IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Hastings Collette, of No. 57, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex, Solicitor, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES." -A communication from abroad
by Doctor Isidore Sollier and Baron Gerard Dedel, of Paris, in the
Empire of France.
Sealed the 2nd December 1864, and dated the 8th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Hastings Collette
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th July 1864.
I, CHARLES HASTINGS COLLETTE, of No. 57, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Solicitor, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in improvements in the Invention secured by Letters
Patent for improvements in washing machines, granted to John Henry
Johnson, as a communication from abroad by Doctor Isidore Sollier and
Baron Gerard Debel, 1863, 17 October, No. 2546.
My improvement consists principally in superseding or dispensing with the
upper portion of the supports of the driving gear of the machine and drum.
I use two drums or cylinders placed immediately over the vessel which
contains the washing liquid, on separate shafts opposite and parallel to each
other; one is fixed on its shaft and made to rotate by a handle or other
convenient method or motive power, the other made to rotate on its own

page_text: shaft. At the lower part, and in the interior of the vessel, are two smaller
rollers under and parallel to the two above-described drums or cylinders
respectively, and are made to rotate on fixed shafts. The vessel is fitted
internally with horizontal cylindrical rollers or drums parallel to the others, as
described in the said former Patent. One or more endless driving shafts,
belts, or band of suitable material, intended to transmit a rotatory motion to
the interior drums or rollers, passes over the first-named drum or cylinder,
which is rotated by the handle, and passes inside the vessel under and outside
the smaller roller directly underneath at the bottom of the vessel, and passes
under the opposite roller, and then out of the vessel round and outside the
drum or cylinder, which rotates on the shaft secondly above mentioned, and
which by a mechanical contrivance gives and maintains the tension of the
endless driving straps, belts, or bands, and returns again into the vessel and
passes immediately under the horizontal drums or rollers in the wash vessel,
and passes out again outside and over the first-mentioned drum or cylinder,
and passes round as before. The linen or fabrics to be washed are placed in
the washing vessel on the top of the interior rollers, and the washing is
accomplished by the rolling of the linen or fabrics over the rollers and between
them and the endless driving straps or band. The linen or fabric to be
washed receives a constant movement over the rollers, passing above and
below them, and is compressed between the endless straps or band and the
under side of the rollers, and carried through the water or washing fluid.
The band would be better if formed of one continuous piece of material rather
than of several straps. The vessel for holding the liquid can be furnished
with a cock for turning off the washing fluid as required, and underneath a
fixed furnace and flue for heating the liquid can be added.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Hastings Collette in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
HASTINGS COLLETTE, of 57, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Solicitor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,

page_text: the said Charles Hastings Collette, Her special licence that I, the said
Charles Hastings Collette, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Charles Hastings Collette, 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," (communicated to me
from abroad by Doctor Isidore Sollier and Baron Dedel, of Paris, in the Empire
of France,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles
Hastings Collette, 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 Charles Hastings Collette, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in improvements in the Invention secured by Letters
Patent for improvements in washing machines, granted to John Henry
Johnson, as a communication from abroad by the said Doctor Isidore Sollier
and Baron Gerard Dedel, of Paris, dated 1863, 17th October, No. 2546.
My improvement consists principally in superseding or dispensing with the
upper portion of the supports of the driving gear of the machine and drum.
I use two drums or cylinders placed immediately over the vessel which
contains the washing liquid, on separate shafts opposite and parallel to each
other; one is fixed on its shaft and made to rotate by a handle or other
convenient method or motive power, the other made to rotate on its own shaft.
At the lower part, and in the interior of the vessel, are two smaller rollers
under and parallel to the two above-described drums or cylinders respectively,
and made to rotate on fixed shafts. The vessel is fitted internally with
horizontal cylindrical rollers or drums parallel to the others, as described in
the said former Patent. One or more endless driving straps, belts, or bands of
suitable material, intended to transmit a rotatory motion to the interior drums
or rollers, passes over the first-named drum or cylinder, which is rotated by

