Year: 1898

page_text: ZACHARY HARRIS KINGDON, of 6, Belmont Hill, Lee, in the County of Kent,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The purpose of this invention is to provide a ready means for removing mud
or other dirt from the treads or tyres and rims of vehicles, it being especially
applicable to the wheels of velocipedes.
To effect this object I provide a frame or stand to receive the wheel which is
to be cleaned and hold it in such a way that the wheel can be readily made to
rotate, and which carries a scraper or brush or any number or combination of
scrapers and brushes so arranged that they can be kept in contact with those parts
of the wheel which are to be cleaned while it is being rotated.
In a simple form the apparatus consists of a low heavy base having a brush
fixed to it the bristles of which are arranged to form a groove or furrow into
which the tyre of the wheel is placed while it is being pulled round so as to
cause the successive parts of the tyre to pass through the brush; a scraper may
be fixed at either end to remove the thickest of the mud.
But to allow of the easy rotation of the wheel I prefer to provide the stand
with rollers upon which the tyre may rest or with bearers to receive the axle
or spindle of the wheel, the scrapers and brushes being shaped to fit more or
less closely to the outline of the tyre and being pressed against it by springs,
weighted fevers or other convenient means. Additional brushes or pads may be
arranged to clean other parts of the wheel, such as the inside of the rim, and a
tray may be fitted beneath to catch the mud as it is scraped off.
In a modification I make the stand support the vehicle by any convenient part
of its frame so that the wheels are free of the ground, the cleaning appliances-
that is the brushes &c.,-being carried from this stand by brackets, springs, or
other suitable means. Designed on this plan for a bicycle the apparatus may
consist of a stand having a cradle to receive the bottom bracket of the machine
and suitable scrapers and brushes arranged fore and aft so that both wheels can
be cleaned at one setting of the machine.
Dated this Sixth day of May 1898.
Apparatus for Cleaning the wheels of venicies.
ZACHARY HARRIS KINGDON, of 6, Belmont Hill, Lee, in the County of Kent,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
[Price 8d.]

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
-
The purpose of this invention is to provide a ready.mcáns for removing mud
or other dirt from the treads or tyres and rims of the wheels of vehicles, it being
especially applicable to the wheels of velocipedes.
To effect this object I provide a frame or stand to receive the vehicle or wheel
which is to be cleaned and, hold it in such a way that the wheel can be readily
made to rotate, and which carries a scraper or brush or any number or combina-
tion of scrapers and brushes so arranged that they can be kept in contact with
those parts of the wheel which are to be cleaned while it is being rotated.
In a simple form the apparatus consists of a low heavy base having a brush
fixed to it the bristles of which are arranged to form a groove or furrow into
which the tyre of the wheel is placed while it is, being pulled round or otherwise
made to rotate so as to cause the successive parts of the tyre to pass through
the brush; a scraper may be fixed at either end to remove the thickest of the mud.
But to allow of the easy rotation of the wheel I prefer to provide the stand
with rollers upon which the tyre may rest or with bearers to receive the axle or
spindle of the wheel, the scrapers and brushes being, shaped to fit more or less
closely to the outline of the tyre and being pressed against it by springs, weighted
levers or other convenient means. Additional brushes or, pads may be arranged
to clean other parts of the wheel, such as the inside of the rim, and a tray may
be fitted beneath to catch the mud as it is scraped off.
In one form the apparatus, designed to deal with one wheel at a time, consists
of a framework carrying near its base two rollers placed with a horizontal dis-
tance between them equal to about two-thirds the diameter of the wheel on which
the wheel rests and a third roller or pair of rollers to steady the wheel by its
upper portion. If the vehicle is a bicycle the upper roller will maintain it in
an approximately erect position, or the erect position may be maintained by
parts of the framework of the apparatus serving as guides for the upper portion
of the wheel or any convenient part of the frame of the bicycle, the upper roller
being dispensed with. The upper rollers or guides may be made adjustable in
position to suit various sizes of wheels and they may be hinged or made altogether
removeable so as to be out of the way when desirable. For use with vehicles
having more than two wheels the upper guides are usually unnecessary. The
brushes or scrapers are carried from convenient parts of the framework by springs
or levers as before mentioned. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of this form of the
apparatus, the tyre of the wheel of the vehicle which is to be cleaned resting in
the grooved rollers and the scrapers and brush 6 being carried by the
arms aa; these arms are made of a springy material or kept up to their work
by coiled springs on projections p p. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus
but with the scraper and brush and their carrying arms removed. When steady-
ing rollers or guides are required to maintain a bicycle in an erect position
these are carried by extensions of the frame For by levers or arms hinged to it.
By extending the base of the apparatus so as to carry another roller under the
other wheel both wheels of a bicycle can be rotated at one setting, extra brushes
and scrapers being provided as required.
In a modification I make the stand support the vehicle by any convenient part
of its frame so that the wheels (or one of them at a time) are free of the ground,
the cleaning appliances-that is the brushes &c.-being carried from this stand
by brackets, springs or other suitable means. Designed on this plan for a
bicycle the apparatus may consist of a stand having a cradle or crutch to receive
the bottom bracket of the machine and suitable scrapers and brushes arranged
fore and aft so that both wheels can be cleaned at one setting of the machine
which may be steadied if necessary by a clamp, guide or rest receiving some
other convenient part of the bicycle frame. Fig. 3 shows a form of the apparatus
constructed according to this modification and suitable for a bicycle. The bottom

page_text: bracket of the bicycle rests in one of the crutches c c so that the wheels are free
of the ground, the brushes bb being carried by arms a a and kept up to their
work by springs as herein before described. The bicycle is steadied in an erect
position by the guide rod g having a crook at its upper end to engage the top
bar of the frame of the bicycle and its lower end being a free fit in a hole in
the frame F. For the rod y a tee shaped piece t may be substituted (shown
dotted in the drawing) having a fork at each end of its head; this piece will
serve to steady either a diamond frame or a drop frame bicycle. When desired
scrapers may be substituted for the brushes bb or may be supplied in addition
to them, and the guide rod may be fixed in position by a clamping screw, wedge
or other convenient device; and in order to make the apparatus completely
reversible there may be a hole on each side of the frame F to receive the guide
rod, while for the further security of the machine a rod may be inserted in
each hole though usually it will be quite sufficient to have the second rod
straight and much shorter than the first one and projecting only a few inches out
of the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that
what claim is-
1. The arrangement in a suitable framework of scrapers, brushes or pads so
that the wheels of vehicles can be rotated in contact with them for the removal
of mud or other dirt.
2. The particular form of the apparatus hereinbefore described and illustrated
in Figs. 1 and 2.
3. The particular form of the apparatus herein before described and illustrated
in Fig. 3.
4. The method of supporting and steadying a bicycle by means of a frame
having a rest to receive the bottom bracket and a guide rod or guide rods as
herein before described and illustrated in Fig. 3.
Dated the 6th day of February 1899.
ZACHARY H. KINGDON.