IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mark Bogg, of Duggleby, near Malton, in the
County of York, Joiner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 20th December 1859, and dated the 1st July 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mark Bogg at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st July
1859.
I, MARK BOGG, of Duggleby, near Malton, in the County of York, Joiner,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WASHING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
I construct my improved washing machines with the washing chamber
having a bottom convex on the inside, and with a top or cover concave on the
inside; and I apply to the whole interior surface raised ribs or projections
placed in the chamber transversely to the motion of the matters agitated
therein in washing, and at the ends. The ribs I make of an undulating surface;
readily formed by turning in a lathe a piece of wood having a succesion of
hollows, & raised round ridges or parts, which piece of wood is afterwards-cut
down the centre and forms two ribs. To this washing chamber or vessel
T apply rockers or segments, one being secured to either side of the chamber,
on which it is mounted in a suitable frame to raise it from the ground. The

page_text: convex of the rockers is disposed in the opposite direction to that of the
chamber. A projecting tooth from each rocker enter holes in the frame, to
keep the washing chamber always in proper position, and to prevent it shifting
while rocking. Or the rockers may consist of a series of teeth fitting in racks
of teeth to correspond. Handles are applied for the purpose of rocking, or it
may be otherwise actuated. I further introduce a bridge piece in the washing
chamber, which forms a sudden semicircular rise in the middle and across the
breadth of the machine; this may be introduced or removed according to the
quantity of water or to the friction desired to be produced. The bridge piece
is further furnished with projecting ribs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Mark Bogg in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
31st December 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARK
BOGG, of Duggleby, near Malton, in the County of York, Joiner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Mark Bogg, Her special licence that I, the said Mark Bogg,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Mark Bogg, my executors, administrators, and 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WASHING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Mark Bogg, my executors 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 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 Mark Bogg, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
I construct my improved washing machines with the washing chamber
having a bottom convex on the inside, and with a top or cover concave on the
inside; and I apply to the interior surface raised ribs, reeds, or projections
placed in the chamber transversely to the motion of the matters agitated therein
in washing, and at the ends. The ribs I make either plain or undulating in
their surface, which is readily formed by turning in a lathe a piece of wood
having a succession of hollows and raised round ridges or parts, which piece of
wood is afterwards cut down the centre and forms two or more ribs. To this
washing vessel or chamber I apply rockers or segments, one being secured to
either side of the chamber, on which rockers it is mounted in a suitable frame
to raise it from the ground. The convex of the rockers is disposed in the
opposite direction to that of the chamber. A projecting tooth from each
rocker enter holes in the frame to keep the washing chamber always in proper
position, and to prevent it shifting while rocking. Or the rockers may consist
of a series of teeth fitting in racks of teeth to correspond. Handles are applied
for the purpose of rocking, or it may be otherwise actuated. I further
introduce a bridge piece in the washing chamber, which forms a sudden semi-
circular rise in the middle and across the breadth of the machine; this may be
introduced or removed according to the quantity of water or to the friction
required to be produced, The bridge piece is further furnished with pro-

