Spark plug cleaner

Claim 2

An enclosed spark plug cleaner comprising a closed main casing which includes a main body portion, a high speed motor and connected centrifugal particle projector in said main body portion, said projector comprising an impeller and an impeller housing having an axial inlet and a peripheral outlet, a hopper which opens upwardly for receipt of a charge of particulate cleaning material, and having a delivery outlet at its lower end communicating with the inlet of the impeller, a generally horizontally disposed feeder tube having inlet openings along its sides for a delivery of particulate material from the hopper through said openings into the tube, said tube leading into the central inlet of said impeller housing, said casing comprising a removable cover portion for said main body portion, said cover comprising a holder for the threaded end of a spark plug to hold the same with its open end in alignment with said impeller housing outlet.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 with a vertical wall between the motor and the blower casing separating the motor from the blower, the particulate discharged by the impeller gravitating into the bottom of the main casing outside the hopper.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 wherein the circuit for the motor contains separable contacts, said contacts being separable by removal of the spark plug from said cover.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 2 wherein there is a pair of cooperating contacts in the motor circuit separable by removal of the cover from the main body portion of the casing.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 2 with a removable spark plug receiving collar carried on the cover portion of the main casing, said collar having a socket for receiving the metalliC threaded body of a spark plug and electric contacts carried by said collar and closeable by said metallic body of the spark plug carried in said collar, and said contacts being in series in the motor circuit.

Claim 7

In a device of the class described, an impeller housing having a tangential outlet and a central inlet with an impeller in said housing, an impeller shaft extending out through the center of said housing, there being a central inlet in said housing on the side opposite the impeller shaft, a hopper for particulate, an inclined inlet tube having its uppermost end closed, said tube being disposed in the lower part of the hopper and its lower end opening endwise into the central part of the impeller housing, and said tube having transverse openings extending through the sidewalls only of the tube said tube being mounted to extend downwardly from the hopper to the central inlet of the impeller housing.

Claim 8

In a device of the class described, an impeller housing having a tangential outlet and a central inlet with an impeller in said housing, an impeller shaft extending out through the center of said housing, there being a central inlet in said housing on the side opposite the impeller shaft, a hopper for particulate, an inclined inlet tube having its uppermost end closed, said tube being disposed in the lower part of the hopper and its lower end opening endwise into the central part of the impeller housing, and said tube having transverse openings extending through the sidewalls only of the tube said tube being mounted to extend downwardly from the hopper to the central inlet of the impeller housing.

Claim 9

In a spark plug cleaner, a casing, a blower in said casing, said blower having a rotatable impeller, an impeller housing having an axial inlet and substantially vertically disposed tangential outlet, means forming part of said casing for holding the threaded end of a spark plug in vertical alignment over said outlet, impeller having a central inlet registering with said axial inlet of the impeller housing, a wedge-shaped feed hopper open at the top and closed at its bottom, a feed tube disposed substantially horizontally lengthwise in the lower part of said hopper and extending substantially horizontally from the inside of the hopper to the inlet of the blower housing, said feed tube having its outer end substantially closed and having a plurality of substantially vertically extending slots through the side walls thereof, said feed tube opening into the housing inlet.

Claim 10

In a spark plug cleaner, a casing, a blower in said casing, said blower having a rotatable impeller, an impeller housing having an axial inlet and substantially vertically disposed tangential outlet, means forming part of said casing for holding the threaded end of a spark plug in vertical alignment over said outlet, impeller having a central inlet registering with said axial inlet of the impeller housing, a wedge-shaped feed hopper open at the top and closed at its bottom, a feed tube disposed substantially horizontally lengthwise in the lower part of said hopper and extending substantially horizontally from the inside of the hopper to the inlet of the blower housing, said feed tube having its outer end substantially closed and having a plurality of substantially vertically extending slots through the side walls thereof, said feed tube opening into the housing inlet.

Claim 11

The combination with the elements of claim 7 of a high speed driving motor and a rotatable rotationally unbalanced mass connected to the motor and impeller for vibrating the hopper and feed tube to cause particulate material in the hopper to move through the slots in the feed tube and lengthwise of said tube.

Claim 12

In a device of the class described, a casing comprising cooperating top part and bottom part, a transverse wall in the casing formed partly in the top part and partly in the bottom part, dividing the casing into two compartments, a connected motor blower supported in said transverse wall, said motor blower comprising an electric motor disposed in the motor compartment and a directly connected centrifugal blower disposed in the second compartment said blower comprising a volute type impeller casing with an upwardly directed outlet and with an axially disposed inlet opening, a downwardly converging hopper having an outlet at its lower end connected to the inlet of the impeller casing, the top part of the casing having a socket for receiving the open end of a spark plug substantially vertically disposed over the outlet of the impeller casing.

