IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hutchinson, of Bolton, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF WASHING MACHINES."
Sealed the 21st February 1873, and dated the 27th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hutchinson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th December 1872.
I, WILLIAM HUTCHINSON, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF WASHING MACHINES," to be as follows :—
The machine consists of a rectangular box or tub made with vertical
ends and sloping sides. In the ends upon parallel axes are mounted
four rollers, two near the top, and two near the bottom, the former being
wider apart than the latter, and round each pair of rollers (that is one
top and one bottom) pass two endless chains carrying transverse pro-
jecting ribs of wood, zinc, or other suitable material, the spaces between
the ribs being filled in with lags of wood, zinc, or other material, so that
the whole forms an endless flexible web passing round two rollers and

page_text: fitting in between the two vertical ends of the box or tub. The space
enclosed between these two endless, webs with their projecting ribs
(which is necessarily narrower at the bottom than at the top) forms the
receptacle for the clothes or other articles to be washed, and a rotary
motion is given to the rollers in opposite directions, so that the two
webs with their ribs are constantly moving. upwards, and this motion
effects the washing and rubbing of thic articles in the water or suds
contained in the box or tub.
The speed of movement of the two webs may be equal, but a better
rubbing and turning over of the articles is effected by causing one web 1
to run faster than the other. The rollers may be driven by chains or
toothed gearing actuated by a winch handle, and are provided with pegs
or teeth taking into links of the chain so as to prevent slipping.
In some cases I propose to substitute brushes entirely for the plain
transverse ribs, or to make the endless flexible webs with alternate I
plain ribs and brushes, according to the nature and quality of the articles
to be washed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Hutchinson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HUTCHINSON, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-two,
in the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Hutchinson, Her
special license that I, the said William Hutchinson, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Hutchinson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WASHING MACHINES," upon the con-

page_text: dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Hutchinson, my execu-
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing, under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hutchinson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to
say) :-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing is a vortical section; Fig. 2, an
end elevation; and Fig. 3, a plan view of my improved washing machine.
The machine consists of a rectangular box or tub made with vertical
ends a, a, and sloping sides b, b. In the onds upon parallel axes c, c,
are mounted four rollers d, d, d, d, two near the top and two near the
bottom, the former being wider apart than the latter, and round each
pair of rollers (that is one top and one bottom) pass two endless chains e, e,
carrying transverse projecting ribs f, f, of wood, zinc, or other suitable
material (see detached view, Fig. 4), the spaces between the ribs being
filled in with lags g, g, of wood, zinc, or other material, so that the
whole forms an endless flexible web passing round two rollers and fitting
in between the two vertical ends of the box or tub. The space enclosed
between these two endless webs with their projecting ribs (which is
necessarily narrower at the bottom than at the top) forms the receptacle
for the clothes or other articles to be washed, and a rotary motion is
given to the rollers d, d, in opposite directions, so that the two webs
with their ribs f, f, are constantly moving upwards, and this motion
effects the washing and rubbing of the articles in the water or suds
contained in the box or tub.
The speed of movement of the two webs may be equal, but a better
rubbing and turning over of the articles is effected by causing one web
to run faster than the other.
The rollers d, d, may be driven by chains or by toothed gearing h, h,
actuated by a winch handle i, i, and are provided with pegs or teeth
taking into links of the chain e, e, so as to prevent slipping.

page_text: In some cases I propose to substitute brushes entirely for the plain
transverse ribs f, f, or to make the endless flexible webs with alternate
plain ribs and brushes according to the nature and quality of the articles
to be washed.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
Improvements in the Construction of Washing Machines," together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or
carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as
my Invention the improvements herein-before described and represented
on the annexed Drawing, and moro especially I claim the combination
of the box having parallel ends and sloping sides with the two endless
flexible webs carrying ribs or brushes (or both) and constructed and
operating substantially in the manner herein-before specified..
In witness whercof, I, the said William Hutchinson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witnessed by
THOMAS E. DAVIES,
Patent Office,
WILLIAM HUTCHINSON. (L.S.)
4, St. Ann's Square,
Manchester.