An Improved Machine for Cleaning, Blacking and Polishing Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1899-Accepted, 9th Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Cleaning, Blacking and Polishing Boots
and Shoes.
I, FRANK LOWSON CLARK, of 17, St. Faith's Road, West Norwood, S.E., Gentle-
man, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved machine for cleaning, blacking and polish-
ing boots and shoes, and is chiefly designed to improve the construction and
increase the efficiency of such apparatus.
According to one part of my said invention, I provide means whereby the
boot or shoe to be cleaned is automatically introduced and withdrawn from be-
tween and beneath rotary brushes, which are so arranged as to be capable of
yielding as the boot or shoe is introduced and of returning and following up the
said boot or shoe as it is withdrawn. For example, I mount two brushes or sets
of brushes ou parallel vertical rotary shafts so that they can be separated or moved
apart laterally as the boot or shoe is pushed between them, and will approach
each other when it is withdrawn, and another brush or set of brushes mounted on
a liorizontal rotary shaft so that it can be raised as the boot or shoe is pushed
beneath it and will be moved down when it is withdrawn; and I provide a recipro-
cating support so arranged relatively to the resiliently-supported brushes that
it will automatically introduce the boot or shoe into position to be operated upon
by the said brushes and withdraw it therefrom.
To permit of the cleaning, blacking and polishing being effected by the same
mechanism, I preferably mount on each rotary shaft a set of rotary brushes, one
for removing the dust, mud and the like, another for applying the blacking, and
a third for polishing the boots or shoes, and I arrange the said brushes in such
a manner that they can be displaced longitudinally on the said shaft so that the
boot or shoe can be acted upon by each of them successively.
For this purpose, in the case of the brushes on vertical shafts, I provide for
raising the brushes and retaining them in their raised position whilst the lower-
most pair acts upon the boot or shoe to remove the dust, mud and the like there-
from; then allowing the brushes of this pair to fall to the lower end of the
sliafts, and retaining the remaining pairs of brushes in an elevated position whilst
the lower of these pairs acts upon the boot or shoe to apply the blacking thereto;
and finally allowing these pairs of brushes to drop on their shafts so that the
last pair may act upon the boot or shoe to polish the same.
My said invention also comprises improved means for supplying blacking to
the brushes and for moistening the said brushes. For this purpose, I employ, in
conibination with each blacking brush, a roller which is provided with grooves,
channels, or recesses to receive a supply of the blacking and is mounted so that
it can be moved into contact with the said blacking brush whereby it will be
rotated and caused to impart the requisite quantity of blacking to the said brusli.
h

page_text: ;
.
Another roller is provided in combination with each blacking brush, which roller
is covered with felt or other suitable material capable of absorbing and giving
up water, and is mounted so as to be capable of rotating in contact with the
said blacking brush and imparting its moisture thereto. Or a single roller is
used adapted both for applying blacking to and dampening the blacking brush.
The roller or rollers for blackening and dampening the brushes are moved so
as to bring them into contact with the corresponding blacking brush during a
part or the whole of the time such brush is in use, and are afterwards auto-
matically moved away from the said blacking brush and held out of contact there-
with whilst the boot or shoe is being acted upon by the cleaning and polishing
brushes.
My said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter set
forth.
In the accompanying drawings I have shown how my said invention may bo
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan of my improved boot-cleaning machine.
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, partly in vertical section.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation, illustrating details of construction.
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic plau view illustrating a detail of construction.
