A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CLEANING, SWEEPING, & PAINTING
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Harriet Sarah Paget, of Potter's Bar, for the Invention
of "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CLEANING, SWEEPING, & PAINTING,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Harriet Sarah Paget at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, on the 4th January 1876.
HARRIET SARAH PAGET, of Potter's Bar. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
CLEANING, SWEEPING, & PAINTING."
This Invention has for its object a new or improved machine for cleaning,
sweeping, and painting; for this purpose I proceed as follows:-To a suitable plat-
form I fix two uprights of suitable height and thickness, and which may be made
either of wood or metal. About midway between these uprights I fix a double
crank working in holes or slots formed in the uprights; such double crank is
furnished at one side thereof with a suitable handle to allow of its being worked
by hand when necessary, but I also arrange for its being worked by means of a
treadle, if preferred, in the following manner :-I fix a driving wheel of suitable
dimensions at the top of one of the uprights, and pass over such driving wheel
and the spindle of the double crank an endless band in the ordinary manner, and
work such driving wheel by means of a treadle fixed at the bottom of the machine,
and in order to allow the person so working the treadle to have perfect control of
the machine, I affix a handle at the top of each upright in some convenient position,
preferably at the sides, so as to allow of the operator grasping them, and thus
firmly holding the machine in any required position.
The double crank, before described, is furnished with two or more shafts working
easily upon hinge joints, and to these shafts are attached any requisite number of
handles (also working on hinge joints) furnished with suitable brushes, according
to the nature of the work to be performed; such handles pass through guide rests
fixed in front of them to the platform of the machine, and the heads of such guide
rests are provided with a screw to allow of their being tightened or loosened at
pleasure, according as a swift or slow motion of the brush may be required.
When necessary the brushes may be attached to the sides of the handles instead
of to their extremities; and in order to lower or raise any of the brushes as may be
required the handles are made in lengths and connected together by hinged joints,
or they may fit into sockets, or be joined together in any other convenient
manner.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Harriet Sarah Paget in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th July
1876.
HARRIET SARAH PAGET, of Potter's Bar. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
CLEANING, SWEEPING, AND PAINTING."
This Invention has for its object a new or improved machine for cleaning,
sweeping, and painting, and for other purposes, by the use of which a considerable
economy both in labour and time is effected. For this purpose I proceed as
follows-To a suitable platform I affix two uprights of a suitable height and
thickness, and which may be made either of wood or metal.
About midway
between these uprights I fix a double crank working in suitable orifices formed in
the before-mentioned uprights; such double crank is furnished at one side thereof
with a suitable handle to allow of its being worked by hand when necessary; but
I also arrange for its being worked by means of a treadle, if preferred, in the
following manner :-I fix a driving wheel of suitable dimensions at the top of one
of the uprights, and pass over such driving wheel and also over the spindle of the
double crank an endless band in the ordinary manner, and work such driving
wheel by means of a treadle fixed in any suitable manner to the bottom of the
machine; and in order to allow the person so working the treadle to have perfect
control of the machine I affix a handle at the top of each upright in some con-
venient position, preferably at the sides, so as to allow of the operator grasping
them, and thus firmly holding the machine in any required position.
The double crank, before described, is furnished with two or more shafts working
easily upon hinge joints, and to these shafts are attached any requisite number of
arms (also working on hinge joints) furnished with suitable brushes or other
cleaning apparatus, according to the nature of the work to be performed; such
arms pass through guide rests fixed in front of them to the platform of the machine,
and the heads of such guide rests are provided with a screw to allow of their being
tightened or loosened at pleasure, according as a swift or slow motion of the brush
may be required.
When necessary the brushes may be attached to the sides of the arms instead
of to their extremities; and in order to lower or raise any of the brushes or
cleaning pads or surfaces as may be required, the arms are inade in separate
lengths and connected together by hinged joints, or they may fit into sockets to be
joined together in any other convenient manner.
The cranks can be arranged to be of adjustable length by means of a slot at the
end of the crank, to which the other is fastened by means of a pin and nut.
Where a single arm is required a bell crank can be used instead of a double
crank.
Where the work to be done is near the ground, as in cleaning floors, grates,
sweeping, &c., the treadle moves the driving wheel, before described, which is placed
above the crank, but where the work can conveniently be raised the machine is
worked on a table like a sewing machine, the cranks revolving in suitable uprights
or standards. The large wheel moved by treadle being below the crank or cranks
an endless band passing round the large wheel passes over a sheave in the small fly
wheel on crank.
