US2172479A - Duster - Google Patents

Description

Sept. l2, 1939.V A. c. MCMILLEN DUSTER Filed Deo. 7, 1935- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /2 HH N1( VINI mi!!! (IUI l Tg5 y Sept 12,' 1939- l A. c. MCMILLEN 2,172,479

DUSTER Filed Dec. 7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @f Mwah :ilo

Patented Sept. 12, 14939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE nUs'rEa Albert C. McMlllen, Evanston, Ill. Application December 7,1935, serial No. sassi 6 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to a cleaner or duster, which includes two or 'more dusting members preferably arranged in general parallelism sol that they may be used simultaneously to embrace and to dust or sweep two sides Iof an' extended member. Y

One object is to provide a duster conveniently usable for dusting a plurality of sections or slats of a Venetian blind. Another object is to provide a duster which will dust simultaneously two sides of a molding, a pipe or any other projecting part.

Another object is to provide in connection with such a duster means for readily adjusting or varying the intervals of the dusting members with respect to each other so that they may be adjusted to dust the slats of a Venetian blind or some analogous device irrespective of the distance between the slats.

Another object is to provide in connection with a duster of the type generally indicated removable dusting fingers. A still further object is to provide rota'table or shiftable dusting lingers so arranged that without complete removal from a handle they may be moved to bring different portions of their surface linto contact with the article to be dusted.

Another Objectis to provide a dusting finger suitable for use in connection with a handle and preferably removable therefrom.

Other objects will appear from time to time in the specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less dia-v grammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one i'orm of the duster;

Figures 2 and 3 form together a separate transverse section taken at line 2,-3 of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale, showing the handle and a cleaner finger both in section and separated from each other;

Figure 4 is a transverse section through the cleaning finger taken at line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an elevation showing the side ofthe handle and .the holes or sockets arranged to receive the engaging parts of the cleaningngers;

Figure 6 is a side elevation with parts in section, showing the core of a cleaning fingen.

Figure 7 is a plan view showing the development of a portion of the cleaning finger covering;

Figure 8 is a side elevation illustrating a modified form of the device to whichA a handle may be applied; l

Figure 9 is a side elevation generally similar to of a user may penetrate. the perforations or sockets 3 are located as shown Figure 1 but showing a modified form of flnger attaching means;

Figure 1041s a sectional detail taken on an enlarged scale at line Iii- I0 of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a view generally similar to Figure 10 showing a further modified form of nger attaching and adjusting means.

Like parts are designated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

In the form shown in Figures l to' 7, inclusive, a handle I is used. This handle may have a relatively reduced portion and an extended portion 2 provided with a series of sockets 3. The handle may be narrowed or cut away as at I to provide a convenient inger grip and may also have a perforation 5 by means of which it may be hung or through which the thumb or finger It will be noticed that particularly in Figure 5 at dliIerent distances from each other. This is to permit an adjustment of the relative positions of the cleaning fingers, that is to say, to permit the cleaning fingers to be adjusted to provide intervals of, work receiving crevices of different size between them so that they may be suited for cleaning blinds or other articles in which the elements to `be cleaned are of different sizes or are situated from each other at diierent distances. 'I'hus fingers maybe inserted in the sockets marked X and six fingers will be used and the inter'- vals between them will be different from those occurring when the lingers are located inother holes. The fingers may be inserted in the holes Y and then only five will be used and the intervals between them -will be different from those occurringwhen the fingers are inserted in the sockets X.