Figure 5 is a partial side elevation showing a slight modification of my inven-
tion:
Figures 6 and 7 are transverse sections, both drawn to an enlarged scale, of ono
of the vertical blacking rollers and the horizontal blacking and moistening roller
respectively.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
a is the frame of the machine; the main or driving shaft, to which rotary
motion is imparted by means of a pulley c, or by a crank-handle or in any other
suitable manner.
d is a rest or carriage to receive the boot or shoe to be cleaned; this rest d
is so formed as to slightly elevate the toe of the boot or shoe and is caused to
travel to and fro between guide-bars by means of a nut f on its underside
working on a feed-screw y mounted in suitable bearings. The said feed-screw
is connected at its rear end through bevel gearing g', g2 and an intermediate
shaft with two bevel-wheels h, h', which turn freely on the main shaft b
between collars thereon, and one or other of which can be connected with the said
shaft by means of a clutch-sleevej, so as to rotate the feed-screw g in one direction or
the other. The clutch-sleeve is operated by a lever k pivoted at kl and acted
upon by a spring which tends to keep the said sleeve in engagement with
the bevel-wheel ¹. In order to bring the clutch-sleeve into engagement with
the bevel-wheel and retain it in that position against the action of the spring,
I employ a double-armed lever / pivoted at 1 to the frame a and operated through
a link and handle . This lever is connected to the lever & by means of a
link having a longitudinally-slotted end P. m is a spring-controlled pawl
adapted to engage with the lever to hold the clutch-sleeve in engagement
with the wheel h. This pawl is provided with an inclined arm m adapted to be
engaged by an inclined surface on an arm extending backward from the rest d,
so that, when the said rest reaches the rear end of its travel, the pawl m will be
raised and the lever & allowed to turn about its axis and bring the clutch-sleeve j
into engagement with the bevel-wheel h¹. To allow the main shaft b to be con-
tinuously rotated, the screw-thread on the feed-screw may be removed for a
short distance from its front bearing so that the nut f will move clear of the
said screw-thread.
n, are arms or frames adapted to turn or swing about vertical pivot-shafts n
respectively, and continually drawn inwards by spiral springs attached to
their front ends and to the frame a of the machine, stops being preferably pro-
vided for limiting the motion of the said arms in both directions. Each of these
swinging arms or frames n is provided with a cam-surface n³ adapted to engage

page_text: with a pin or roller p' on a sliaft p so that, by rotating the said shaft p by means
of an external handle p, the arms n can be moved away from each other.
In the front end of each arm n is mounted a vertical brush-shaft g, to which
rotary motion is imparted from tlie main-shaft b through bevel-wheels b, 62, 63,
intermediate shafts, and bevel-wheels 1, 3, 73. This gearing is preferably
so proportioned that the brush-shafts g will make at least eleven revolutions for
each revolution of the main shaft b, so as to enable the machine to be driven by
hand if desired. On each of the shafts g, cylindrical brushes s, s¹, are mounted
so that they can slide freely along the said shafts but must rotate therewith when
at the part thereof immediately above the guide-bars d' and preferably also
when beneath the said guide-bars. The lowermost brushes s are of suitable
construction for removing the dust, mud etc., the brushes s¹ next above the same
for applying the blacking, and the uppermost brushes s for polishing.
to
The direction of rotation of the shafts g is such that the boot or shoe on the
rest d will be drawn into the machine, that is to say, the front or inner face of
the heel will be drawn up against the shoulder at the heel end d* of the rest d.
In order to raise the brushes s, s¹, on the shafts y I provide on each arm n
a lever pivoted thereto at t and extending beyond and embracing the shaft
and engaging with the underside of the lowermost brush s. A pin or pro-
jection on the lever is adapted to be engaged by a curved armi 23 on the
shaft P to raise tlie said lever as soon as the arms a have been moved into their
outermost position by means of the pins and cam-surfaces. The levers t,
when lifted into their uppermost position by the arms p³, engage with spring-
pawls attached to the frame a and retain the brushes s, s¹, in their uppermost
position until, in the return movement of the arms n, the underside of each of
the lowermost brushess engages with a spring-controlled arm pivoted at
the guide-bars ( The levers then slide off the pawls and fall to their lower-
most position, since their pins have now moved away from the curved arins p³.
