A New and Useful Improvement in Carpet Sweepers.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1896-Accepted, 1st Aug., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New and Useful Improvement in Carpet Sweepers.
We, CHARLES KING, Salesman, and WALTER EMERSON MOORE, Real Estate
Agent, residing at Grand Rapids in the County of Kent and State of Michigan
U.S.A., 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 the
following statement :-
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1, is an end elevation of our sweeper with the internal levers, springs &c.,
shown in the outline; Fig. 2 is the same in section on the line x-x of Fig. 3,
showing the relative position of the several springs, levers &c.;
Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of one end of the sweeper, showing a plan of the several
levers;
Fig. 4 is a perspective of the connection by which the pans are adjusted to
receive the dust; and
Fig. 5 is a perspective of the end of the pan showing the manner of supporting
it in the case;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the brush support and
Fig. 7 is a perspective of one end of the handle bow and excentric with the
connecting rods removed.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
A is the enclosing case. A is the guard.
B B are the wheels that support the sweeper.
C is the handle bow by which the sweeper is operated.
The brush F is hung upon bearings at the ends in the usual manner, except that
the bearing proper d, is so arranged that the shaft f bears within, and the friction
driving wheel B bears upon the outer surface thereof. Each bearing is attached
to a connecting rod D which is pivoted to a bearing pin supported in a slot in the
end of the case. The handle bow is also pivoted to the bearing pin E with the
handle bow C.
Our appliance for raising and lowering the brush to correspond with the length
of the nape on the carpet consists of a plate L having a narrow step at its lower
end, and a small projection c on one side of the pivoted end of the handle bow
forming an excentric so that the handle bow in position of the solid lines, in
Fig. 1, the lesser radius of the excentric will rest on the step and allow the
brush to drop down, and when the handle is thrown over to the position indicated
by the dotted lines the longer radius of the excentric will be brought to bear upon.
the step and will raise the brush sufficiently to allow of easily sweeping a carpet.
having a long nape.
Our appliance for adjusting the points of the pans consists of a slot in the end
of the case. The bearing E passes through this slot and receives the upper end of
the connecting bar D so that said bar pivots on the brush shaft and the upper end
may be thrown one side or the other of the slot. We then construct two connecting
rods J, one end of which is pivoted to the ends of the pans, as at j¹ and the other
end, provided by slots, as j, that are designed to work over the bearing E so that
if the handle is thrown to the position of the solid lines in Fig. 1 the point of one
pan will be thrown down to the floor, or carpet, and if it is thrown to the other end
of the slot the point of the other pan will be thrown down, so that when the
sweeper is being pushed from the operator the pan opposite his position will be
thrown down.

page_text: The object of the slots / in these connections is to allow the height or position of
the pan to vary to accommodate itself to any variations that may exist in the
surface being swept. These connecting bars also act as supports for the inner
sides of the pans, by means of which they are pivoted to allow of the throwing of
the opposite sides for emptying the dust out of them as bereinafter more fully
explained.
For supporting the other, or out sides of the pans we provide a compound elastic
spring K which is securely attached to the end of the case and having outwardly
extending arms K' that pass out and bending at right angles pass around the corner
of the pan and the ends, again bent at right angles, pass through the sides of the
pan, as at to act the double purpose, first, supporting the outer sides of the pans,
and, second of allowing of sufficient throw to the side of the pan to allow the dust
to be emptied out, which is accomplished by the means of the emptying bars G, as
indicated in Fig. 2, sec dotted lines of right hand pan. It will be seen from the
description here given, that the pans are supported, entirely, upon the connecting
bars and the springs K K wholly independent of the frame A, and, as the bars G
are pivoted to them between these two bearing points a downward pressure of
these bars will cause the outer sides of the pans to be thrown down in consequence
of the greater elasticity of the springs.
In Fig. 3 the end A of the case A is shown some distance from the ends of the
pans for the purpose of more fully showing the relative positions of the connecting
bars, springs, &c., and the spring I, that supports the ends of the shafts or rods b
that carry the wheels B, is cut away to make the view still more open, and the
position of the several parts more apparent.
We find it very advantageous to increase the throw of the end K' of the spring K
by means of the coil k, as indicated in the several drawings.
In Fig. 3 we show the connecting bars J as connected with, or pivoted to the
pans by means of a pivot pin and the emptying bars G by means of pins g,
which we consider the best and most equinomical form of connection, but do not
desire to restrict ourselves to this or any other specific means for this purpose.
We provide a head e' on the inner end of the bearing E so that there will be no
danger of the connecting bars J becoming disconnected therefrom.
Our object in placing the slots 7 in the upper end of the bars J instead of in the
lower eud is to provide for a perfect pivot bearing for the throwing of the pan, at
the point of connection between the bar and the pan, which can be attained, only,
by the use of a close fitting pivot joint as shown, while it is necessary to have a
given amount of play to provide for the motion of the pan when passing over a
carpet which object is best attained with the slots l at the upper end as shown.
The concave surface on our pan enables us to have a sharp point h¹ which
insures the taking up of any and all objects that may be on a carpet, an object that
cannot be attained with the ordinary obtuse point in general and universal use in
carpet sweepers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In a carpet sweeper, a case, a brush, supporting wheels and dust pans,
pivotally supported upon movable bearings within the case in combination with
pivoted supports for the brush, the upper end of said supports pivoted to the
handle bow, slots in the ends of the case, and connecting rods connecting the
handle bow and the ends of the pans to raise and lower the same by the action of
the bow in said slots, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a carpet sweeper, a case, a brush, supporting wheels and dust pans
pivotally supported upon movable bearings within the case in combination with a
pivoted connection to support the brush and connect it with the ends of the handle
bow excentrics on the ends of said bow, a step for said excentrics to act upon to
raise and lower the brush, slots in the ends of the case so that the pivot bearing

page_text: between said support and the ends of the bow may be thrown from side to side,
bars connecting the ends of the handle bow with the ends of the pans, slots in said
bars where connected with the handle bow, and a spring support for the outer sides
of the pans, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a carpet sweeper, a case, a brush, supporting wheels, dust pans pivotally
supported upon movable bearings within the case in combination with a pivoted
support for the brush, a handle bow pivoted to the upper ends of said supports, a
slot in each end of the case for the passage of bearings connecting the handle bow
and the supports the inner ends of said connecting bearings connected to bars
having slots, through their upper ends, the lower ends of said bars pivotally
connected to the inner edge of the pans a flexible spring secured to the ends of the
case and arranged to support the outer edges of the pans suspended independent
of the frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a carpet sweeper, the case, brush, and handle bow, in combination with
dust pans, each having a concave face corresponding with the convexity of the
brush and a sharp point for receiving the dust from the brush, said pans adjustably
suspended within the case, slots in the ends of the case for the ends of the handle
bow, and connecting rods attached at one end to the ends of the haudle bows at the
other end to the ends of the pans to adjust the edges of the pans vertically by the
change of position of the handle bow when reversing the motion of the sweeper,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 25th day of June 1896.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.