US3601832A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Aircraft-washing apparatus
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1969-09-10
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Granted: 1971-08-31
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Expires: 1989-09-10
Abstract
Abstract SCRUBBING SELF-PROPELLED PORTABLE FRAME GUIDED FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, THERE BEING A PAIR OF RIGID HORIZONTAL BOOMS GUIDED ON SAID FRAME FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT AND POWER MEANS FOR EFFECTING SUCH MOVEMENT OF THE BOOMS SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT OF THE FRAME SO THAT THE BOOMS TRAVERSE A PATH HAVING ANY DESIRED HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL COMPONENTS TO CONFORM SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE LONGITUDINAL PROFILE OF THE AIRCRAFT SURFACES TO BE CLEANED. Each boom supports a plurality of power-driven scrubbing means for operative engagement with the aircraft surfaces and includes articulated sections adjustable to various angular positions to clean the aircraft fuselage and rudder. An auxiliary boom composed of articulately interconnected sections is carried by and above the main boom and has power means for angularly adjusting its sections so that scrubbing means carried thereby may be positioned for operative engagement with an elevated tail surface of the aircraft. Spray nozzles carried by the respective booms and boom sections are adapted to direct a detergent solution toward the aircraft for washing purposes or, if desired, to direct deicing fluid toward the aircraft for removal of ice and snow therefrom. The scrubbing means of the booms are swingable into and from the path of the spray ejected from the nozzles so as to indirectly deliver the spray onto the aircraft surfaces, when desired, or to permit the spray to impinge directly on the surfaces of the aircraft. A lower, fixed level boom is similarly provided with spray nozzles and power-driven scrubbing means and is adapted for operation on the downwardly directed surfaces of the wing and fuselage of the aircraft.
Inventors
- 👤 Vernon H Cook
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 17:28
CPC Classifications
B; B64; B64F; B64F5/00; B64F5/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
In an aircraft-washing apparatus, the combination comprising: a self-propelled portable frame, means guiding sad frame for movement in a preselected horizontal direction, a rigid generally horizontal boom guided on said frame for vertical movement, power means for effecting vertical movement of said boom simultaneously with the horizontal movement of said frame power-driven scrubbing means and spray discharge nozzles supported by said boom, said boom comprising a plurality of articulately interconnected rigid sections, power means being interconnected between adjoining said sections for effecting relative angular adjustment between said sections, said nozzles and said scrubbing means being carried by the respective said sections.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
101 words
In an aircraft-washing apparatus, the combination comprising: a self-propelled portable frame, means guiding sad frame for movement in a preselected horizontal direction, a rigid generally horizontal boom guided on said frame for vertical movement, power means for effecting vertical movement of said boom simultaneously with the horizontal movement of said frame power-driven scrubbing means and spray discharge nozzles supported by said boom, said boom comprising a plurality of articulately interconnected rigid sections, power means being interconnected between adjoining said sections for effecting relative angular adjustment between said sections, said nozzles and said scrubbing means being carried by the respective said sections.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which each said scrubbing means includes a fluid drive motor, there being a common source of pressurized fluid communicating with said fluid drive motor and with said spray nozzles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 1, including an auxiliary boom and means supporting said auxiliary boom from said first-mentioned boom, at a level above that of the first-mentioned boom.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 3, including power-driven scrubbing means supported by said auxiliary boom.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said boom is of tubular construction defining a fluid conduit in communication with said nozzles.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 5, in which said frame comprises an upright standard, said generally horizontal boom being guided for vertical movement on said standard and supported in cantilever fashion therefrom.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 6, in which said boom comprises a plurality of articulately interconnected rigid tubular section in fluidtight communication with each other, and power means for effecting relative angular adjustment of adjoining said sections, there being a plurality of said scrubbing means carried by the respective said boom sections.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
63 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said nozzles of each boom section are all directed in a common plane parallel to said boom section, said scrubbing means for the respective boom sections being mounted for rotation about axes parallel to said respective sections and swingable about said sections into and from the paths of the spray emanating from said nozzles.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
98 words
