Improvements in Carpet Sweepers.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carpet Sweepers.
I REGINALD HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co. Patent Agents of 18 Buckingham
Street, Strand, London W.C., in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad by The Bissell
Carpet Sweeper Co., of Grand Rapids, State of Michigan, 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 that type of carpet sweepers which are provided with
rotary brush carrying shafts adapted to automatically adjust themselves to the
surface traversed independent of any vertical movement of the sweeper case.
The object of the present invention is to improve the prior constructions and
provide novel, simple and economical means for maintaining a brush shaft within a
carpet sweeper casing while permitting such shaft to gravitate and place the brush
in contact with the floor whereby the brush is self adjusting to the surface traversed
and can rise and fall independent of any vertical movement of the sweeper case and
of any movement of the pivots or pintles which maintain the brush shaft in the
case.
The object of the invention I accomplish by the features of construction and
combination of devices hereinafter described and claimed reference being made to the
accompanying drawing in which,
Fig. is an end elevation of sufficient of a carpet sweeper to illustrate this
invention and
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken centrally through the brush shaft.
In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use this invention I will
now describe the same in detail referring to the drawing where Fig. 1 indicates a
sweeper case having its end walls provided with vertical slots 2, for the rising and
falling motions of a brush shaft 3, having attached friction wheels 4 revolved by
frictional contact with the drive wheels 5. The handle carrying bail 6 is pivoted to
the sweeper case in any manner suitable for the conditions required. The brush
shaft is provided at each end with an enlarged circular recess 7 that constitutes a
bearing for a non rotary pintle 8 which is of a diameter considerably less than the
diameter of the circular bearing in such manner that when the pintles are in the
bearings the brush shaft can freely rise and fall to conform itself to the surface
traversed independent of any movement of the pintles which latter as regards rotary
or vertical movements, are stationary and immovable.
The diameter of the circular bearing for a pintle is preferably about twice the
diameter or more of the pintle in order to permit a sufficiently wide range of vertical
movement of the brush shaft.
The sweeper case is provided at each end with a transverse elastic band 9 and the
pintles are immovably fixed on the bands for the purpose of detaching the brush by
springing the middle portion of one of the elastic bands laterally away from the end
of the case to remove a pintle from an enlarged circular bearing in the brush shaft,
but I do not confine myself to the pintles on the spring bands as such pintles can be
otherwise fixed or immovably held and supported against rotary movement so that
the brush shaft can freely rise and fall independent of any movement of the pintles
and independent of any vertical movement of the sweeper case.
I can employ my
invention in connection with sweeper casings and drive mechanisms of any known type
and by the simple contrivances shown and described the brush is made self adjusting
in a very economical manner whereby a desirable sweeper can be manufactured at
comparatively small expense.
1 do not confine myself to a non rotary pintle and enlarged circular bearing at each
end of the hrnah ahoft

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In combination with a carpet sweeper baving a non rotary pintle, a self
adjusting brush shaft, having a rigidly attached pulley loosely mounted on the pintle
and rising and falling with the brush shaft independent of: any movement of
such pintle. and of any vertical movement of the sweeper case, substantially as
described.
2. In a carpet sweeper, the combination with a sweeper case of a self adjusting
brush shaft having an enlarged circular bearing, a non-rotary pintle of a diameter
less than the bearing which permits the brush shaft to rise and fall independent of
any movement of the pintle to adjust itself automatically to the surface traversed
and means for operating the brush shaft substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of March 1900
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.