A New or Improved Rotary Washing Machine.
Year: 1892

page_text: te of Application, 26th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Rotary Washing Machine.
We, WILLIAM WIDNALL and ALFRED WIDNALL both of Sutton-on-Trent,
Newark, in the County of Nottingham, Plumbers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to a new or improved rotary machine for washing clothes
and other fabrics, similar thereto, wool, vegetables or other articles and substances,
from which it is desirable the dirt therein or thereon should be removed, the object
of which is that such articles may he thoroughly cleansed thereby by agitation
without wearing, tearing or otherwise injuring the same.
It is a well known fact that dirty linen, garments and similar fabrics are more
easily washed and cleaned by agitating them within the water, and less worn, or
destroyed in the process, than obtains by scrubbing or rubbing them, and when the
quantity to be cleansed is small, no better method has been found of carrying this
into effect than that of the use of the old fashioned dolly, but this would be
impracticable where large quantities have to be dealt with, and mechanical means
have been resorted to, but in the machines hitherto constructed for this purpose it
has been usual to employ a more or less skeleton frame revolving either vertically or
horizontally within a stationary vessel, or the vessel to rotate around a stationary
frame, and in both cases the said rotation was in one direction only, and by these means
the articles being washed were simply trailed through the water, either by the
revolving frame or vessel, and did not receive the same amount of agitation
against the current imparted to the water, as was provided by the aforesaid
dolly, relatively to the quantity of articles being dealt with, as the dolly by the
means of its handle was made or caused to oscillate to and fro in the water,
carrying with it the articles to be cleansed, and to provide a like effect by
mechanical means forms the subject of our said invention, and we attain this by
the use of a wooden or other frame similar in its construction to that of the dolly
aforesaid, which we cause to rotate vertically in one direction within a vessel
rotating in an opposite direction, which may be reversed as often as desired at the
will of the operator, and by this means a current is created in the water in an
opposite direction to that given to the linen or the like, as this is carried round
by the revolving or oscillating dolly, and the water is thus by its own momentum
forced through over and around the article being cleansed, and the dirt thereby
forced therefrom.
In order that our invention and the manner of its operation may be clearly
understood we have hereunto appended a sheet of drawings in which,
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of our improved machine.
Fig. 2 is a side clevation of same.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken upon the line A B Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan taken upon the line C D Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the frame or dolly, as constructed and used by us.
In carrying our invention into effect we construct of wood or galvanized iron a
frame consisting of vertical standards A. B, dovetailed or otherwise fixed to or upon
foot pieces C, D, and provided with stays a, b, c, d, and top and bottom braces e
and A cross stay g, also engages with A and B, near to the lower ends
thereof, while a similar but slighter stay or bridge piece is also connected thereto
at or about midway between their centres and the upper stay e all being firmly
and rigidly connected together by any suitable means, and relatively to each other,
preferably as shown in the drawings.
