Improvements in Washing and Drying Machinery.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 17th Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Washing and Drying Machinery.
I. ERNEST DALBY REEVE, of 2, Roskell Road, Putney, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in machinery for washing or cleansing
and for drting clothes but also applicable for washing and drying other textile
fabrics.
In carrying out my invention 1 employ a cage adapted to effect as hereinafter
described the double purpose of washing and wringing or drying, that is to
say by the use of one cage I obtain a combination washing machine and hydro-
extractor.
For this purpose the cage containing the articles to be washed is revolved
in a tank or cistern partly filled with the washing liquid, and when required
to be used as
a hydro-extractor the cage is moved either into a horizontal
position or is vertically raised above the liquid level and revolved at a high
speed.
The tank is deeper than the cage and when in a vertical position the liquid
will be in the bottom below the cage.
When
In the arrangement in which the tank is turned or reversed a bracket is attached
to the bottom plate of the tank at the centre and extends through it. The bracket
is fitted with bearings in which a spindle revolves. On one end of the spindle
(inside the tank) is attached the cage and at the outside end is a cone.
the cage is used for washing purposes the spindle is in a horizontal position and
can be driven by a clutch on the driving shaft to which is attached a fly or.
driving wheel. When the clutch is withdrawn from the cone the tank is free to
pivot on trunnions and can be brought with the cage spindle into a vertical
position when the cone on the spindle will come into contact with a larger cone
on a horizontal countershaft working in bearings attached to the bed-plate, at the
same time bringing a smaller cone or a pinion on the outer end of the counter-
shaft into contact or gear with the before named fly or driving wheel, when the
apparatus can be used as a hydro-extractor.
I find it advantageous to employ a spring centre to press against one end of
this countershaft. This spring centre answers several purposes, that is to say,
it serves to reduce the friction by regulating the pressure of the cones against
each other and by receiving the thrust on the shaft at its centre, it also serves
to throw the countershaft out of action when the tank is again moved into a
horizontal position.
The tank and cage are both fitted with easily removable water-tight covers and
the cage may be fitted with stanchions to act as beaters.
Instead of the tank being reversed from the horizontal to the vertical position
as herein before described when the apparatus is to be changed from a washing
machine to a hydro-extractor, the cage may be arranged to be raised above the
liquid level in the tank, and for this purpose I sometimes find it advantageous to
place the tank vertically also, whereby I am enabled to dispense with the use of
trunnions.
DI 11
1800

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Washing and Drying Machinery.
I, ERNEST DALBY REEVE, of 2, Roskell Road, Putney, in the County of Surrey,
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:-
This invention relates to machinery for washing or cleansing and for drying
clothes and other goods or articles made of textile fabric, and especially to that class
of such machinery in which a rotating cage, adapted to effect the double purpose of
washing and wringing or drying is employed.
According to my invention I provide apparatus in which the cage is mounted so
that its axis of rotation may be placed in either a horizontal or vertical position in
such a manner that, when in one position, the cage will be partly immersed in a tank
of washing liquid, and when in the cther position, the cage will be clear of the liquid
and capable of being used as a hydro-extractor, or so that it may be raised above the
liquid.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is an end elevation of a combined washing-machine and hydro-extractor
constructed according to my invention, the parts being in the positions which they
occupy when the apparatus is being used as a hydro-extractor; and,
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same:
Figures 3 and 4 are a side elevation and plan respectively of the apparatus shewing
the parts in the positions which they occupy when the apparatus is being used as a
washer:
Figure 5 is an end elevation partly in section of a modified form of apparatus ;
and,
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the same partly in section on the line aa
Figure 5:
Figures 7, 8 and 9 are views illustrating suitable constructions of cages for use
with my apparatus..
Similar reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a indicates the frame or bed of the apparatus, 6 the cage, c the spindle upon which
the same is mounted and which is hereinafter termed the cage-spindle, d the tank in
which the said cage rotates and which is provided with a cover d', and
by means of which the tank is supported upon the frame a.
e, e trunnions
'
As shewn in Figures 1 to 4, this tank is made of greater depth than the cage so
that, when the said tank is in the position shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the washing
liquid will lie below the cage and so permit the latter to be used for drying purposes.
When, however, the tank is turned upon its trunnions to the position shewn in
Figures 3 and 4, the cage will be partly immersed in the said washing liquid. f is a
lever attached to one of the trunnions e to facilitate the movement of the tank from
one position to the other. ", gare bearings for the cage-spindle c, the said bearings
being fixed at the two ends of a sleeve or bracket h at the centre of the bottom of the
tank d; and in order to reduce the friction as much as possible between the flange c¹
on the cage-spindle and the bearing g, I advantageously form in the said bearing ga
groove (or grooves) into which I insert friction-balls i, i, the bottom of the said groove
being preferably lined with a case hardened steel plate i¹, which can be readily
removed and renewed when worn.
jis the driving-shaft mounted in bearings j', on the frame a and carrying two
fast pulleys k, k and a loose pulley k', driven by open and crossed belts in a well
known manner in order that the direction of rotation of the driving-shaft may be
reversed.

