A New or Improved Mechanical Brush for Cleaning Horses and other Animals.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1899--Accepted, 7th Oct., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Mechanical Brush for Cleaning Horses and
other Animals.
I, RICHARD HOMER SPRAGUE, of Adeline, in the Parish of St. Mary and State
of Louisiana, United States of America, Manufacturer, 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: -
The object of my invention is to provide a portable device driven by electrical
or other power and adapted to be guided by hand over the body of a horse or
other animal, whereby dust and other foreign substances are thoroughly removed
and the hair is well brushed and smoothed more quickly and effectively and with
less liability to injury than has heretofore been possible.
To this end, my invention consists in a pair of brush rollers revolving in
opposite directions mounted in a supporting frame and provided with a suitable
guiding handle by which the device may be moved and turned, as desired, with-
out interfering with the action of said rollers.
One form of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side view.
Fig. 2 is a top view.
Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.
Same letters indicate similar parts in the different figures.
A-B are brush rollers of convenient size and shape mounted respectively
upon the shafts a-b journalled in the frame C. The bristles of one of these
rotary brushes or brush rollers are somewhat harsher than those of the other, it
being intended that the harsher roller should brush up the hair somewhat forcibly,
shaking or picking dust, mud, dandruff, or other foreign substances from between
the different hairs, while the softer brush, operating in a reverse way, smooths
down the hair after thus being freed and cleaned by the harsher brush. Motion
is communicated to the shaft 6 from an electric or other motor, not shown, by
the chain connection c. A chain connection is preferred, as it combines the
stiffness needed to convey the desired power of rotation and the flexibility re-
quired to enable the cleaning device to be turned into various positions and
angles without interfering with its operation.
Motion is communicated from the shaft 6 to the shaft a in a reverse direction
as follows: The shaft 6 carries the pressure or friction roller D which bears
against the friction roller D¹ on the shaft d journalled in the frame C. The
roller D¹ bears against the roller D³ on the shaft also journalled in the
frame C; and this latter roller D³ bears against the friction roller D3 on the
shaft a.
E is a dust pan mounted upon the frame C between the rotary brushes, so as
to catch the dust and other foreign matter gathered up by the brushes.
F is a handle adjustably connected to the frame, as shown in Fig. 1, turning
about a pivot e and held temporarily in a fixed position by the bolt f which is
•

page_text: fitted into the orifices g-g which correspond with the desired position of the
handle.
G is a latch, by means of which, the pan E is held steady.
It will be readily understood that when motion is communicated to the brush
roller B from the motor, not shown, said roller will revolve in one direction
while the other roller A will revolve simultaneously in the opposite direction,
whereby, as the machine is passed over the body of a horse or other animal, the
hair is brushed up by one brush and brushed down by the other, the same being
cleaned meanwhile from all foreign substances which had collected therein. If
it is desired to have the brushes A and B revolve at different speeds, it can be
easily accomplished by altering the relative sizes of the rollers D-D¹-D²-D³,
so that a single revolution of the shaft b shall be converted into more or less
than one revolution of the shaft a.
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:
The above described mechanical horse cleaner which consists in a pair of
brush rollers revolving in opposite directions mounted in a supporting frame
and provided with a suitable guiding handle, by which the device may be moved
and turned, as desired, without interfering with the action of said rollers.
Dated this 4th day of August 1899.
RICHARD HOMER SPRAGUE,
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.