The Scott-fetzer Company

Robert B Meyer

John R Lackner

Hans J Matuschek

Daniel J Kennedy

Hans J Matuscheck

Thomas J Fedorka

A belt lifter for a vacuum cleaner includes a rotatable member attached to an extending arm for lifting a drive belt on and off of a drive shaft to respective connect and disconnect the belt. The rotatable member includes a lever arm which facilitates the rotation of the extending arm by providing a mechanical advantage. The lever arm is of sufficient length so as to permit hand gripping by an operator. The lever arm is movable between an operating position and a stowed position.

Belt lifter

A transmission for a wheeled appliance responsive to pushing and pulling forces applied to a handle. The transmission includes speed reduction gearing and forward and reverse clutching elements which provide high power capacity, large speed reduction, durability, quiet operation and smooth power engagement. The main power train elements all rotate on parallel axes and the forward and reverse clutching elements are essentially independent of one another and resistant to wear.

Drive system

A walk-behind, self-propelled lawn mower having a variable speed drive transmission responsive to operator-applied forces. The transmission includes an input gear operatively connected to the engine for constant rotation during operation, an intermediate gear meshed with the input gear, and a driving bevel gear meshed with a drive shaft bevel gear. A face of the driving bevel gear is biased away from a face of the intermediate gear. A clutching surface is interposed between the gear faces for coupling the intermediate gear and the driving bevel gear in driving engagement. An actuator lever is controllably connected to the intermediate gear and can be adjusted to vary the sensitivity of the drive transmission to operator-applied forces.

Lawn mower

A self-propelled vacuum cleaner having a transmission assembly that selectively drives the vacuum cleaner in both forward and reverse directions. The transmission arrangement includes a first stage of speed reduction in the coupling of a drive motor and a transmission input shaft interconnected by sprockets and a primary drive belt. A pinion on the input shaft drives one of a pair of meshed counter-rotating gears. A clutch/sprocket is associated with each of the counter-rotating gears and a belt couples both of these clutch/sprockets to a common sprocket which through associated elements drives the wheels of the appliance. The input pinion, counter-rotating gears, respective clutch/sprockets and common output sprocket all rotate about axes parallel to the motor shaft. An actuating mechanism selectively energizes one or the other of the clutch/sprockets for forward or reverse propulsion of the appliance.

Self-propelled vacuum cleaner having forward and reverse drive

A walk-behind, self-propelled lawn mower having a variable speed drive transmission responsive to operator applied forces. The drive transmission is mounted on a frame and comprises gearing operatively connected to an engine and a drive shaft for transmitting forces from the engine to the shaft. A clutching structure including a frictional coupling is coactable with an element of the gearing selectively to provide force transmission to the drive shaft. An actuator structure is controllably connected to the clutching structure and responsive to operator applied forces for controlling the speed at which the lawn mower traverses along a ground surface and to vary the speed proportionally to operator applied forces. The lawn mower also includes a handle pivotally connected to the frame and operatively connected to the actuator structure. The handle is adapted to pivot in response to the operator applied forces.

A self-propelled vacuum cleaner adapted to be used in an upright mode or, alternatively, in a portable mode. The vacuum cleaner includes a power transmission for self-propelling the vacuum cleaner when used in the upright mode. The vacuum includes a first handle usable during operation in the upright mode and control structure arranged to energize the transmission in response to manually applied pulling or pushing forces on the first handle. The vacuum cleaner further includes a second handle usable during operation in the portable mode and arranged to prevent the control structure from energizing the transmission during operation in the portable mode.

Convertible self-proprelled vacuum cleaner

A vacuum cleaner having an improved transmission. The transmission includes speed reduction gearing and forward and reverse clutching elements which provide high power capacity, large speed reduction, durability, quiet operation and smooth power engagement. The main power train elements all rotate on parallel axes and the forward and reverse clutching elements are essentially independent of one another and resistant to wear. The transmission has an actuating mechanism which is connected to an upright handle on the vacuum cleaner and allows the appliance to respond to moderate pushing or pulling forces applied to the handle by the user. The vacuum cleaner also has improved bearings for rotatably supporting the wheel shaft of the appliance and aligning itself to the housing of the appliance.

Growing community of inventors

Middleburg Hts., OH, United States of America

Robert B Meyer