PATENT OF THE WEEK– INDUSTRIAL SWEEPER

The Industrial Sweeper was invented by  John A. La Boda (Fairview Park, OH) on the 6^th of October, 1992, bearing patent number US5152027A.

The present invention relates to an industrial sweeper, and more particularly a sweeper which has improved features related to the mounting of the main brush, the power train and its controls, and other improvements. According to one important feature of the invention, the sweeper has a clutchable drive. The drive to both the brush and the central single drive wheel is accomplished by a drive pulley on the main drive shaft which is driven by a clutchable V-belt. The clutch pulley is a shiftable idler that is shifted by the operation of a hand grip to tighten the drive belt both around the drive pulley that is driven by the motor, and around the pulley on the drive shaft. The drive pulley that is driven by the motor is a double pulley spaced a short distance away on a shaft. One of the two pulleys of this double pulley serves as the drive pulley for the driving V-belt as just mentioned. The second of the two pulleys continuously drives the fan impeller The clutch pulley tightens the V-belt on the driving pulley of this double pulley, and on the driven pulley on the drive shaft, thereby driving the main drive shaft.