AN IMPROVED APPARATUS Drome SHADE
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry Ellis, of No. 91, Gracechurch Street,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS
Drome SHADE "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Henry Ellis
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 26th May 1869.
I, GEORGE HENRY ELLIS, of No. 91, Gracechurch Street, in the City
of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Ax
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOOTS AND SHOES," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the production of a machine in the
simplest possible form for cleaning boots and shoes. For this purpose
I provide a set of three circular brushes formed upon one "stock,"
and I dispose them at an angle of about 45 deg. in a suitable base or
pedestal. The brushes are by preference concave upon their surface, .
and at one end (the highest from the base) I place a sponge or other
pad for blacking; at the other end the iron spindle upon which the

page_text: brushes are mounted goes into and rotates within a socket formed upon
the base or pedestal (at the requisite angle), so that the brushes can be
drawn in and out at pleasure.
The mode of actuating is as follows:-Upon the brush shaft at the
lower end of the brushes I fit a grooved pulley having a belt of round
india-rubber placed in the groove, and immediately over the socket
which receives and forms the bearing for the brush shaft I disposç.
a driving disc or wheel worked by a small handle, and which bears.
upon the ring of india-rubber in the grooved pulley and drives it by.
friction at a speed of three or four times. The disc or wheel revolves
by means of a pin or axle working in a socket formed upon the main
socket. The mode of working will be readily understood. The operator.
works the machine with his right band and with his left he applies
the boot or shoe to the "dirt," "blacking," and "polishing" brushes.
The number, form, and position of the brushes may be varied, but I
have described the mode I prefer to adopt.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Ectiers Patent,
filed by the said George Henry Ellis in the Great Seal Patent Oflice
on the 26th November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HENRY ELLIS, of No 91, Gracechurch Street,, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of
our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Henry Ellis, Her special
licence that I, the said George Henry Ellis, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Henry Ellis, 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 "AN IMPROVED

page_text: APPARATUS FOR CLEANING BOUTS AND SHOES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Henry Ellis, ny executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Seal Patent Office within six
calendar mouths next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
APPARATUS FOR CLEARING DOUTS AND SHOES, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Henry Ellis, ny executors or adminis-
trators, 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 Seal Patent Office within six
calendar mouths next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Tatent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Henry Ellis, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:―
a machine in the
My Invention has for its object the production of
simplest possible form for cleaning boots and shoes. For this purpose
I provide a set of three circular brushes formed upon one "stock," and
I dispose them at a convenient angle on a suitable base or pedestal.
The brushes are by preference concave upon their surface, and at one
end (the highest from the base) I place a sponge or other pad for
blacking at the other end the iron spindle upon which the brushes
are mounted goes into and rotates within a socket formed upon the
base or pedestal (at the requisite angle), so that the brushes can be
drawn in and out at pleasure.
;
The mode of actuating is as follows:-Upon the brush shaft at the
lower end of the brushes I fit a grooved pulley having a belt of round
india-rubber placed in the groove, and immediately over the socket
which receives and forms the bearing for the brush shaft I dispose a
driving disc or wheel worked by a small handle, and which bears upon.
the ring of india-rubber in the grooved pulley and drives it by friction
at a speed of three or four times. This disc or wheel revolves by means
of a pin or axle working in a socket formed upon the main socket.
The mode of working will be readily understood. The operator works
the machine with his right hand, and with his left he applies the boot
or shoe to the " dirt," blacking," and "polishing brushes." The.
number, form, and position of the brushes may be varied, but I have
described the mode I prefer to adopt.

page_text: Drawing more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING,
which represents an elevation of apparatus for cleaning boots and shoes
constructed according to my Invention.
a, a, is a base plate upon which the socket c is supported at a suitable
angle on the top of the standard b. Through this socket c passes the
brush spindle d, upon one end of which is mounted a wheel e, which is in
contact with and receives motion from a disc or wheel, such disc or
wheel having by preference a piu or axis fixed thereto which enters
the short socket c' standing up from the centre of the socket c. Upon
the other end of the spindle d is fixed the brush stock g, upon which
are formed the brushes g', g, and g, the brush g' being by pre-
ference the dirt brush, g the blacking brush, and g the polishing
brush. Upon the upper end of the brush stock is fixed a pad g' for
blacking, such pad being by preference formed of sponge, but other
suitable material may be employed. The wheel e is by preference
formed as shown in the Drawing, in which a band of india-rubber is
shown applied around the periphery thereof to form a noiseless frictional
gear as is well understood.
The apparatus is used in the following manner:-The operator with
one hand turns the disc or wheel by means of the handle, and
thereby gives rapid rotary motion to the brushes, with the other hand
he applies the boot or shoe first against the dirt brush, he then applies
it to the blacking pad g until a sufficient quantity of blacking has been
applied thereto, he then distributes or equalises the blacking over the
boot or shoe by applying it to the brush g' after which it is polished by
being applied to the brush g'. If desired the standard c may be formed
in two parts pin jointed to each other, as shown by the red lines, the
parts having friction applied thereto by means of a fly nut by these
means the brush spindle may be moved and worked at any suitable
angle, also the said standard may be pivotted so as to throw the brushes
round to or fro while in operation.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
mode in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood

page_text: that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shown and
described; but what I do claim is, the novel combination and arrange-
ment of apparatus for cleaning boots and shoes, substantially as herein
shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Henry Ellis, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.