Improvements in Clothes Washing Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Clothes Washing Machines.
DAVID MORGAN, General Smith & Gas Fitter, 76, Broad Quay, Bristol, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The improvements consists in making a wood or metal trough fixed on 4 legs
or frame. To one side of the trough is fixed an iron frame carrying 2 cog wheels
working in each other one with handle to turn it, the other keyed on a spindle
which crosses the trough to the other side, and revolves in bearings, on the
spindle is fixed 2 eccentric pulleys, which revolves with the spindle, in those
pulleys the ends of 2 forked levers work. The levers are pivoted on central
bearings, so as to occilate up & down & have connecting rods at each end and
communicate motion to a fluted wood roller & wood rubber plugged with india
rubber, the roller and rubber is the length of trough crosswise. The roller is
made to revolve when at work, by having a brass wheel fixed on the end &
receives motion from 2 springs fixed in position to work in the cogs
Dated this 2nd day of May 1898.
Improvements in Clothes Washing Machines.
I, DAVID MORGAN, General Smith & Gas Fitter, of 76, Broad Quay, Bristol, 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 this invention is to provide a machine for washing clothes and
giving them the required rubbing and squeezing usually imparted by hand.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side elevation, Figure 3 a longitudinal section
of a machine made according to my invention, and Figure 4 shows part of the
mechanism.
a is a trough of metal or wood supported in any suitable manner.
On one
side of the trough is a bracket b carrying a toothed hand wheel c gearing with
a wheel on the spindle d' carrying an eccentric or cam de embraced by a forked
lever fast with the shaft e supported in bearings on the trough. The lever d
gives motion by means of the link f to the rocking lever f¹ fulcrummed to the
bracket b. From the ends of this lever f¹ depend two links f f³ connected
the one to the axle g of a roller g¹ and the other to a rubber h of the cross section
shown in Figure 3. The roller and rubber are drawn together by the spring f

page_text: connecting the links and are preferably fluted and covered with india rubber
or some similar substance and also provided with knobs or projections ; for the
purpose of getting a grip of the clothes.
On the axle g is a ratchet wheel & engaging with a ratchet pivotted to the
trough while a detent is pivotted to the link f². It will be seen that each
time the roller g descends owing to the rocking of the lever f¹ it is turned one
tooth by the ratchet but it is prevented from turning during the upward move-
ment by the detent 2. In order to wash the clothes it is only necessary for the
attendant to insert one end between the roller and rubber and turn the hand
wheel when the clothes are gradually drawn downwards being rubbed meantime
between the rubber and roller.
It is usually well to surround the ratchet wheel and parts gearing with it with
a fence to keep the clothes from becoming entangled in it. The rocking
lever and the links f, fare duplicated on the other side of the machine to
which motion may be conveyed by the shaft e and arm f
At the further end of the trough drying rolls m may be provided to squeeze
out the larger part of the water from the clothes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The combination of a rubber, a roller, a spring for drawing them together,
and means for imparting to them a to and fro movement in opposite directions,
and at the same time a step by step rotation to the roller.
2. The combination of a washing trough, a rubber and roller within the trough
drawn together by a spring, and means for imparting to the rubber and roller a
to and fro movement in opposite directions, and also a motion of rotation to the
roller.
3. The combination of a rubber and roller carried by links, a rocking lever
carrying the links, a spring drawing the links together, means for rocking the
lever, and a ratchet wheel and pawls for rotating the roller.
Dated this 4th day of January 1899.
DAVID MORGAN.