Swaing mammes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 30th Oct., 1897
Swaing mammes.
A communication by FRED DANIEI. HARDING, of Baldwin, in the County of Cum-
berland and State of Maine, United States of America, Manufacturer.
I, GEORGE CECIL DYMOND, M.I.M.E., of W. P. Thompson & Co., The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Man-
chester, both in the County of Lancaster 118 New Street, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick and 322 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, 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: -
This invention relates to improvements in washing-machines and more particu-
larly to that class of machines having a stationary scrubbing-board and an
oscillating rubbing roller adapted to operate thereon. It is designed to throw
automatically and intermittently a supply of water upon the surface of the board,
to prevent the clothes from getting in the path of the operative parts, to hold the
roller automatically and yieldingly away from the board and out of the way of
the operator when not in use, to prevent spattering and to regulate the use of
the soap.
In the drawings herewith accompanying and forming a part of this application,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of this machine, the side being broken out to show
the interior arrangement of the mechanism;
Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view of the end of the tank having the offset, delivery
spout and plunger, and
Figs. 3 and 4 are detail perspective views of the back and front parts respectively
of the delivery spout.
Same letters refer to like parts.
In said drawings, A represents a suitable tank having at one end a downwardly
extending offset B, said tank being supported upon suitable legs C and C¹ and
having therein, near the bottom, a scrubbing board D. Secured to the upright
walls of the tank in any convenient manner are standards E having near the top
slots F. Journaled in the bottom of said slots F is a rectangular frame G in
the lower extremity of which is journaled the roller H. Secured to the cross bar
of the frame are arms I in the ends of which are sockets J. Pivotally secured to
the ends of said arms are connecting rods K, carrying on the bottom a plunger L
adapted to reciprocate into and out of said offset.
Secured to the end of the tank is a wide delivery spout, its lower end extending
down into said offset, having a wide orifice extending forwardly and adapted to
deliver a sheet of water therefrom upon the scrubbing-board rather than a round
stream. The delivery spout consists of two telescoping sections N and O secured
together by a bolt P and, in order that the size of the orifice may be adjusted,

page_text: the bolt passes through a vertical slot Q in the section 0 and has on the end
thereof a nut R so that the section 0 may move up or down on said bolt and be
secured in any given position by said nut. The two side sections have side
flanges N¹ and 0¹ respectively and the body portions are curved forwardly at the
top as seen in the drawing. The delivery spout extends downwardly to a point
near the bottom of the offset B in the tank.
At the sides of the delivery spout the flanges extend upwardly forming ears T
in which is journaled a hood, the journals being so arranged that the forward
portion Trests normally down upon the end of the spout but being nearly
counterbalanced by the rear portions T and T, thus the water issuing from the
end of the spout is directed forward and downwardly upon the board. To regulate
the throw of the water upon the board, the board has an adjusting threaded bolt U
passing through the part T and adapted to engage the wall of the tank and limit
the upward movement of the forward portion of the board. The angle at which
the water is thrown from the orifice of the delivery spout on the board can be
regulated by changing the limit of the upward movement of the hood by means of
said bolt.
To prevent the clothes, while being washed, from being drawn down into the
path of the plunger a perforated guard V is set in the bottom of the tank at a
point near the edge of the offset portion, said guard being provided with rings M
through which the connecting rods K pass. The guard should be of less height
than the open end of the delivery spout so that the water from the spout will
be thrown over the guard.
Secured to said standards is a cross-head W, between which and the upper bar
of the swinging frame are coiled springs X adapted to hold the frame steady but
to yield to permit the roller frame and roller to rise to pass over bunches that may
be in the clothes on the board. If desired, the cross-head may be made adjustable,
its ends being loosely mounted in slots F in the standards and a supplemental
stationary cross-head W secured to said standards. Thumb screws Y set in cross-
head W bear against the sliding cross-head and may be screwed down or up, thus
increasing or diminishing the tension of said springs.
