Improvements in Washing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 1st Apr., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Washing Machines.
We, DAVID KIEL TULLIS, JAMES THOMSON TULLIS and JAMES MCALLISTER,
all of Old Edinburgh Road, Glasgow, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to washing machines and has for its object to improve the
construction of such machines as heretofore made.
In carrying out our invention under one arrangement we use a hollow rotating
cylinder or drum which is mounted obliquely on a shaft carried in bearings on a
In the
supporting frame. The cylinder may be revolved by hand or by power.
interior of the cylinder a number of tubes, bars or equivalent are fitted so as to
form either a true circle of lesser diameter than the cylinder or are so fitted as to
go in and out and thus form an irregular, corrugated, or wave like circle. The
tubes, bars or equivalent may be fitted in the cylinder at an angle to the ends.
Some of the tubes may be inclined in a different direction to the others. There is
or may be fitted upon the shaft a triangular or equivalent shaped roller. The roller
may be loose on the shaft.
Instead of fitting the cylinder obliquely on the shaft it may be so fitted that the
shaft will pass through it at an angle; or the cylinder may be made with perpen-
dicular ends and plates be fitted in the interior at an inclination to the ends.
If desired, instead of fitting the cylinder or drum obliquely on the shaft it may
be fitted perpendicularly.
Bars, rods, or beaters may be used instead of or in conjunction with the corrugated
circle of tubes; in the latter case the bars or beaters would preferably be fitted at
intervals around or in the cylinder or drum.
The cylinder or drum may be fitted with the usual filling door and also with a
plug or cock for drawing off liquid.
The drum or cylinder is or may be heated by a charcoal or other fire or by
gas, or an oil or spirit lamp arranged below it so as to boil the clothes whilst being
washed.
Under a modified arrangement, for large washing houses and the like the drum
or cylinder which is, preferably, driven by power, has fitted in it a coil pipe or
worm through which steam from any suitable boiler is conducted. The steam is or
may be led through a hollow trunnion forming one of the bearings of the machine
from whence it passes through the coil or worm and issues in a number of fine jets
through holes or perforations made in said coil or worm. The steam jets penetrate
The end of the
and thoroughly clean the clothes as well as agitating the water.
coil or worm is preferably made to terminate near to a drain cock so that any
condensed water may be drawn off. Hot or cold water may be introduced into the
drum or cylinder through a hollow trunnion forming the other bearing of the
machine, the water passes into the drum or cylinder through a rose or perforated
plate. A suitable cock or valve is used for turning on either the hot or cold water
to the cylinder or drum. At a suitable distance from the interior surface of the
periphery of the drum or cylinder, a number of tubes (or bars or rods if preferred)
are fitted right round the cylinder. The tubes are fitted close to one another but
with space sufficient to allow a free passage of water between them. The beaters
may also be fitted in this machine. Water lifters may be fitted in the annular
space left at the outside of the tubes. These lifters are preferably fitted to the
tubes and are arranged so as to carry and dash the water about the interior of the
drum or cylinder.
When the cylinder or drum is made of iron, we prefer to line it with brass or

page_text: copper sheeting for the purpose of preventing the clothes being destroyed or
marked by iron rust.
If desired corrugated sheet metal may be fitted round the interior of the
machine.
The cylinder may be reciprocated or "jigged" when revolving or when
stationary.
The inside tubular basket may be made to revolve at a different speed or in
a different direction from the casing or cylinder proper; or either the basket or
cylinder may be stationary while the other revolves.
The first arrangement of machine may be provided with steam tubes or a coil
and it may also be fitted on trunnions.
Dated this 12th day of December 1801
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow and London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Washing Machines.
We, DAVID KIEL TULLIS, JAMES THOMSON TULLIS and JAMES MCALLISTER,
all of Old Edinburgh Road, Glasgow, Engineers, 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 washing machines and has for its object to improve the
construction of such machines, as heretofore made.
And in order that our said invention may be properly understood, we have
hereunto appended four explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon:-
Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of one form of the machine.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of another form of the machine.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section of Fig. 3, on the line -a.
Fig. 5 shows a modification of the machine Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section, and
Fig. 7 a longitudinal section, on the line y-y, Fig. 6, of another construction of
the machine.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation and
Fig. 9 a longitudinal section of a machine to be driven by hand power.
Referring to the drawings, whereon the same reference letters, wherever repeated,
indicate similar or like parts.
The washing machine shown at Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a hollow rotating
cylinder or drum A., which is mounted obliquely on the hollow trunnions B, C,
carried in bearings in the side frames D, E. The side frames are secured together
by stays F. The trunnions have star-shaped or other suitable castings G to which
the sides of the cylinder A are rivetted. In the interior of the cylinder A are a
number of tubes H, which are disposed right round the interior of the cylinder, as
shown in dotted lines at Fig. 2. Only the top and bottom tubes of the series are
shown in Fig. 1. The tubes H form a sort of ribbed basket or inner cylinder.
They are preferably placed a few inches from the interior surface of the shell of
the cylinder A so that the water can pass freely between the tubular basket and
the shell of the cylinder. A little space is left between the tubes, so as to allow the
water to pass freely out and in between them. The clothes to be washed are
placed in the tubular basket. An obstruction or partition may be formed in the
interior of the basket, by a number of tubes H¹, being placed, across the cylinder A.
and one above the other. The tubes H' cause the clothes to be turned or thrown
over as the machine revolves. Instead of having only one set of tubes HI³, several
sets may be fitted in the interior of the cylinder. Steam, from any suitable source,
may be supplied, through the hollow trunnion B and pipes I, and J, to a single

