An Improved Apparatus for Scrubbing and Cleaning Floors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Scrubbing and Cleaning Floors.
I, ALFRED GLASSON Engineer, of 339 Upland Road East Dulwich in the
County of Suriey do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be us
follows:-
My improved apparatus consists of a central wheel made of iron, brass or other
suitable material; this wheel has a broad rim and a groove in the centre of the
outside face of rim running circumferentially round it. This groove is provided
with teeth thus forming a double shrouded geared wheel. The wheel has also a
spindle in its centre on which it revolves, the two ends of the spindle on either
side of the wheel being attached to and running between the two arms of an on
or a brass fork From the ends of this fork and in front of the central wheel arc
attached two circular cylindrical brushes so arranged that they project sideways on
either side of the central wheel. These brushes revolve ou a spindle to which is
fixet a small pinion wheel which gears into the teeth in the groove, hercin before
described so that when the central wheel is made to revolve it causes the pinion
un resolve in a direction contrary to it and so imparts a high velocity to the
brushes. Behind the brushes is placed a diagonal scraper board edged with
ubber. This 18 kept down against the floor by means of a spring at the back
of it.
In front and over the brushes is a curved splash board lined with felt and to the
fork is attached a handle sufficiently long to enable a person standing to use the
apparatus.
The manner in which the apparatus works is as follows
:-
After the felt on the front splash board has been thoroughly saturated with soap,
ench brush is dipped at intervals into a pail of water and then passed backwards
and forwards over the floor to be cleaned. The central wheel being rolled on the
Hoor gives the brushes in front a high velocity which being chaiged with soap
from the splash board thoroughly scrubbs and cleaus the floor, all the water and
other refuse matter left in the ear as they pass over the floor is efficiently set on
one side by the rubber edged scraper board. This board also diying the floor.
This operation is continued until the whole surface of the floor is cleaned.
Dated this Ninth day of May Eighteen hundred and ninety-five.
An improved Apparatus for soruvving and
an
I, ALFRED GLASSON, Engineer, of 339 Upland Road East Dulwich in the
County of Surrey, 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
-
In cleaning wood, stone, concrete, asphalte and other descriptions of floors by
the means hitherto available have required a larger expenditure of time & energy
than was necessary for the efficient and proper performance of the work to be done.

page_text: wipe dry at one operation any flat surface over which it is passed.
In an apparatus of this description the conditions which it must fulfil, namely,
the capacity of scrubbing and cleaning of floors up to and against walls and
skirtings, and also easily passing round coves & angular spaces.
My invention has overcome these difficulties and by means of a simple con-
struction and arrangement, it is now possible to perfectly cleanse a floor by merely
passing my apparatus once or twice over its surface.
For a full and complete description of my apparatus I refer to the accompanying
drawing.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the apparatus.
Figure 2 shows a plan of the same.
Figure 3 shows a side elevation of the apparatus with a water tank fitted to it.
The construction of the various parts and how they are fitted together, are as
follow.
A central wheel a made of iron, brass or other durable material, is made with a
groove in the centre of the outside face of um and running circumferentially
round it as shown, this groove has teeth c made in it thus forming a double
shrouded geared wheel.
The two round projections d formed on either side of the hub are the pivots on
which this wheel revolves when fitted into the frame e. A small wheel 18
provided with teeth g which gear into the teeth c in the groove of the central
wheel. The relative size of the small wheel to the large wheel a should be as
one is to five or six Through the centre of this small wheel a spindle h is passed
and fixed to it so that when this wheel 18 made to revolve rapidly it causes the
spindle to revolve with it. This spindle projects on either side of the small wheel
and is screwed with a coarse thread at either end, so that two cylindrical brushes
are fixed or screwed on to the spiudle, oue brush on either side of the small wheel
as shown,
Two small guide wheels which un loose on the spindle are placed between the
brushes and the pinion ƒ to regulate the exact distance of the brushes above the
floor.
