IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Bull, of the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, for the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING
MACHINES."
Scaled the 18th March 1873, and dated the 24th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Bull at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th January 1873.
I, THOMAS BULL, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WASHING MACHINES,” to be as follows :——
On the inside and in the centre of the bottom of a circular or other
shaped vessel of suitable size, is secured a socket which stands up from
the bottom; this socket receives a plug which is attached to or forms
part of a spindle which is passed through and secured in a disk slightly
smaller in diameter than the inside of the vessel; from the under side of
this disk a number of pegs project to within an inch or more of the bottom

page_text: of the vessel. The spindle also passes through a cross piece the ends
of which take into recesses in the sides of the vessel, such arrange-
ment allowing the socket to form a lower bearing, and the cross piece
an upper bearing for the spindle, which is provided at its upper end with
a handle or handles with which to revolve or partly revolve the disk and i
pegs before named; just below the under side of the disk there is a rim
round the interior of the vessel which rim prevents the clothes or other
articles when being washed from rising up and getting trapped between
the disk and the sides of the vessel; between the bottom of the vessel
and rim above named a number of ribs are secured. The spindle disk 1
and pegs before named may be fitted in suitable bearings and be pro-
vided with a driving shaft and geared wheels and pulleys so as to drive
the machine by steam or other power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Bull in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BULL, of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Thomas Bull, Her special licence, that I,
the said Thomas Bull, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Bull, 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, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Bull,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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

page_text: Scal Patent Offico within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Bull, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
3 performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
forming a part of this Specification :—
On the inside and in the centre of the bottom of a circular or other
shaped vessel of suitable size, is secured a socket which stands up from
the bottom; this socket receives a plug which is attached to or forms
part of a spindle which is passed through and secured in a disc slightly
smaller in diameter than the inside of the vessel; from the under side of
this disc a number of pegs project to within an inch or more of the
bottom of the vessel. The spindle also passes through a cross pieco the
ends of which take into recesses in the sides of the vessel, such arrange-
ment allowing the socket to form a lower bearing, and the cross piece
an upper bearing for the spindle which is provided at its upper end with
a handle or handles with which to revolve or partly revolve the disc and
pegs before named; just below the under side of the disc there is a rim
round the interior of the vessel which rim prevents the clothes or other
articles when being washed from rising up and getting trapped between
the disc and the sides of the vessel; between the bottom of the vessel
and rim above named a number of ribs are secured. The spindle disc
and pegs before named may be fitted in suitable bearings and be pro-
vided with a driving shaft and geared wheels and pulleys so as to drive
the machine by steam or other power.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

page_text: slightly smaller in diameter than the inside of the vessel; from the
under side of the disc a number of pegs E project to within a short
distance of the bottom of the vessel. The spindle is passed through
and is free to turn in a cross piece F, the ends of which take into
recesses cut in the sides of the vessel or the ends of the cross piece may
be secured to receive the upper projecting ends of two staves A³ which
form part of the vessel, and may be also employed as handles to carry
the machine by. The socket B and cross piece F form lower and upper
bearings in which the shaft C, carrying the disc D and pegs E, is caused
to revolve or partly revolve by means of a double handled lever C'
secured at the upper end of the shaft; a little below the under side of thic
disc there is a rim A³ round the interior of the vessel which rim pre-
vents the clothics or other articles when being washed from rising up and
getting trapped between the disc and the sides of the vessel, between the
bottom of the vessel and the rim above named a number of ribs A³ extend,
being secured to the sides of the vessel. To wash with the machine the
cross piece F, shaft C, disc D, and pegs E, are lifted out of the vessel
and the articles to be washed are placed within the vessel along with
sufficient water and soap as to nearly reach to the under side of the
rim A³, the pegs, disc, shaft, and cross bar being then replaced and a
to-and-fro movement being communicated by means of the hand lever C³,
the articles will be speedily and effectually cleansed through the rinsing
action of the water upon them, a variety of opposing currents produced
by the centrifugal action of the pegs crossing the currents thrown
towards the centre by the ribs A', thereby dispensing with the rubbing
and abrading action upon the articles being washed which is necessitated
by the employment of most machines.
The wringing and mangling apparatus I employ in conjunction with
the above described washing machine is shown at Figures 3 to 6, Figures 3
and 4, being respectively a front view and side view of the apparatus
showing a washing vessel A in position for wringing the articles after
being washed. The apparatus consists of a strong wood framing G,
to which are secured two pairs of wrought or cast metal bearing
plates G', G', in which revolve the axles of two rollers G² and G³; the
plates are slotted to allow of the rising and falling movements of the
roller G³ the two rollers are forcibly pulled together by means of two
pair of springs G' at each end, one such pair being shown by dotted
lines at the left of Figure 3. When a greater pressure is required than that

page_text: produced by the said springs it is obtained by means of the links H, H,
onc at each end of the rollers; the links are slotted to allow the upper
roller to rise and fall and are connected at their lower end to a rod H²;
upon the centre of the length of this rod a lever H³ presses; the back
end of the lever is carried by an axle, secured to the lower back cross
bar of the framing G; the lever is provided with a sliding weight H³ by
which the pressure of the top roller may be regulated. The link lever
and cross bar above named are shewn in side view at Figure 5. The
right side of the framing has a bearing I secured to it, which carries an
axle on which a fly wheel J and toothed pinion wheel K is revolved by
means of the handle shown; the wheel K gears into and drives a second
toothed wheel K' which is secured on the axle of the upper roller G³;
the lower roller G³ is caused to revolve simultaneously with the upper onc
by means of two toothed wheels L, L, one of which is secured on the
axle of cach roller, as seen at Figure 6; the teeth of the said wheels are
of considerable length so as to allow of the upper roller rising without
the teeth being disengaged.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim the general
arrangement and combination of washing machinery, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bull, have hercunto set my
PACEDOCOSCITUCU.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Bull, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
H. W. Gougò, C.E.,
Nottingham.
THOS BULL. (L.S.)