Year: 1886

page_text: I, JOHN MOTTRAM SMALES of St. Pancras Schools, Leavesden in the County
of Hertford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to rotary washing machines of large dimensions, principally
for steam laundries, and is designed to enable the washing rinsing, blueing and
wringing of clothes to be more rapidly effected with less wear and tear both to
the clothes and the machine.
The improvements are in the design, and construction of the machine generally,
resulting in diminished weight, increased strength, variable automatic reversing
gear, greater accessibility, and in the method of gearing the wringing rollers, also
in self fastening sliding doors to the revolving drum, and greater facility for
renewing or repairing the parts of the said drum. The sliding doors with self-
acting bolts are applicable to washing machines of other patterns.
To accomplish these results, I employ an open curved sided cistern (preferably
made of copper or of galvanized steel or iron) to the flat ends of which are secured
two upright metal frames by means of long bolts with collars and screwed ends
which frames support a bridge or girder piece for carrying the wringing rollers.
These rollers are placed out of the centre of the machine and near the side where
the attendant stands so as to be more accessible and nearer to the articles to be
passed through them. On the two metal frames, bearings are provided to receive
a horizontal shaft that passes through the cistern carrying the revolving drum in
which the clothes are placed and which drum is constructed as follows. Two
metal perforated discs are keyed on the shafts to form the ends of the drum and
these disc have at their edges and also across their centres, flanges or angle pieces,
to which are secured fluted or corrugated metal plates, preferably formed of copper
or of galvanized steel or iron that may or may not be perforated and which form
the body or the periphery of the drum.
The ends of these corrugated plates are open, thereby affording a ready and
rapid means for the inlet and outlet of the water in the drum, as it revolves in
the cistern. The sides of the plates lap over at the joints so as to secure increased
strength.
The drum is preferably cylindrical in shape with two flat sides and contains a
corrugated partition, that divides it lengthways into two equal parts, also two
curved ledges are secured to, and stand at right angles to the partition, for the
071

page_text: purpose of checking the clothes in their descent down the corrugated partition
thus giving more time for the inlet of the fluid into the drum and causing the
clothes to fall into a greater quantity of water instead of falling on the inner side
of the drum, thus preventing the excessive wear and tear of the clothes and of the
machine which occurs in washing machines where the inlet of fluid is more
restricted.
On each of the two flat sides of the drum are metal door frames, extending the
whole length of the drum and secured to the discs before named.
These metal frames are divided into four perforated panels of which two are
fixed, and two are caused to slide and form the centre doors, through which the
clothes are placed in the drum or removed therefrom.
These doors slide in grooves, and meeting in the centre lock themselves by means
When it is
of spring studs or bolts falling into holes placed to receive them.
required to open the doors, the spring bolts are raised and each door slides over
the fixed panel at the end of the door frame, where it is checked by means of stop
pieces. These sliding doors and spring bolts are applicable to washing machines
of many kinds.
The drum is rotated by means of a spur wheel and pinion, driven by straight
and cross belts, working on fast and loose pulleys, running on an intermediate
shaft, and so arranged by means of a sliding bar and a worm wheel engaging an
open catch connecting rod, and by two levers attached to a vertical shaft, that the
drum is caused to rotate several times alternately from left to right and from right
to left.
By disengaging the connecting rod, the belts are governed by a hand lever on
the vertical shaft.
The worm shaft is driven by means of a plain or step pulley, with a small belt
passing over a small pulley attached to one side of the outside loose pulley.
This loose pulley is provided with a driving belt, wide enough, and so arranged,
that it does not entirely leave it when the belt is moved onto the fast pulley, thus
giving a continuous motion to the reversing gear,
By changing the small belt on to the different steps of the pulley the machine is
caused to reverse at longer or shorter intervals as may be required. The worm
wheel could be driven by bevel gearing if preferred.
The wringing rollers are driven by means of a loose sliding clutch pinion, which
engages into a clutch on the inside loose pulley, and into a wheel on the roller
shaft, and is put in and out of gear by means of a fork lever, thus the two belts
drive and reverse the machine also driving the rollers and automatic reversing gear.
Hot and cold water supply, steam, waste and overflow pipes are provided in
suitable position as usual.
A flywheel at end of drum shaft allows the drum to be turned round by hand
to any required position.
My improved drum is constructed without hinged doors and has no bars or
hollow tubes. It does not require to be water-tight as it merely revolves in the
water contained in the cistern. By the foregoing arrangements and combination
of parts the washing processes are performed most efficiently and with greatly
increased rapidity.

