IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CLEANING AND POLISHING OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND PROALMARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Somerville, of the City of Edinburgh, in
the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CLEANING AND POLISHING OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Somerville at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th October 1875.
I, JOHN SOMERVILLE, of the City of Edinburgh, in the County of
Mid Lothian, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CLEANING AND POLISHING OF BOOTS AND
SHOES, AND IN THE MECHANISM OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has reference to the cleaning and polishing of boots
and shoes by a new or improved construction and arrangement of
revolving brush mechanism or machine which will be more efficient in

page_text: its action and save much time and labour as compared with the modes
and means or apparatus hitherto used for the said purpose, and the
nature of the Invention consists in having one or more short cylindrical
brushes (say rather longer than the width of the largest boots or shoes
to be cleaned and polished) fixed on a revolving spindle carried in
bearing blocks on a suitable frame, all so as to be driven at any desired
speed by an ordinary band and pulleys, or gearing, by the hand or feet,
or by motive power in either direction, having two disc-like brushes
with their brushing surfaces turned towards each other, one mounted at
cach side or end of the cylindrical brush so as to revolve with the
spindle, and having an eye or hole through them in the face or brush
sides to allow them to slide endwise over the central cylindrical brush
towards or from each other by the action of helical or other springs
behind one or both of the discs. The brushing surface or hair in the
discs approach each other more towards the centre so as to brush the
front and upper part of the boots or shoes, and allow width at the outer
part to brush the side near the sole which is laid on a spring or oscillating
board below the brushes so that the boot or shoe may be raised and
pressed against the brushes within the conoidal space between the disc
brushes as the operator pushes in or withdraws the boot or shoe being
brushed on or along with the board, which might cither rise vertically
on helical or other springs or reciprocate with or without springs, so
that it always presses the surface to be cleaned and polished against the
brushes, the back part or heel being turned round and similarly pushed
into the space between and up against the brushes.
These brushes may be mounted in one, two, or more sets on the same
machine, and on the same or different spindles, and when on the same
spindle the brushing surface might be formed on both sides of one or
more of the disc brushes and only have the outside ones with an inner
brushing surface.
It is to be understood that the brushing surfaces of the cylindrical or
disc brushes may be formed of hair, bristles, whalebone, or other suitable
material used for brushes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Somerville in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
SOMERVILLE, of the City of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian,
North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Somerville, Her
special licence that I, the said John Somerville, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Somerville, my 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CLEANING AND POLISHING OF BOOTS AND
SHOES, AND IN THE MECHANISM OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR,"
," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Somerville, my exe-
cutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, 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 I, the said John Somerville, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings and to the letters and figures marked
thereon, the same reference letters indicating the like parts in the several
Figures, that is to say :-
My said Invention has reference to the cleaning and and polishing of
boots and shoes by a new or improved construction and arrangement of

page_text: revolving brush mechanism or machine, which will be more efficient in
its action and save much time and labour as compared with the modes
and means or apparatus hitherto used for the said purpose.
1 and 2-2 of
Referring to the several Figures on the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are a transverse section and a front elevation
partly in section respectively taken on the lines 1.
the opposite Figures; and Figure 3 is an end view taken on the line
33 in Figure 2, all of one construction and duplex arrangement of
my improved brushes A, B, B¹, and their carrying and driving spindle a
in accordance with and illustrative of one modification of my said In-
vention; and Figure 4 is a plan of the sliding bars and forks C¹, C³, and
c1, c2 (as detached from Figure 2) for the improved mode of shifting the
disc brushes to and from each other by hand.
Figure 5 shows a front sectional elevation of a different modification
and arrangement of my said improved brushes A, B, B', with their
carrying and driving spindle a from that shown in Figures 1 to 3, and
in which a central disc brush B" is shown fixed on the spindle a between
the fixed cylindrical brushes A, A, with a hair brushing surface on each
side, and having only the two outer disc brushes, as B, B', shifted longi-
tudinally to and from the brush B" to suit the size of the boots or shoes
to be cleaned and polished.
Both of these arrangements, Figures 2 and 5, arc shown duplex, that
is, to brush the boots or shoes at the two places X and Y at the same
time, but it is to be understood that they might also be made single
with one cylindrical brush A and onc disc brush B or B' on each side of
it for brushing one boot at a time, when that was preferred, as for
family use.
The nature, novelty, and mode of performing the Invention consist all
as follows:-In having one or more short cylindrical brushes A (say
about the width of the largest boots and shoes to be cleaned and
polished) fixed on a revolving spindle a revolving on journals at al
in bearings on a suitable frame, as at a¹, all so as to be driven
at any desired speed by an ordinary band a¹ and pulleys, as by
the small one at a² on the spindle a, and a large one z on the driving
shaft to give a high speed to the spindle a and the brushes on it (or it
might be other gearing) preferably driven by the hand or feet of the

