IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE MECHANICAL APPLICATION OF PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONLICATION OP BRUSHES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mary Ann Davy, of Homerton,, and Ann
Taylor, of Islington; both, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of, "IMPROVEMENTS IN. THE MECHANICAL APPLICATION OF
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION, left, by the said Mary Ann, Davy
and Ann Taylor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents;
with. their Petition; on. the 14th October 1853...
We, "MARY ANN 'DAVY, of Homerton, ANN TAYLOR; Of Islington,
both in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
Said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANICAL APPLICATION OP
BRUSHES "to be as follows
i
Our improvements relate to giving a-rotatory motion to brushes of
different forms and sizes to be employed in operations usually performed
by hand, and in some cases, as in using the bath flesh brushes, is
servicable to invalids or persons weak in the arm, or who have lost
the whole or part of that limb.
And for the better understanding of my said Invention we will now
proceed to give a general-description-thereof.
For rotating a common hand brush or a flesh brush we recommend

page_text: the brush to be made of a flat circular form, and for such brushes,
varying from six to twelve inches or thereabouts in diameter, the
common jack movement may be employed for giving to it a rotatory
motion. Thus between two metal plates, say, measuring six inches by
four inches, and about three inches apart, retained at this distance by
a strong metal pillar at each corner, the requisite machinery may be
enclosed; consisting of a working barrel, containing a strong coiled
spring, which may be wound up by a suitable key; a spur wheel is
fixed on the drum axle, the 'cogs working into a toothed pinion affixed
to a main axle rising above the surface of the top plate of the machine,
and to which the back of the brush handle is to be screwed; this
vertical shaft also carries on its lower end a spur wheel, the teeth of
which work into a pinion on a light axle carrying vanes to regulate
the speed of the machine. By means of this arrangement of a jack
rapid rotatory motion can be given to a flesh brush, so that an
invalid may employ it independent of assistance, and even should
'the arm or hand be useless or wanting. In some cases we apply the
brush as a continuous band, in which case the jack is attached to a
suitable. frame carrying a drum wheel, a second drum wheel being
attached to the vertical shaft which would otherwise have carried
the brush, and the endless brush band is passed over these two
drums, and the lower drum screwed to the frame in such a manner
as to prevent the endless band running off, this the rotation of
one drum by the jack will cause an endless flesh brush band to
rotate, and enable invalids while using baths to dispense with atten-
dants.
The same machine, by giving rotation to different kinds of brushes,
may be rendered of service in many domestic and other operations in
brushing furniture and wearing apparel. We do not therefore.restrict
ourselves to any particular use, dimensions, or forms of brushes or
arrangement of jack; but we do declare that what we claim as our
Invention is, namely,-
The peculiar self-acting flesh brushes and brushes for domestic
purposes, as described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Mary Ann Davy' and Ann Taylor in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 13th April 1854. 1
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
MARY ANN DAVY, of Homerton, and ANN TAYLOR, of Islington, both in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors; give and grant unto us, the said Mary Ann Davy and Ann Taylor,
Her special licence that we, the said Mary Ann Davy and Ann Taylor,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Mary Ann Davy and Ann Taylor, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isie
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANICAL APPLICA
TION OF BRUSHES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Mary Ann Davy and Ann Taylor, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent ·
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Mary Ann Davy and Ann
Taylor, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:
Our said improvements relate to giving a rotatory, horizontal, vertical,
or inclined motion in any required direction to brushes of different
forms and sizes, to be employed in operating flesh brushes, and for
lessening the labour of other operations usually performed by hand.

