Improvements in Self Loading Street Cleaning Cars.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th July, 1899-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self Loading Street Cleaning Cars.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from Andrew Jackson Reynolds, of 74, Equitable Build-
ing, Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States of America), to be as follows:-
This invention relates to street cleaning cars which collect the sweepings and
has for its object an improved construction of the sweeping apparatus and its
connections, as well as adjustments adapted to transfer the sweepings away from
the brush towards either end of the car, to empty the car by means of a dumping
floor, and to melt snow when used in winter by means of a heater.
An important feature of this invention is that the apparatus is enabled to load
a trailer or rear car when running in either direction by the conveyors running
cach way from the loading brush out over the ends of the sweeping car. The
car has a refuse receiving space at each end.
In the centre of the car there is a raised floor upon which the brush motor is
situated. At each side of this floor are adjustable bars into which the brush is
journalled and to which are attached side brushes. These bars move in slides
and are adjusted by hand wheels.
The side casings are hinged to the edge of the car floor and have rubber aprons
attached to their lower edges, at their sides they are linked to a pin on the
adjustable bars by links in such a way that on raising the adjustable bars the
side casings open out, to allow the brush to rise and when lowered through the
bearing of the brush to bring them in proper adjustment to its surface. The
brush axle bears a sprocket which is driven by chain from the motor and is readily
reversed, permitting the car to operate in either direction.
An adjustable deflector pivoted at its centre meets the upper edge of either
casing according to the direction the car is travelling, and is operated by a lever.
The main floor of the car is made up of tipping sections which are operated
from above by means of the links and a longitudinal bar.
-The rakes are arranged to remove the sweepings from the immediate neighbour-
hood of the brush.
They are attached to chain belting which runs between rollers. One of these
rollers consists of a hollow spindle running free on a shaft which is driven by a
sprocket attached to one end through a chain.
A clutch operated, by a lever disconnects the said roller.
A similar apparatus at the other side of the brush is operated by a chain running
between the shaft, and the roller over idlers. Side doors allow the neighbourhood
of the brush to be readily got at and cleaned out.
When adapted for snow, a heat generator is fitted in each end of the car.
This
is provided with an extended heating surface for the purpose of melting the snow
which is swept into the car and carried over the inclined surface of the heater by
the rakes.
The water is run off at the bottom of the car through the outlets at the sides.

page_text: The invention is not limited to any special form of heater in combination with
a self loading car.
The motor employed may be driven by electricity, steam or other power.
Dated this 18th day of October 1898.
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
Improvements in Self Loading Street Cleaning Cars,
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from Andrew Jackson Reynolds, of 74, Equitable Build-
ing, Boston, Massachusetts, in the 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 street cleaning cars which collect the sweepings and
has for its object an improved construction of the sweeping apparatus and its
connections, as well as adjustments adapted to transfer the sweepings away from
the brush towards the end of the car, to empty the car by means of a dumping
floor, and to melt snow when used in winter by means of a heater.
An important feature of this invention is that the apparatus is enabled to load
a trailer or rear car when running in either direction by the conveyors running
each way from the loading brush out over the ends of the sweeping car.
car has a refuse receiving space at each end.
Reference will be made to the annexed drawings, in which :-
The
Fig. 1 shows a side view of a double truck car fitted with the device, the left side
fitted with the snow melting apparatus, the right side with the apparatus for
keeping the brush clear and moving the sweepings and dumping floor. Fig. 1ª
is a detail figure of the apparatus for operating the dumping floor.
Fig. 2 is a detail figure of brush and casings and also side brush.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the connections of the rake spindle, and
Fig. 4 is a side view showing a street cleaning car delivering sweepings into
a trailing car.
In the centre of the car there is a raised floor 29, upon which the brush motor 60
is situated. At each side of this floor are adjustable bars 15, in which the brush 17
is journalled, and to which are attached side brushes 451 which close the space
between the rubber aprons 420. These bars which are screw threaded at the
upper portion, move in slides and are adjusted by hand wheels or nuts 341,
bearing upon the framing 15º.
The side casings 42 are hinged to the edge of the car floor 8 and have auto-
matically reversible rubber aprons 420 attached to their lower edges; at their
sides they are linked to the pin 151 on the adjustable bars 15 by the links 421
in such a way that on raising the adjustable bars 15, the side casings 42 open out
to allow the brush to rise as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and when the
bars 15 are lowered the links 421 act to bring the casings in proper adjustment to
the surface of the brush. The brush axle 16 bears a sprocket which is driven by
chain 19 from the motor 60 and is readily reversed, permitting the car to operate
in either direction.
An adjustable deflector 44 pivoted at its centre, meets the upper edge of either
casing according to the direction the car is travelling and is operated by the
lever 441.