A brass or iron frame e, which forms a fork surrounds the two wheels, herein-
before described, in such a manner as to form bearings for the two wheels to run
in and also to keep them gear as shown, so that when the central wheel a 18
made to resolve the pinion 18 driven by it & revolves in an opposite direction to
that of the wheel a. This motion being imparted through the spindle & to which
the two brushes, are fixed causes them also to revolve rapidly in the same
dnection.
These brushes are about one fourth of the diameter of the central wheel a, and
are formed of moderately hard and stiff bristles fixed on a wood core. The
brushes extend to the end of the wood cores at 7 and slightly overhang on project
beyond the centre of the wood core as shown.
By means of this simple contrivance the brushes will scrubb and clean floors
close up to and along walls, skirtings and similar vertical surfaces. There being
nothing outside of the free ends of the brushes to prevent them working close up
against walls and into coiners when required
The brushes and the pinion are covered over by a curved splash board m
This
splash board is hinged and lifts up, when required, to the position shown in dotted
lines at n, Fig. 1. On the underside of this splash board is attached a thick
pad o of any suitable porous material. This pad is for distributing the soap &
water to the brushes, as they evolve beneath it the ends of the bristles pass acioss
the pad and take up a portion of soap for the purpose of cleaning floors & such
like.
Behind these brushes is placed a scraper board p arranged at an angle with the
centre of rotation of the brushes and diagonally behind the central wheel a. This
Sui per board is provided in its centre with a vertical square pin which projects

page_text: up from it and passes through a square hole in the frame e at r, being secured by
a nuts as shown. A small spring't fixed below the frame and ou the pin g allows
a certain amount of vertical movement to the scraper board which arrangement
provides for the scraper board being properly kept down and against the floor or
Similar surface, following the inequalities and hollows to be met with in such
places.
Along the lowest edge of the sciaper board p I fix a strip of moderately thick
ubber u, so that when the apparatus is passed over a floor or other similar surface
the rubber presses firmly down on it and so acts as a scraper or dryer, pushing in
front of it the dirt, water & such like, so that it passes off and is left behind on
one side.
A wood handle y is fixed in the frame e, by means of which the apparatus is
pushed over the floor.
In the larger machines I fix a small water tank v Figure 3. above the brushes
which being filled with water, keeps the brushes wet by means of a small connecting
perforated tube to fixed into it & brought over the brushes.
The manner in which the apparatus works is as follows After the porous
substance on the underside of the splash board has been thoroughly saturated with
boap or other cleansing preparation-the board is hinged so as to easily allow this
being done, each brush is dipped at intervals into a pail of water and then passed
over the floor to be cleaned.
The central wheel a being rolled on the floor acts as a driving wheel to the
small wheel which imparts a high velocity to the brushes as horeinbefore
described.
These brushes being charged with soap from the splash board pad aud passing
over the floor thoroughly scrubs and cleans it, all the water and other refuse matter
left in their rear, as they pass over the floor, is set on one side by the rubber edged
scraper board. This board also drying the floor. The operation is continued until
the whole sui face of the floor 18 cleaned.
Any person easily doing this by pushing the apparatus along by the handle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. That in an apparatus which is to be used for scrubbing & cleaning floors, the
construction, combination and arrangement of the small toothed wheel in a toothed
groove and being duiven by a larger wheel rolled along a floor or similar surface
whereby I am enabled to impart to a spindle, on which are fixed two brushes,
a rapid revolving motion on either side of the central wheel as herembefore
described and illustrated.
II. The construction and arrangement of the frame or fork with its bosses for
the wood handle & scraper board and its bearings for the two wheels on either
side.
III. The design and construction of the splash board and its porous pad
whereby I am enabled to supply the necessary cleaning material to the brushes
and also to enclose their upper part within a cover so preventing any splashing
from the brushes when at work.
IV. The design and arrangement of the rubber edged scraper board behind a
ceutual wheel and two revolving brushes as her embefore described & illustrated
and for the purposes set forth.
V. The rangement and construction of a water tank fixed above the two
evolving brushes whereby I can supply them with the necessary moisture for
cleaning floors as hereinbefore described and illustrated.
Dated thus Seventh day of February 1896.
ALFRED GLASSON.