The arms are normally held in their outermost position by their springs but
are capable of being moved inwards by the shafts when the arms n, on being
released from the pius p by rotation of the shaft p, are drawn inward by the
springs. The free ends of the said arms are formed so as to fit closely against
the shafts y, Figure 4, and are provided on their upper surfaces with rollers *
In
to engage with the under surface of the brush immediately above the same.
the outward movement of the arms and shafts q to allow the brushes resting on
the arms to fall to the bottom of the shafts g, horizontal knife-shaped pro-
jections a² on the frame a, engage with the bristles of the brushes next above those
resting on the arms and serve to retain 'these brushes in an elevated position.
In the next inward movement of the arms n and shafts q, the said brushes will
be released from the projections a³, and will fall onto the arms and be ready
for acting on the boot or shoe in the carriage d.
is a horizontal shaft mounted in brackets capable of oscillating about stud-
shafts and driven from the main shaft b by means of sprocket-wheels b₁, 112,
a driving chain and spur-wheels 7, in such a direction that the heel of the
boot or shoe will be drawn against the corresponding part of the carriage d,
the velocity-ratio between the main shaft b and the horizontal brush-shaft being
preferably the same as that between the said main shaft and the vertical brush-
shafts q. Three concave circular brushes v, 21, 3 are mounted on the shaft
so that they will rotate therewith but can be displaced along the said shaft to
bring one or other of them into engagement with the boot or shoe on the rest d.
To hold down the shaft when the toe of a boot or shoe is moved beneath .a
brush thereon by the carriage d, one or both of the brackets are provided with
a recess, Figure 3, into which presses a spring a mounted on the frame a.
By these means resistance is offered to sudden upward motion of the shaft u
whilst permitting the said shaft to rise gradually as the toe of the boot or shoe
passes under the operative brush on the said shaft..
Blacking is applied to the concave blacking-brush by means of a convex

page_text: roller part of the periphery of which is formed with grooves to receive black-
ing whilst the remainder of its periphery is covered with felt or other absorbent
material as at ³, Figure 7, to receive water for damping the blacking brush v.
This roller is carried by a lever 6, Figures 1 and 3, pivoted to the frame a and
provided with a pin and roller adapted to engage with one or other of two
notches in a spring-controlled arm also pivoted to the guide-bar d', so that,
when the said lever is moved into engagement with the lower notch of the said
arm, the roller will rest upon the brush and impart blacking and moisture
thereto, but when the front part of the boot or shoe is moved beneath the brush v¹,
the said brush, the shaft and the roller will be simultaneously raised and
the lever brought into engagement with the upper notch so as to retain the
roller in an elevated position while the brush moves down again by the
action of gravity on the boot or shoe being withdrawn from beneath it. When
the roller is again required to apply blacking to the brush ¹, it is depressed by
Liand so as to again bring it into contact with the said brush.
For applying blacking to the brushes s ou the vertical shafts when a boot
or shoe is being blacked thereby, I provide levers 1 pivoted at to the arms n
and carrying rollers to, o, the rollers a being made of wood, tin, or other suit-
able material, with grooves or recesses o, Figure 6, to receive the blacking,
and the other rollers being covered with felt or other absorbent material capable
of receiving water and imparting it to the blacking brushes s'. These lovers w,
are acted upon by springs w so as to normally 'hold the rollers w³, w³ out of contact
with the brushes on the vertical shafts q, and pawls y are provided to engage
with their rear ends when they are moved into contact with the brushes s', and
retain them in this position until the carriage d has moved to the rear end of its
travel, when inclined surfaces on arms d extending rearwardly from the nut f,
engage with inwardly-extending arms on the pawls y and cause the said pawls to
release the levers wand allow the same to move away from the brushes & under the
action of their springs w. In order to bring the said levers w, simultaneously into
engagement with the pawls y, and bring the brushes w, into contact with the
brushes, a bar z is arranged to move loosely in guides across the upper side of
the arms; this bar z is provided near one end with a pin 2 adapted to engage
with the inner side of one lever 1, and is pivotally connected at its other end to
one arm of a lever which is pivoted at to the corresponding arm and has its
other arm suitably formed to engage with the inner side of the other lever w.
