US1370463A - Window-cleaner - Google Patents

Description

M. LOMANO. wmnow CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. l0, 1920. 1,370,463. Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

Swan/Moz MAC/2 Q6] L Umano @vH/wao@ MICHAEL LOMANO, OF COLUMBUS., OHIO.

'WINDOW-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mahl, 1921.

Application filed January 10, 1920. Serial No. 350,699.

To all whom it may concer/1t.'

Be it known that I, MICHAEL LoMANo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State ot' ()hio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Window-Cleaners, ot' which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates broadly to an improved window cleaner, and has Jfor its principal object to provide means of this character whereby both sides of a transparent panel may be wiped free from moisture, frost or other extraneous matter which has a tendency to obstruct vision through the panel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cleaner of this nature wherein is em-v bodied an improved mounting Jfor effecting the pivotal support of the wiping members of the apparatus, in order that said arms may under certain conditions be rotated iny unison, and said mounting including means whereby said members are normally urged into 'positive engagement with the sides of a transparent panel.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a wiping member for the aforesaid pqurpose, wherein said member is constructed so as toembody a plurality ot' pliable prongs or scraper fingers which are positioned so as to be relatively independent of each other, in order that the spring pressure exercised by said mounting on said member will have a tendency to maintain all of the fingers in engagement with the side of a panel, and to thereby insure close and positive engagement between said fingers and said panel surface throughout the entire length of the wiping member and in a manner substantially independent of the parallelism between the latter and the surface over which it operates.

lVith these and other objects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, the inventionaccordingly consists in the novel features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts, hereinafter to be fully described and to have the scope thereof'pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view taken through a Window sash and its associated frame, and illustrating the application of the improved window cleaning member, comprising the present invention therewith.

Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the wiping members of the cleaner, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the detailsI of construction of the preferred form of the invention, the numeral 1 designates the improved window cleaning structure in its entirety. This structure is adapted to be used in conjunction with any suitable form of a transparent panel, for example as an auto-4 mobile windshield, or the vision window before the operator of a public carrier. However, for purposes of description and illustration, the structure 1 has been disclosed as being utilized in connection with the stationary frame 2 of a window sash 3, the frame 2 being provided with grooves in which the side rails of the sash are adapted to be received for sliding movement in the ordinary manner. In this instance the frame 2 is provided at any suitable point contiguous to the sash 3 with a transverse opening 4, which is open at one end and has its opposite end substantially closed by means of a plate 5. The cleaning structure as a whole is adapted tobe journaled for oscillation within the opening 4, and to accomplish this end saidstructure is provided with a pair of complemental wiping members 6 and 7 These members may be formed from suitably bent wire, and the member 6 is constructed to embody a transversely extending portion S, which projects entirely through and is journaled within the opening 4. Loosely mounted upon the journaling portion 8 of the wiping member 6 is a sleeve 9 which forms a part of the member 7 and acts as a pivotal mounting for said latter member. One end of the sleeve 9 is formed with a slot 10 which is adapted to receive a transverse stud 11 rigidly carried by the portion 8. Manifestly, when the stud 11 is positioned within the slot 10 the members 6 and 7 will be coupled together so as to be capable of rotating in unison.

Normally, the connected relationship between the sleeve 9 and the-'portion 8 is maintained by means of a coil spring 12 which is positioned so as to pass'around the projecting end of the portion 8, and the outer end ot the spring rests upon an adjustable nut 13, which is carried by the threaded end 14 of the portion 8. The other end of the spring presses upon the sleeve 9 and thereby forces the wiping member 7 into firm contact with one side of the trans arent panel. Then, since the other end o .the spring presses against the nut 13 it follows that the wiping member 6 on the opposite side of the panel will also be pressed into engagement with that side of the transparent panel of the sash 4. Thus the spring 12 serves in the dual capacity; i. e., in maintaining the wiping members in firm frictional contact with the opposite sides of a transparent panel and in also normall retaining the stud 11 within the slot 10 so t at the rotation of said wiping members in unison may be normally secured. To revolve the cleaning structure as a whole, the inner projecting end of the portion 8 may'be provided with a handle 15 by the grasping of which said members 6 and 7 may be suitably revolved so as to bring their cleaning surfaces into engagement with the transparent panel over an extended distance. By adjusting the nut 13 the tension of the spring 12 may be varied so as to insure the desired engagement between the members 6 and 7 and the transparent panel.

