IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1884

page_text: I GEORGE HEALEY of 54 Bridge Street and Charles Street Brush Works,
Bolton in the County of Lancaster, Brush Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING
BOOTS AND SHOES," to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for cleaning boots and
shoes and consists in providing a portable boot and shoe cleaner or scraper, being
intended to supersede the scrapers: at present in use for clearing boots and shoes of
dust, dirt, or mud, which will be found more efficient and economical.
I accomplish this by providing a suitable metallic or other frame, ornamental or
otherwise, with feet or other equivalents. The centre or otherwise of this frame is
formed with a cavity or opening, the ends being provided with pockets or other
equivalents, in which are placed two or more brush stocks. These stocks are
formed into brushes by providing them with bristles, bass, whalebone, or vegetable
fibres, such as, Kitool, Cocoa-fibre, Mexican-fibre, French and Italian Wisk, and split
cane, being secured by means of pitch, wire, cement, pegs, or other means usually
employed in brush making. On each side of the brush the frame is mado
sufficiently wide to allow a person to stand on one foot while the other boot or
shoe is cleaned or scraped. The pockets or other equivalents are pitched to form
a cavity or space between each stock, through which the dust, dirt, or mud cleared
by the brush falls into a suitable tray or trough underneath. This tray or trough
is provided with ears or lugs and bolts or other equivalents, by which it is secured
to the inside of the frame, thus allowing it to be carried about with the said frame
when required for removal, at the same time being easy of removal in case it is
desired to empty the contents. The bolts or other equivalents, such as, bent
wire &c pass through to the top side of the frame, thus facilitating removal
or otherwise.
It will be found necessary to admit the brush stocks into the pockets, that the
top side of the latter at one end must be left open, being secured by a loose plate
in any convenient way.
The object of this invention is to provide means for cleaning or scraping dust,
dirt, or mud from boots and shoes perfectly, the same being economical as the
brushes can be replaced when worn at a trifling cost. It can also be made in
various forms and sizes to suit the requirements of Offices, Entrance Halls, and
other similar places.
-

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning Boots and Shoes.
I GEORGE HEALEY of 54 Bridge Street and of Charles Street Brush Works,
Bolton in the County of Lancaster, Brush Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING
BOOTS AND SHOES," 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 improvements in apparatus for cleaning boots and
shoes and consists in providing a portable boot and shoe cleaner or scraper, and is
intended to supersede the scrapers at present in use for clearing boots and shoes of
dust, dirt, or mud, which will be found both efficient and economical.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the accompanying drawings reference being made to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation through line A' B₁; Fig. 2 a sectional elevation
through line C D¹; Fig. 3 a plan of same with stocks shewn without bristles, and
Fig. 4a perspectivo view shewing the manner of operation when cleaning boots
and shoes. A is a metallic frame provided with the cavity or opening B to receive
the brush stocks C. The stocks C are formed into brushes by providing them with
the bristles D which may be substituted with other analogous materials, such as,
Bass or Whale-bone, or with vegetable fibres, such as, Kitool, Cocoa-fibre, Mexican-
fibre, French and Italian Wisk, and split cane, being secured in a variety of ways,
by pitch, wire, cement, pegs, or other means usually employed in brush making.
Each side of the frame A is made sufliciently wide to allow a person to stand on
one foot while the other boot or shoo is cleaned or scraped, as shown in Fig. 4, and
may be ornamental or otherwise. One end of the cavity or opening B is provided
with the pockets or distance pieces E to form the cavities F between each stock to
allow dust, dirt, or mud, cleared by the brushes to fall into the trough or truy G
underneath. This trough or tray is held in position and secured to the frame A by
the bent nails H or other equivalents clipping or otherwise the flanges or ears I,
thus allowing it to be carried with the frame A when being removed, at the same
time being easy of removal in case it is desired to empty the contents.
For the purpose of admitting and removing the brushes into and from the
pockets the other end is left open being secured by the loose plate J and bolt K.
The underside of the plate J is provided with the distance pieces L corresponding
with the pockets on the opposite side.
The object of this invention is to provide means for cleaning or scraping dust,
dirt, or mud, from boots and shoes perfectly, the same being economical as the
brushes can be replaced when worn at a trifling cost. It can also be made in
various forms and sizes to suit the requirements of Offices, Entrance Halls, and
other similar places.

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
The construction and arrangement of Apparatus for cleaning boots and shoes
substantially as described and shewn on the drawings, or any mere modification
thereof.