Other holes or sockets are provided to permit the arrangement of fingers in many different ways so, for example, that fingers may be arranged at intervals of 1 inch, 11A, 11/1, 2 inches and other variations. This will, of course, necessitate the use of dif'ering numbers of fingers in a given handle and in some cases even fingers of different sizes. Fingers can, of course, be spaced so that the intervals throughout are not uniform. Ordinarily this is not the case but it is within the contemplation of the invention that for certain special purposes it might be desirable to have the iingers'arranged at any given time with unequal intervals and the arrangement of sockets shown lpermits that Just as it permits the other variations above discussed. 'I'his is true of all forms of these means will be described below and are illustrated.

feathers I0. The nail is driven into the perforar tion and is retained therein and held against turning. Obviously a screw might be driven into the wood instead of the nail or the nail might be driven in without a preformed perforation or if made ofsuitable material an end of the body 6 might be reduced so that it could of itself be insertedidirectly in theperforation without the need of any such intermediate member Itionally.

as a nail. The nail will be of such size that when inserted in the perforation Bit is retained by a friction fit but may be removed and may be 'turned when sufllcient force is applied.

While the fingers may be provided with any form of dusting or cleaning material one convenient form is illustrated which comprises the skin of some animal In which the skin is secured to the body of the finger and hair projects outwardly to furnish the dusting medium.

As shown in Figure 'I a skin II is spread flat. At one end as at I2 it is straight, at the opposite end it is cut into notched or angular portions I3 which conveniently fold together about the rounded end I of the body 6. The fur or hair I4 is retained on theskin and when the skin itself Isin position about the body as shown for example in Figures 1, 3 and 4, it projects outwardly andmakes a relatively continuous dusting and cleaning member. As shown in Figure 8 a body I6generally similar to the body I is shown. It is perforated with one threaded perforation I6 and a second threaded perforation I1. A handle I8 is shown as received in the perforation I6 and might be received in the other perforation op- 'I'he body I5 is provided with perforations I similar to the perforations ,3 shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 and is also provided with angularly disposed perforations I9. The spaced relationship between the perforations 3 is the` same as that described above in detail in connectionwith Figure and the spaced relationship between the perforations I8 is also the saine.- `An advantage .of having angularly disother article at a height and 2 but the perforations posed perforations l handle and the position of the perforations the cleaner may be used to clean a blind or some above the head of the user. Other advantages, of course, will suggest themselves to any user. -While th form of Figure 8 shows both the straight perforations 3 and the angularly disposed perforations I9, either might be omittedso that a handle might have merely straight perforations or merely angular perforations or both.

As shown 'in Figures 9 and 10 the handle I is generally the same as that shown in Figures 1 'have been omitted and a different means for ysecuring the fingers is provided. This comprises a member which is conveniently made of a metalff'strip 20. bent at its ends as at 2l, 2I and secured to the handle by-screws 22' orotherwise. The fingers are generally the same as those shown in the earlier figures. comprising a body 6, to which is secured the skin II and which is perforated to receive a nail O having the wings I0 as shown in the earlier I9 is that by means of aforms. The nail 8 is secured to a gripping member 23 which has at one encll a. flange 24 inwardly and downwardly bent to kengage the strip at its other end it is inwardly bent to provide a flange 25 in which is seated a thumb nut 26. By this means the individual fingers may be engaged upon the strip 20 and may be moved along it or removed from' it entirely.

As shown in Figure 11 the handle differs somewhat from those shown above. There is a handle portion 21 reduced at 28 to be engaged by the user. 'I'he handle is enlarged at 29 andprovided with a dovetail groove which may or may not receive a reinforcing lining 3i. 'I'he construction of the fingers is the same as that above described but for each finger there is a receiving block 32 shaped to correspond to the shape of the groove 30 and the lining 3l if the latter is present.l The block 32 is perforated as at I3 to receive the outer end of the nail 9. A suitable number of thumb nuts 34 is provided so that the individual blocks may be held in adjusted position. By the construction lof-Fi'gure l1 any desired number of fingers may be inserted into the groove 30 and they may be put in any desired position, being secured by the thumb nuts which may be effective to engage the individual blocks or may be arranged merely to press the lining 3i inwardly and to engage all of the blocks.

It lwill be realized that whereas I have herewith shown and described a practical operative device, nevertheless' many changes might be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without `departing from the spirit of the invention and I wish, therefore, that my showing be taken as in a sense diagrammatic.