When the services of the structure 1 are no longer desired, or for purposes of facilitating the raising and lowering of the sash 3, said members 6 and 7 may be adjusted to assume such inactive positions as will render the sash free for independent movement. This is accomplished by providing the portion 8 of the member 6l with an offset pin 16 which normally lies within the opening 4. However, by forcing the portion 8 outwardly against the tension of the spring, the pin 16 may be passed through afrelatively small opening 17 provided in the plate 5. Then by partially rotating the portion 8, said pin will be causedv to engage with the outer face of the plate 5 so as to prevent inward movement on the part of the wiping member 6. This action effectively results in freeing the member 6 from active contact with the outer surface of the window sash. The member 7 may then be suitably released by actuating the nut 18 so that the tension on the spring 12 maybe released, thus permitting the member 7 to be moved inwardly away from the sash and to permit the same to drop to any suitable inactive position. Means have thus been provided for conveniently disassociating the members 6 and 7 with a transparent panel in order that the latter may be raised or lowered or removed from its frame.

The journaling' portion 8 and the sleeve 9 terminate in angularly bent arms 19'and 20 which in turn end in laterally and inwardly bent arms 21. The latter then terminate in horizontally extending portions 22 which lie parallel with the side faces of the sash 3. Adapted to be carried by each of the portions 22 is a rubber wiping element 23, which is so formed as to be capable of contacting and rubbing the side faces of the transparent panel of the sash 3, whereby moisture or other vision obscuring matter which may collect upon said panel ma)Y be conveniently and quickly removed by the mere actuation of the handle 15. It has been found, however, that the elements 23 are not altogether satisfactory under conditions which cause frost to collect upon the window surfaces. In this event it is obvious that the rubber elements 23 will have little or no effect in removing such accumulations, and therefore, the present invention comprehends for each of the members 6 and 7 a scraper structure 24 of peculiar formation. In its preferred form this scraper structure is preferably formed from pliable sheet metal, and in cross-section is constructed so as to receive the portion 22. Also, said lscraper structure will embody oppositely disposed resilient faces 25 which press upon the wiping element 23 and therefore have a tendency to support and maintain the latter in its operative position. The faces 25 terminate in a plurality of independent fingers 26, which are of a pliable nature and terminate evenly with the outer edge of the element 23 so as to engage with the panel of the sash 3. The fingers terminate in tapering portions 26 which act somewhat in the manner of a chisel and thereby 'serve to effectively loosen accumulated frost from apane of glass. As above stated the ngers are relatively independent, and therefore if true parallelism between the members 6 and 7 and the sash 3 does not obtain, this technical error will be overcome by the action of the spring 12 and the pliable formation of said fingers. Thus if a fiat metallic strip were employed in lieu ofy the fingers it would be manifest that ifthe members 6 and 7 were not in a state of true parallelism with the sash 3 such a metallic strip would be so positioned that only its part nearest to the sash would engage the latter, the part farther away from the sash would have no wiping action upon the latter at all. However, by the presence of said fingers and owing to their pliable formation such a technical error will be preclu'ded and all of the fingers will thereby be in engagement with said sash so as to secure the most effective and efficient operation. Preferably. the faces 25 are formed in pairs so that the fingers on the lower pair will be positioned between the spaces formed between the fingers of the upper pair. This staggered arrangement of the fingers will cause the wiping members to engage with the transparent panel over their full length and will eliminate scoring.

F rom the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing it will be seen that there is provided an elicient structure for erforming the objects of the invention. he window cleaner itself is of comparatively simple construction, and can be quickl and readily applied to Window sashes anA transparent panels generally. The mounting for the structure is of such character as to insure close engagement between the wiping members and the transparent panel, and permits said members to be rotated together. Also, by the provision of the scraper structure the device is rendered positive in all manner of weather conditions so that a clear vision through a transparent panel may be readily obtained,

I claim:

1. In a window cleaner, a wiping member, comprising an elongated iexible strip of moisture removing material, and a scraper structure cooperative with said strip, said structure including a plurality of resilient fingers having tapered extremlties and capable of relatively independent movement.

2. In a Window cleaner, a wiping member comprising an elongated body, a flexible moisturevremoving strip carried by and extending parallel With said body, and a pluralit of pliable metallic scraper fingers locatedl on opposite sides of said strip, said fingers terminating in relatively tapered extremities which are located in staggered re lationship. l

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

MICHAEL LOMANO.

Images