page_text: 1 is a fly-wheel mounted upon the shaft j, and serving to transmit motion to a
countershaft m, through the medium of the wheel m¹ in engagement with the
wheel l.
n is a bevel friction-wheel keyed upon the countershaft m, and adapted, when the
tank is in the position shewn in Figures 1 and 2, to engage with a friction pinion n' on
the cage-spindle c to impart motion to the cage d, which motion owing to the arrange-
ment and relative diameters of the various wheels will be very rapid.
In practice I prefer to cone the surfaces of the wheels 1, m', as shewn, so that
motion is communicated from the former to the latter by friction, and in order that
the wheel m' shall be out of contact with the wheel Z, except when required for use, I
provide a spring centre o, which presses against one end of the counter-shaft m.
When, however, the friction-pinion n¹ is in contact with the bevel-wheel n the
pressure of the said pinion overcomes the pressure of the spring centre so that the
wheel m¹ is drawn into contact with the wheel ; this spring centre also serves to
reduce friction by regulating the pressure between the friction-wheels.
p is a clutch-box connected to the shaft by a spline-joint so that it can slide upon
the said shaft to cause it to engage with another clutch-box p' upon the end of the
cage-spindle c, when the latter is in the position shewn in Figures 3 and 4, so that the
motion of the driving-shaft will be communicated to the cage. q is a weighted lever
having a fork q which engages in a groove in the clutch-box p, and serves to move
the said clutch-box longitudinally upon the shaft j, and to retain it in or out of gear
with the clutch-box p', as required.
In order that when the apparatus is being used for, washing the belts shall be
periodically shifted to reverse the direction of rotation of the cage, I provide the
clutch-box Pr with a cone-surface p², which, when the said clutch-box p is in engage-
ment with the clutch-box p¹, comes into frictional contact with a cone-wheel on a
shaft p', provided with a screw-thread or otherwise arranged for traversing the belt-
shipping forks, (not shown) which forks are connected to the shaft p¹.
In the modification of my invention shewn in Figures 5 and 6, the tank d is fixed
upon the frame a and the cage is adapted to rotate with a frame r, provided with
trunnions e, e, mounted in bearings on the said tank, so that the said frame r may be
moved from the position shewn in full lines in Figure 6 to that shewn in dotted lines
in the said figure to immerse it more or less in the liquid in the said tank d. In this
modification the portion p of the clutch coupling consists of a hollow cone, adapted to
be frictionally engaged with the friction-pinion or cone n¹ on the cage-spindle c. Also
the motion of the fly-wheel is comuiunicated to the wheel m¹ through the medium of
an intermediate friction-wheels, which wheel s is mounted upon a lever t, operated by
a screw-shaft u in such a manner that by rotating the said shaft u the said wheel s
can be moved into contact with the wheels and m¹, or moved therefrom.
vis a screen or shield surrounding part of the cage b, and vl is a screen surrounding
the other part of the cage and fixed to the top of the tank d.
It is obvious that the machine shewn in Figures 5 and 6 may be provided with
pulleysk, k, k¹ for driving it with power, as herein before described with reference to
Figures 1 to 4.
The cages which I use in my apparatus may be composed of wire-work perforated
sheet-metal, or of tubes or bars; and it may be provided with rubbers w, w, as shewn
in Figure 7, or divided into sections, and preferably three by means of plates y, as
shewn in Figure 8, or by tubes or bars, as shewn in Figure 9; it is also provided
with a door or doors for affording access to the interior thereof.
I advantageously make the trunnions e, e hollow and supply water, steam, soap,
soda and other washing requisites therethrough, and in place of the friction gearing
herein before described I may use toothed gearing.
Instead of making the cage reversible from the horizontal to the vertical as
bereinbefore described it may be arranged to be raised vertically with its shaft, so as
to enable it to rotate clear of the liquid in the tank when required for use as a
hydro-extractor,

page_text: 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 :-
1. A new kind of combined washing-machine and hydro-extractor, provided with
a cage the position of which may be varied, substantially as described, for the purposes
specified.
2. A new kind of combined washing machine and hydro-extractor in which the cage
is mounted so that its axis of rotation may be placed in either a horizontal or vertical
position, substantially as described.
3. A combined washing-machine and hydro-extractor comprising a cage rotating in
a tank mounted upon trunnions, substantially as described with reference to Figures 1
to 4 of the accompanying drawings.
4. A combined washing-machine and hydro-extractor having a cage adapted to
rotate in a frame supported upon trunnions, substantially as described with reference
to Figures 5 and 6.
5. The manufacture and use of the improved combined washing-machines and
hydro-extractors, constructed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, and Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 11th day of December 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co..
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.