A Portable Machine for Washing, Scrubbing, and Cleansing Floors.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 11th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Portable Machine for Washing, Scrubbing, and Cleansing Floors.
We, JAMES EDWIN GEE, and WILLIAM JOHN GEE, both of Corporation
Road, Middlesbrough-on-Tees, in the County of York, Lithographers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
Our invention relates to a machine for washing, scrubbing and cleansing floors;
the object in view being to construct a machine which is portable by hand power,
and which carries with it the water or cleansing agent for washing the floor, the
means for effectually applying the cleansing agent, and in combination with this
the means to swob up and collect the slop and dirt, leaving the floor in a condition
in which it can be left to dry in the usual manner.
In the construction of a machine embodying our invention, a general frame is
mounted upon wheels, the front wheels being secured to the front axle and the
rear wheels to the rear axle, so that by gearing of a suitable kind the rotation of
the carrier wheels imparts the requisite action to the several moving parts of the
machine. These parts consist as follows:-Beneath a tank or cistern containing the
cleansing agent, such as clean water, are placed the scrubbing brushes rotating in
contact with the floor. The brushes are geared to and derive their rotation from
the axle of the front carrier wheels preferably in the reverse direction to the
advance of the machine. A suitably regulated discharge of water from the tank
or cistern above is supplied to the brushes and utilised by them as the cleansing
agent. An endless towel or slop cloth of suitable absorbent material passing over
rollers wipes the floor behind, swobbing up and collecting the slop into another
tank or cistern placed at the rear of the machine. The rollers by which the towel
or slop cloth
operated and strained derive their rotation from the axle of the
rear wheels to which they are geared. The following may be taken as the kind of
arrangement required:-A roller preferably cushioned by bristles or padding is
rotated by spur wheel gearing in contact with the floor. Another roller carried
round by the friction of the towel and also preferably cushioned by bristles or
padding rotates in the upper part of the machine frame over which the towel is
led down into the collecting tank to discharge its slop, and under a third roller
from which it is led up between two rollers furnished with springs and adjustable
bearings after the fashion of a mangle, and driven by a chain and sprocket wheel
from the axle below. The towel or slop cloth which is thus discharged of slop and
wet, by the pressure of the rollers is led down to the first roller in contact with
the floor. But this arrangement must be understood to illustrate in what way our
invention may be carried into effect in respect of collecting the slop discharged
from the scrubbers as the machine advances over its work.
In combination with the above described construction of machine in which the
wheels are fixed to their axles, we prefer to provide means for enabling the
machine to be readily guided or turned round, and for this purpose provide
castors or small wheels rotating in legs, ends or strut frames extending down
either side of the frame between the two carrier wheels. These legs or struts
are free to slip up or down in the direction of their length so as to take no share of
the weight of the machine unless locked in position by springs or levers or their
equivalents when the load can be thrown upon them by bodily lifting or otherwise
tilting the machine at one end, and the machine is then turned about its centre
without difficulty.

page_text: To confine the slop within the track covered by the machine instead of oosing
out onto the already cleansed or adjacent parts of the floor, we provide what are
termed squeejees or slop guards extending along and in contact with the floor on
both sides of the machine to which they are attached, and if desirable a transverse
squeejee or slop guard intercepts and drives forward slop that might be left on the
track itself.
Dated this 0th day of February 1805
We, JAMES EDWIN GEE and WILLIAM JOHN GEE, both of Corporation
Road, Middlesbrough-on-Tees, in the County of York, Lithographers, 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:-
Our invention relates to a machine for washing, scrubbing and cleansing floors,
the object in view being to construct a machine which is portable by hand-power,
and which carries with it the water or cleansing agent for washing the floor, the
means for effectually applying the cleansing agent, and in combination with these
the means to swob up and collect the slop and dirt, leaving the floor in a condition
in which it can be left to dry in the usual manner.
In the construction of a machine embodying our invention a general or main
frame is mounted upon wheels, the front wheels being secured to the front axle
and the rear wheels fitted to the rear axle in a manner capable of gearing or
interlocking with other parts so that the rotation of the carrier wheels in the
forward direction imparts the requisite action to the several moving parts of the
machine in the manner hereinafter described.
But it is to be understood that in carrying out this invention we do not limit
ourselves to the precise means shown in the accompanying drawings for operating
the mechanism, as it will be readily seen how such mechanism can be modified and
varied according to the general design of the machine, but an arrangement of
mechanism constituting the several details of the machine is shown which is to be
taken as indicating what is suitable for the purposes of our invention and with
which the essential features thereof can be conveniently combined.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying our invention.
Figure 2 is an end elevation and Figure 3 a plan view.