Claim 13

In a device of the class described, a casing comprising cooperating top part and bottom part, a transverse wall in the casing formed partly in the top part and partly in the bottom part, dividing the casing into two compartments, a connected motor blower supported in said transverse wall, said motor blower comprising an electric motor disposed in the motor compartment and a directly connected centrifugal blower disposed in the second compartment said blower comprising a volute type impeller casing with an upwardly directed outlet and with an axially disposed inlet opening, a downwardly converging hopper having an outlet at its lower end connected to the inlet of the impeller casing, the top part of the casing having a socket for receiving the open end of a spark plug substantially vertically disposed over the outlet of the impeller casing.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 9 wherein the top part of the casing has a removable mounting member for receiving and holding the threaded end of a spark plug to be cleaned substantially coaxially over the discharge outlet of the blower.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 10 with a circuit for said electric motor and a series switch in said circuit controllable by angular motion of said movable mounting member.

Claim 16

In a device of the class described the combination of a closed main casing made of separable top part and bottom part, the top part having means for mounting a spark plug to be cleaned with its electrode exposed inside the casing, a rotary motor driven particle blower having an impeller and being supported in the bottom part of the casing said blower having an inlet opening facing horizontally, said impeller casing having an outlet directed at said electrodes to be cleaned and having an axial inlet and a tangential outlet, an electric motor in the casing for rotating said impeller, a feed hopper mounted inside the casing said hOpper having an open top and extending from the lower part of the hopper which is adjacent to the impeller, a feed tube extending substantially horizontally from the inside of the hopper to the intake of the impeller, oblong transverse openings in the side of the feed tube forming slots for admitting particulate into the bore of the tube, the vibration of the driven impeller causing the flow of particulate from said hopper through said slots and through the feed tube into the impeller inlet, the wall of the open upper end of the hopper adjacent the impeller being disposed adjacent the top wall of the casing and the top of the wall of the hopper remote from the impeller being spaced from the top wall of the casing whereby rotation of the closed casing on a horizontal axis transverse to the vertical plane of the axis of the impeller will cause shifting of contents of the casing from outside the hopper into the hopper.

Claim 17

In a device of the class described the combination of a closed main casing made of separable top part and bottom part, the top part having means for mounting a spark plug to be cleaned with its electrode exposed inside the casing, a rotary motor driven particle blower having an impeller and being supported in the bottom part of the casing said blower having an inlet opening facing horizontally, said impeller casing having an outlet directed at said electrodes to be cleaned and having an axial inlet and a tangential outlet, an electric motor in the casing for rotating said impeller, a feed hopper mounted inside the casing said hOpper having an open top and extending from the lower part of the hopper which is adjacent to the impeller, a feed tube extending substantially horizontally from the inside of the hopper to the intake of the impeller, oblong transverse openings in the side of the feed tube forming slots for admitting particulate into the bore of the tube, the vibration of the driven impeller causing the flow of particulate from said hopper through said slots and through the feed tube into the impeller inlet, the wall of the open upper end of the hopper adjacent the impeller being disposed adjacent the top wall of the casing and the top of the wall of the hopper remote from the impeller being spaced from the top wall of the casing whereby rotation of the closed casing on a horizontal axis transverse to the vertical plane of the axis of the impeller will cause shifting of contents of the casing from outside the hopper into the hopper.

Claim 18

In a spark plug cleaner, a normally closed main casing (1) providing a particulate supply chamber (32), means providing a particulate feeding hopper (29), said supply chamber and said hopper communicating at their upper ends with each other, said main casing (1) also containing an impeller casing (19) a particulate impeller (14) in ssid casing, said impeller casing containing a rotary particulate impeller (14) and having a particulate discharge outlet (20), said main casing containing a motor (16) for driving said impeller, said main casing having a spark plug holder (5) with a seat (6) for holding the open end of a spark plug in alignment with the said particulate discharge outlet (20), means (22) for conducting particulate from said particulate feeding hopper (23) to said impeller chamber (19), said particulate discharge outlet (20) being directed at the open end of a spark plug (7) mounted in said holder (5), the particulate projected against the spark plug falling to the bottom of the supply chamber there being an opening from below the impeller chamber to the lower end of the supply chamber whereby with the casing closed endwise tilting of the supply chamber downwardly causes the particulate to gravitate to the supply chamber and further rotation causes the particulate to gravitate from the upper end of the supply chamber into the feeding chamber.