page_text: the handle, and passes inside the vessel under and outside the smaller rollers
directly underneath at the bottom of the vessel, round and outside the drum
or cylinder which rotates on the shaft secondly above mentioned, and which,
by a mechanical contrivance herein-after described, gives and maintains the
tension of the endless driving straps, belts, or bands, and returns again into
the vessel, and passes immediately under the horizontal drums or rollers in
the wash vessel, and passes out again outside and over the first-mentioned
drum or cylinder, and passes round as before. The linen or fabrics to be
washed are placed in the washing vessel on the top of the interior rollers, and
the washing is accomplished by the rolling of the linen or fabrics over the
rollers and between them and the endless driving straps or band, as herein-
after explained.
In carrying this Invention into practice I prefer to construct the washing
machine in the manner illustrated by the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
wherein Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the improved washing machine,
and Figure 2 a side section of the same machine.
A is the vessel containing the washing fluid. The main framing B supports
the entire driving gear of the machine as well as the vessel A. The crank
handle L gives motion to the various moving parts, but this handle may be
replaced by a driving pulley if the machine is intended to be driven by steam
or other motive power. The shaft l, upon which is fixed the handle L or
driving pulley, carries a drum or cylinder E; by turning this handle this drum
is made to revolve, the shaft being fixed to the drum E. The shaft is
supported by the bearing b, part of the framework B. There will be a corre-
sponding bearing on the other end of the shaft. The vessel A, which contains
the washing liquid, is also fitted internally with a series of rollers or cylinders
c, c¹, c, c, made of wood, galvanized iron, or other suitable material, fixed
on shafts supported to the framing B, as at d, d, so that these rollers may
revolve when the strap or band I imparts motion to them, as after described.
There are other rollers placed in the position of D and D' (see Figure 2),
also fixed to the frame B, which revolve on their own axes in the same manner
as the drums c, c¹, c, c¹¹. G is another drum or cylinder, which revolves on
a fixed shaft, supported by the arm or lever F at g. The arm or lever F is
made so as to move on the bearing or pivot f on the arm b', part of the
frame B. At the lower end of this arm or lever there is at H a spiral spring,
vulcanized india-rubber, or other convenient apparatus for giving elasticity,
which is at one end fixed on the frame B as at h, and at the other end to the
arm or lever F at h', by which means the drum G is kept pressed upwards

page_text: (the arm F working on a pivot at f), and a proper and continuous tension
is thus given to the band I. There will be corresponding supports and arms
on the other side of the apparatus, Figure 1 shewing only one side.
The driving band I can be made either in one endless piece or of several
separate endless bands of webbing, linen, leather, caoutchouc, or other suitable
material. The band passes over the drum E and under the rollers D' and D,
inside of the vessel A, and will pass out over the drum G, and pass into the
liquid again under the rollers c, c', cl, clll.
The different parts of the apparatus having been referred to, its mode of
operation will be readily understood.
On rotating the handle L, the shaft and drum E will receive the same
movement, and will impart a rotatory motion to the band I, and which in turn
will impart a rotatory motion to the rollers D', D, the drum G, and the
cylinders or rollers c, c¹, c¹¹, c¹¹. The linen or fabrics to be washed are thrown
into the washing vessel on the top of the cylinders or rollers c, c¹, cl, cl
They are drawn by the rotatory motion of these cylinders between them and
the endless band I, and as the several rollers revolve at the same speed there
is no danger of the articles becoming torn or injured. The fabric to be washed
receives a constant movement over the rollers, passing alternately above and
below them, and is compressed between the endless band and the under sides
of the rollers c, c¹, cl, cl, and carried through the water or washing fluid,
which thus removes all impurities therefrom. According to the quantity of
the linen or fabric to be washed passing between the rollers and the endless
band will be the pressure on the drum G greater or less, which in propor-
tion will rise or fall, but the endless band will be kept at its full tension in
consequence of the spring H keeping down the lower end of the lever or
arm F. The axes on which the cylinders or rollers c, c¹, cl, cl, and the
rollers D and D¹ revolve will be constructed with proper bushings, so as to
prevent a leakage of the washing fluid. At M (Figure 1) I place a tap or
cock to turn off the liquid when required. If necessary, I apply at J a grating
for fire to keep the water heated, and in that case a flue will be necessary, as
shown at K. The vessel A can be heated by gas or by any other suitable
apparatus.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the improved arrange-
ment of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be
used or carried into effect, I would observe that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as an improvement on the before-mentioned
Patent, and as my Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited

page_text: Letters Patent, is the general improved construction and arrangement of the
different parts of the said washing machine as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Hastings Collette, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, One thousand eight
eight hundred and sixty-five.
C. H. COLLETTE. (L.S.)