IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND ROLLING UP CARPETS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Peter Jensen, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING
AND ROLLING UP CARPETS." A communication from abroad by Messieurs
Mayer, Langfelder, and Hammerschlag, of Vienna, Austria.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Jensen at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th February 1881.
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND ROLLING UP CARPETS." (A communi-
cation from abroad by Messieurs Mayer, Langfelder, and Hammerschlag, of Vienna,
Austria.)
The main object of this Invention is to construct apparatus for thoroughly
cleaning carpets without in any way damaging them. By apparatus heretofore
constructed for the purpose, the carpets have been exposed to so much strain and
wear as to suffer seriously thereby; also by the usual folding as heretofore the
carpets become creased and streaky. By this present Invention these evils are
avoided, and the carpets are thoroughly cleaned from all dust and other dirt.
The carpet to be cleaned is by means of a serrated clamping appliance fastened
to a jointed endless belt or web, that it can be passed round a series of rolls. By
fastening with this clamp the carpet is saved from undue wear or strain. At or
above the first roll, which may be the driving one, is placed a brush which is
adjustable, and which serves to free the carpet from the light surface dust before it
comes to the beaters; it also raises the nap of the wool, and thus prepares it for
the beating. The beaters are vibrating, and consist of elastic sticks or loops; these
may be made of tubes, bent wood, gutta percha, leather, metal, ropes, or india
rubber. These beaters being elastic do not injure the carpet'as heretofore the case
with the mechanical stick beaters. They are raised by revolving cams or arms, and
brought down again by springs when the arm lets go a peg on the beater.
In order to regulate the force of the blow and adjust it to the quality of the
material under treatment, the springs are at each end of their vibrating centres

page_text: connected to a set screw with scale or dial; these set screws may also serve to raise
or lower the aforesaid brush. Or instead of the set screws, helical springs or
weights may be applied.
The heavy sandy dust falls by the beating down through the carpet into a dust
receiver or drawer extending the whole length of the machine, it may be open or
closed at each of its longitudinal sides; as this drawer is between the upper and the
lower web of the carpet, the latter web is protected against the dust beaten out of
the upper web.
The direction of motion of the carpet is slightly inclined downwards so as to
lighten the resistance against the blows somewhat. The roller which is nearest to
the place of the blows is furthermore for the same purpose covered thickly with
gutta percha or other elastic material, so that the carpet can give a little under
each blow, and still be effectually beaten.
-
Having passed the beaters and the last named roller, the web passes over a roller
of a corrugated shape, having projecting edges covered with or consisting of gutta
percha or other yielding material, whereby the back of carpet is opened up so as to
give out the dust therein; the dust is there blown off or out by a centrifugal
blower having a narrow outlet slit, so as to produce a sharp blast of compressed air.
Or a rotary brush may be used instead. There is also a rotary brush which cleans
the back of the upper web of carpet, and another rotary brush which finally cleans
the pile or nap or outside of same; these rotary brushes have sliding bearings
which are adjustable, the outside brush on or in guides, by set screws or otherwise,
to adapt the machine for very long carpets. The top of the machine beyond the
beater spindle is enclosed by a hood or dust collecting cover, having a fan in its
upper part which draws away or exhausts the dust above the top web of carpet.
The carpet having been thoroughly beaten is removed from the clamps and
placed on a truck or carriage, one end of the carpet being jambed into a slit in a
spindle on the carriage, and by means of a handle on the spindle wound thereon,
thus avoiding all folding or creasing; it is then put up on a carpet stand or shelf.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said Peter Jensen in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 19th August 1881..
PETER JENSEN, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND ROLLING UP CARPETS." A communi-
cation from abroad by Messrs. Mayer, Langfelder, and Hammerschlag, of Vienna,
Austria.
The main object of this Invention is to construct apparatus for thoroughly
cleaning carpets without in any way damaging them. By apparatus heretofore
constructed for the purpose, the carpets have been exposed to so much strain and
wear as to suffer seriously thereby; also by the usual folding as heretofore the
carpets become creased and streaky. By this present Invention these evils are
avoided, and the carpets are thoroughly cleaned from all dust and other dirt.
And in order that this Invention may be more fully understood, I will now
describe the same with reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus for cleaning carpets;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 3 is a top view of a clamp or holdfast
by which the carpet to be cleaned is fastened to a belt; Figure 4 shows this belt;
Figure 5 is a top view of a part of the axle carrying the beaters.
The carpet is fastened to a belt B, Figure 4, by means of clamps or holdfasts,
Figures 2 and 3, which consist of a plate / carrying two arms 7, 1, between the free
ends of which is pivotted a bent lever m, one arm of which is bent round and
provided with teeth, whilst its other arm is straight, as shewn in Figure 2. In
order to fasten the carpet by these clamps, the bent lever m is firstly brought into
the position shewn by dotted lines in Figure 2; the carpet is placed between the
plate and the lever m, and the latter is turned down into the position shewn in
Figures 2 and 3.
By these means of fastening the carpets are better protected against tearing than
by any other known means. The carpet is then placed over rollers a, a, b, c,
and a of the apparatus, so that it forms an endless band.
The apparatus is set in motion by machine or hand power in the manner clearly
shown in the Drawings. Over the roller a, which is driven by a belt or rope from
the driving pulley X, there is arranged a straight brush g by which the carpet is
cleaned from dust before it enters the beating mechanism, and at the same time the
wool of the carpet is loosened or opened. The pressure of the brush may be
regulated by a weighted lever L, or by springs or any other suitable means.
The beaters C consist of loops of cane, bent wood, india rubber, leather, metal,
wire rope, or any other convenient elastic material, and are all arranged on an
axle C. The said loops or slings C are fastened into handles C, Figure 5,
so that the ends of the loop lie each separated from the other in holes arranged for
that purpose in the handle. Each handle is provided with an arm C¹, which is
bent upwards, and against which the lifting cogs or arms D strike, so that the
loops are raised and then flung down again by means of the springs E, and in
consequence of their own weight.
In order to be able to regulate the strength of the blows the ends E¹ of the
springs E may be more or less pressed down by a screw or screws E, to which
end a scale may be provided upon the standards S of the frame of the apparatus.
The heavy dust falls through the carpet down into the case 1 arranged on the
whole length of the apparatus, and closed or open at each of its longitudinal sides.
By the said dust case f' the under part of the carpet B is prevented from being
soiled.