page_text: And for the better understanding of our said Invention we will now
proceed to give a general, description thereof.
For rotating common hand brushes or flesh brushes we recommend
the brushes to be made of a flat circular form, and for such brushes,
varying from six to twelve inches or thereabouts in diameter, the
common jack movement may be employed for giving to them a rotatory
motion. Thus between two metal plates, say, measuring six inches by
four inches or thereabouts, and about three inches apart, retained at
this distance by a strong metal pillár at each corner, the requisite
machinery may be enclosed; this may consist of a hollow working
barrel, containing a strong coiled spring, which may be wound up by a
suitable key; a spur wheel is fixed on the drum axle, the cogs working
into a toothed pinion affixed to a main axle rising above the surface of
the top plate of the machine, and to which the back of each brush
handle is, screwed; this vertical shaft also carries on its lower end a
spur wheel, the teeth of which work into a pinion on a light axle
carrying vanes to regulate the speed of the machine. By means of
this arrangement of a jack a rapid rotatory motion can be given to
flesh and other brushes. In some cases we apply other machinery
to the brushes, and rotate them as a continuous band, for which
purpose the jack already described may be employed, attached to
a suitable frame carrying a drum wheel, a second drum wheel being
attached to the vertical shaft which would otherwise have carried the
ordinary flesh brushes, and the endless band or bands of flesh brushes,
must be passed over these two drums, and the lower drum secured
to the frame in such a manner as to prevent the endless band or
bands running off, thus the rotation of one drum by the jack, or
by any more suitable machinery, will cause an endless flesh brusli band
or bands to rotate, md enable invalids and others to dispense with
attendance.
In applying our improvements in the mechanical application
brushes to chairs for invalids and others we cause a frame to rise and
fall with a rapid motion on metal' rods, or in grooves in the backs of
such chairs. This vertically moving frame carries a series of brushes
attached thereto, made flexible, and capable of encircling the body at

page_text: pleasure, and such brushes-may-be-manufactured of different materials,
in a variety of forms, either plain, or in bands or jointed. This ver
tical-up and down-motion can be obtained by rocking the chair, or by
a bandle in front affixed to a lever for either of these purposes we
have a crank axle below the seat, supported by standards on each side?
of the seat, and liaving at-one end a fly-wheel; the crank of the axle
is centrally under the chair seat. For rocking chairs a-short-bar-pro-
ceeds from the back edge of the chair seat, to which it is fixed with
an eye and bolt, and its other end clips the crank-axle; and from-the
back of the sliding brush frame in the chair back proceeds an iron
rod; projecting outwards away from the chair; it has an eye and bolt:
at either end, affording free joints, as "tlie rocking of "the chair causes
the back brush-frame to press-against-the- said rod, or draw from it,
thereby giving the up and down motion to the frame to which the
brushes-are attached. The same action may be effected when the
chair is stationary by working a handle and rod in front, passing down!
below the foot board to one end of a 'lever working from an eye and
bolt or cross bar raised some inches above the floor behind the chair,
and we then dispense. with the short rod otherwise, attached to the seat
and the crank (before described), and in lieu attach a similar rod from
the crank to the lever below, and we also affix to the same lever the rod
which works the brush frame up and down in the chair back. Now
the crank axle being regulated by a fly-wheel, it is only requisite to
raise and depress the handle in front to communicate the same action to
the bottom lever, and thereby maintain the rotation of the axle and
the up and down motion of the frame which holds the brushes, the
action of the ground lever being very similar to the treadle of the
cominon foot lathe. It is therefore obvious that by very simple me-
chanical arrangements the same machinery may be modified to work
by the hand or foot, either sitting or standing up, or may be worked
direct from the crank axle by applying a handle thereto. Arrange-
ments may likewise be added by means of flexible or jointed or hollow
cylindrical brushes placed in front on the handle of the lever, or to
suitable jointed or oscillating frames in front of rocking chairs or other
chairs having these our improvements, to act on the lower limbs and

page_text: feet: By an arrangement of eccentrics on the axle, rods or frames.
carrying brushes may be made to slide in a horizontal or any inclined
direction, as required, and by simple mechanical means a reversing.
motion may be given to the action of the handle in front. In tlie.
construction of the rocking chairs the rockers rest on pivots, or centre
piyots may be used alone, on which the chair will 'oscillate, but we do
not restrict ourselves to either of these arrangements.
By means of these several mechanical applications different kinds of
brushes may be rendered of service in many domestic and other
operations, as in polishing metals, furniture, and floors, also in scouring
and cleansing floors, pavements, and common ways. We do not,
therefore; limit ourselves to any particular use, dimensions, forms; or
number of brushes or precise arrangements of machinery; and we
do declare that what we claim as our Invention is, namely,-
The peculiar mechanical application of flesh brushes and other
brushes, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Mary Ann Davy and Ann
Taylor, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
MARY ANN DAVY. (L.S.).
ANN TAYLOR.
(L.S.)