Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Sweeping and Cleaning Chimneys and Flues.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1890-Accepted, 6th Dec., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Sweeping and
Cleaning Chimneys and Flues.
We JOHN PRICE Senior of Upper Galdeford Ludlow in the County of Salop
Tinman and General Dealer and CHARLES RICHARD VALENTINE of the firm of John
Valentine and Sons of Duncow Dairy Farm and of Nos. 3 and 4 Broad Street Ludlow
aforesaid Dairy Farmers and Provision Merchants do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows
Our invention consists essentially of machinery or apparatus the parts of which are
constructed, combined and worked in the manner hereinafter described which said
machinery is especially applicable to the sweeping and cleaning of chimneys but is
also applicable to the sweeping and cleaning of flues. A part or parts of our
improvements may be applied to chimney sweeping machines at present in use.
In constructing a machine according to our invention for sweeping chimneys and
flues we fix at a short distance above the top of the chimney a pulley preferably with
broad flanges.
The axis of the said pulley works in bearings supported by a frame
fixed on the top of the chimney. Over the said pulley an endless chain is passed the
length of the said endless chain being such that the lower end of its loop is situated
a short distance above the fire grate but within easy reach of the hands. The pulley
described is so situated over the chimney that one side of the loop of the chain is in
the axis of the chimney or nearly so the other side of the loop being near one of the
inner sides or front of the chimney.
To that side of the loop of the chain which is in the axis of the chimney a brush is
hung preferably by a spring hook and ring and the other side of the loop passes
through a loose ring three or four inches in diameter which ring when the machine
is not in use hangs at the bottom of the loop.
The brush consists of a square or other shaped slab of wood or metal so suspended
by the spring hook described that its normal position is horizontal. On the said slab
a series of radial arms are fixed of such lengths that the brush fits the chimney
loosely. We do not limit ourselves to the number of the said radial arms but we find
in practice that twenty four are sufficient for ordinary house chimneys. We make
the said arms preferably of rods or strips of steel so thin that they are very elastic.
When the machine is not in use the brush is unhooked from the chain and removed.
One brush may thus be employed for sweeping several chimneys.
In using the machine the brush is raised and lowered by means of that side of the
loop near the side or front of the chimney the loose ring through which that side of
the loop passes facilitating the drawing of the loop towards the operator. By
repeatedly passing the brush up and down the chimney the soot collected therein is
detached and falls into the grate.
Instead of connecting the brush to the chain by means of the spring hook described
it may be connected direct to the chain either by the chain passing through its middle
and being fastened thereto or by the chain being divided and one of its ends fastened
to the upper and the other end to the lower side of the brush at its middle.
Brushes of the kind described may be applied to chimney sweeping machines of the
ordinary kind.
1800
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Sweeping, and
Cleaning Chimneys and Flues.
We JOHN PRICE Senior of Upper Galdeford Ludlow in the County of Salop
Tinman and General Dealer and CHARLES RICHARD VALENTINE of the firm of John
Valentine and Sons of Duncow Dairy Farm and of Nos. 3 and 4 Broad Street Ludlow
aforesaid Dairy Farmers and Provision Merchants do hereby declare the nature of
our invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention consists essentially of machinery or apparatus the parts of which are
constructed combined and worked in the manner hereinafter described which said
machinery is especially applicable to the sweeping and cleaning of chimneys but is
also applicable to the sweeping and cleaning of flues. A part or parts of our
improvements may be applied to chimney sweeping machines at present in use.
In constructing a machine according to our invention for sweeping chimneys and
flues we fix at a short distance above the top of the chimney a pulley preferably with
broad flanges. The axis of the said pulley works in bearings supported by a frame
cover or cowl fixed on the top of the chimney. Over the said pulley an endless chain
is passed the length of the said endless chain being such that the lower end of its loop
is situated a short distance above the fire grate but within easy reach of the hands.
The pulley described is so situated over the chimney that one side of the loop of the
chain is in the axis of the chimney or nearly so the other side of the loop being near
one of the inner sides or front of the chimney.
