Improvements in Boot Blacking and Polishing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Apr., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Boot Blacking and Polishing Machines.
I ROBERT LETHBRIDGE TAPSCOTT of 62 Croxteth Road, Liverpool in the
County of Lancaster Civil 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide means whereby brushes may be brought
nearer to or moved further from the boots and held in the desired position and
relates particularly to my application for Patent numbered 3102 and dated
20th February 1891. For this purpose I provide a handle, rod, and upright,
controlled by guides working between pivots, for the adjustment of each brush.
And so as to facilitate the operation I provide a combination handle capable of
grouping the handles requiring the same movement. The brushes are held in
position by sliding rods and at the desired distance by means of a lazy tongs
arrangement.
On the accompanying drawings the general arrangements of rods and handles
is shown.
Figure 5. shows the general arrangement for adjusting the brushes, handle, shaft,
rod, upright, guides and pivots.
Figure 6. is the joint of the rod with that of the handle shaft.
Figure 7. shows several handles and rods side by side, and one of them with the
upright and the brush in position ready for moving into its new position which is
shown dotted and denoted by vy.
Figure 8. shows another direction of the arms of the upright for catching the
top brushes.
Figure 9. shows another direction of the arms of the upright for catching the
toe and heel brushes.
Figure 10. shows the pivots and curved guides for both the rod and the handle
shaft.
Figure 11. shows the lazy tongs arrangement fixed at one end to the brushes and
at the other to the eccentric rod, also the rods on either side of it.
Figure 12. shows the brush, lazy tongs, sliding rods, eccentric rod, upright, and
adjustment rod.
Figure 13. is a combination handle for moving several handles together.
Figure 14. is a side view of the combination handle showing the position of the
upper part when not in use, dotted.
The different parts are denoted by the following letters,-handles, H. joint of
handle shaft with rod, r. rod, G. upright, Q. brush, b. curved guides for rod to slide
on, P. pivot for curved guides to swivel on, N. lazy tongs arrangement, u. brush
rods sliding in holes of eccentric rod, M. eccentric rod, E. handle for grouping
several handles, Z. altered position when working of handle, rod, upright, brush,
lazy tongs &c. vy. boot y¹.
In carrying my invention into effect the handle H is moved out from its
supports and moved to one side or the other or up or down according as to whether
the brushes are to be brought nearer to or further from the boot; which brings the
upright into contact with the brush and moves it in the desired direction, after
which the handle is pulled up thus drawing the upright down and clear of the
brush and also of the ordinary to and fro movement of the eccentric rod, E. When
it is desired to adjust a side brush the handle H is pushed downwards sliding
through the guides P pushing down the end of the rod G, at the joint r, which
moves on the guide P as the centre of a lever; so raising the other end having the
upright Qattached, which is also raised up to the brush ban arm going on each
Di Q77

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side of it. If when in this position the handle H is moved to one side it moves the
guides P on the pivots N, and owing to the joint connection r of the handle shaft
with the rod G this side movement is thus communicated to the rod G which passes
through the guides P and turning on the pivots N so that the other end of the rod G
carrying the upright Q which has one arm on each side of the brush, moves the
brush b in the desired direction. The brush 6 being attached to two rods M which
pass through the eccentric rod E, or its substitute, and while fitting closely in the
holes are made to slide, an arrangement of lazy tongs, u, is fixed between and
attached at one end to the back of the brush b, and at the other to the eccentric
rod E, or its substitute, and are constructed so as to have considerable stiffness
when extended, sufficient to provide the means of maintaining the distance from
the eccentric rod E, or its substitute, during the to and fro motion. The rods
attached to the toe and heel brushes pass through a block, being a substitute for
the eccentric rod and worked from it.
When it is desired to adjust a top brush the upright Q which is shown in
Figure 8 having the arms in a horizontal position is moved by means of the handle H
being first raised to the height of the brush b then pushed along so that one
arm goes above and the other below the brush and when in this position moves
the brush up or down into the required position when it is drawn away and drawn
down clear of it. When it is desired to adjust a toe brush the upright Q which is
shown on Figure 9 having the arms vertical is moved by means of the handle H
being first raised so that an arm goes on either side of the brush b then moved so
that the brush is brought into its new position when it is drawn down clear of it.
Owing to the length of the boot there will be several brushes on each side of it'
each adjusted by a separate handle rod and upright and on Figure 7 there are
shown handles and rods for adjusting four brushes one of the rods carries the
upright and shows the brush moved by it into a new position the other three rods
are intended to carry uprights and move the brushes in the same manner.
The
side brushes being more numerous and generally requiring the same adjustment
the combination handle Z Figures 13 and 14 is provided to move the several
handles as shown on Figure 7 together and is so placed that when not in use the
upper part which is connected by a hinge to the lower part is turned back over
the bar shown in Figure 14 and thus holds the other part in place for the purpose
of receiving the separate handles which rest on the supports as shown in Figure 14
and remain fixed when the combination handle is in use as shown in Figure 13.
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 I
-claim is :
A combination of mechanical movements substantially as and for the purpose
herein described and shown upon the drawings.
Dated this Twenty-ninth day of December 1891.
R. LETHBRIDGE TAPSCOTT.