We prefer to use a circular splayed wooden tub E as a containing vessel, the

page_text: inner surface of each stave of which is rendered convex in cross section, so that the
inner surface of E as a whole, presents a fluted or corrugated appearance, as shown
more particularly by Fig. 4, the object of such fluting being, that, no sharp edges
may be presented to destroy the fabric or substance being cleansed, and greater
agitation is thereby imparted to the water contained in E. We may if desired,
construct the vessel E of galvanized iron, which would be corrugated internally
similarly to the wooden tub described, and for the same purpose. To the bottom i
of the vessel E, and may be slightly extending downwardly therethrough, we fix a
vertical spindle F, the lower end of which is borne by the cross stay g, in which it may
revolve. The dolly or frame G is constructed as shown at Fig. 5, and may be of
wood or galvanized iron, and consists of a circular bottom k, with four or more
radial extensions &', and a circular top of lesser diameter than k, so that a cone
shaped frame is formed when k and are connected by a suitable number of
vertical bars m. A vertical tube n is connected to and passes therethrough,
and extends in an upward direction therefrom, and a small hole in the centre of k
of the same diameter as the interior of permits G to be slid upon the spindle F,
and the tube n by passing upwardly through a circular aperture in the cross stay o
is thereby kept in a vertical position within the centre of E. The tube n and
spindle extend upwardly and pass through the bridge piece in which the former
may revolve freely, upon the upper
end of above is mounted a bevel wheel pkeyed
or otherwise fixed thereto, which gears with a bevel wheel keyed or otherwise
fixed upon a horizontal spindle s, borne by and within the standards A, B. The
upper end of F extends above the tube n, and carries a smaller bevel wheel t, similarly
fixed thereto, which gears with a like size bevel wheel w fixed in a like manner
upon and carried by the spindle s. Or the tube n may be connected and rigidly
fixed to the cross bar o while the spindle F may be rigidly connected to the frame
or dolly G, in which case the tub or vessel E may be arranged to rotate upon a
centre in the stay g, and the lower end of F terminate at, and rotate upon, a centre
provided in, and upon the bottom i, of the vessel E.
72
In either case the manner of operation is as follows. The clothes, linen, wool
or other fabric or articles to be cleaned are placed in the vessel E, outside G, and
the water to be used poured thereon, and if needed the vessel may then be enclosed
by semicircular or nearly semicircular covers resting upon a ridge formed upon
each side of o and upon stops or projections o³ connected to or formed upon the
interior of E, suitable provision being made in the bottom or other part of E
to run off the water when desired. The rotation of the spindles imparts
through the bevel gearing a rotary motion to G and E in opposite directions
to each other, so that the clothes or other articles to be cleansed would be
carried round by G in one direction, while the water would be carried by E
in the opposite direction, the result being that the dirt is very rapidly removed,
by the reason that, the clothes or the like travelling in an opposite direction to
that of the current, the water is thereby forced through, over, and around the
article being cleansed, without injury or wear occurring thereto.
The spindle s may extend beyond B and carry a handle H, by which it may
be rotated, or may pass through a bearing formed by or carried within a vertical
piece, connected to e and h, between the wheel, and the standard A, and
between the said piece a and A a fast and loose pulley may be mounted upon s,
so that the machine may be worked by either manual or mechanical power as
most convenient.
It will be easily understood that if the handle H be moved in either direction
to the extent of half a revolution, and then moved to a like extent in the opposite
direction, and this motion be continued that, an oscillatory motion corresponding
thereto would be imparted to both G and E, or by a suitable arrangement of the
mechanical power employed a like movement might be imparted to G and E
through the pulley, and by this means the article being cleansed would be
forced to and fro against a to and fro current of the. water, which would hasten the
operation of the cleaning.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is.
1st. In an improved rotary washing machine the construction and use of the
apparatus herein described, and the several parts constituting the same, the whole
connected, combined and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein
stated, and shown by the appended drawings.
2nd. In an improved rotary washing machine the construction and use of a
frame A, B, C, D, with cross stays et, and g, the latter forming a bearing centre
for the vertical spindle F, connected to and passing through the bottom i, of a
circular wooden or metallic vessel E, fluted or corrugated upon the inner surface
thereof. The dolly G constructed as described and shown by Fig. 5 mounted
loosely upon the spindle F, the tube n of which passing freely through the cross
stay h carries a bevel wheel p, in gear with a bevel wheel upon a spindle s, also
carrying a bevel wheel w in gear with a bevel wheel mounted upon the spindle F.
The manner of rotating the vessel E, and frame or dolly G, simultaneously and in
opposite directions by the revolving of the spindle s operated by a handle H or
pulleys, the whole connected combined and operating substantially as and for the
purposes herein described and shown by the appended drawings.
3rd. The alternative method of connecting the tube n to the cross bar o for
rotating the vessel E, and the spindle F to the dolly G for rotating the same,
substantially as herein described.
Dated this 24th day of March 1892.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
+, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicants.