IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES, PART OF WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SQUEEZING ROLLERS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Heywood, of Levenshulme, near Man-
chester, in the County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES, PART OF WHICH IS ALSO
APPLICABLE TO OTHER SQUEEZING ROLLERS."
Sealed the 9th April 1872, and dated the 13th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left.by the said Edwin Heywood at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th October 1871.
"
I, EDWIN HEYWOOD, of Levenshulme, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES, PART OF
WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SQUEEZING ROLLERS," to be as follows:-
According to my Invention I place the articles to be washed in a
suitable vessel, spreading them out on the bottom thereof. Upon these
I place heavy bodies as balls or rollers of iron, covered by preference
with-india-rubber, and impart a rolling motion thereto; whereby the

page_text: articles become squeezed first in one direction and then in the other, while
in a soapy condition. The rolling motion may be effected by rocking
the vessel, or that may be stationary and the heavy bodies directly
driven.
Secondly. I form the top squeezing roller smaller than the bottom one
and drive the former by a pinion taking into the teeth of a wheel on
the axis of the said roller. By these means I dispense with two pairs of
toothed wheels.
This part of my Invention is also applicable to such squeezing rollers
as those of the dyeing and printing processes.
In reference to the wringing rollers I propose to corrugate them
and to place india-rubber over their surfaces. The corrugations take
into each other like the teeth of wheels and squeeze the india-rubber
into the spaces.
1
Another part of my Invention has for its object the keeping the 1
toothed wheels always the same depth in gear, although the top roller
may rise. To effect this I mount the driving pinion in a slide which is
suspended from the axis or bearing of the top wheel. When therefore
this rises it carries bodily with it the lower wheel or pinion.
Another part of my Invention relates to a method of weighting the top 2
roller. For this purpose I dispense with the usual handle or lever by
which the springs are compressed, and cause such compression to be
effected by a hydraulic ram or other such apparatus worked by hand
or foot.
•
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edwin Heywood in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWIN
HEYWOOD, of Levenshulme, near Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the
8

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in
the thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Edwin Heywood, Her
special license, that I, the said Edwin Heywood, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edwin Heywood, 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
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Ohannels Islands, and Isle of an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES, PART OF WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE
TO OTHER SQUEEZING 'ROLLERS," upon the condition, amongst others, that I,
the said Edwin Heywood, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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 Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
-
'

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents, in sido clevation, a
view of a washing machine, constructed according to the first three parts
At a is the
of my Invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view thereof.
framework, which for the present may be assumed to terminate according
to the red lines, and having cross parts b, which carry speps c, by
préference. of hard wood. In these speps are mounted centre pins d,
extending from a trough e, which is provided with staples f, for carrying
india-rubber or other springs 9, the lower ends of which are attached
to the frame a.
The articles to be washed having been soaped in the usual manner
one placed one upon another in the trough e, and are then super-
imposed by one or more balls or rollers of heavy material. Theso
may be varied in number and construction, but I have found that
two iron shells ten inches in diameter and weighing from twelve to
fifteen pounds and covered with india-rubber, by preference with a
rough surface, answer the purpose. One of these balls is shown at h
The attendant now grasps the part e*, or the corresponding part at
the other end of the trough and causes it to swing to and fro
upon its centre d, by which means the balls or rollers pass alternately
from one end of the trough to the other, pressing their weight
upon the articles under operation, and thus continually squeezing
out the moisture and dirt. The use of the springs 9 is to counterbalance
the weight of the balls as they alternately pass from one end of the
trough to the other.
It might be supposed that by employing spherical surfaces for the
rolling operation that only certain lines on the articles to be washed
would be operated upon, but in practice it is not so, because there are
always inequalities on the surface of the same, which cause the balls
to be continually changing their course, and the whole becomes equally
squeezed or rolled, or the attendant may raise a portion of the articles,
and so make an inequality. When this operation has been continued a
sufficient time, according to experience, the articles may be finished in
the ordinary manner.
At i is a plug, by the removal of which water may be passed away.
Figs. 3 and 4 represent a modification of this part of my Invention, the
arrangement being chiefly designed for use in the case of small single
articles. At j is a frame or box containing rollers k, whose centres

page_text: are mounted in the sides of the said box, the rollers by preference being
covered with india-rubber and at the top of the box is a handle 1. The
article to be washed is placed in its soapy condition upon a board of any
convenient dimensions and the rollers being placed thereon are pressed
down and moved forward and backward by means of the handle l, and
the effect described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2 is obtained.
I will now proceed to describe two other parts of my Invention, referring
again to Figs. 1 and 2. The upper part a* of the frame has slots within
which are situate the steps 1, which carry the top wringing roller m.
These steps aro secured at their upper ends for the reception of a cross
bar n, over which and on either side there passes a strap o, extending
downward and horizontally beneath a spring p, which is capable of being
tightened by a pulley handle q, and thus the top roller may have any
required amount of pressure put upon it, but this arrangement does not
constitute any part of my Invention. The bottom roller is shown at v,
its axis u turning in ordinary steps carried by the frame. The top roller
m is of smaller diameter than the bottom roller and its axis is provided
with a toothed wheel w in gear with a pinion z, which is provided with a
winch handle y. and carried by a stud extending from a plate s, which is
capable of sliding in guides t.
This arrangement accomplishes two objects: in the first place the
top roller being of less diameter than the bottom roller, I am enabled by
one pair of wheels to gain the power which is usually attained by the
use of three pairs; and, secondly, when the top roller and its wheels rise
they carry with them, by means of the plate 8, the driving pinion x, and
the teeth therefore always remain the same depth in gear.
The fourth part of my Invention is shewn at Fig. 6. At ≈ is a pair of
wringing or squeezing rollers formed around their circumference, with
corrugations or flutes, and outside these are placed tubes of india-rubber
*. The upper and under rollers are both formed in this manner, and
when they are at work the india-rubber surfaces assume the position
shewn, tho india-rubber surfaces being pressed by the projecting parts of
the corrugations of one roller into the spaces of the other roller, and
thus an extended squeezing surface upon the articles under operation is
; obtained.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-

page_text: be understood that I claim as secured to me under the above in part
recited Letters Patent, and for the purposes above set forth,-
-
Firstly. The use balls, rollers, or other such bodies placed upon the
articles to be washed and caused to move to and fro thereon.
Secondly. And as a substitute for gearing forming the top wringing 5
or squeezing roller smaller than the bottom roller; this part of my
Invention being also applicable to other squeezing rollers, such as those
of the dyeing and printing processes.
Thirdly. Connecting the driving wheels together by a plate or other
such part as illustrated at 8.
Fourthly. Forming the wringing rollers with corrugations or flutings
and covering them with india-rubber.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Heywood, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
T TIEVITAAD
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