page_text: a similar manner. I prefer that these ribs consist of double ribs, that is, two
placed side by side, as seen in cross section at the bottom, Fig. 2. On each
side of the chamber A, I fix the rocking segments B, B, & mount the whole
One of the rockers
on a stand or frame C, seen separately in plan at Fig. 4.
is also shown separately at Fig. 5, as represented; it is made of iron, but wood
or other material may be used, if preferred, for the purpose. I dispose theso
rockers with the lowest part about on a level with the bottom of the washing
chamber at the ends, but this may be varied somewhat. By this disposition
of the rockers the centre of gravity of the liquids and articles being washed is
always within the limits of the rockers, or nearly so, rendering the motion of
the machine easy and free, and without any tendency to jerking or over-
balancing. I have shown the ends of the vessel formed as radii to the centre,
from which the top and bottom are described, but this may be varied. In
another Figure of the Drawings I have shown the ends parallel to each other.
C is a strong wood or metal frame, having a suitable surface on which the
rockers can move; on the bottom of each rocker there is a projection d, which
enters a slot hole in the side of the frame C, taking therein like the tooth of a
wheel, and thus keeping the vessel A always in the same relative positions;
there is besides two smaller pointed projections e, e, on each rocker for a like
purpose, which alternately enter holes in the frame. f, f, are stops fixed near
the ends of the frame C, against which the hollows 9, 9, at the ends of the
rockers come to limit the extent of motion on the rockers. The projections d
have through holes, as also the frame C, in which pins h, h, are inserted when
it is desired to fix the vessel A and frame C together for lifting the whole or
to prevent rocking. The opening in vessel A is comparatively small, as seen
by the two sections, Figs. 2 & 8, although I make the cover n to extend over
the entire size of the vessel (see separate view of cover at Fig. 6), thereby
forming a kind of double joint, the under part of the cover dropping into the
seating for its reception, while the upper part of the cover encloses this part,
as also the soap trays at each end. The edge piece i is a fixture on the edge
of the vessel, and has a series of holes bored in the under side to receive the
upper ends of the ribs or reeds c, c, which are reduced to fit therein, which
reuds, with the other fixings, are, as will be herein-after described, secured
without nails or screws.
Fig. 9 represents a view of a side reed separately; and Fig. 10, a button
one. The side reed has a pin 1 projecting on the back, which fits into a
corresponding hole in the side of the vessel A. The ends of the bottom reeds
are cut to clip the form of the side reeds, so that when the side reeds are
inserted and placed in the position shown dotted in Fig. 8, and the bottom

page_text: reed disposed, as also shown dotted, by pushing this bottom reed down, the side
reeds are forced back, the pins 1 enter their respective holes, and the whole.
are firmly held in position. I remove portions of the reeds at the bottom, and
also cut channels across the bottom reeds, as seen in cross section, Fig. 8, in
order to form waterways or channels at either corner and in the middle for
the passage of the fluide when emptying the vessel. k is a handle attached to
vessel A, wherewith to rock it, one being sufficient for small machines, but for
large machines I prefer to place one at either end; is the cover handle for
lifting the same; and m is a ventilator for permitting the escape of steam, to
prevent excess of pressure in vessel A; p is the tap for drawing off the liquid
when required. Linen or other clothes or articles having been introduced
with boiling liquids and other detergent matters, the cover is applied, and the
rocking motion given to the vessel, the action speedily cleanses the articles so
operated on. The motion is easy, while at same time any stop is prevented
by reason of the form and arrangement of the upper part of vessel A.
Fig. 7 represents a longitudinal section of a machine, in which the vessel A
has ends parallel to each other; in other respects it is the same as that before
described, with the exception of the reeds c, which are single instead of double.
In this Figure I have shown the application of a bridge piece D inserted to
increase the agitation produced by the oscillation of the machine; it is fitted to
insert or remove at pleasure; it is simply a curved hollow or solid piece D,
extending across the breadth of the machine, with reeds c', c', fixed thereon.
The matters agitated are for the most part constrained to pass over this
bridge piece at each oscillation, and are therefore subject to inore friction and
rougher treatment than would be the case without it.
Having described the hature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I wisn it to be understood that I do not claim generally
mounting vessels or chambers having internal ribbed or reeded surfaces on
rockers, as applied to washing; but that what I claim as my Invention, to be
secured by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, a washing machine or vessel A, mounted on rockers B, as herein-
before described, in which the receiver or vessel A is of a curved form, the
curve being disposed in the opposite direction to that of the rockers, as herein-
before described and shown in the Drawings annexed.
Secondly, the application of the rockers B at or to the sides of a washing
vessel or receiver A, and mounting the same on a suitable frame C, as and for
the
purposes herein-before described; I also claim the means described of
keeping the rockers in position, and of fixing the vessel A to frame C, or any
mere mechanical equivalents therefore.

page_text: Thirdly, I claim the application of the movable bridge D to the washing
chamber A, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mark Bogg, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.