Dirt and air separation

Application filed November

It is the primary object of my invention to effect the separation of dust, dirt and other foreign matter from air by impacting such matter from the air course.

Aly invention relates broadly to such separation, but I have shown it specifically as applied to a vacuum cleaner, and shall hereafter describe its operation and utility in such connection, it being specifically pointed 10 out, however, that I do not wish to be limited to a use of the invention upon vacuum cleaners. ,

It is tlie general practice in the vacuum cleaner art to employ a chemically treated 15 bag, in which the mixture of air and dirt is deposited, the air escaping through the pores of the bag while the dirt is held therein.

It is one of the primary objects of my invention to do away with the necessity for 20 such a bag. I am aware that other attempts to abolish the customary bag used on vacuum cleaners have been made, such as the centrifugal force separation device disclosed in patent to J. W. Newcomb, No. 1,420,665, pat25 ented June 27, 1922, and the impacting of the mixture of dirt and air against a stationary member, such as is shown in the patent to J. J Duffie, No. 1,234,095 patented July 17, 1917, and analogous patents. Both of 30 these methods, however, are not satisfactory for. the reason that they do not thoroughly separate dirt and foreign matter from the air.

I accomplish a complete separation by di35 recting the air and dirt against a swiftly rotating series of blades, the open ends of which are so related to each other as to prevent a direct passage between them when rotation at a pre-determined velocity is 40 had. This relation of the blades and the rapid rotation of the same will cause all matter heavier than air to be thrown away from the blades when they strike against the same, while the air may be drawn in a 45 curved manner under the edges of the blades.

Other objects and details of construction will be apparent as the specification follows.

With the above and other objects in view, 50 therefore, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and construction of the various parts of my improved device and the methods utilized in connection therewith as described · in the specification,

1, 1924. Serial No. 747,268.

claimed in my claims and shown in the ac- 65 companying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation showing my improved device as applied to a vacuum cleaner.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the 60 suction blades and irtipact blades utilized in my invention.

Fig. 3 is a view showing more or less diagrammatically the action of the impact blades utilized in my invention. 65

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the method of attachment of the lower end of the vacuum cleaner disclosed-in Fig. 1 with the upper end thereof.

I have shown a vacuum cleaner consisting 70 generally of a lower section 5 and an upper section 6 having their adjacent edges dovetailed as at 7, so as to effect a tight joint between them, the lower portion 5 having a spring member 8 secured thereon as by riv- 75 ets 9, the upper bent portion 10 thereof forming a clip engaging over the projection 11 provided on the upper portion 6.

The customary handle 12 for operating the cleaner is provided as are also rear 80 wheels 13 and front wheels 14 for wheeling the cleaner from place to place.

Secured on the upper member 6 is a conventional electric motor 15, which may be connected with a suitable source of electrical 85 energy by the wire 16. The motor 15 has its shaft 17 extending into the portion 6 of the cleaner aHd positioned on the shaft are the operating elements consisting of suction producing blades 18 and impact blades 19. oo The plate 20 on the bottom of the operating mechanism acts as a seal between the motor 15 and the suction blades and the plates 21 act as separation elements between the suction blades 18 and the impact blades 19. 95 The cap 22 provided on the free ends of the impact blades 19 acts to cause the deflection of air and dirt around the same to provide axial flow against the faces of the impact blades 19. ioo

The bottom portion 5 of the cleaner is provided with an opening 23, leading’ through the passage 24, which passage extends adjacent the face of the cap 22.

When the motor 15 is rotated, correspond- 105 ing rotation, of the blades 18 and 19 will occur with the result that the blades 18 create a suction sufficient to draw air and dirt from a 1,684,092 the floor through the opening 23 and the passage 24. The course of this air and dirt is such that it will strike against the face of the cap 22 and will be deflected around the ® edges of the cap 22 as indicated by the arrows, so as to impact axially against the overlapping blades 19 with the result that all matter heavier than air will be impacted away, as shown diagraiminatically in Fig. 10 3 and will fall into the chamber 25. The air will find its way between the blades 19 and will pass out through the suction blades 18 and thence through the passage 26, back again to the mouth of the cleaner where it 15 may be reutilized. This action is also indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The circular, flange 27 adjacent the plates 21 prevents the passage of this air into the chamber 25.

By neither depending upon the action of 20 centrifugal force nor the impacting of the dirt or air against a stationary member for separation, a much more efficient and thorough separation of the dirt and air is had.

At intervals the lower portion 5 of the ²⁵ cleaiier may be removed by releasing the clips 10, the accumulated dirt and foreign matter emptied out and the portion 5 again replaced for continued use.

It will be noted that the blades are so 30 arranged as to present a uniform structure throughout the width thereof, so as to bring about a uniform separating action at all points. The blades are further upwardly curved so as to prevent deflection of foreign 35 matter between them.

The speed of rotation necessary for the separating blades depends upon the space allowed between the free and secured ends of the blades. That is to say, if the space 40 is large, a faster rotation must be effected in order to prevent dirt passing between them, but if the space be small, the speed of rotation may be lessened.

It is obvious that various changes may be ⁴⁵ made in the arrangement, combination and construction of the various parts of my improved device without departing from the spirit of my invention and it is my inten tion to cover by my claims such changes as may be reasonably included within the scope 50 thereof.