In an aircraft-washing apparatus, the combination comprising: a self-propelled portable frame, means guiding said frame for movement in a preselected horizontal direction, a rigid generally horizontal boom guided on said frame for vertical movement, power means for effecting vertical movement of said boom simultaneously with the horizontal movement of said frame; power-driven scrubbing means supported by said boom, said scrubbing means comprising a fluid-driven motor rigidly supported from said boom, a rotary output shaft, and a cylindrical hollow scrubbing element coaxially carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, said motor being encompassed within said cylindrical hollow scrubbing element.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
98 words
In an aircraft-washing apparatus, the combination comprising: a self-propelled portable frame, means guiding said frame for movement in a preselected horizontal direction, a rigid generally horizontal boom guided on said frame for vertical movement, power means for effecting vertical movement of said boom simultaneously with the horizontal movement of said frame; power-driven scrubbing means supported by said boom, said scrubbing means comprising a fluid-driven motor rigidly supported from said boom, a rotary output shaft, and a cylindrical hollow scrubbing element coaxially carried by said shaft for rotation therewith, said motor being encompassed within said cylindrical hollow scrubbing element.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
55 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 9, including rigid brackets connected to the boom for angular adjustment therearound and having free ends projecting outwardly from the boom, said scrubbing means being carried at the free ends of said brackets, and means for selectively maintaining said brackets in various positions of angular adjustment around said boom.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 10, in which said brackets are longitudinally extensible and contractable for varying the distance of the scrubbing means from the boom.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
Aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 11, in which said brackets respectively comprise fluid-actuated piston and cylinder units.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
68 words
In an aircraft-washing apparatus, the combination comprising: a self-propelled portable frame, means guiding said frame for horizontal rectilinear movement, a horizontal boom carried in cantilever fashion by said frame and extending transversely to the movement of said frame, said boom comprising a plurality of rigid sections articulately interconnected for relative swinging movement in a horizontal plane, spray nozzles and power-driven scrubbing means carried by the respective said sections.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
68 words
In an aircraft-washing apparatus, the combination comprising: a self-propelled portable frame, means guiding said frame for horizontal rectilinear movement, a horizontal boom carried in cantilever fashion by said frame and extending transversely to the movement of said frame, said boom comprising a plurality of rigid sections articulately interconnected for relative swinging movement in a horizontal plane, spray nozzles and power-driven scrubbing means carried by the respective said sections.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
80 words
An aircraft-washing apparatus as defined in claim 13, including a pair of said horizontal booms supported from said frame in alignment with each other, the relatively adjacent ends of said booms being free, and the relatively remote ends of said booms being connected to said frame, said free ends being defined by horizontally swingable boom sections, and power means for horizontally swinging said boom sections from positions in alignment with each other to retracted positions generally parallel to each other.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
Aircraft washing apparatus as defined in claim 14, including ground wheels rotatably connected to said last mentioned horizontally swingable boom sections and supporting same for movement at predetermined levels.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
111 words
In an aircraft-washing apparatus, the combination comprising: a self-propelled portable frame, means guiding said frame for movement in a preselected horizontal direction, a rigid generally horizontal boom guided on said frame for vertical movement, power means for effecting vertical movement of said boom simultaneously with the horizontal movement of said frame; power-driven scrubbing means supported by said boom; a plurality of spray discharge nozzles carried by said boom, said scrubbing means being disposed to intercept the spray discharged through said spray discharge nozzles; said scrubbing means being mounted on the boom for selective positioning either in or to one side of the path of the spray emanating from said spray nozzles.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
111 words
In an aircraft-washing apparatus, the combination comprising: a self-propelled portable frame, means guiding said frame for movement in a preselected horizontal direction, a rigid generally horizontal boom guided on said frame for vertical movement, power means for effecting vertical movement of said boom simultaneously with the horizontal movement of said frame; power-driven scrubbing means supported by said boom; a plurality of spray discharge nozzles carried by said boom, said scrubbing means being disposed to intercept the spray discharged through said spray discharge nozzles; said scrubbing means being mounted on the boom for selective positioning either in or to one side of the path of the spray emanating from said spray nozzles.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3439372A
Cited
US3460177A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-08-30 | 1975-03-01 | 1975-08-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-08-30 | 1979-03-01 | 1979-08-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-08-30 | 1983-03-01 | 1983-08-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |