form of attaching the bail, and to remedy this defect, the bail has sometimes.
been attached to one side of the central line, in order to throw the preponderance of
weight on the other side of the sweeper casing; but with this construction the sweeper
can be easily operated from one side only.
The object of the present invention is to provide novel and simple means whereby
the bail of the sweeper, having its point of pivotal attachment to the case in about the
central line thereof, may be swung from side to side, or vibrated over the top of the
sweeper as it is moved to and fro, so as to enable it to be operated in both directions
without that tendency to lift or rise above specified, this object being accomplished by
providing an elastic connection between said bail and casing, whereby the turning of
the bail to one side will tend to depress the other side of the casing.
This object 1 accomplish by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying
drawings in which,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one of the simple forms of the invention, and
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a carpet sweeper with the invention applied.
Fig. 3 is an end view of a sweeper with a modified form of the invention attached.
In the drawing, figures 1 and 2, the reference numeral 1 denotes the sweeper
casing, which may be of any suitable or desired form, having a brush-shaft 2, driven
in any ordinary manner. The invention is equally applicable to all varieties and forms
of carpet sweepers of the class generally now in use, and I therefore do not describe
the construction of the whole sweeper.
The numeral 3 designates the bail, to which the handle is attached. The bail has
pivotal journals or bearings, 4, which are connected to the casing in any ordinary
manner, so as to permit the bail and handle to swing back and forth over the sweeper.
The spring or elastic connection between the bail and casing, in which my invention
consists, I may apply in many forms, but I consider the form shown in Fig. 1, in the
drawings the simplest and the type of the others that might accomplish the same
purpose. This elastic connection may be applied to either or both ends of the casing.
Connected to the casing, either directly or through an attachment thereon, and at a
point in substantially the same vertical plane with the bearings of the bail, so as to
pull directly down when the bail is upright, is a spiral spring, indicated by the
numeral 5. This spring is attached to the bail at the point 5, the length of the
spring being such that it is always under tension, the tension being greater when
the bail is upright.

page_text: For convenience of construction I connect the lower ends of the spring 5 to the
band or strap 6, which crosses the end of the casing outside of the driving wheels,
but in those sweepers not having those bands, the spring may be attached to the
casing in any desired form, or to any suitable support projecting therefrom, the latter
being required only when the ends of the bail project beyond the end of the sweeper.
When a sweeper having my invention applied is put into use, the operator lowers
the handle toward himself till it assumes about the position shown by the solid lines in
figure (2), when in that position it is evident that the effect of the spring will be to tend
to lower the bail, or if the bail is held stationary, the spring will tend to draw that
side of the sweeper nearer the operator from the floor up towards the bail, and thereby
will of necessity tend to depress the further side, thus keeping the further side in
close contact with the floor, and accomplishing the object above specified.
In the modified form of my invention, shown in Fig. (3), the reference letter A
denotes the sweeper case, having brush shaft B. The letter denotes the bail, having
pivotal journals or bearings e. The lower end of the bail near the pivotal point of
attachment is broadened or enlarged, taking, in the form shown. in the drawing, the
shape of a disc, C¹; a cross-bar or any other form of enlargement, however, which
permits of attaching the springs in the manner hereafter described, will answer the
purpose equally well. On the inner face of the disc, and on a line with the bail
extended, is the lug or journal e, which is inserted into and revolves in a suitable
bearing provided in the end of the case. This point of attachment is in or near the
central line of the case, and substantially over the brush-shaft.
S. S. are springs; at one end bent and attached to the casing at S₁₁ S", as shown
in Fig. (3), and at the other end bent and pivoted to the disc C, at S¹ S' as shown.
These springs should be of sufficient elasticity to depress one side of the case when in
operation, yet not strong enough to raise the other side from the floor entirely.
The operation of this form of my invention is as follows:
When the bail is in an upright position, as shown by the solid lines in the drawing,
the springs S. S., on account of the manner in which they are bent and attached to
the casing, will have an inward thrust towards each other. This may be the only
action of the springs at their inner ends, or they may be so bent as also to have an
upward tendency at that point. In either case the action of one spring counter-
balances that of the other, and neither has any effect on the bail while it remains
upright. When, however, the handle and bail are lowered towards the operator ready
for use, taking the position shown in the dotted lines, the nearer spring is lowered
and the further one raised, so that the ends are not opposite, and the inward thrust of
each is not neutralized by the other, but is free to exert itself, and has the effect to still
further revolve the disc in the direction in which it is started, thereby tending to draw
together the bail and the nearer side of the casing, and as the bail is held stationary,
tending to raise the nearer and depress the further side of the casing, thus accom-
plishing the object above set out. A similar, but reversed action, will occur as the
handle is lowered upon the other side of the casing.
It is evident that one spring will accomplish the object instead of two; The disc
acts as a crank in turning the bail.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination with a carpet-sweeper having the bail pivotally and centrally
connected to its ends above the axis of the brush shaft, of a spring or springs
connected to the casing and acting upon the bail at a point above its pivotal bearing
whereby at each shift of the bail, the spring tension tends to raise or relieve the weight
of the side of the casing next the operator, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a carpet sweeper, having a bail pivotally and centrally
connected to its ends above the axis of the brush shaft, of a spring or springs connected
to the casing below the pivotal bearings of the bail, and connected to the parallel arms
of the bail at points removed from said bearings, whereby the spring tension is

page_text: exerted upon the bail upon the side of the casing next the operator, substantially as
described.
3. The combination with a carpet sweeper having a bail pivotally and centrally
connected to its ends above the axis of the brush shaft, of a spiral spring or springs,
having one end centrally connected to a part or projection of the casing below the
point of connection of the bail, and the other end connected to the parallel arms of
the bail, substantially as described.
4. In a carpet sweeper having a bail pivoted to its casing, a spring or springs
mounted upon or connected to the casing and acting upon the bail, as the latter is
shifted from side to side, whereby the weight of that side of the casing next the
operator, or some portion of said weight, is taken up by the spring or springs,
substantially as described.
5. In a carpet sweeper, a bail pivotally connected to the casing, and one or more
springs connected to the casing and to the bail, in such a manner that as the bail is
swung from side to side the point of connection of the spring will shift from side to
side of the central line of the casing substantially as described.
6. The combination with a sweeper case, of a reversible pivoted bail, and a curved
or bent spring, secured at one end to the casing and at the other end eccentrically
connected with the bail, substantially as described.
7. The combination with a sweeper case, of a reversible pivoted bail, and curved or
"bent springs, secured at one end to the casing and at the other end eccentrically
connected with the bail, substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of May 1889.
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents for Applicant.