US2563541A - Attachment for vacuum cleaners - Google Patents

Description

g- 1951 c. H. M FARLAND ET AL 2,563,541

7 ATTACHMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed Dec. 1, 1948 Z/ {T I I INVENTOR 22 a les H. MacFar-land fi 4. Ni s II- Hamrnink 20 BY v'a/M ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 7, 1951 ATTACHMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Charles H. MacFarland, Cleveland, and Niles H. Hammink, Rocky River, Ohio, assignors to The Scott & Fetzer Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application December 1, 1948, Serial No. 62,824

Claims. 1

This invention relates to attachments for vacuum cleaners and more particularly to a power tool attachment, and has for its object to utilize the motor of the cleaner for driving the tool and to utilize the suction and dust collecting mechanism of the cleaner for collecting dust or other loose particles created by the power driven tool.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an attachment of the character referred to which can be quickly and easily attached to or detached from the fan casing of the vacuum cleaner, and to provide a belt disengaging and retaining device that is operable to disengage the driving belt of the attachment from the fan shaft and to support the same in shaft receiving position during periods in which the attachment is disconnected from the fan casing.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention may be said to comprise the attachment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described, together with such variations and modifications thereof as will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a vacuum cleaner with the attachment of the present invention thereon;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the attachment and a portion of the fan casing taken on the line indicated at 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the attachment and a portion of the fan casing, taken on the line indicated at 33 in Fig. l; I

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the attachment disconnected from the vacuum cleaner, a portion of the housing being broken away to show the belt disengaging and retaining member in belt supporting position.

In the accompanying drawings the attachment of the present invention-is shown applied to a vacuum cleaner of conventional construction that has a fan casing I carried by a mounting bracket 2 on a wheeled carriage 3. The fan casing I is provided with the usual tangential outlet 4 which delivers into a suitable dust collector such as a filter bag, and the fan casing I has a centrally disposed inlet opening 5 in its front face that has a beveled margin 6 forming a seat to receive the tubular conduit through which air entering the suction nozzle passes to the fan casing.

The vacuum cleaner is of the type in which a suction nozzle is detachably connected to the fan casing, and the attachment of the present invention is designed to replace the suction nozzle. The attachment has a housing I provided with a tubular rearwardly extending attaching portion 3 that is adapted to seat on the beveled margin 6 of the inlet opening 5. The housing I has a tubular forwardly projecting tool receiving portion 9 that is laterally offset with respect to the attaching portion 8. The housing I also has a rear wall Ii) laterally of the attaching portion 8 that is provided with a thickened bearing portion II. Between the bearing portion II and the attaching portion 8 the rear wall ID has an integral forwardly projecting arm I2 that has a bearing portion I3 at its outer end spaced from the bearing portion II of the rear wall. A shaft I4 is journaled in the bearing portions II and I3 and has a pulley I5 attached thereto between the bearing portions II and I3. Outwardly of the bearing portion I3 the shaft I4 has a collar I6 fixed thereto and forwardly of the collar I6, the shaft has a threaded end N that is adapted to receive a suitable tool such as a grinding wheel I8. A nut I9 serves to clamp the grinding wheel I8 against the collar I6. During operation the grinding wheel I8 is driven by the vacuum cleaner motor and a stream of air is continuously drawn through the housing I and past the grinding wheel and through the attaching portion 8 into the fan casing to collect in the attached bag any dust or loose particles created by the operation of a grinding Wheel or other tool upon the shaft I4.

The forward end of the tool receiving portion 9 of the housing carries a detachable shield 2|] in the form of a cap provided with a marginal flange 2| that slidably fits upon the tubular portion 9 of the housing. The tubular portion 9 of the housing and a corresponding portion of the shield 20 are cut away at one side to provide a lateral opening 22 through which a portion of the periphery of the grinding wheel I8 projects. The shield 20 is readily detachable so that other tools may be substituted for the grinding wheel and if it is unnecessary to have a shield it may be left off.

