Overhead washer for automatic car washes

Abstract

An overhead washer for use in automatic car wash installations utilizes washing curtains slit at their lower edges to provide rectangular washing panels positioned transversely of the curtains that are shorter in length and greater in width than has heretofore been known.

1 . In a car washing apparatus having an overhead carriage, a support for the carriage, a drive mechanism for moving the carriage back and forth across the path of a vehicle as the vehicle moves through the apparatus, and a plurality of rectangular curtains suspended from the carriage into the path of the vehicle and transversely to the direction of movement of the vehicle along the path, the curtains being about 86 inches long, the curtains being movable by the carriage back and forth transversely across the vehicle to wash the vehicle, the curtains comprising sheets of thick, substantially napless, felt-like material unslit at the upper edges thereof, the curtains being slit at their lower edges, the improvement comprising: 
 at least one curtain slit at the lower edge thereof to form a plurality of flexible rectangular washing panels positioned transversely of the curtain, the curtain being slit such that the panels are less than about 24 inches in length, the lower edges of the panels lying in a straight line when the curtain is at rest.    
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the one curtain is slit such that the widths of the panels are substantially equal.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the one curtain is slit such that the widths of the panels are unequal.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the one curtain is slit such that the lengths of the panels are unequal.  
     
     
         5 . In a car washing apparatus having an overhead carriage, a support for the carriage, a drive mechanism for moving the carriage back and forth across the path of a vehicle as the vehicle moves through the apparatus, and a plurality of rectangular curtains suspended from the carriage into the path of the vehicle and transversely to the direction of movement of the vehicle along the path, the curtains being about 86 inches long, the curtains being movable by the carriage back and forth transversely across the vehicle to wash the vehicle, the curtains comprising sheets of thick, substantially napless, felt-like material unslit at the upper edges thereof, the curtains being slit below the upper edges, the improvement comprising: 
 at least one curtain slit at the lower edge thereof to provide at least one flexible elongated panel at each of the transverse edges of the curtain and a plurality of panels intermediate the elongated panels, the panels at the transverse edges being substantially longer than the intermediate panels, the intermediate panels being less than about 24 inches in length, the lower edges of the panels at the transverse edges and the intermediate panels lying in a straight line when the one curtain is at rest.    
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the curtain is slit such that the widths of the intermediate panels are substantially equal.  
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the curtain is slit such that the widths of the intermediate panels are unequal.  
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the one curtain is slit such that one of the intermediate panels has a width substantially greater than the widths of the others of the intermediate panels.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the one curtain is slit such that the one intermediate panel has a width of about 19 inches.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the one curtain is slit such that the one panel at each of the transverse edges is about five inches in width.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the one curtain is slit such that the one panel at each of the transverse edges is about 56 inches long.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the one curtain is slit such that the one panel at each of the transverse edges is about five inches in width.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the one curtain is slit to achieve one panel at the transverse edge of the curtain positioned at the driver's side of the vehicle about 56 inches long and about five inches wide, the curtain being further slit at the transverse edge positioned at the passenger's side of the vehicle to achieve two panels each about 56 inches long and about five inches wide.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the curtain is slit intermediate the one panel at the transverse edge of the curtain positioned at the driver's side of the vehicle and the two panels at the transverse edge of the curtain positioned at the passenger's side of the vehicle to achieve intermediate panels having widths of about 19 inches, 12 inches, 12 inches and 14 inches, respectively, in the direction from the driver's side to the passenger's side of the vehicle.