US 11,634,108 B2Granted

Chain cleaning device

OwnerChadwick Irvin Romzekinventor

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Abstract

The present invention is a chain cleaning device with a track that guides a chain through a cleaning chamber. The cleaning chamber forms air flow pathways along the sides of the chain. Discharge ports in the chamber ceiling direct a high velocity working air flow spanning the width of the chamber at the upper surfaces of the chain to generate high velocity swirling air flows that progress through the interior openings of the chain and through the pathways along the outer sides of the chain. The compact nature of the cleaning chamber and the close proximity of its walls to the chain maintain the high velocity working and swirling air flows against the various differently oriented surfaces of the chain to remove dirt, grease, grit and grime from the multi-surface chain, including the nooks and crannies where chain plates, pins and rollers come together.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A chain cleaning device used with a source of pressurized gas to clean dirt, grease, grit and grime from a multi-surface chain with a chain width, a chain height and a plurality of links, each link having side plates, pins, rollers, an open link interior and various differently oriented chain surfaces including a crosswise chain surface and opposed outer side plate surfaces, said chain cleaning device comprising:

a main body forming a gas intake channel and a cleaning chamber;
said gas intake channel being in pneumatic communication with the source of pressurized gas and at least one discharge port, said discharge port discharging a working flow of the gas into said cleaning chamber;
said cleaning chamber having front and rear chamber walls with recessed lateral surfaces and opposed inwardly extending surfaces, and a raised ceiling forming a crosswise compartment with opposed crosswise surfaces, said front and rear chamber walls and said opposed inwardly extending surfaces forming front and rear lateral pathways when the chain is in said chamber, said crosswise compartment configured to span the chain width and said lateral pathways configured to span the chain height to surround the chain on three sides, said crosswise compartment having an open inner crosswise side configured to face the crosswise chain surface, each of said lateral pathways having an open inner lateral side configured to face one of the outer side plate surfaces, said at least one discharge port discharging said working flow into said crosswise compartment along a flow path directed at the crosswise chain surface, said working flow passing through the open link interior and said lateral pathways, said recessed lateral surfaces and said opposed inwardly extending surfaces of said front and rear chamber walls configured to maintain the working flows in said lateral pathways in engagement with the outer side plate surfaces of the chain;
and,
wherein said working flow strikes the various differently oriented chain surfaced to clean away the dirt, grease, grit and grime from the multi-surface chain.

2 more elements

A chain cleaning device used with a source of pressurized gas to clean dirt, grease, grit and grime from a multi-surface chain with a chain width, a chain height and a plurality of links, each link having side plates, pins, rollers and an open link interior with various differently oriented chain surfaces including opposed outer side plate surfaces and inner surfaces, said chain cleaning device comprising:

a main body forming a gas intake channel, a cleaning chamber and a chain alignment mechanism;
said gas intake channel being in pneumatic communication with the source of pressurized gas and at least one discharge port, said at least one discharge port discharging a high velocity working flow of the gas into said cleaning chamber, said high velocity working flow having a working flow width;
said cleaning chamber having a side, front and rear chamber walls and a raised ceiling with opposed crosswise surfaces to form a crosswise compartment, the chain passing between said front and rear chamber walls and said chamber configured to enclose the chain on three sides, said at least one discharge port discharging said high velocity working flow along a flow path crossing the chain width, said working flow width configured to span the chain width, said flow path passing through the open link interior, each of said front and rear chamber walls having a recessed surface with opposed inwardly extending surfaces to form front and rear pathways, each of said pathways receiving said working flow and each of said pathways having an open inner side configured to face one of the outer side plate surfaces of the chain, said pathways and said open inner sides configured to span the chain height, and said recessed lateral surface and said opposed inwardly extending surfaces of each of said front and rear chamber walls configured to maintain the working flow in its said pathway in engagement with the outer side plate surfaces of the chain;
said chain aligning mechanism positioned to said side of said cleaning chamber, said aligning mechanism having an alignment surface in planar alignment with said open inner side of one of said pathways to align the chain with said cleaning chamber;
and,
wherein said working flows strike the various differently oriented chain surfaces to clean away the dirt, grease, grit and grime from the multi-surface chain.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/240,864Filed 26 Apr 2021 · us provisional application
Priority: 30 Apr 2020
Published: US 2021/0339715 A14 Nov 2021
Granted: 25 Apr 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B60S 3/041
For exteriors of land vehicles: specially adapted for two-wheeled vehicles
B08B 5/023
Cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities: cleaning travelling work
B60S 3/044
For exteriors of land vehicles: hand-held cleaning arrangements with liquid or gas distributing means
B62J 50/16
Cleaning devices: for cleaning parts of the cycle, e.g. windscreen wipers