IMPROVEMENTS IN HAIR-BRUSHING MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Neat and Francis Ford, both of the Town
and County of the Town of Southampton, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Neat and Francis
Ford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 5th September 1865.
We, JOSEPH NEAT and FRANCIS FORD, both of the Town and County of the
Town of Southampton, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAIR-BRUSHING MACHINERY OR APPARATUS," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to lessen the cost of the endless band brush
patented by Joseph Neat under the No. 2999, A.D. 1864, by decreasing its
length, and so adapting it to the machine that it may be passed to the front
and over every part of the head of the person operated upon, whether it be
made on an elastic, semi-elastic, or non-elastic foundation, leather for example.
Hitherto the grooved cylinder or drum carrying and driving the endless band
brush together with the driving pulley on its spindle has been supported in a
fixed bearing on the standard, it therefore always maintained the same position,
and the endless band brush was brought to the front and sides of the head
only by means of its own elasticity and the arrangement of the springs of the

page_text: operating drum. We do not propose to alter in any way the present arrange-
ment of the operating drum, but we propose making the other drum move-
able instead of fixed, and this may be effected by carrying it with its driving
pulley at the extremity of a cranked lever pivoting on the same centre as the
fly wheel and driving pulley supported on the standard. As in the original
machine a driving band passes from the pulley on the driving wheel to that
on the spindle of the grooved cylinder or drum, and power is obtained by
means of a compound treadle coming beneath the chair, so that the person
seated may set the machine at work by a simple treadle coming beneath the
foot of the hairdresser by a crank on the fly wheel by steam or by any con-
venient method. While the back hair is being brushed the drum at the end
of the lever is left in a line coincident with the angle of the inclined plane
supporting the hair, but when the hairdresser wishes to bring the brush
to the front of the head he depresses the opposite end of the lever, which in
pivoting brings the drum up to a more horizontal line with the head, and
necessarily nearer to it, thus enabling the hairdresser to bring the operating
drum to the front, although the foundation of the endless band brush may
possess no elasticity. If the opposite end of the lever be sufficiently depressed
the grooved cylinder may be brought above the horizontal line, when the
endless band brush will act upon the head with an upward and not a downward
action as in its original position. The lever may be worked by a guide within
reach of the person seated in the operating chair, and the drum on the lever
be inclined to correspond with the position of the operating drum when
brushing the side of the head if desired.
The main characteristic of this Invention is making the driving cylinder or
drum moveable instead of fixed, so that it may be brought into different
positions in relation to the head of the person operated upon, and economize
in length of endless band brush, which is not necessarily elastic.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Neat and Francis Ford in the Great Seal Patent 30
Office on the 3rd March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
NEAT and FRANCIS FORD, both of the Town and County of the Town of
Southampton, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent bearing date the Fifth day of Sentember in the year of our Lond
-

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Joseph Neat and Francis Ford, Her special licence that we, the
said Joseph Neat and Francis Ford, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Joseph Neat and Francis Ford, our
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 HAIR-
BRUSHING MACHINERY OR APPAratus,” upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Joseph Neat and Francis Ford, our executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under our, or one of our, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same 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 Joseph Neat, for myself and on behalf
of my co-patentee, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and.
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawing forming part of this our Specification, and
to the figures and letters of reference placed thereon.
The object of this Invention is to lessen the cost of the endless band brush
part of the hair brushing apparatus patented by Joseph Neat under the
No. 2999; and date of 1st December A.D. 1864, by decreasing its length and
so modifying the apparatus that the brush may be passed to the front and
over every part of the head of the person operated upon, whether it be made
on an elastic, semi-elastic, or non-elastic foundation, leather for example.
Hitherto the spindle or shaft of the grooved cylinder or drum carrying and
driving the endless band brush has been supported in a fixed bearing on the
standard, and consequently the said cylinder always remained in the same
position, the endless band brush being brought to the front and sides of tho
head only by means of its own elasticity, and the arrangement of the springs
carrying the operating drum. We effect the improvements above set forth
by rendering the above-mentioned grooved cylinder moveable, and so fitting it
in the machine that it may be raised or lowered at pleasure, describing in
its movement a segment of a circle, and consequently being nearer to or