page_text: The main floor of the car is made up at the ends of tipping sections 81, which
are operated from above by means of the links 82, levers 86, longitudinal bar 85
and hand lever 87 as shown in Fig. 1ª.
The rakes 91 are arranged to remove the sweepings from the immediate neigh-
bourhood of the brush. They are attached to chain belting 92 which runs between
the rollers 93-94. The roller 93 is a hollow spindle running free on the
shaft 95, which is driven by the sprocket 96, attached to one end, through the
chain 19. A clutch 97, see Fig. 3, operated by the lever 98, disconnects the
roller 934.
A similar apparatus at the other side of the brush is operated by the chain 71
running between the shaft 95 and the roller 93" over idlers 94-99. Side
doors 89 allow the neighbourhood of the brush to be readily got at and cleaned out.
When adopted for snow a heat generator 5 is fitted in each end of the car.
This is provided with an extended heating surface for the purpose of melting the
snow which is swept into the car and carried over the inclined surface of the
heater by the rakes 91º.
The water is run off at the bottom of the car through the outlets 51 at the sides.
I do not limit the invention to any special form of heater in combination with
a self-loading car as I consider it broadly new.
In the modification shown at Fig. 4 the street cleaning car is represented as
delivering the sweepings into a trailer 500. For this purpose the conveyors 91-92
running each way from the loading brush are run out over the ends of the
sweeping car so as to deliver the sweepings into the trailer 500, which latter may
be attached to either end of the car.
The motor employed may be driven by electricity, steam or other power.
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. In combination, a car adapted to be run upon tracks in either direction at
will and having a refuse receiving space at each end, a reversible street cleaning
and car loading brush situated intermediate the ends of the car, casings for the
brush, means comprising an adjustable deflector and mechanism for moving
refuse toward either end of the car at will, and an independent motor to operate
said brush and refuse moving devices in either direction at will, substantially as
described.
2. The combination of a car adapted to be run upon tracks in either direction
at will and having a refuse receiving space at each end, a reversible street sweep-
ing and car loading brush, casings for the brush, means for moving refuse toward
either end of the car at will, and an independent motor to operate said brush in
either direction at will, automatically reversible rubber aprons below the casings,
and a reversible deflector above the casings, substantially as described.
3. In a self-loading car, the combination of a rotary brush, casings situated one
on each side thereof each having its lower part hinged to a support, vertically
adjustable supporting devices to operatively support the brush at various eleva-
tions, and links or the like to adjustably hold the casings adjacent the brush
under different elevations thereof, substantially as described.
A. In a self-loading car, the combination of a rotary brush, casings situated one
on each side the brush each having its lower part hinged to a support, and links
or the like to adjustably hold the casings adjacent the brush under different
elevations thereof, and bars 15 supporting the brush, said links being pivoted to
the bars and the latter made vertically adjustable, substantially as described.
5. In a self-loading car, a rotary brush, casings each having its lower part
hinged, links to adjustably support the upper parts of the casings, and bars
provided with means for raising and lowering the same, said links being pivoted
and the brush journalled in said bars, whereby raising or lowering the bars
adjusts the casings to the brush in its various elevations, substantially as described.

page_text: G. In a self-loading car, the combination of a rotary brush, adjustable side
casings and side brushes adapted to close the space between the automatically
reversible rubber aprons and the lower part of the casings at the ends of the brush,
substantially as described.
:
7. In a self-loading car, the combination of a reversible rotary brush, adjust-
able side casings, flexible aprons thereto, and side brushes attached to the bars
in which the main brush is journalled, substantially as described!
8. In a self-loading car, the combination of a reversible rotary brush, an
electric or other motor to operate same, adjustable side casings, an adjustable
deflector adapted to connect with either casing, and 'flexible reversible aprons,
substantially as described.
9. In a self-loading car, the combination of a rotary brush, side casings, aprons
below the casings, a heater having an extended surface. and a sprocket chain
provided with scrapers adapted to spread the sweepings over the extended heating
surface of the heater, substantially as described.
10. In a self-loading car, the combination of a rotary brush, an electric or
other motor to operate same, side casings with flexible aprons, a heat generator
having an extended heating surface, and means for spreading the sweepings over
the heating surface, substantially as described.
11. In a self-loading car, the combination of a rotary brush, casings, an adjust-
able deflector adapted to direct sweepings in either direction according to its
adjustment, endless chains provided with scrapers, a motor, operating devices
connecting the motor and brush, said devices being also connected to drive the
scraper chains, substantially as described.
12. In a self-loading car, the combination of a rotary brush, casings, an adjust-
able deflector adapted to direct sweepings in either direction according to its
adjustment, endless chains provided with scrapers, a motor, operating devices
connecting the two scraping mechanisms, whereby the last named scraping device
is driven, substantially as described.
13. In a self-loading car, the conveying scraper carrying chains in combina-
tion with a shaft, a hollow spindle loose on said shaft, devices for rotating the
shaft. a clutch for coupling the shaft and sleeve, and chains moved by the sleeve
and provided with scrapers, substantially as described.
Dated this 14th day of July 1800
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.