page_text: I, JOHN MOTTRAM SMALES of St. Pancras Schools, Leavesden, in the County of
Hertford, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to rotary washing machines of large dimensions, principally
for steam laundries, and is designed to enable the washing, rinsing, blueing and
wringing of clothes, to be more rapidly effected with less wear and tear, both to
clothes, and the machine.
The improvements are in the design and construction of the machine generally,
resulting in diminished weight, increased strength, variable automatic reversing
gear, great accessibility, and in the method of gearing the wringing rollers, self-
fastening sliding doors to the revolving drum and greater facility for renewing
the parts of the said drum.
To accomplish these results, I employ an open flat-bottomed cistern preferably
made of galvanized steel or iron, to the flat ends of which are secured two upright
metal frames by means of long bolts with collars and screwed ends, which frames
support a bridge or girder piece for carrying the wringing rollers. These rollers
are placed out of the centre of the machine and near the side where the attendant
stands, so as to be more accessible and nearer to the articles to be passed through
them.
On the two metal frames of the machine bearings are provided to receive a
horizontal shaft that passes through the cistern carrying the revolving drum, in
which the clothes are placed, and which drum is constructed as follows: .
Two perforated metal discs are secured to the shaft to form the ends of the
drum, and these discs have at their edges, and across their centres, flanges or
angle-pieces to which are secured fluted or corrugated metal plates, that may, or
may not, be perforated, and which form the body, or the periphery of the drum,
and a partition therein.
The ends of the corrugations in these plates are open, thereby affording a ready
and rapid means for the inlet and outlet of the water into the drum, as it revolves
in the cistern. The sides of these plates lap over at the joints, so as to secure
increased strength, and the plates are so attached as to be easily reversed when
partly worn.
The drum is preferably cylindrical in shape with two flat sides, and contains a
corrugated partition, that divides it lengthways into two equal parts, also two
curved ledges are secured to, and stand at right angles to the partitions, for the
purpose of checking the clothes in their descent down the corrugated partitions,
thus giving more time for the inlet of the fluid into the drum, and causing the
clothes to fall into a greater quantity of water, instead of falling on the inner side
of the drum, thus preventing the excessive wear and tear of the clothes, and of the
machine, which occurs in washing machines where the inlet of the fluid is more
restricted.
On each of the two flat sides of the periphery of the drum, are metal door
frames, extending the whole length of the drum, and secured to the discs. These
metal door frames are divided into four divisions, each containing a perforated panel

page_text: two of which are fixed, and two are caused to slide, and form the centre doors,
through which the clothes are placed in the drum, or removed therefrom.
These doors slide in grooves, and meeting in the centre, lock themselves by
means of spring studs or bolts falling into holes placed to receive them. When it
is required to open the doors, the spring bolts are raised and each door slides over
the fixed panel at the end of the door frame, where it is checked by means of
stop-pieces.
The drum is rotated by means of a spur wheel and pinion, driven by straight
and cross belts working on fast and loose pulleys, running on an intermediate
shaft, and so arranged by means of a sliding bar, and belt guides, and a worm
wheel engaging an open catch connecting rod, and by two levers attached to a
vertical shaft, that the drum is caused to rotate several times alternately from left
to right, and right to left.
The driving belts are governed by a hand lever on the vertical shaft. The worm
shaft is driven by means of a plain or step-pulley with a small belt passing over a
small pulley attached to one side of the outside loose pulley. This loose pulley is
provided with a driving belt, wide enough, and so arranged that it does not entirely
leave it, when the belt is removed on to the fast pulley, thus giving a continuous
motion to the reversing gear.
By changing the small belt on to the different steps of the pulleys, the machine
is caused to reverse at longer or shorter intervals as may be desired. The worm
wheel could be driven by bevel gearing if preferred.
The wringing rollers are driven by means of a loose sliding clutch pinion which
engages into a clutch on the inside loose pulley and into a wheel on the roller
shaft, and is put in and out of gear by means of a forked lever.
Thus the two belts drive and reverse the machine, also driving the rollers and
automatic reversing gear.
Hot and cold water supply, steam, waste and overflow pipes are provided in
suitable positions.
A fly-wheel on the intermediate shaft allows the drum to be turned round by
hand to any required position. My improved drum is constructed without hinged
doors, and has no bars or hollow tubes. It does not require to be water-tight,
as it merely revolves in the water contained in the cistern. By the foregoing
arrangements and combination of parts the washing processes are performed most
efficiently, and with increased rapidity.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. I. shows a front elevation of the entire Washing Machinery.
Fig. II. shows a section taken endways of the Tank, Drum and Wringer.
Fig. III. shows the self-fastening bolt enlarged.
A. indicates the Cistern or Tank.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1st. An improved revolving drum, (preferably cylindrical in form) for revolving
in water as the tub of a washing machine, the said drum having two flattened
sides, and having a fluted or corrugated metal body or periphery except at the
flattened sides, which are fitted with frames and self-fastening sliding doors, and
also having the ends of the said flutes or corrugations open, and the said drum
being divided longitudinally into two compartments by a longitudinal divison
preferably of fluted metal, as herein explained and described.
2nd. An improved rotary combined machine for washing, rinsing, blueing and
wringing by means of the improved drum herein before described, and having
self-acting reversing gear for rotating the said drum, and combining increased
accessibility in the position of the wringing rollers, as herein explained and
set forth.
1000
S. S. BROMHEAD,
Patent Agent,
97, Newgate Street, E.C.