page_text: coil of piping K, which extends circumferentially round one end of the cylinder.
This coil K is perforated throughout its length and the steam issues from the
perforations into the interior of the cylinder. Hot water may be supplied to the
interior of the cylinder, through the trunnion C pipes I, J and perforated coil K.
This coil is, shown dotted at Figs. 1 and 2. It is similar to the coil K.
cylinder is revolved from a driving shaft M', by the cog-wheels L, M. The
cylinder may however be revolved in any other suitable and well-known manner.
The gearing L, M is not shown in Fig. 2.
The
The cylinder A, being fitted obliquely, causes the clothes or other articles being
washed, to reciprocate from side to side as the machine is revolved and thereby
more effectively wash them.
The modified construction of machine shown at Figs. 3 and 4, consists of a
cylinder A, which is, in this case, mounted vertically on the shaft; but it has fitted
in its interior, two plates 0, 0, which are fitted at an angle to the sides of the
cylinder A, to effect the same purpose as the oblique cylinder. The tubes H in
this arrangement are shown as arranged around the interior of the cylinder in a
wave-like form. The tubes are also inclined reversely, the tubes H being inclined
inwardly from the end and, of course, outwardly from the other end O', and
the tubes H3 outwardly from the end and inwardly from the end O. The
shaft P may pass right through the cylinder A and have fitted loosely on it a
triangular or equivalent shaped rolier Q. The roller may be fixed to the shaft, if
so desired. The object of using the roller is to aid the rubbing and cleaning action
on the clothes. This arrangement of cylinder, with plates O, O', may be used in
lieu of the arrangement, Figs. 1 and 2, or vice versa. It may be mounted ou
trunnions and be supplied with steam and hot water through coil pipes, as in
Figs. 1 & 2.
Fig. 5 shows a form of cylinder A, wherein the shaft P passes through at an
angle to the ends and is out of the centre line of the cylinder. This construction
has the same effect as that at Figs. 1 and 3, and it may be used in lieu thereof.
The washing machine illustrated at Figs. 6 and 7, consists of a cylinder A, as
before, but the cylinder is mounted vertically on the trunnions B, C. The
trunnion C has a pipe connection C₁ for hot or cold water, which is made to issue,
in a spray form, into the interior of the cylinder A, through the perforated plate C³.
The water can be cut off or turned on at any desired time by means of a cock,
not shown on the pipe C. C3, C4, are fast and loose pulleys for revolving the
cylinder. B and B are frames for supporting the bearings of the machine.
Steam, from any suitable device, is admitted to the interior of the cylinder, through
the pipe B. The steam passes from the trunnion B down the pipe I and into the
perforated coil pipe K, from whence it issues in a number of fine jets. The coil
in this instance, as shown, extends from end to end of the cylinder A. The coil K,
preferably, terminates at K, directly over a draw off or drain cock K². Hare
tubes or bars, arranged around the interior of the cylinder in the same manner as
at Figs. 1 and 2. Only the top and bottom tubes H are shown at Fig. 7.
H' are
tubes or bars, arranged so as to form beaters or projections in the cylinder. In
this view four such beaters are shown. R are water lifters or agitators; they are
or may be made of bent metal pieces R', R, and are secured at each end of the
cylinder or to the tubes H. These metal strips R', R2, which form a sort of
double trough (see Fig. 6), carry and dash the water about the interior of the
drum or cylinder A. U is wire gauze, which extends around the outside of the
tubes H.
When the cylinder or drum A is made of iron, we prefer to line it with brass or
copper sheeting S, (Fig. 7), for the purpose of preventing the clothes being
destroyed or marked by iron rust.
Figs. 8 and 9 show an ordinary arrangement of hand-power machine, but it is
lined with a zig-zag basket of tubes H, and beater tubes H'. The zig-zag
arrangement of the tubes, is clearly shown at Fig. 8, in dotted lines.

page_text: If desired, corrugated sheet metal may be fitted round the interior of the
machine.
The cylinder A. may be reciprocated or "jigged," when revolving or when
stationary.
The steam jets penetrate and thoroughly clean the clothes, as well as agitate
the water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In washing machines, a cylinder or drum, mounted obliquely on the revolving
shaft or trunnions, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown at Figs. 1, 2
and 5, of the drawings annexed.
2. In washing machines, a cylinder or drum, mounted vertically on a shaft or
trunnions, and having plates or ends O, O', so fitted therein as to be at an inclination
to the axis of revolution of the shaft or trunnions, substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings annexed.
3. In washing machines, a cylinder or drum, having a number of tubes (H)
disposed around its interior, so as to form a basket, having a wave-like conformation,
substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the
drawings annexed.
4. A. washing machine, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore
described, with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, of the drawings annexed.
5. The modified form of washing machine, constructed and arranged sub-
stantially as herein before described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings
annexed.
6. The general arrangement and combination of parts, of the hand-power washing
machine, comprising the cylinder A, zig-zag arrangement of tubes H, and beater
tubes H, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 8 and 9 of
the drawings annexed.
Dated this 30th day of March 1892.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
Glasgow and London, Agent.