page_text: further from the head of the person operated upon according to the degree of
elevation or depression given to it.
:
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation illus
trating the mechanical arrangement which we have adopted for rendering
the grooved cylinder moveable in the manner required;' Figure 2, side view
of same; Figure 8, grooved cylinder and driving pulley detached from the
machine; Figure 4, front view of lever detached from Figure 1; Figure, 5,
end view of same; and Figure 6, a different form of lever. It will be seen
that the shaft or spindle a, upon which the grooved cylinder 6 and driving
pulley c are keyed, is carried in a bearing d (Figure 4) at the end of a lever e,
pivoting at f on the fixed standard g. As in the original machine a driving band
passes from the pulley h of the fly wheel i to the pulley c, and power may be
obtained by means of a compound treadle coming beneath the chair, so that
the person seated may set the machine at work by a simple treadle worked by
the foot of the hairdresser by a crank on the By wheel by steam or any con-
venient method. The cylinder b may be counterbalanced by a weight placed
upon the hook j, and it will then rise whenever the hairdresser draws the
endless band brush forward by means of the operating drum, and be brought
down again by means of the elastic band spring k when the forward tension
is relaxed. This will usually suffice for brushing ladies' hair, but in brushing
men's hair it is sometimes found desirable to raise the cylinder a to or above
the horizontal line, and in such case, whether it be counterbalanced or not, a
bandle must branch from the lever to within easy reach of the hairdresser's
hand, so that he may lift the cylinder by a pull or a push, according to the
point of the lever from which the hande branches, or the extent to which the
lever is cranked or bent. A catch is fixed on the standard to seize one end
of the lever, and retain the cylinder in the position to which it has been raised,
or a ratchet wheel and click or other means may be used for this purpose.
The holes 1, 11, in the lever e (see Figure 4) are intended to change its
fulcrum to suit the length of the endless brush to be used. The dotted lines
(Figure 1) indicate the course of the cylinder 6 in rising and lowering.
m (Figure 1), bent rod; from which the springs of the operating drum may
be suspended when it is impossible or inconvenient to suspend them from the
ceiling. We have not shewn the other parts of the machine as they do not
differ from the arrangement described and illustrated in the Specification of
the aforesaid Letters Patent, No. 2999, A.D. 1864. The apparatus being
set at work the hairdresser leaves the cylinder b (which carries and drives
the endless band brush) in a line coincident with the angle of the inclined
plane supporting the hair, but when he wishes to bring the brush to the front

page_text: b
b
of the head he depresses the end of the lever e (by drawing the brush for-
ward, or by means of a handle, as already described), and the lever in pivoting
brings the cylinder 6 up to a more horizontal line, and necessarily nearer the
head of the person whose hair is being brushed, the hairdresser can then
bring the brush to the front, although it may be made upon a leather or any
other foundation possessing no elasticity. If the end j of the lever be suffi-
ciently depressed, the cylinder 6 may be brought above the horizontal line,
and the endless band brush be made to act upon the head with an upward
and not a downward movement, which renders this hair-brushing machine as
suitable for brushing men's as ladies' hair. The cylinder might be set upon
the lever, or the lever itself be so set on its pivot as to permit its being
inclined to correspond with the inclination given to the operating drum when
brushing the side of the head.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the means by
which we carry it into practical effect, we would here observe that we do not
confine ourselves to the precise mechanical arrangement herein described and
illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, as it will be evident that
other well known mechanical contrivances might be adopted to carry out this
Invention; and that we claim as the Invention secured to us by the above
in part recited Letters Patent rendering the cylinder or drum 6 moveable in
the manner and for the purposes berein set forth, instead of fixed as in the
original machine, whether it be effected by the precise mechanical arrange-
ment herein described and illustrated on the annexed Sheet of Drawing, or
by any analogous or well known mechanical device.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Neat, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.