IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING CLOTHES OR FABRICS."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Moon, of Countesthorpe, in the County of
Leicester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING CLOTHES OR FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Moon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th July 1864.
I, HENRY MOON, of Countesthorpe, in the County of Leicester, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR WASHING CLOTHES OR FABRICS,'
follows:-
My Invention of improvements in machinery or apparatus for washing
clothes or fabrics, consists in the employment of corrugated surfaces of
peculiar construction, and a novel mode of adapting such surfaces for the
purpose of operating upon the clothes or fabrics.
In carrying out my Invention two corrugated surfaces are employed, one
being fixed and the other moveable.. .The.fixed corrugated surface is placed
in an inclined position, and forms one side of the machine. The moveable
corrugated surface is made circular, and is mounted at the end of an iron
spindle, which passes in an inclined direction through a bearing in one side
of the machine. The outer end of this spindle is provided with a handle or
winch whereby it is rotated. The peculiarity of the corrugated surfaces is,

page_text: that their upper edges are not on the same plane, but are made concave in
one direction and convex in the other. By this mode of construction every
one of the corrugations on the moving surface will go through its own plane,
which will be different from those of the contiguous corrugations, and as some
of the corrugations will thus project more than others, it follows that as the
moving surface rotates the clothes or fabrics under operation will be sub-
mitted to a kind of squeezing operation whenever they come between the
bigher corrugations of the fixed and moving surfaces. By the moving surface
being placed in an inclined position it will, of course, have a tendency to fall
towards the fixed surface and to press the clothes between them. In
operating with the machine it is found desirable to prevent the moving surface
from approaching too near the fixed part, and it is also found desirable to
rotate the moving surface alternately in opposite directions, or two or three
times in one direction, and then as many times in the opposite direction.
This will prevent the 'clothes from getting rolled up in a ball.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Moon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
Moon, of Countesthorpe, in the County of Leicester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Henry Moon, Her special license that I, the said Henry Moon, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Moon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR WASHING CLOTHES OR FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Henry Moon, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of. the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same

page_text: to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Moon, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Washing
Clothes or Fabrics," consists in the employment of corrugated surfaces of
peculiar construction for the purpose of operating upon the clothes or fabrics.
In carrying out my Invention. two corrugated rubbing or pressing surfaces
are employed, one being fixed and the other moveable. The fixed corrugated
surface is placed in an inclined position, and forms one side of the machine.
The moveable corrugated surface is made circular, and is mounted on an
inclined spindle, which is provided with a handle or winch whereby it is
rotated. The peculiarity in the construction of the corrugated surfaces, and
which in fact forms. the main feature of my Invention, is that the raised
parts of the corrugations are not all on the same plane, but the surfaces are
made concave in one direction and convex. in the other. By this mode of
construction every one of the corrugations on the moving surface will go
through its own plane, which will be different from those of the contiguous
corrugations, and as some of the corrugations will thus project more than
others, it follows that as the moving surface rotates, the clothes or fabrics
under operation, instead of being simply rubbed, as is the case in other
machines, where corrugated surfaces are employed, will be submitted to a
kind of squeezing operation whenever. they come between the higher corru-
gations .of.the. fixed and, moving surfaces. By the. moving surface being
placed, in an inclined position it will, of course, have a tendency to fall
towards the fixed surface and press the clothes between them. In operating
with the machine it is found, desirable to prevent the moving surface from
approaching too near the fixed part, and it is also found desirable to rotate
the moving surface alternately in opposite directions, or two or three times in
one direction, and then; as many times in the opposite direction. This will
prevent the clothes from getting rolled up in a ball, and will cause the water
to act more efficiently. on them...
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is an external end elevation of the
machine complete; Fig. 2. is a. side. view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a..
longitudinal. vertical section..
a, a, is the outer case, which is made of a polygonal form, and is mounted.

page_text: on centres a¹, a', in suitable bearings in the side standards b, b, so that it may
be inclined to any desired angle. The required inclination is given by means
of a chain c, which is secured by its ends to the sides of the case a, and passes
round a pulley d on the shaft d¹, which is mounted in bearings in the frame-
work, and is provided with a winch handle d', whereby it may be turned so
as to move the case a in either direction. One side of the case a is provided
with corrugations or bars, as seen at e, in Fig. 3, and also at Fig. 4, which is
a front view of this internal part of the casing. The peculiar arrangement of
the corrugations will be seen by referring to Fig. 4, but their unequal heights
will be better seen in Fig. 3. A moveable corrugated rubbing disc of
peculiar construction is shewn at f; in Fig. 3, and detached at Figures 5
and 6, Fig. 5 being a front view, and Fig. 6 an edge view of this disc, which
is mounted at one end of the shaft g, which passes through bearings in the
side of the case a, Fig. 3, and is provided at its outer end with a winch
handle 9, Fig. 2, whereby it is capable of being rotated in either direction,
but by preference, first in one and then in the other direction. It will be seen
on referring to the Figures, that the longer corrugations 1, 1, in Figures 5
and 6, are more elevated than the others, but are slightly depressed at their
inner ends near the centre of the disc, whereas a section taken along any of
the radial lines in Fig. 5, that is, through the points of intersection of the
corrugations, will shew a gradual increase in the height of these points as they
approach the centre of the disc. A corresponding difference in the height of
the projecting bars or corrugations is made in the fixed corrugated part of
the casing, so that when the disc is rotated there will be a combined rubbing
and squeezing motion alternated with times when parts of the clothes are
partially relieved from the rubbing and squeezing operation, so that they
may absorb fresh water. On the clothes again coming between two raised
ribs they will be again squeezed and the water expelled, carrying with it the
dirt from the fabric. From this it will be seen that the peculiarity of the
rubbing surfaces in my machine is, that they are not parallel to each other
but as the disc is rotated the rubbing surfaces are constantly changing thei
relative position, and are continually approaching to or receding from each
other. I also propose to place projecting ribs on the inside of the case to
-assist in retaining the clothes and preventing them from being carried round
with too great facility by the rotating disc, and reserve to myself the option
of having the centre lower part. of Fig. 4 quite free from ribs or corrugations
and level with the bottoms of the corrugations on either side of its edges, bu
much depressed at the lowest central part, whereby greater facilities may b
given for the clothes or fabrics being unfolded while under water.

page_text: Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Machinery or
Apparatus for Washing Clothes or Fabrics," and having explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid, the mode herein set forth of constructing the
rubbing surfaces of washing machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Moon, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
HENRY MOON. (L.B.)