Figures 4 to 12 are some of the details drawn to a larger scale.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
Beneath a tank or cistern a containing the cleansing agent, such as clean water,
are placed the scrubbing brushes bb rotating in contact with the floor. The
brushes are geared to and derive their rotation from the axle of the front
carrier wheels, preferably in the reverse direction to the advance of the machine,
and are furnished with rows of bristles arranged spirally like the blades of a
lawn mower.
A suitably regulated discharge of water from the tank or cisteru a
is supplied to the brushes and utilized by them as the cleansing agent. The
lever c with the hand wheel c¹ for adjusting it operates the system of links and
levers shown in Figure 4 as connected to the brushes bb. This arrangement is
intended to enable the brushes to be set further apart or nearer together as
required and thereby adjusting the degree of pressure with which they should be

page_text: 3
applied to the floor. d is a tube for discharging the water onto or in front of the
brushes and is controlled by the levers d'd. A form of pipe adapted for this
purpose is illustrated both in side view and end view in Figures 5 and 6, the part d³
being in the form of a cock, so that by turning the tube about its axis, water is
turned on or off. d is a drip brush carried in front of the machine in contact with
the floor to promote an equal distribution of water in front of the scrubbing
brushes. An endless towel or slop cloth e passing round a series of rollers f¹ƒ ƒ³ƒª
wipes the floor behind the scrubbing brushes, swobbing up and collecting the slop
into another tank or cistern g. The rollers by which the towel or slop cloth is
operated and strained derive their rotation from the axle of the rear wheels, which
is geared to the bottom roller f¹ and by an endless band with the upper roller f
Roller is furnished with tufts of bristles adapted to press the slop cloth
effectually into the inequalities of the floor, and is preferably mounted on its axis
in front of the axis of the rear carrier wheels for the reason hereinafter given.
f2 is the straining roller which is shown in sectional views in Figures 7 and 8,
suspended from adjustable hanger bolts. The slop is strained out of the cloth e,
by means of the roller f which is driven by an endless chain or its equivalent
from the axle of the rear wheels and adjusted to its work by the set screw and
hand wheel h² so as to mangle the cloth against roller f³. The system of
levers are arranged to adjust the bottom rollerf' to the floor, the radial hanger
bars admitting of the requisite movement for this purpose. The slop cloth e
must be both non-elastic and absorbent such as when made up of a back or frame
of hemp, jute or the like unstretchable material lined or covered with a surface of
wool or the like absorbent material.
In combination with the above described construction of machine in which the
wheels are made to drive all the moving parts, we provide means for enabling the
machine to be readily guided or turned round or to be drawn back on the rear
wheels without setting the operating machinery in motion. The device employed
to attain this end is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, and consists of a pin m forced
under the constant pressure of the spring m¹ into a slot m², but the slots m² being
feather edged, that is taper to nothing in one direction, the pin m can only
interlock the carrier wheel to the pulley or chain wheel n in one direction, the
slots slipping past the pin in the reverse direction. The pulley or chain wheel »
is secured to the main axle, and the rear carrier wheels are loose so that they
will only drive the operating mechanism in one direction, and run free in the other
direction. The machine being suitably balanced is readily tilted off the front
wheels and drawn back or turned round on the rear wheels alone, which are
advantageously larger in diameter than the front wheels to the extent shown in the
drawing.
It may here be observed that the reason why the bottom slop cloth roller fis
preferably mounted in front of the axis of the rear carrier wheels is that when the
machine is tilted to turn it round this roller is lifted clear of the floor which
prevents the slop cloth being disarranged each time the machine is turned round.
f is a roller adjustably attached to the frame to steady and suitably strain the
cloth e and to extend its circumferential contact with the roller f'. All the wheels
are furnished with rubber soles roughened with ridges and serrations to give an
increased grip on the floor.
66
To confine the slop within the track covered by the machine, instead of oozing
onto the already cleaned or adjacent parts of the floor we provide what are termed
squee-jees" or slop guards o extending along and in contact with the floor on
both sides of the machine to which they are attached by devices constructed to
apply an elastic pressure so that the soles of the "squee-jees" may accomodate
themselves to an uneven floor. A device adapted for this purpose is shown in
Figures 11 and 12, in which a piston and cylinder arrangement is combined with
a spiral spring adjusted to the requisite pressure by a nut. The "squee-jees" or
slop guards follow the contour of the frame of the machine in front, but are
preferably curved inwards at their tail ends as shown at o' o' in Figure 3.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said iuven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The several arrangements and combinations of parts, constituting a machine for
washing, scrubbing and cleansing floors, which machine is portable by hand power
and carries with it the water or cleansing agent for washing the floor, the means
for applying the cleansing agent, and in combination with these the means for
swobbing up and collecting the slop and dirt, constructed and operating as herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent, Stockton-on-Tees,
Agent for the Applicants.
G. J. CLARKSON,
Chartered Patent Agent, Stockton-on-Tees,
Agent for the Applicants.