Improvements relating to Floor-brushes, Scrapers, and the like.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Nov., 1892-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by AUGUST BÜHNE & Co., of Freiburg, Baden, in
the Empire of Germany, Merchants and Manufacturers.]
Improvements relating to Floor-brushes, Scrapers, and the like.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Company, Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 floor brushes, scrapers and the like.
In the cleaning of floors and in the scraping of hard-wood floors with steel strips
or shreds a considerable downward pressure has to be exerted, while the brush or
scraper used for the purpose should be easily movable and an increase and decrease
of the pressure rendered possible according to requirements.
With the brushes and scrapers having a wooden handle no sufficient pressure can
be produced, and those which have a metallic body as heretofore employed, are too
difficult to move to and fro, and do not enable the pressure to be varied.
This defect is remedied by making the handle of the brush or scraper of metal
to give it a greater weight.
A very simple mode of carrying this invention into effect is illustrated in
Figure 1.
The variability of the pressure is obtained by holding the handle at its upper
end with one hand and guiding it but loosely with the other hand when the greater
pressure is to be exerted, whilst for the smaller pressure the upper hand is moved
further down and part of the weight is taken up by the other hand.
Another form of metallic handle is obtained by prolonging this handle beyond
the body of the brush or scraper so as to balance the weight otherwise to be carried
by the hand.
The pressure is varied by the hands either taking up some of the weight of the
handle or exerting a pressure upon the handle which tends to raise the counter-
weight.
These counterweights may be provided in various forms, such as illustrated in
Figures II. to VI.
Moreover the brush or scraper may have a joint, as represented in Figure II.,
for enabling the handle to be adjusted.
With the handle placed obliquely a greater pressure will be produced than when
the handle is placed horizontally.
A useful application of this invention is shown in Figure III.
The body of the brush or scraper possesses a rounded under surface so that the
handle is placed obliquely when the front part of the said brush or scraper operates
and horizontally or nearly horizontally when the rear part of the same operates.
As a greater pressure is needed for scraping the floor with steel strips or shreds
than for brushing off the polish, the front part may be used for scraping and the
rear part for brushing the floor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is:
First. In floor brushes, scrapers and the like the employment of handles made of
metal, for the purpose herein set forth.
Second. In floor brushes, scrapers and the like the prolongation of the metallic
handle beyond the point of attachment, for the purpose of balancing the same.

page_text: Third. In floor brushes, scrapers and the like the fixing of the metallic handle
to the body of the brush or scraper by means of a joint, for the purpose herein set
forth.
Dated this 1st day of November 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.