To that side of the loop of the chain which is in the axis of the chimney a brush is
hung preferably by a spring book and ring and the other side of the loop passes
through a loose ring three or four inches in diameter which ring when the machine
is not in use hangs at the bottom of the loop. The brush consists of a slab or boss
of wood or metal so suspended by the spring hook described that its normal position
is horizontal. On the said slab or boss a series of radial arms are fixed of such
lengths that the brush fits the chimney loosely. We do not limit ourselves to the
number of the said radial arms but we find in practice that twenty four are sufficient
for ordinary house chimneys. We make the said arms preferably of rods or strips of
steel so thin that they are very elastic.
When the machine is not in use the brush is unhooked from the chain and removed.
One brush may thus be employed for sweeping several chimneys. In using the
machine the brush is raised by means of that side of the loop near the side or front of
the chimney and lowered by means of the other side of the loop the loose ring through
which the loop passes facilitating the drawing of the loop towards the operator.
By repeatedly passing the brush up and down the chimney the soot collected therein
is detached and falls into the grate.
Instead of connecting the brush to the chain by means of the spring hook described
it may be connected direct to the chain either by the chain passing through its middle
and being fastened thereto or by the chain being divided and one of its ends fastened
to the upper and the other end to the lower side of the brush at its middle.
Brushes of the kind described may be applied to chimney sweeping machines of
the ordinary kind.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings the
manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in vertical section a portion of a house chimney to which
sweeping and cleaning machinery or apparatus constructed according to our invention
is applied and Figure 2 represents a portion of the apparatus applied to a house chimney
having three flues.
Figure 3 represents in cross section and Figure 4 in plan of upper side (with a
portion broken away) drawn to a larger scale the brush of the machinery or apparatus
detached from the endless chain.

page_text: The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
a is the flue of the chimney and b c is the endless chain to which the brush dis
attached; e is the broad flanged pulley over which the endless chain works the said
pulley being supported by the dome shaped cover or frame f to which the frame or
guard of the pulley may be hooked; or the pulley may turn in bearings hung from
the underside of the cover f; or the pulley may turn on a cross bar or axis fixed in
the brickwork of the chimney.
Instead of supporting the pulley e directly on the top of the chimney as represented
a cowl may be fixed to the top of the chimney and the pulley guard be suspended in
the said cowl.
The brush which we use shown separately in cross section and plan in. Figures 3
and 4 consists of a series of radial arms d d and a divided boss preferably of wood d² d³.
The said radial arms d'd are made of strips of thin hardened and tempered steel so
that they are very elastic and when in use can take the domed figure shown in
Figure 1 but the said arms may be made of whalebone or other strong elastic
material. The inner ends of the radial elastic arms d d are rivetted at gg to the
face of the lower half boss d³ of the brush and the two balf bosses d2 d³ are bound
together with the inner ends of the elastic arms d d gripped between them by the
eye bolt to which the loop or eve i is screwed in the manner represented in
Figure 3. The eye bolt hand screwed eye or loop i serve to connect the endless
chain be to the brush as hereinafter described.
The elastic arms d d of the brush are made of different lengths so that the brush
has in plan the general figure of the chimney flue in which it is to work but the
several elastic arms may be made all of the same length when a circular brush is
required for sweeping chimneys or flues having a circular figure in cross section.
The chain which we prefer to use is a divided one and the ends of the divided
chain are connected respectively to the top and bottom of the central boss d² d³ of the
brush as illustrated in Figure 1 that is one end of the divided chain is provided with
the spring hook k which is hooked upon the screwed eye or loop i at the top of the
brush and the other end of the divided chain is provided with a similar spring hook Z
which is hooked upon the eye of the eye bolt h. The side c of the chain works
between two of the elastic arms of the brush. The endless chain in consequence of
the position of the pulley e over which it passes is so suspended in the chimney flue a
that the side 6 of the loop is situated and works in the axis of the chimney Hue and
the other side c of the loop works in the space between the side loop b and the flue.