While the skin is shown ascemented` to the core, it might be otherwise fastened.l It is convenient to use cement but the core might be that is desired. While I have now spoken of the duster as having particular application for cleaning Venetian blinds or moldings or projecting members, it'may be used for cleaning a fiat surface, and also it may be used with any'desired number of fingers. For example, it may be used with lonlyr two fingers.' f

While ordinarily it is preferable to shape the handle so that the fingers may be adjusted toward and from each other to vary the interval between them, for some purposes the handle will be so made that the fingers are secured to it and have no such adjustment. If an'installation of Venetian blinds is sufficiently large to justify the use of a single duster for them alone,"it will ordinarily be unnecessary to provide for adjustment of the fingers toward and from each other.

While I have spoken of the dusting or cleaning fingers as being removable, this language is to be taken as meaning fingers which for practical` originally be fastened, for example, by gluing to..

the base or body portion of the duster, and yet It would be a simple expedient to break the glue so as to permit rotation of the finger or removal and replacement, and such a device, even though in a sense .the fingers would initially be nonremovable, is within the contemplation of my.

invention.

I claim: v

1. In combination in a'duster, a base portion and a plurality of separate, removable dusting ngers, each iinger comprising a body portionand brushing parts projecting generally at right angles vto the exis of the body portion, and means I for positioning said fingers at different intervals are ngers supported thereby.

2. In combination in a duster, a base portion and a plurality of separate and removable generally aligned dusting fingers, each of said fingers comprising'a body portion having laterally disposed cleaning elements, and means for positioning said fingers at different intervals with respect to each other whereby to define at diierent distances from each other and between the pposedlateral cleaning elements of adjacent iingers work receiving crevices, said means comprising a plurality of sockets carried by said base and a frictional socket engaging portion on each of said fingers, there being a greater number of sockets in the base than there are fingers supported thereby whereby the fingers may be removably engaged in the desired sockets and said iingers may be adjusted individually about their respective axes in said sockets Ato present new portions of said laterally disposed cleaning elements of adjacent iingers across said crevices when desired.

3. In combination in a duster, a base portion including a handle in combination with a plurality of separate, removable fingers and means for supporting said fingers upon said body at selective, variable intervals with respect to each other, said means comprising pre-formed supports on said body and frictional support engaging members on said fingers there being a greater number of supports on said body than there are vfingers supported thereby.

4. In combination in a duster, abase including a handle portion, a plurality of removable fingers i mounted in said base portion, each of said fingers being provided with laterally disposed cleaning elements, the cleaning elements of adjacent iingers being arranged in opposed relation to dene work receiving crevices therebetween, said. base portion being provided with a plurality of sockets for said fingers, said fingers each being provided with a. socket engaging portion, the number of sockets being greaterV than the number of fingers whereby said fingers may be arranged on said handle portion in different desired groups to thereby position said work receiving crevices at relatively different points along said handle portion.

5. In combination in a duster, an elongated body portion, a plurality of sockets formed on one side'oi said body' portion, and a plurality of removably mounted generally parallel fingers received in said sockets, said iingers comprising individual vbody portions and socket engaging porti-ons, the body portion of each of said fingers being provided with outwardly projecting cleaning elements extending generally at right angles to the axis thereof, said sockets being of greater number than said fingers and positioned at non` uniform distances from each other to provide for the selective insertion of the fingers in the sockets, and the selective spacing of intervals between fingers.

6. In combination in a .duster, an elongated body portion, a plurality of sockets, formed on one side of said body portion, and a plurality of removably mounted generally parallel ngers received in said sockets, said ngers comprisingl individual body portions and socket engaging p0rtions, each of .said fingers being provided with outwardly projecting cleaning elements extending generally at right angles to the axis thereof,

said sockets being ofv greater number than said fingers and positioned at non-uniform distances from each other to provide for the selective nsersockets generally at right angles to the plane of said body portion-within which said sockets are formed.

- ALBERT C. MCMILLEN.

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