Where the machine being fitted with a double crank and only one
arm is
required the other can be taken off by unscrewing it. Crossway pieces curved or
straight can be fixed on the arms to enable the arms to carry a wider cleaning
apparatus, or to enable the cleaning apparatus to reach certain work. In any case
there can be a handle fixed to the outer side of the wheel.
When wheeled along the floor the machine is pushed with a handle like a
perambulator handle. In that case a guiding wheel is fixed to platform of the
machine in front, and small wheels are attached to the platform of the machine at
the sides, an endless band passing round one of which wheels causes the machine

page_text: to keep working, a band passing round the small wheel on one side and over the
large wheel above. A second double crank is fixed at the base of the uprights for
the purposes hereafter described.
When stationary a small wedge clip under the machine raises the small wheels
off the ground, and enables the operator to work the machine by treadle.
For sweeping up leaves on lawns, and similar work, the wheels are used broader;
one arm is made to revolve by means of a screw thread, and a nut with thread
attached by a small bracket to the other arm passing over the screw causes it to
revolve. Suitable cleaning implements are fixed to the end of the screw arm furthest
from the machine. The screw works freely in a socket fitted in a block placed in a
connecting fork at the end nearest to the crank, or the ends of the screw arms may
rest on suitable stands or brackets, and the nut attached to connecting fork.
By the word "arm" I mean any rod connected with the crank to carry cleaning
brushes, or other household cleaning implements or materials. The rods or arms
are joined to the crank in the ordinary manner by a connecting fork.
Suitable pressure can be made to bear on the arms according to the amount of
pressure required for the work by means of springs regulated by a screw.
Where the nature of the work may require it I use cog or other wheels, or
toothed wheels, to give motion to either or both of the cranks.
The arms can be made of any strong material chosen according to the work to
be done, metal or wood being preferable; and for some work, where the arm is
exposed to water or other liquid the arm may be made of galvanised iron.
The object of this Invention being to produce a machine of great and general
usefulness in a household, so that the same machine may by simply attaching
different cleaning or other implements to the arms, a great variety of work useful
in the maintenance of order and cleanliness in a house may be effected, os, for
instance, irons can be fastened to the arms, preferably the class of iron known
as box irons or similar irons, or an iron can be attached to one arm, and an iron or
steel roller or cylinder heated by hot irons slipped into grooves inside and secured
by a sliding lid at the side to the other arm, or only one arm can be used attached
to a bell crank, or if the double crank be used the operator, only wishing to use one
arm of the machine, the other can be taken off the crank.
The substance, material, or garment to be smoothed is placed on a board beneath
the arm or arms of the machine, the board being made of a suitable size to suit the
work, and arranged to move in any required direction beneath the irons by means
of wheels running in grooves on the machine table, which is made of a suitable size,
or the board may be simply affixed to the machine table, or the material or garment
to be smoothed or ironed laid on the machine table.
In cleaning silver and other plate, or plated or metal articles, I employ pads made
of india-rubber, cork, or other suitable substance, backed with wood, and covered
with chamois leather or other plate cleaning material, or plate brushes are attached
to the arms, or, if more convenient to the work, to one arm. The metal object to
be cleaned being held or fastened by a clamp sufficiently near the arms for the pads
or plate brushes to apply the necessary friction.
In boot and shoe cleaning I affix suitable brushes to the arın or arins, and
the boot or shoe held in convenient position on the machine table or fixed on a
boot-treo fastened like a bracket arm on the side of the machine table by means of
a screw or clamp.
For cleaning grates I attach brushes to the arm or arms of the machine, which is
placed near the grate; a strong curved fork of wire is fastened to the end of the
arm when it is required to remove cinders. This is then removed, and a suitable
brush substituted to apply the black lead, and polish either the screw rotary arm or
the other arm, or both may be fitted with brushes and used.
For sweeping I attach brushes to the ends of the arms of different construction,
the brush being chosen to suit the class of sweeping to be done. When the work
requires one class of sweeping one class of broom is attached, and at another time
another kind, reference being had to the class of work required to be done. A

page_text: dust.
cylinder-shaped broom with a pin down the entire length fastened to bracket
ends, which attach it to the arm of the machine like a roller, enabling it to revolve,
can be used, or a broom of this kind with an ordinary broom placed in front or
behind it can be fixed on one arm, or one kind on one arm and one kind on the
other arm. A small pan is placed behind or in front of the broom to receive the
Scrubbing brushes may be attached, which can be made self-filling from a small
reservoir for water on the back of the brush, the water passing to the bristles of the
brush. By means of slits or apertures in the back of the brush a sliding piece of
metal or other suitable substance is made to cover these holes when it is required to
shut off the supply of water.