The method described of connecting the brush to the endless chain permits of its ready
attachment to and detachment from the said chain which chain when the brush is
removed remains permanently in the chimney flue as hereinafter described.
When the brush is suspended in the chimney flue its normal position is horizontal
or nearly so and the bottom of the loop of the chain is situated at the bottom of the
flue within reach of a person at the fire place.
In applying and using the machinery or apparatus the brush is introduced into the
bottom of the chimney flue at the fire place and the boss of the brush is connected by
the spring hooks & with the ends of the chain b c. The brush may now by working
the chain be raised and lowered in the flue several passages of the brush up and
down the flue being necessary for the efficient cleaning or sweeping of the flue.
When the brush'd ascends in the flue it has a dome or convex form given to it by
the ends of its elastic arms bearing against the sides of the flue as represented in
Figure 1 and by the scraping action of the said arms against the sides of the flue the
soot collected therein is detached and falls into the grate. When the brush d descends
in the flue its elastic arms are curved in the opposite direction and the said brush has
the form given to it indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 that is its convex side is
downwards.
It will be seen by an examination of Figure 1 that when the brush d has reached
the top of the flue it takes the oblique position indicated so that it is free to right
itself that is the elastic arms no longer pressing upon the sides of the flue resume

page_text: their straight figure ready on the descent of the brush to be bent upwards as indicated.
In order to give the brush greater facility for righting itself prior to its descent we
give the guard g of the pulley e the curved figure shown in Figure 1 so that its arms
offer little or no obstruction to the brush taking the oblique position indicated before
it commences its return or downward passage. The guard g of the wide flanged
pulley e also prevents the slipping of the chain off the said pulley.
For the purpose of facilitating the drawing of the endless chain towards the
operator a large loose ring m is situated at the bottom of the loop. This ring also
serves to suspend the chain to the side of the flue when the machine is not in use.
When the chimney has been cleaned and it is wished to detach the brush it is
lowered immediately above the fire place and by unhooking the spring hooks k,l from
the boss of the brush the latter is detached from the chain and can be removed and
stored away and the chain hung by the ring m to the side of the flue ready for future
use. One brush may thus be employed for sweeping several chimneys. To prevent
detaching the brush one end of the chain rising in the flue beyond the reach of the
person at the fire place both ends of the chain may be coupled together by means of
the small chain n represented in Figure 1. This chain passes between two of the
elastic arms of the brush and does not interfere with the action of the brush.
on
Figure 2 represents our method of suspending the pulleys of the endless chains to
the cover or frame of a house chimney having three flues the cover or frame f
passing over the three flues and protecting the pulleys.
Although we have represented the best method with which we are acquainted of
building up the elastic brush yet we do not limit ourselves thereto as other means of
connecting the radial elastic arms to the boss or central part of the brush may be
adopted.
The improved construction of brush described and illustrated may be used in
conjunction with flexible rods or supports for raising and lowering the brush in the
chimney flue in place of the endless chain and the other appliances described and
illustrated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we
claim as our invention of "Improvements in machinery or apparatus for sweeping
and cleaning chimneys and flues: "
-
First Constructing elastic brushes to be used for sweeping and cleaning chimneys
and flues substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings; that is to say constructing the said brushes of a series of radial arms made
of thin strips of hardened and tempered steel or of other strong elastic material fixed
preferably to the boss or central part of the brush in the manner described and
illustrated the acting parts of the brush so constructed being capable of changing their
figure as the brush is raised and lowered in the chimney or flue; whether the said
elastic brush be used in combination with an endless chain or with flexible rods or
supports for raising and lowering it in the chimney or flue substantially as described
and illustrated.
Secondly The method of attaching the endless chain to the brush herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings whereby the brush can be
readily attached to and detached from the chain.
Thirdly:-The combination with the pulley suspended in the ways described and
illustrated over which the endless chain of the elastic brush works of a curved guard
by the use of which the righting of the elastic brush or the straightening of its elastic
arms is permitted before the brush makes its return or downward passage in the
chimney or flue.
Dated the mint dove of Nam 1900
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.