IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES, AND IN WASHING AND WRINGING MACHINES COM- BINED.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Stead, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Carpenter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WASHING MACHINES, AND IN WASHING AND WRINGING MACHINES COM-
BINED.
"
Sealed the 15th July 1873, and dated the 24th January 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Stead at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th January 1873.
I, THOMAS STEAD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES, AND IN WASHING AND WRINGING MACHINES
COMBINED," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing a machine for washing, by
forming a drum or cage by preference of galvanized wire or zinc, and
in shape that of two truncated cones connected together at their bases;
a door is provided in one of the cones to admit the clothes, and the apex
of each cone is formed into a strong boss in which are mounted spindles ;

page_text: this drum or cage is hung by these spindles within a box or washing
trough containing the water, so that the drum or cago is partly
immersed in the water, and by means of a winch handle attached
to ono of the spindles a rotatory motion is given to the drum; the
clothes within the drum are by this movement carried to the top side |
of the drum, whence they fall back into the lower part upon cach revo-
lution, and by the friction thus created they are thoroughly cleansed
in a very short time.
By the arrangement of suitable mechanical appliances to the bearings
of the spindles the drum or cage may be raised out of the water with 1
the clothes still in it and caused to revolve free of the water, thus
acting as a wringing machine, also throwing off the water by centrifugal
force.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Stead in the Great Seal Patent Office:
on the 21th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
STEAD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Carpenter, 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 suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Stead, Her special
license that I, the said Thomas Stead, my exccutors, administrators, and a
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Stead, 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, usc, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel a
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING
MACHINES, AND IN WASHING AND WRINGING MACHINES COMBINED," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Stead, my exccutors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and ascertain the 3

page_text: nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to bo
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of tho
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Stead, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
This Invention consists in constructing a machine for washing, by
forming a drum or cage by preference of galvanized wire or zinc, and
in shape that of two truncated cones connected together at their bases;
a door is provided in one of the cones to admit the clothes, and the apex
of cach cone is formed into a strong boss in which are mounted spindles;
this drum or cage is hung by theso spindles within a box or washing
trough containing the water, so that the drum or cage is partly
immersed in the water, and by means of a winch handle attached
to one of the spindles a rotatory motion is given to the drum; the
clothes within the drum are by this movement carried to the top side
of the drum, whence they fall back into the lower part upon each revo-
lution, and by the friction thus created they are thoroughly cleansed
in a very short time.
By the arrangement of suitable mechanical appliances to the bearings
of the spindles the drum or cage may be raised out of the water with
the clothes still in it and caused to revolve free of the water, thus
acting as a wringing machine, also throwing off the water by centrifugal
force.
I will now proceed to describe my Invention more fully in detail by
aid of the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters
and figures marked thereupon.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 a transverse section of my improved
washing machine, consisting of a drum or cage (a) formed by preference
of galvanized wire or zinc, and in shape that of two truncated cones
connected together at their bases, as at (b); (c) is a door suitably
hinged on one side of the cage for the admission of clothes into the
cage, and having means for fastening; the apex of cach cone or half
of the cage (a) is formed into a strong boss (d), within which are
mounted the spindles (e), the drum or cage (a) is hung by the

page_text: spindles (e) within a box or washing trough (S) containing the water,
so that the drum or cago (a) is partly immersed in the water, and by
means of a handle (g) attached to one of the spindles (e) a rotatory
motion is given to the drum or cago (a); the clothes within the drum
or cage are by this movement carried to the top side of the drum or
cage whence they fall back into the lower part upon cach revolution,
and by the friction thus created they are thoroughly cleansed in a very
short time.
I also construct my improved washing machine to act as a wringing
machine, by forming the bearings of the spindles (e) so that such 3
spindles may be raised at will by means of racks, slides, screws, set
pins, or other suitable appliance; or by forming such bearings with
two sets of holes for the spindles (e), one set being over the other for
the purpose of raising the drum or cage (a), so as to revolve clear of the
water; in using the machine for wringing purposes the revolving motion
will throw off the water in the clothes by centrifugal force.
Having thus described the object and nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be carried into effect, I claim
without limiting myself to theso precise details, the improvements in
washing machines, and in washing and wringing machines, substantially
in manner as herein more fully set forth and specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Stead, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this 30th day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
Witnescs,
WILLIAM HEREDOURN,
JOHN H. ORAM.
THOMAS STEAD. (L.S.)