page_text: operator as the treadle and crank shaft of a foot lathe or that of sewing
machines (or it might be by motive power) in either direction, but
preferably as indicated by the arrows, which would tend to draw or
hold in the boot or shoc. Two face or disc-like brushes B, B', with
their brushing surfaces turned towards each other, said brushes having
also hair or bristles on the circumference of the discs, are mounted on
the spindle a at each side or end of the cylindrical brushes A, A³, so as
to revolve with the spindle a and brushes A, A¹, and having an eye or
hole through one or both of them in the face or brush sides at B³ to
allow one or both of these brushes B, B', to slide endwise over the
central cylindrical brush A or A¹ towards or from each other to suit
the different width of the boots or shoes by the action of helical or other
springs c indicated in red in Figure 2, or by means of a shifting lever
arrangement F acting on a sliding rod or rods C', C", connected with
one or both of the discs B, B', by the arms or forks c¹, c¹¹. The brushing
or hair surface on the inner side of the discs B, B¹, extends to or
approaches each other more towards the centre conically so as to brushi
the front and upper part of the boots or shoes and allow width at the
outer part to brush the sides near the sole which is laid on a guiding
and preferably spring rest at E, E', or it might be oscillating board or
other equivalent suitable support so that the upper part of the boot or
shoe may be pressed against the brushes within the conoidal or curved
space X or Y between the disc brushes B, B', as the operator pushes in
or withdraws the boot or shoe being brushed on or along with the
inclined or guide board or support at E, E¹ (which might either be
raised vertically by helical or other springs below or reciprocate with or
without springs) so as always to press the surface to be cleaned and
polished against the brushes while the boot or shoe Z is moved to and
fro. The back part or heel would be turned round and similarly pushed
into the space X or Y between and up against the brushes so as to
polish this also.
These new or improved brushes A, B, B', may be mounted in one,

page_text: It is to be understood that the brushing surfaces of the cylindrical or
disc brushes A, A', or B, B¹, B", may be formed of hair, bristles, or
whalebone, or other suitable elastic material used for brushes.
The machine may also be provided with suitable appliances for
scraping and blacking the boots or shoes to be cleaned and polished, as
by brushes fixed on the ends a³ of the spindle a, and the brushes may be
wholly or partly covered in by a metal or other casing a', and have a
supporting or pressing board, as E, E', attached in a stationary or
oscillatory manner between and near the level of the lower edges of the
disc brushes B, B', for assisting the operator to press the boots or
shoes against the brushes.
Referring to the particular features or details of the construction of
the parts, the spindles or shafts a carrying and actuating both the fixed
and movable brushes A, A', B", and B, B¹, may be of a squarc or other
polygonal shape or round with a groove or feather and parallel for the
brushes B, B¹, to slide and at the same time be driven by or turn with
their spindles a which will have round journals a¹ formed or fitted on
them (as shown in the detached view of the spindle in Figure 5) which
revolve in bush bearings in the headstocks a".
In Figure 2 I have shown in red lines light spiral or helical springs c
at the back of the movable disc brushes B, B', to move and press them
lightly together against the surface of the boot or shoe while being
brushed, and yet allow of their being pressed asunder to suit the varying
contour of the same or different sizes of the boots or shoes, this being
the manner in which I first worked out my improved mechanism; but
I have found in practice that this nicety of automatic action of the disc
brushes is not necessary, and that the object is better effected by moving
these brushes in both directions by a positive motion and mechanism
which easily sets and holds the disc brushes in any desired position to
suit the size of the boots or shoes to be brushed or polished at the
time.
One arrangement of this positive setting and holding mechanism I
have shown as applied to the modification shown in Figures 1 to 3, and
as detached therefrom in Figure 4, which consists of two parallel acting
rods C¹, C, sliding in fixed guides C on the frame below the brushes
with two fork arms c', c¹¹, secured on them by setting nuts at o¹¹¹; the

page_text: fork arms c¹, c¹¹, or their prongs, with or without antifriction rollers on.
them, embrace or work in grooves in the shifting bars or collars & on the.
back of the ring or disc brushes B, B', so as simultaneously to move
them to and from each other according as the slide rods C¹, C", are
moved. This is effected by the actuating and setting hand T lever F
ff, carried on a fixed fulcrum stud F¹ at the right-hand end of the
machine; the end of each rod 0¹, C", is connected by a piu and slot
joint to the extreme end of each corresponding cross arm f,f¹, of the
lever which is shifted by the long central arm F as a handle, which has
a usual spring holding catch f" for taking into fixing or holding notches
in a stationary holding segment or quadrant F" which retains the lever
and consequently the brushes B and B' in any desired position, they are
set to by the hand of the operator either before commencing to brush
or while this operation is going on, and when preferred the lever F may.
be connected to a spring treadle so as to be worked by the foot.
In the modification shown in Figure 5 only one forked arm c¹ and c¹
is required on each sliding rod C¹, C", to shift the two outer disc brushes
B, B', the central disc brush B" (with a brushing surface on both faces)
being fixed on the spindle a between the two fixed cylindrical brushes
A, A', and in this case when one of the disc brushes is not made to
shift it may when preferred be formed in one piece with the cylindrical
part A or A¹ either for machines with a single or double set of brushes.
Having now described the nature and mode of performing or putting
my said Invention into effect or practice, I would observe that I do not
confine myself to the precise form or mode of fixing or driving the
brushes, as many variations may be made therefrom without departing
from the main or essential feature thereof, neither on the other hand do
I desire to claim the mere use of revolving brushes for the cleaning and
polishing of boots and shoes; but what I consider to be new and there-
fore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The general arrangement and combination of fixed and movable
or adjustable revolving brushes, in boot and shoe cleaning and polishing
machines, all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown
in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification thercof.

page_text: stantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Somerville, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
JOHN SOMERVILLE. (L.S.)