A holder containing a squeezer or flannel or sponge, or all or either, may be
attached to cither arm as may be found most convenient to take up the superfluous
water or to complete the cleaning, or in some kinds of cleaning the flannel alone
may be used.
The flannel or sponge holder is furnished with a flat piece of wood or metal
which is worked by a screw at the side and presses against the flannel and
squeezes out the water.
A pin passes through the holder and flannel to secure the
flannel or sponge and the piece of wood or metal which is used to press out the
moisture. A hearthstone can be placed in a holder and attached if required.
In cleaning windows the arm of the machine is raised and lengthened by
additional lengths which are supported by an extra bracket, the end of the rod
being furnished with a holder for the sponge, cloth brush, or flannel used to clean
the window; the holder is in shape like a fork, with a clip to hold the material
used in cleaning firm.
In cleaning saucepans a special brush of a suitable size to execute the work is
attached to the revolving screw arm for the inside of the saucepan, and a brush is
attached to the other arm for the outside, the saucepan being held near the brush
or fastened by means of a bracket arm and clamp fixed to the machine table by a
screw or other suitable fastening. The kind of brush used for the inside has the
bristles arranged like those in ordinary use for bottle cleaning or on a cylinder-
shaped foundation.
Collars and clothes that require scrubbing with a brush can be placed on the
machine table and a suitable brush or brushes affixed to the arm or arms of the
machine, the material to be cleaned being held by the operator or kept in place by
clips or clamps.
In cleaning plates, dishes, and other similar articles I provide a framework with
one or more short arms to carry the flannel, brush, or other cleaning material, and
such arm or arms is or are fastened to the revolving screw arm in any suitable
manner, and the object to be cleaned placed on a stand attached by a bracket arm
fastened by a clamp or suitable screw to the edge of the tub or basin used to
contain the water. The stand turns on a pivot, so that both sides of the plate or
object to be cleaned may be turned to the cleaning surface; the other arm inay be
used if required. Sometimes the object to be cleaned may be placed on a holder
fastened on to the revolving arm, and the washing pad, brush, or cleaning material
being fastened on to the stand on the tub.
In cleaning knives the knives are placed in a holder between the two arms,
which are furnished with cleaning surfaces affixed to the sides of the arms which
clean the knives by friction, which can be regulated by means of a spring regulated
by a screw acting on the arms. Where it is required to clean a large number of
knives at once similar knife holders can be placed outside the sides of the arms as
well as between.
The cleaning surface for rubbing the knives is prepared of india-rubber or
wooden or cork rollers placed side by side covered with leather or suitable material,
and revolving freely on pins placed through each cylinder. These pins are fastened
into pieces of wood or metal above and below the rollers, or if preferred the
cleaning pads can be made plain instead of in the form of rollers. The knives can

page_text: also be placed in suitable holders beneath the arms of the machine, the cleaning
surface being then fixed under the arm instead of at the side.
In painting brushes made self-filling by means of a reservoir behind the brush
which is hollow, similar to that described in the Specification of my Patent,
No. 3661 of 1875, is attached to the arm, or an ordinary brush can be used or a
circular brush, the arm being fitted with a cap to prevent the paint flying in the
face of the operator as the brush revolves.
To clean clothes, linen, &c.-The guides being removed the arms of the machine
work perpendicularly through an aperture or apertures in the platform of the
machine. The arms pass through the lid of an oscillating vessel. Towards the
end of the arms perforated pieces of wood are placed. The arms work on guide
pins fastened to the vessel; one arm singly can be used. When additional strength
is required in moving the crank, toothed wheels may be used as well as or in
addition to the ordinary driving and fly wheels. The oscillating cylinder is
supported in the usual manner. The vessel can be made stationary if required.
Goffering irons may also be added by fastening a metal fluted cylinder to the
spindle of the crank, which cylinder is made hollow to allow of a heated iron being
placed inside to heat it, a similar fluted metal cylinder is also placed underneath,
which revolves freely by means of the motion imparted by the fluted cylinder
fastened on the spindle. Suitable pressure is imparted by a spring regulated by a
screw, and the two cylinders may be supported by means of uprights, or the fluted
cylinder can be placed at the end of the revolving arm.
The arms are raised or depressed by means of a rack and pinion, or in any
other suitable manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it
understood that what I claim and desire to secure by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent is the construction and use of a new or improved machine in
the manner and for the purposes herein-before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Harriet Sarah Paget, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
ADDIT NADAIT
PAGET. (L.S.)