US2611149A - Vacuum cleaner carrier - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 23, 1952 H, LEVY 2,611,149

' VACUUM CLEANER CARRIER Filed March 22,1956

9 6 3nventor:

. HERBERT LEV) (Ittom eg Patented Sept. 23, 1952 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

3 Claims. (01. ra -327 My invention relates to carriers or supports for vacuum cleaners and, more specifically, for vacuum cleaners of that well known type which has an inner dust-collecting receptacle.

In order to remove the collected dust, it is from time to time necessary to openone end of the vacuum cleaner, to take out the receptacle, to replace the same after it has been emptiedand to close the vacuumclean'er again. These opera tions must be performed While the vacuum cleaner is positioned-vertically, its openable end being on top. Holding the cleaner in this position and handling the closure or the receptacle simulpended jclaims and'from the accompanying drawingin which:

Fig.1 shows a side view or. an illustrative enibodiment of my invention affixedto avacuum cleaner in horizontal position. a p

I Fig. 2'. shows a similar'side view, the carrier and vacuum cleaner being positioned vertically.

Fig. 3 shows a top view of the sameembodie ment without the vacuum cleaner, the carrier taneously is very inconvenient and cumbersome y nate. the necessity of holding thecleaner by hand,

and thereby to make'bothhands, available for handling the closure and the receptacle.

Other objects are to provide the vacuum cleaner with'a carrier. that supports the cleaner optionally in vertical or horizontal position, to provide the carrier with wheels, therebyto make possible rolling movement of the cleaner, thereby to facilitate the. use of the cleaner and to avoid damage of a. carpet. or the like by sliding movement of the cleaner. r I

Further objects are to providethe carrier with a driving shaft, thereby to facilitate the rolling movement of the cleaner, to use the same shaft for supporting the cleaner in vertical position, to provide the shaft with a member which; contacts the cleaner supportingly in this vertical position, to connect this member with the. shaft hingedly whereby the member can be optionally positioned along .or across the. direction of the shaft, thereby to avoid crossing projection of the member when the same is not used as a support, to use the same member as a cover for the rear opening of the cleaner when the latter is not used, and thereby to protect the motor of the cleaner from dust and damage.

Still further objects are to protect the housing of the vacuum cleaner frominjury, to prevent immediate contact between this housing and the shaft and to provide a member made of rubber or similarly soft and resilient material which contacts the housing when the position of the inventive device results in its contact with the housing.

Still other. objects are to attain these results with simpl 'and reliable means and to provide a carrier that has the mentioned advantages and can be inexpensively made and easily handled.

Still other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an exemplifying embodiment of my invention, from the apbeing positioned horizontally as in Fig. 1, its shaft being positioned about horizontally as in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 showsa cross-section of a broken off part of the same embodiment, this cross-section being taken; along the line 5-4 in Fig. 3 and being represented ona larger scale.

.Fig; 5' shows a cross-section taken along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4'.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 1 indicates the housing of a vacuum cleaner of well known type. A cap 2 forms the front end of this housing and is held in closed position by a locking device 3 of1any known and suitable structure. This front end is openable for-the purpose-of taking .out the dust-receptacle whenever, it is necessary to empty the same. The opposite rear end 4 of the housing. I is provided with an opening 5.. '.This typepof vacuum cleaner hasqtwo parallel sled-like runners 6 which are afi'ixedto the housing I and supportitxso that the appae ratus can slide over ailoor or a carpet. This sliding movement causes considerable friction, hence considerable effort and damage, superficial layers being rubbed oif, and long depressions being formed in the floor or in the carpet.

According to my invention a vacuum cleaner of this type can be moved rollingly by means of a carrier having a frame 1' which is positioned horizontallyduring this movement. On top of this frame, the cleaner is afiixed without. any alternation of the cleaners structure. The frame I may consist of two longitudinal beams '3 and two cross-beams 9 affixed: to the lower sides'of the ends of the beams 8-. The beams may have U- shaped cross-sections, the open sides of the Us facing inwardly. Wheels or casters l I support the frame 7 and are connected thereto in well known manner. Clamps l2 surround the runners 6 tightly and are affixed to the beams llinany suitable manner whereby the cleaner is .firmly united withv the carrier. The clamps I 2 are, so positioned. and affixed to the runers 6 that the cap his at the front'of the frame I and prefer-'- ably projects beyond. the same while the rear endof the frame is farther backward than the end 4 of the housing I.

A shaft l3 has one end hinged to the frame 1 and another end forminga broad handle extend. ing parallel to the hinge axis. The handle may be constituted by an elongated bar l4 tightly passing through the bore of .a tubular T-piece l5 and having ends aflixed to rings 16' which contact the floorsimultaneously when the handle is laid down as shown in Fig. 2. The median or main part of the shaft I3 is afilxed tothe T-piccel5 in any suitable manner, for example; is screwed into this piece.

The hinge may be constructed in the following manner: The other end of the shaft I3 is formed by a T-piece I'I similarly shaped and affixed as the piece I5. Two clamps or shells I8 are afiixed to the frame I, for example, to its beams 8 near the rear end of the latter. A hinge axle I9 has a median part passing tightly through the piece I! and has ends passing rotatably between the beams 8 and the shells I8. "A'member 2I made of rubber or of similarly soft and resilient material is hinged to' the shaft I3 in the following manner: Two arms 22 made ofmetal or'of stiff material are'positioned at opposite sides of the shaft I3 and are connected by a hinge axle 23 passing'through the shaft. The member 2I is aifixedto both arms 22, for example, by pressing small pins 24 extending from the arms tightly into corresponding openings of the member 2I. The member forms a bridge from one arm 22 to the other and canbe turned together with the arms about thehinge 23.' In the position shown in Fig. 1 and, in dotted lines, in Fig. 4, the arms and the member 22-extend along the shaft I3. In the position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and, in full lines in Fig. 4, the arms and the member extend in a direction crossing the direction of the shaft, the member 22 being. turned incounter-clockwise directionso far that it contacts the shaft and is stopped by the latter.

Fig.1 shows the shaft I3 turned toward the housing I as far as possible. In this position the member 22 covers the opening of the housing. The apparatus may be kept in this position when not-used.

During the use of the vacuum cleaner, the shaft I3 is turned in counter-clockwise direction, for example, as far as shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines. In this position, the shaft can be used for pushing or pulling the carrier.

If the dust receptacle shall be taken out of the housing I, the frame with the cleaner is turned or tilted around the rear wheels I I into the position shown in Fig. 2 while the shaft is laid down and. the member 2I is turned into an upright direction crossing the direction of the shaft. In this position, the frame rests on its flat rear side 25 which, in Fig. 1, extends in a vertical plane. The member 2I' is supported by the shaft I3 and supports the housing I. The rear side of the frame resting on the floor in combination with the broad handle resting on the floor forms a broad base of the entire aggregate whereby the latter is well secured against toppling or turning laterally. Hence, the cap 2 and the dust receptacle can be handled easily.

I desire it understood that my invention is not confined to the particular embodiment shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that my invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention asit is obvious that the particular embodiment shown and described is only one of the many that may be employed toattain the objects of my invention. Y Having described the nature of my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: I

1. A carrier for a vacuum cleaner with an openable end, said carriercomprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame rollingly in a horizontal position, means for affixing said vacuum cleaner on top of said frame in a horizontal position where said openable end is positioned at the front of said frame, a driving shaft hinged to said frame near the rear end thereof, said frame having a rear side positioned farther backward than the rear end of said vacuum cleaner and extending in one vertical plane whereby said frame with said vacuum cleaner can be turned into a vertical position where said frame rests on said rear side while said shaft contacts the floor, and a member hingedly connected to said shaft and, in said latter position of shaft and frame, supportingly contacting the lower side of said vacuum cleaner.

2. A carrier for a vacuum cleaner with an openable end, said carrier comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame rollingly in a horizontal position, means for amxing said vacuum cleaner on top of said frame in a horizontal position where said openable end is positioned at the front of said frame, a driving shaft hinged to said frame near the rear end thereof, said frame having a rear side positioned farther backward than the rear end of said vacuum cleaner and extending in one vertical plane whereby said frame with said vacuum cleaner can be turned into a vertical position where said frame rests on said rear side while said shaft contacts the floor, and a member hinged to said shaft and turnable between a position along said shaft and a position crossing the direction of said shaft, said member, in. said crossing position, supportingly contacting the lower side of said vacuum cleaner when said frame is in said vertical position.

3. In combination, a vacuum cleaner with an openable end and with an opening in the opposite end, and a carrier for said vacuum cleaner, said carrier comprising a frame, wheels supporting said frame rollingly in a horizontal position, means for affixing said vacuum cleaner on top of said frame in a horizontal position where said openable end is positioned at the front of said frame, a driving shaft hinged to said frame near the rear end thereof, said frame having a rear side positioned farther backward than the rear end of said vacuum cleaner and extending in one vertical plane whereby said frame with said vacuum cleaner can be turned into a vertical position where said frame rests on said rear side while said shaft contacts the floor, and a member hinged to said shaft and turnable between a position along said shaft and a position crossing the direction of said shaft, said member, in said crossing position, supportingly contacting the lower side of said vacuum cleaner when said frame is in said vertical position, said member having a broad surface so large and positioned that said surface covers said opening of the vacuum cleaner when said member is positioned along said shaft and said shaft is turned toward said vacuum cleaner.

HERBERT LEVY.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS F Date

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