The bar is connected by means of a chain to a handle so that, when the
arms are in their innermost position, and the handle is pulled outward, the
rear ends of the levers w will be moved outwards until locked by the pawls y,
and the rollers, w³, thus brought into contact with the blacking brush s'.
In using my improved apparatus, the rollers and the recessed part of
the roller are supplied with blacking, and the roller w³ and the absorbent
part of the roller are moistened with water, beer or other suitable liquid, the
said rollers being held out of contact with the blacking brushes by the means
hereinbefore described.
-
Assuming that the brushes s, s', s are all raised above and supported by the
arms, the brush v to be in the centre of the horizontal shaft u, and the clutch-
sleeve to be in engagement with the bevel-wheel h, with the spring in tension,
and that a boot or shoe to be cleaned, preferably having a last therein, bas been
placed on the rest and the said rest pressed forward so as to bring the nut f
into engagement with the thread on the feed-screw g, then since the main shaft b
is rotating in tlie direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2, the following
operations will be performed, iz; the carriage d will be moved along the said
feed-screw, so as to cause the boot or shoe upon it to pass between and have its
sides brushed by the lowermost or cleaning brushes s, and at the same time force
the arms outward against the pull of their springs As the boot or shoc
passes between these brushes, the front part of the said boot or shoe is moved
beneath the brush . When the brush has ridden up on to the front of the

page_text: into
boot or shoe, and the brushes shave met immediately behind it so as to clean the
back of the heel, the arm on the rest & disengages the pawl m from the lever k
and allows the clutch to be thrown over by the spring and thus reverse the
rotary motion of the feed-screw g so as to bring the boot or shoe on the rest d
back to its original position, allowing the brush and shaft u to descend, and again
moving apart the arms n. The boot or shoe having had the dirt, removed from
it by the brushes s and e, is ready to receive the blacking. For this purpose, the
clutch is reset by means of the handle, the arms are moved away from each
other, by turning the handle p to a sufficient distance to bring the brushes sout
of engagement with the arms and allow them to fall to the bottom of the
shafts g, the brushes s¹, s2, being meanwhile held up by the projections a²; the
arms are then allowed to move inward, when the blacking brushes s', which
have been held up by the projections a², will drop on to the arms and be thereby
supported in position for use; the rollers 10, wo are now brought into engagement
with the blacking brushes by means of the handle; the brushes, 11, 2
on the horizontal shaft u are displaced so as to bring the blacking-brush
the operative position, and the blacking and moistening roller moved down
into contact with the brush : The rest d is now moved forward so as to bring
the nut into engagement with the thread on the feed-screw g, and the boot or
shoe on the said rest makes another forward and backward motion between and
beneath the brushes. At the end of its travel in a forward direction, the rest d,
by means of the inclines on the arms ', causes the pawlsy to release the levers w,
thus allowing the springs to withdraw the rollers 103, 3 from contact with
the blacking-brushes s; at the same time the roller is held in its uppermost
position by means of the notched arm . In this manner blacking and moisture
are only supplied to the brushes s', e, during the forward travel of the rest, d,
the blacking so supplied being transferred to the boot or shoe during both the
forward and the backward motion of the same. After the return of the boot or
shoe to its original position, the blacking-brushes s' are allowed to fall beneath
the arms and the polishing-brushes s to fall onto the said arms; the horizontal
polishing brush is then moved into the operative position, and the rest d
caused to move the boot or shoe forward and backward to permit of its being
operated upon by the polishing brushes, The cleaned and polished boot or
shoe is then removed from the rest d and replaced by another to be cleaned and
polished.