The power tool attachment of the present invention is designed to be detachably secured to the fan casing by means of suitable securing devices such as those normally employed for securing the suction nozzle of a vacuum cleaner to the fan casing.

As herein shown, the mounting bracket 2 is provided on its front face with lugs 23 which support a horizontal rod 24 a short distance below'the inlet opening 5 of the fan casing. The attaching portion 8 of the housing has laterally spaced downwardly extending lugs 25 provided on their under sides with recesses 26 adapted to seat upon the rod 24. On the upper side thereof the attaching portion 8 has an upwardly projecting flange 21 that is adapted to seat against the front face of the fan casing l and the flange 2'! is, engaged by a rotatably mounted locking cam 28 that is rotatably mounted on the fan casing and provided with a projecting handle 29 by means of which it'can be'quickly and easily turned to or from looking position. The shaft 30 of the vacuum cleaner fan projects through the opening 5 and has a belt receiving portion 3! forwardly of the fan casing which normally receives the driving belt of the rotary brush in the vacuum cleaner nozzle. The shaft I4 is driven by means of a belt 32 running overthe 'pulley i5 and over the belt receiving portion 3| of the fan shaft 30. Means is provided for disengaging the belt 32 from the fan shaft 38 to permit removal of the attachment from the fan casing and the belt disengaging device serves to retain the belt 32 in a position such that the fan shaft 30 may be received Within it whenever the attachment is reattached to the fan casing. The belt disengaging device is in the form of an arm 33 positioned within the belt 32 and alongside the shaft 39. The arm 33 has a flange 34 at its outer end which is attached by means of a bolt 35 to a pivot member 36 that has a cylindrical portion 31 journaled in a front wall 38 of the housing 7.

The pivot member 36 has a handle 39 outside the wall 38 by means of which the pivot member '33 and" laterally oifset arm 33 may be swung through an arc of substantially 180 from the position shown in Fig. 2 where the arm 33 is positioned clear of the belt 32 between the upper and lower runs thereof and between the pulleys l5 and [3, to the position shown in Fig. 4, where it is upon the opposite side of the shaft 30 and supports the belt 32 out of engagement with the pulley portion 3! of the shaft 30. The driving belt 32 may be made of material sufficiently elastic to permit the same to stretch the amount necessary to permit the shifting of the arm 33 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 4.

In mounting the attachment on a vacuum cleaner the belt supporting arm 33 is positioned as shown in Fig. 4, in which position the outer end; portion of the shaft 30 will enter between the upper and lower runs of the belt 32 when the tubular attaching portion 8 of the housing is moved into engagement with the marginal seat 5 of the fan inlet opening. After fastening the attachment to the fan casing the arm 33 will be swung to the position shown in Fig.

-2 to engage the belt 32 with a pulley portion 3| of the fan shaft. With the attachment in place the desired tool may be attached to the shaft l4. During operation of the attachment a rapidly moving air stream is maintained past the periphery of the tool and through the housing i into the fan casing so that all loose particles 1 parting from the spirit of the invention.

What we claim is: a

1. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projects forwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having forwardly and rearwardly extending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterally offset, one with respect to the other, and front and rear walls laterally of said extending portions, said tool receiving portion having an opening and said housing'providing a passage for air and detritus from the tool receiving portion thereof to the fan casing, said attaching portion being tubular and engageagle with said fan casing around its inlet opening, means for detachably fastening said inlet attaching portion to said casin a bearing member in said housing and spaced from said rear wall, a tool shaft journaled in said rear wall and. bearing member and having a tool receiving end portion forwardly of said bearing member and within said tool receiving portion of the housing, 'a pulley on said tool shaft between said rear wall and said bearing member, and a belt running upon said pulley and the belt receiving portion of said fan shaft.

2. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projects forwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having forwardly and rearwardly extending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterally offset, one with respect to the other, and front and rear walls laterally of said extending portions, said tool receiving portion having an open outer end and said housing providing a passage for air and detritus from the tool receiving portion thereof to the fan casing, said attaching portion be I ing tubular and engageable with said fan casing around its inlet opening, means for detachably fastening said inlet attaching portion to said casing, a bearing member in said housin and spaced from said rear wall, a tool shaft journaled in said rear wall and bearing member and having a tool receiving end portion forwardly of said bearing member and within said tool receiving portion of the housing, a pulley on said tool shaft between said rear Wall and said bearing member, a belt running upon said pulley and the belt receiving portion of said fan shaft, and a shield detachably mounted on said tool receiving portion of the housing, said shield overlying the open outer end of said tool shaft and partially covering a tool carried by said shaft.

3. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projects forwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a l'lOllSillg having forwardly and rearwardly extending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterally offset, one with respect to the other, and front and rear Walls laterally of said extending portions, said attaching portion being tubular and engageable with said fan casing around its inlet opening, means for detachably fastening said inlet attaching portion to said casing, a bearing in said rear wall, an arm projecting forwardly from said rear wall between said bearing and said attaching portion, said armhaving an outer end portion parallel to said rear wall, a bearing in said end portion of the arm, a tool shaft journaled in said bearings and having a tool receiving end portion forwardly of said arm, a pulley on said tool shaft between said rear wall and the forward portion of said arm, and a belt running upon said pulley and the belt receiving portion of said fan shaft with its upper and lower runs above and below said arm.

4. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projects forwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casing comprising a housing having forwardly and rearwardly ex tending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterally offset, one with respect to the other, and front and rear walls laterally of said extending portions, said attaching portion being tubular and engageable with said fan casing around its inlet opening, means for detachably fastening said inlet attaching portion to said casing, a bearing member in said housing and spaced from said rear wall, a tool shaft journaled in said rear wall and bearing member and having a tool receiving end portion forwardly of said bearing member and within said tool receiving portion of the housing, a pulley on said tool shaft between said rear wall and said bearing member, a belt running upon said pulley and the belt receiving portion of said fan shaft, and a belt disengagin and supporting member mounted in said front wall to turn about an axis that substantially coincides with the axis of the fan shaft and having a laterally offset arm within the belt alongside said shaft, said arm being movable from a position between the fan shaft and said pulley to a position upon the opposite sid of the fan shaft to free the belt from the fan shaft and to support the same in a position to receive the fan shaft when said attachment is detached from the fan casing.

5. An attachment for vacuum cleaners of the type having a fan casing with a front wall having an inlet opening and a fan shaft that projects forwardly through the opening and has a belt receiving portion outside the casin comprising a housing having forwardly and rearwardly extending tool receiving and attaching portions that are laterally offset, one with respect to the other, and front and rear walls laterally of said extending portions, said attaching portion being tubular and engageable with said fan casing around its inlet opening, means for detachably fastening said inlet attaching portion to said casing, a tool shaft in said housing parallel to said fan shaft, a pulley on said tool shaft, a belt running on said pulley and on the belt receiving portion of the fan shaft, and a belt disengaging and supporting member mounted in said front wall to turn about an axis that substantially coincides with the axis of the fan shaft and having a laterally offset arm positioned within the belt and alongside the fan shaft, said arm being movable from a disengaged position between said shafts to a position on the opposite side of the fan shaft to disengage the belt from the fan shaft and to support the same in position to receive the fan shaft durin periods in which the attachment is disconnected from the fan casing.

CHARLES H. MAoFARLAND. N'ILES H. HAMMINlK.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,726,592 Spanel Sept. 3, 1929 1,900,692 Clements Mar. 7, 1933 2,098,147 Hussmann Nov. 2, 1937 2,166,863 Frame et a1 July 18, 1939 2,338,807 Emery Jan. 11, 1944

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