Improvements in Brushing or Scraping and Removing Dusty Deposits and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd May, 1899-Accepted, 22nd July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brushing or Scraping and Removing Dusty
Deposits and the like.
I, GEORGE WILTON, of The Gas Light and Coke Company's Tar and Ammonia
Products Works, Beckton, in the County of Essex, Chemical Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be per
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to improved means or apparatus for brushing or scraping,
and removing soot, dust, and other more or less pulverulent deposits from the
flues of boilers, furnaces, kitchen ranges, and from chimneys and so forth in a
more simple and cleanly manner than heretofore. The apparatus is also applicable
for rapidly removing dust from carpets, floors, platforms, and other surfaces, and
also for cleaning metal castings and such like purposes. The means I employ
comprise a brush or scraping device mounted in a block wholly or partly enclosed
in a casing provided with suitable air and dust inlets, and adapted to be easily
moved about from place to place as required by hand. The brush is constructed
in various forms to suit individual purposes, and its casing with the said air and
dust inlets is connected by a flexible pipe made in sections, or in such manner
as to be easily lengthened or shortened as required, to a receiver; air is sufficiently
exhausted from such receiver by means of a steam exhauster, fan, bellows or other
means, to produce any required degree of vacuum in the said flexible pipe and
brush-cover to remove the dusty deposits by suction. The receiver is portable
and may be mounted on wheels, and to facilitate the collection of the deposits
therein water may be used, either in bulk or in the form of a spray as hereinafter
explained.
I will now fully describe my invention in reference to the accompanying draw-
ings in which similar letters refer to similar parts.
Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are sectional elevations of different forms of brush herein-
after described. Fig. 5 is a perspective view partly in section of a carpet- or
floor-brush. Fig. 6 is a section representing the kind of flexible pipe I prefer
to use. Fig. 7 is a section of a receiver and its appurtenances wherein water
is used. Fig. 8 is the same view of a receiver for use without water. Figs. 9
and 10 are respectively sectional elevations of the dust receiver adapted for
domestic use by hand-bellows and with or without water respectively.
In Fig. 1, a is a circular brush such as may be used for Hues, chimneys, and
so forth, the block a¹ of which is mounted between two cover plates a leaving
intervening spaces " for the entry of air and dust. To one of the cover plates a
is connected the flexible suction-pipe b. This flexible pipe may be an ordinary
vacuum hose such as the well-known "Sphincter-grip," but it is convenient, and

page_text: therefore preferred, to use a pipe composed of a number of sections of tin tubing
Fig. 6, of convenient length, say 2 feet, which are adapted to be readily coupled
or uncoupled and adjusted as to length by means of rubber or other flexible
unions tapered off at the end to facilitate manipulation. The brush a shown
in Fig. 2 may be used for plain surfaces. It is enclosed in a bell-shaped hood or
cap a to which the suction pipe b is connected. Fig. 3 illustrates this brush in
use. The brush shown in Fig. 4 has the air and dust inlets a bored through the
block a', it is provided with a tubular handle at to which the suction pipe bis
connected. In Fig. 5 the air and dust inlets of the brush are arranged between
the several blocks a. The cover a is mounted on rollers a and the brush is
more specially devised for carpet or floor sweeping purposes. It will be obvious
that for any special purpose not herein referred to the form and construction of
the brush may be varied to suit requirements the essential feature of such brushes
being that they are mounted and enclosed wholly or partially within a hood-like
cover, to which air and dust can enter and which is connected to the flexible
suction pipe b. The other end of the suction pipe b is connected to the inlet r
of the dust receiver R. Two constructions of receiver are shown in Figs. 7 and 8.
It consists of a hopper-bottomed vessel R preferably cylindrical, with top cover,
means for discharging, and inlet and outlet orifices as presently explained. For
cleaning boiler flues or other comparatively heavy or permanent work this
receiver R may be mounted on wheels adapted to run on rails, or may be furnished
with handles for rendering same readily portable; in cases where steam power
is available it is fitted with an exhausting apparatus (such as the "Korting
Exhauster illustrated at C,) and connected to a boiler or other suitable source
whereby the necessary exhaustion of air within the receiver is effected. In Fig. 8
the receiver is shown so supported as to enable a small truck or barrow d to be run
beneath it to receive the contents when discharged. In cases where the dry dust
from flues and the like is objectionable I may use water in the vacuum chamber
through which the incoming air and dust is bubbled. Such an arrangement is
shown in Fig. 7 wherein the inlet piper is connected to a hood e disposed within
the receiver just below the water level. The water may be introduced into the
receiver in the form of a jet or spray by means of a pipe such as c¹ leading into
the inlet piper or otherwise conveniently; the outlet for the water and collected
dust may, with advantage, be effected by a sealed overflow pipe & extended to
discharge into a drain or other suitable receptacle. If water is not used, then
the discharging arrangement may be a valved orifice at the base of the hopper
as shown in Fig. 8. For domestic purposes such as cleaning kitchen-ranges,
fire-places, house-chimneys and so forth, a hand arrangement may be used such
as is shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The arrangement in Fig. 9 differs from that shown
in Fig. 10 only that in the former figure the water arrangement above referred
to is illustrated, while Fig. 10 represents an apparatus for use without water.
In these cases an ordinary bellows with hand-operating lever g¹ is fitted upon
the top of the receiver R; by this bellows the necessary vacuum is created in
the attached hose pipe b. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 9 clack valves hh h
are provided for regulating the direction of flow of air, as will be readily under-
stood. The apparatus described will be made of such sizes and forms as are most
suitable for the special purposes for which they are intended. In operation the
exhaustion of air produced by the operation of the steam, pneumatic or other
exhauster used will cause a partial vacuum in the flexible pipe and the brush
casing as the brush is moved about in the flue, chimney or furnace or upon the
carpet or other dust laden surface to be cleansed. The dust dislodged by the action
of the brush will be drawn into the brush-casing or air inlets through the flexible
pipe and into the receiver from whence it may overflow if water be used into
a drain or other suitable receptacle, or if water be not used it may be discharged
in a dry state into the truck or barrow referred to, or in smaller cases disposed
of in any convenient way. Though I have described a brush I may use a scraper
similarly mounted and adapted for operation.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. For removing dusty deposits and the like the use of a brush or scraper com-
bined as specified with a casing provided with dust and air inlets and connected
by flexible tubing to a dust receiver in which a partial vacuum is produced by
exhausting apparatus such as hereinbefore referred to, the whole being arranged
or adapted for use substantially as set forth.
2. In apparatus such as above referred to the combination with the brush or
scraper and flexible tube of a vacuum receiver adapted for use either with water
or not and constructed substantially in the manner described in reference to and
illustrated respectively in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings.
3. For removing dusty deposits and the like the use in combination of a suction-
brush or scraper and flexible pipe such as above referred to and a combined
receiver and bellows, constructed and arranged substantially as set forth in
reference to Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings.
4. The herein described improved means for brushing or scraping, and removing
dusty deposits and the like constructed or adapted to operate, substantially in
the manner described in reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Third day of May 1899
Dated this Third day of May 1899
For the Applicant,
J. C. CHAPMAN & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.