In the modification of my invention shown in Figure 5, the rest or carriage d
is moved along the guides by the nut f through the medium of a band or
chain e which is attached at its ends to the opposite ends of the said rest d and
in the middle to the nut f. The said band or chain e moves over guide-pulleys el, et
at each end of the machine and is provided along part of its outer side with a band
or belt e² of leather or other suitable flexible material which covers the guide-
way and protects the guide-bars, feed-screw and adjacent parts from the dust and
the like removed from the boots or shoes. In this arrangement, the bevel-pinion g¹
is mounted directly on the end of the feed-screw g.
Trays or guards can also be provided in suitable positions to catch and retain
the dust and other material flying from the brushes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
First. A machine for cleaning, blacking and polishing boots and shoes, which
is constructed with a reciprocating support for the boot or shoe, so arranged
relatively to resiliently-supported rotary brushes that it will automatically intro-
duce the boot or shoe to be cleaned into position to be operated upon by the
Baid brushes and withdraw it therefrom, substantially as herein before described.
Second. A machine for cleaning, blacking and polishing boots and shoes, where-
in the boot or shoe is passed repeatedly to and fro between vertical rotary shafts

page_text: carrying sets of brushes which are automatically displaced thereon relatively to
the boot or shoe, so that the latter will be operated upon successively by the several
pairs of brushes, for the purposes above specified.
Third. A machine for cleaning, blacking and polishing boots and shoes, wherein
a reciprocating support for the boot or shoe is arranged to be moved relatively
to resiliently-supported brushes by means of a feed-screw and nut, substantially
as, and for the purposes, herein before described.
Fourth. The combination of rotary brushes mounted on laterally-movable
parallel shafts for acting upon the sides and heel of a boot or shoe, rotary brushes
mounted on a horizontal shaft for acting upon the toe and front of the said boot
or shoe, and a reciprocating support for automatically introducing the said boot
or shoe between and beneath the said brushes and withdrawing it therefrom,
substantially as heroin before described.
Fifth. A rotary shaft having a set of rotary brushes for cleaning, blacking and
polishing boots and shoes, mounted thereou in such a manner that the said brushes
can be displaced longitudinally to permit of their acting successively on the boot
or shoe to be cleaned, substantially as, and for the purposes, described.
Sixth. The combination of vertical rotary shafts, brushes displaceable longi-
tudinally thereon, means for raising the said brushes, means for supporting them
in their raised position, and means for allowing them to fall when required, sub-
stantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore described.
Seventh. The use of swinging arms or frames carrying vertical shafts each
having a set of rotary brushes mounted thereon, and means whereby, in the
swinging movements of the said arms or frames, the said brushes will be suc-
cessively brought into and allowed to fall from their operative position, sub-
stantially as, and for the purposes, herein before described..
Eighth. The combination, with a rotary blacking-brush, in a machine for
the purposes specified, of a drum or roller having grooves or recesses to contain
a supply of blacking and adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with
the said blacking-brush, substantially as described.
Ninth. The combination, with a rotary blacking-brush, in a machine for. the
purposes specified, of a grooved or recessed roller adapted to contain a supply of
blacking, a drum or roller covered with felt or other suitable absorbent material,
and means for automatically moving the said roller into and out of contact with
the said blacking-brush, substantially as, and for the purposes, herein before
"described.
Tenth. The drum or roller having a part of its periphery provided with grooves.
to contain a supply of blacking, and another part thereof covered with felt or
other absorbent material, substantially as, and for the purposes, hereinbefore
described.
Eleventh. The combination of a brush mounted on a horizontal shaft carried
by rocking arms or brackets, one or more rollers mounted on a pivoted arm or
lever and adapted to rest upon the said brush, and means for holding the said
roller or rollers in an elevated position when raised by the brush, as, and for the
purposes, herein before described:
Twelfth. The improved machine for cleaning, blacking and polishing boots and
shoes, constructed substantially as described with reference to the accompanying
drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, above specified.
ted this th day
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.