To hold the roller frame away from the board when not in use a strong coil
spring Z is secured to the standard and to the arm I, the tension of the spring
tending to hold the frame in this forward position away from the board and out
of the way of the operator, the roller swinging on the arc of a circle beyond and
a ove the end of the board and held normally but yieldingly suspended thereby.
Pivotally secured to the front of the roller is a guard a adapted to prevent the
spattering of the water as it is thrown upon the board and as it comes in contact
with the roller in its reciprocation. Secured to said guard is a curved arm b
which is adapted to contact with a lug c secured to the side of the tank when the
roller frame is withdrawn and riding upon said lug depresses the guard just at
the time that the roller is drawn back and the water is thrown upon the board so
that the water that would otherwise be thrown upon the floor is thrown back down
upon the board. The movement of the roller frame toward the operator may be
limited by a lug d secured to the side of the tank against which the upright por-
tion of the frame contacts.
Secured to the handle e of the roller frame is a soap box f having a sliding
cover and no bottom, arranged directly over the roller. The roller has a circum-
ferential groove h directly beneath the soap box, so that when the soap is placed
in the box it rests down upon the roller at a point over said groove. The soap
resting directly upon the corrugated roller would be worn away too rapidly, but
it will be seen that the smooth bottom of the recess will tend to retard the wear
of the soap, as soon as the portion over the groove strikes the bottom thereof, the
bottom of the groove then presenting a perfectly smooth surface to the portion of
the soap in the groove.
The wider the groove the less rapid will be the wear.

page_text: In
The legs which support the tank at the end next to the operator may be some-
what longer than the others, thus causing the bottom of the tank to incline down-
wardly towards the offset end to facilitate the flow of the water into the offset.
order to reduce the amount of water required when only a few things are to be
washed, the legs on the end opposite the offset are provided with means for
lengthening them, for example, extension tubes i adapted to be secured thereto.
The operation of this improved device is as follows:
The
Water is placed in the tank and the clothes upon the scrubbing-board.
scrubbing roller is normally in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The
operator, standing at the end opposite the offset in the tank, draws the swinging
frame and roller towards him which causes the plunger to descend in the offset
below the bottom of the main portion of the tank. As soon as it passes below the
bottom of the tank, the water confined below the plunger is displaced and thus
forced up through said spout and, by reason of the curved position of the orifice,
and the hood, is directed forward upon the board. The hood in its normal posi-
tion, rests down upon the end of the delivery spout and is thus out of the way of
the roller and saves space in the tank, the hood being raised by the force of the
water. At the completion of the stroke, the water is being thrown at its farthest
distance and falls at a point directly in front of the roller. As the swinging frame
is drawn toward the operator, the lever arm which is attached to the pivoted
shield and holds the shield normally up, engages the lug at the side of the tank
and is tipped down in front of the roller. This is important because the roller
and shield swing on the arc of a circle and the shield in the same position
relative to the roller which would be right to prevent the water from spattering
when the swinging frame is drawn away back would be tipped down so as to
receive the water on the top of the shield instead of under it when the roller was
at a point at or near the centre of the board. The swinging roller is then pushed
back or allowed to return by force of the spring acting thereon to substantially
the position shown in dotted lines, thereby raising the plunger to a point above the
bottom of the tank. As the plunger rises above the bottom of the tank, the water
flows from the tank back into the offset through the space between the bottom of
the tank and the plunger in its raised position.
The clothes in the bottom of the tank are prevented from being drawn down
into the offset into the path of the plunger by the perforated guard set between
the board and the offset. The continued oscillations of the roller cause a sheet
of water to be thrown intermittently upon the scrubbing-board.
The operation of the soap-feeding box is automatic and at first affords a free
supply of soap due to the fact that all parts of the cake except the part directly
over the groove, rest down upon the corrugated surface of the roller, thus wearing
directly thereon; after a little, this ridge becomes equal to the depth of the groove
and thus presents a smooth surface to the wear of the roller instead of having all
the wearing surface fall on the corrugated surface of the roller. It will be evident
that the depth of this groove may be varied and that more than one groove may
be employed if desired. The construction of the delivery spout in two sections
removable and adjustable admits of their being made so as to throw a sheet of
water of any desired thickness instead of a stream which adds very much to the
value of the machine. The construction of the tank with a downwardly extended
offset in which the plunger operates obviates the necessity for valves and enables
the machine to throw a stream of water full force even at the first movement of
the scrubbing-board, the great advantage of which is manifest.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is:
1. In a washing machine, a suitable tank provided with a downwardly extending
offset at one end, a scrubbing board, standards, an oscillating frame mounted on

page_text: said standards and carrying a scrubbing roller, a plunger adapted to be forced
into and withdrawn from said offset by the oscillation of said roller and a delivery
spout having its lower extremity extending down into said offset, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
2. In a washing machine, a suitable tank having a downwardly extending offset
at one end, a scrubbing board, upright standards, an oscillating frame mounted
in said standards and carrying a scrubbing roller, a plunger secured to and
adapted to be operated by the oscillation of said frame, said plunger being adapted
to be forced into and entirely withdrawn from the offset, a delivery spout having
its lower end extending down into said offset and its delivery and curved ends
toward the scrubbing board, a hood pivotally mounted above the delivery end of
said spout and resting lightly thereon and means for limiting the upward swing
of suid plate, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a washing machine, a suitable tank having a downwardly extending offset
at one end, a delivery spout having one end extending down into said offset, a
plunger adapted with the delivery spout to close said offset and to be alternately
forced down into and lifted entirely out of the same, a perforated guard between
the scrubbing board and the offset and means for operating said plunger, substan-
tially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. In a washing machine, a suitable tank having a downwardly extending offset
at one end, a plunger operating therein and adapted to be withdrawn entirely
therefrom, a delivery spout having one end extending down into said offset and
the other curved to deliver water upon the scrubbing board, a scrubbing board
mounted in said tank, standards secured to the sides thereof, a rectangular frame
pivotally mounted in said standards and carrying a scrubbing roller at its lower
extremity, horizontal arms secured to said swinging frame, connecting rods between
said arms and plunger, and a tension spring connecting said standards and said
horizontal arm, said springs tending to hold the roller suspended above the board
at the end opposite the operator, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
5. In a washing machine, a tank having a downwardly extending offset at one
end, a plunger operating in said offset, a delivery spout mounted in said offset,
the upper end extending above the offset and curved toward the opposite end of
the tank, a hood pivotally mounted on said delivery spout and adapted to rest
normally down upon the delivery end thereof and means for adjustably regulating
the upward movement of said hood, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
6. In a washing machine, a suitable tank, a corrugated scrubbing board, a
swinging frame having a corrugated scrubbing roller journaled in the bottom
thereof, a circumferential groove in said scrubbing roller and a soap box secured
to said swinging frame at a point directly over said groove, the bottom of said box
being open, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
7. In a washing machine, a suitable tank having a downwardly extending offset
at one end, a plunger adapted to reciprocate in said offset, a delivery spout con-
sisting of two telescoping sections mounted in said offset, means for adjusting
said sections to regulate the size of the orifice and means for operating said plunger
in said offset, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
8. In a washing machine, a suitable tank, a plunger, a delivery spout, standards,
an oscillating frame carrying a scrubbing roller adapted, through intermediate
mechanism, to operate said plunger and a water shield pivotally mounted on the
roller frame and normally held in a raised position and means for tilting said
guard downwardly as the swinging frame is oscillated, substantially as and for
the purposes set forth.
9. In a washing machine, a suitable tank, a scrubbing board mounted therein,
standards, a swinging frame carrying a scrubbing roller, means for intermittently
conveying water to the board, a shield pivotally mounted on the swinging frame
near said roller, a lug on the side of the tank and a curved arm secured to said
pivoted shield whereby, when the roller is drawn back, said arm contacts with

page_text: said lug and depresses the shield in front of the roller, substantially as and for
the purposes set forth.
Doted this 6th dox of Sentombor 1897
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.