page_text: .
In order further to spare the carpet the rollers a, a, b, c, and all are so arranged
that the surface of the carpet which receives the blows is moved on in an inclined
plane, whereby the intensity of the blows is softened or equalized.
Besides, a
roller b covered with a thick layer of india-rubber is arranged at or near the place
where the ends of the loops are falling down upon the carpet.
The carpet runs in the direction of the arrows, Figure 1, from b¹ to and over the
roller c of starshaped cross section, the edges of which are covered with india
rubber or leather. This "star roller" is arranged for the purpose to divide the
wool and to expose the ground of the carpet, so that the dirt and dust contained
thereon may be blown off by the current of air produced by a fan or blower or
blast engine d. The air current passes from the fan through a blast pipe ( into a
pipe d arranged horizontally, and running across the whole breadth of the
apparatus, and provided with a slot d, through which the air is forced and driven
against the carpet. In lieu of the blast engine or fan or blower an adjustable
brush roller placed opposite the star roller c may be employed to thoroughly clean
the carpet-ground, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1.
Besides, the carpet is treated on its inner and outer sides by two adjustable
brush rollers g' and g¹¹ respectively. The brush roller g₁ and roller all are
removable, and may in cases where very long carpets are to be cleaned be placed
on the pillow block e, which can be shifted according to the length of the
carpet.
The loops and the rollers a¹, b, c, and all, and brushes g¹ and gl, together with
the blast pipes d' and ", are covered by a case or jacket F of the form of a funnel
or square pyramid, in the head of which is provided an exhaustor or sucking fan h,
by which the dust is sucked off.
The cleaned carpet is freed from the above described clamps or holdfasts, and
drawn upon the surface of the truck G. One end of the carpet is then wedged into
the split axle H, on one end of which a crank I may be placed, and the carpet is
rolled upon the axle H.
What I claim is,-
. Firstly. In a carpet cleaner the application of clamps or holdfasts, essentially
consisting of a plate and a bent lever pivotted thereto, one arm of which is provided
with teeth, which is clamped or hooked into the belt holding together the two ends
of the carpet.
•
Secondly. In a carpet cleaner a dust collecting case f' receiving the heavy dust
falling through the carpet during the beating operation, substantially as shewn and
described.
Thirdly. In a carpet cleaner the adaptation of an adjustable brush above the
outer roller a, by which brush the light dust particles are removed before the
carpet enters the beating mechanisın, substantially as described and shewu.
Fourthly. In a carpet cleaner the application of a scale and adjusting screws or
weighted levers or spiral springs on both ends of the beater axle to cause the
springs E to increase or to weaken the strength of the blows, substantially as
shewn and described.
Fifthly. In a carpet cleaner the application of beaters made of elastic loops or
slings, substantially as described and shewn.
Sixthly. In a carpet cleaner the arrangement shown in Figure 1 to regulate the
pressure of the brush.
Seventhly. In a carpet cleaner the arrangement of the guide rollers, by which
the carpet is moved on in an inclined plane, in combination with the india-rubber
roller b provided at or near the end of the loops to reduce the intensity of the
blows, substantially as shewn and described.
Eighthly. In a carpet cleaner the application of a removable pillow block, into
which the guide roller a and brush g₁ may be placed in cases where very long
. carpets are to be cleaned, substantially as shewn and specified.
Ninthly. In a carpet cleaner the application of a roller of star-shaped cross
section, the edges_of_which are covered with india rubber in combination with a

page_text: blast engine or fan or blower, by which a current of air is forced against the carpet,
substantially as set forth and shewn and for the purpose specified..
Tenthly. In a carpet cleaner the combination of a roller of star-shaped cross
section with an opposite brush roller, as set forth.
Eleventhly. In a carpet cleaner the application of a case or jacket covering the
beaters and all rollers, except roller a, and provided at the head with an exhaust
or suction fan, substantially as shewn and described and for the purposes
specified.
Twelfthly. The employment of split sticks to wedge in and roll up the cleaned
carpets.
Thirteenthly. In a carpet cleaner the combination of roller a, brush g, beaters C
made of elastic loops, with roller c of starshaped cross section, blast engine or fan
or blower d, dust collecting case f, jacket or case F, exhaustor or sucking fan h
with the truck G, substantially as described and shewn.
•
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Jensen, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
FAKTAR
PETER JENSEN. (L.S.)