A REVOLVING, BLOWING, AND VENTILATING WATER EXTRACTOR FOR DRYING CLOTH
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
for the Invention of "A REVOLVING, BLOWING, AND VENTILATING WATER
EXTRACTOR FOR DRYING CLOTH."-A communication from T. F. King, of
the City of New York. in the United States of America.
Sealed the 6th June 1854, and dated the 6th April 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th April 1854.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "A REVOLVING, BLOWING, AND VENTILATING
WATER EXTRACTOR FOR DRYING CLOTH," communicated to me by T. F. King, of
the City of New York, in the United States of America, to be as follows :—
This Invention relates to an improved method of drying cloth, clothes, and
other materials, by means of a revolving perforated vessel or basket, through
the bottom of which a current of hot or cold air is allowed to pass, and having
fanners projecting externally from the circumference of the said basket, which
with its fans revolves in a tub or other circular vessel, furnished with a pipe at
the bottom for the admission of a current of hot or cold air, and a spout on
one side for the emission of air driven off from the fanners, which revolve in a

page_text: trough, terminating in the spout above mentioned. The bottom of the tub has
a pipe running below it from the outside, along which the hot or cold air
passes into the perforated basket through, a conical vessel arranged round its
centre. The basket is provided with a moveable wooden cover, to allow the
clothes to be taken in or out; and to prevent any air from escaping between
the rim of the basket and the tub, a piece of felt is fastened to the latter, and
slightly projecting over the basket, thus forming an air-tight joint. The
basket is so arranged, that whilst revolving a current of hot or cold air can be
admitted from the bottom, and the clothing being placed within the circum-
ference of the basket, the fanners, throwing the air out of the spout, causes a
current of air to pass through the clothes, while the centrifugal force throws
off the water, and that by a less velocity than would be required without the
use of fanners.
The air may be heated before its entry into the bottom of the tub, or a fire
or heater may be placed below the tub, thus heating the air as it passes
through the bottom of the tub into the basket.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letter's Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license, that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "A REVOLVING,
BLOWING, AND VENTILATING WATER EXTRACTOR FOR DRYING CLOTH," Commu-
nicated to me by. T. F. King, of the City of New York, in the United States

page_text: of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, 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 John Henry Johnson, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:--
The said Invention relates to an improved method of drying cloth and
other materials, as well as garments, by means of a revolving perforated vessel
or basket, through the bottom of which a current of hot or cold air is allowed
to pass, and having fanners projecting externally from the circumference of
the said basket, which with its fans revolves in a tub or other circular vessel,
furnished with a pipe at the bottom for the admission of a current of hot or
cold air, and a spout on one side for the omission of air driven off from the
fanners, which revolve in a trough terminating in the spout above mentioned.
The bottom of the tub has a pipe running below it from the outside, along
which the hot or cold air passes into the perforated basket through a conical
vessel arranged round centre. The basket is provided with a moveable
wooden cover to allow the clothes to be taken in or out, and to prevent any
air from escaping between the rim of the basket and the tub; a piece of felt
is fastened to the latter, and slightly projecting over the basket, thus forming
an air-tight joint. The basket is so arranged, that whilst revolving a current
of hot or cold air can be admitted from the bottom, and the articles to be
dried being placed within the circumference of the basket, the fanners,
throwing the air out of the spout, causes a current of air to pass through the
clothes, while the centrifugal force throws off the water, and that by a less
velocity than would be required without the use of fanners. The air may be
heated before it enters the bottom of the tub, or a fire or heater may be
placed below the tub, thus heating the air as it passes through the bottom
of the tub into the basket.
And in order that the said Invention may be more readily understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several Figures on the Sheets of Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Fig. 1 represents a vertical section through the centre of the machine.
Ficide horizontal contion at the line A and D

page_text: A is a perforated basket attached to a centre piece B at the bottom by the
plates or arms c, c. The top side of this basket is provided with a moveable,
wooden cover, to put in or take out the clothing.
D are fans which are attached to the outer periphery of the basket.
E is a conical perforated plate fast on the inside of the basket, in such a
manner as to bring the clothing near the inner periphery of the basket, and
allow the air to pass through it.
F is an upright shaft, to which the centre piece B, and consequently the
basket, is attached, and by which the basket is made to turn.
The center piece B has openings O through it, to allow the air to pass up
into the basket.
G is a tub made of cast iron or any other suitable material, provided with a
spout H, to allow the air to escape.
A plate K is fastened to the inside of this tub below the fans of the basket, to
prevent any air from passing out without penetrating first through the clothing,
but allowing sufficient space for the water (thrown out by the centrifugal force)
to pass into the space L of the tub.
In the lower part of this tub hot air is admitted at I, and passes then up
through the holes O into the basket, or a heater may be placed in the same to
heat the air coming in at I while passing up into the basket.
M is a friction pulley fast to the top of the shaft F, and resting on three
friction pulleys M', two of which are shewn in the Drawing, by one of which
the basket is turned.
N is the frame which holds the shaft and pullies.
P is a pin, fast in the bottom of the shaft and in connection with the lever
R, by which the basket and shaft can be raised, thereby throwing the same
out of gearing. To prevent any air passing out at the top between the rim of
the basket and the tub, a piece of felt is fastened to the latter, and projects
partly over the revolving basket.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe
or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom, without deviating from
the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what I consider to
be novel & original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the application and use of a revolving basket, with fans or wings on the
outside periphery, placed inside a tub, provided with a spout; the centrifugal

page_text: motion of the basket and fans producing a current of air through the materials
to be operated upon, and preventing thereby the necessity of the great speed
required to extract the water by centrifugal force alone.
Second, I claim so constructing the bottom of the basket as to allow a cur-
rent of hot or cold air to pass in near the centre, and pass out through the
materials or articles to be dried.
Third, I claim the arrangement of placing a heater directly under or in the
tub, in such a manner as to heat the air before the same passes into the
basket.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of August, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)