Claim 19

In a spark plug cleaner, a normally closed main casing (1) providing a particulate supply chamber (32), means providing a particulate feeding hopper (29), said supply chamber and said hopper communicating at their upper ends with each other, said main casing (1) also containing an impeller casing (19) a particulate impeller (14) in ssid casing, said impeller casing containing a rotary particulate impeller (14) and having a particulate discharge outlet (20), said main casing containing a motor (16) for driving said impeller, said main casing having a spark plug holder (5) with a seat (6) for holding the open end of a spark plug in alignment with the said particulate discharge outlet (20), means (22) for conducting particulate from said particulate feeding hopper (23) to said impeller chamber (19), said particulate discharge outlet (20) being directed at the open end of a spark plug (7) mounted in said holder (5), the particulate projected against the spark plug falling to the bottom of the supply chamber there being an opening from below the impeller chamber to the lower end of the supply chamber whereby with the casing closed endwise tilting of the supply chamber downwardly causes the particulate to gravitate to the supply chamber and further rotation causes the particulate to gravitate from the upper end of the supply chamber into the feeding chamber.

Claim 20

The combination of claim 13 wherein the spark plug holder is mounted on the cover forming part of the main casing and is separable from the casing, and the motor circuit is cut through the connection of the cover to the casing.

Claim 21

The combination of claim 13 wherein the abrasive conducting means from the feeding chamber to the impeller housing comprises a laterally perforated tube which is inclined to the horizontal at an angle not substantially higher than the angle of repose of the abrasive.

Claim 22

The combination of claim 13 wherein the open top of the feeding hopper is below and open to the top part of the supply chamber which is closed, whereby inverting and then continuing and righting the cleaner as a whole serves to rotate the opening of the feeding hopper above and then below the top of the main chamber whereby to transfer abrasive from the main chamber to the feeding chamber.

Claim 23

In a device of the class described, an oblong two-part casing divided horizontally and having a spark plug holder and means for exposing the plug points downwardly inside the upper part of the casing, a rotary impeller for driving particulate upwardly against the exposed plug points, the axis of rotation of the impeller extending substantially horizontally longitudinally of the casing, a motor for driving said impeller, a partition in the casing for isolating the motor from the particulate, a hopper in the casing, said hopper having a duct for leading particulate from the hopper into the impeller, said hopper having a front wall adjacent the impeller in contact with the inside top wall of the casing and occupying substantially the full width of the upper part of the casing, the lower part of the hopper being Relatively narrow to provide a passageway between the parts of the casing in front of the hopper and back of the hopper, a full rotation of the casing and its contents on a horizontal axis parallel to the plane of the impeller causing the loose contained particulate to enter the open top of the hopper and drop into position to feed the particulate to the impeller upon rotation of said impeller when said rotation of the casing and contained parts is completed.

Claim 24

In a device of the class described, an oblong two-part casing divided horizontally and having a spark plug holder and means for exposing the plug points downwardly inside the upper part of the casing, a rotary impeller for driving particulate upwardly against the exposed plug points, the axis of rotation of the impeller extending substantially horizontally longitudinally of the casing, a motor for driving said impeller, a partition in the casing for isolating the motor from the particulate, a hopper in the casing, said hopper having a duct for leading particulate from the hopper into the impeller, said hopper having a front wall adjacent the impeller in contact with the inside top wall of the casing and occupying substantially the full width of the upper part of the casing, the lower part of the hopper being Relatively narrow to provide a passageway between the parts of the casing in front of the hopper and back of the hopper, a full rotation of the casing and its contents on a horizontal axis parallel to the plane of the impeller causing the loose contained particulate to enter the open top of the hopper and drop into position to feed the particulate to the impeller upon rotation of said impeller when said rotation of the casing and contained parts is completed.

Claim 25

In a spark plug cleaner, an impeller casing and a supporting frame, a rotatable shaft mounted on said frame, a rotary impeller on said shaft having blades for receiving and discharging particulate, said rotatable parts being unbalanced and producing vibration of the frame, a feed bin having a duct disposed partly in the lower part of the feed bin and extending downwardly at an angle less than the angle of repose of said particulate, from inside said bin to the inside of the impeller casing and being closed at its upper end and having transverse slots in its side walls inside the bin, said duct being responsive to said vibrations for feeding particulate to said impeller by gravity when said unbalanced parts are rotating and causing vibrations of said duct.

Claim 26

In a spark plug cleaner, an impeller casing and a supporting frame, a rotatable shaft mounted on said frame, a rotary impeller on said shaft having blades for receiving and discharging particulate, said rotatable parts being unbalanced and producing vibration of the frame, a feed bin having a duct disposed partly in the lower part of the feed bin and extending downwardly at an angle less than the angle of repose of said particulate, from inside said bin to the inside of the impeller casing and being closed at its upper end and having transverse slots in its side walls inside the bin, said duct being responsive to said vibrations for feeding particulate to said impeller by gravity when said unbalanced parts are rotating and causing vibrations of said duct.