Untitled record

Application filed July 16,1895. Serial No. 556,169. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Thomas P. Whitehe ad, a citizen of the United States, residing at Shreveport, in the parish of Caddo and State 5 of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Extensible Broom-Handle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide a means which will admit of a broom handle being io readily lengthened or shortened, as required, to facilitate the reaching of the ceiling or other high places not readily accessible by a broom or brush having a handle of ordinary length, and which will provide means for the ready 15 access to pictures and similar ornamental hangings. By the present invention one or more lengths of worn-out broom-handles or poles can be coupled together to attain a pole or handle of requisite length for reaching the 20 highest place not ordinarily accessible when house-cleaning or for other purposes; and for a full understanding of the merits and ad-, vantages of the invention reference is to. be had to the following description and the ac25 companying drawings, in which latter—

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the application of the invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a coupling employed for connecting two handles. Fig. 3 is- a perspective 30 view of the coupling for connecting the handle of the brush or broom to the handle used for adding to the length thereof and showing the hook for engaging with the ornamental hangings in operative relation.

The handles 1 and 2 for increasing the length of the brush or broom handle are connected together by similar couplings 3, two being provided for each joint and attached, by means of binding-screws 4, to the ends of the 40 respective handles. These couplings 3 are castings having bores occurring side by side and through which pass the handles which are adapted to be connected. By providing the couplings in pairs the joint between the 45 adjacent ends of two handles is firm and strong, and the extended pole or handle is capable of withstanding a great amount of strain, and the joint will not give way when moving comparatively heavy pictures or other 50 hangings.

The coupling 5 is similar in construction to the couplings 3, but is considerably longer, and it is a casting having two bores lying side by side and which are adapted to receive the ends of the broom or brush handle and the =:5 extensible handle. The opposite sides of this “ coupling are cut away to insure lightness and give a neat appearance to the device. Binding-screws 6 are located in threaded openings in the sides of the coupling and are adapted 60 to bear laterally against the handles passingthrough the bores of the coupling, so as to retain them in the adjusted position. One side of the coupling, opposite the juncture of the bores, is thickened, and an opening 7 is formed 65 longitudinally therein and is intended to receive the shank of a hook 8, provided for removing pictures from the Avail or for engagement with other hangings not within convenient reach by ordinary means. This hook 70 8 is detachably connected with the coupling 5, and its horizontal portion extends across the end of the coupling and is braced thereby.

The coupling 5 is used for attaching the handle of the brush or broom 9 with the ex- 75 tensible handle 1, and the couplings 3 are employed for attaching additional handles to the said handle 1 in order to provide a handle of the requisite length to reach the ceiling or other elevated place. To prevent the slipping 80 of the couplings 3, each will be supplied with binding-screws 4 to engage with the handles passing therethrough. By means of the couplings herein set forth the handles of discarded brooms may be utilized and coupled, so as to 85 provide an extensible handle for a dusting brush, cloth, broom, or other contrivance generally employed for purposes of housecleaning.

The couplings may be provided in different 90 patterns and can be placed upon the market at a nominal cost and may have different forms. Therefore it is to be understood that in the embodiment of the invention various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details 95 of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.