CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Sagar and Thomas Richmond, both of
Burnley, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES."
Scaled the 13th October 1871, and dated the 22nd April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Sagar and
Thomas Richmond at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 22nd April 1871.
We, BENJAMIN SAGAR and THOMAS RICHMOND, both of Burnley, in
the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of our said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention relates more particularly to an improved construction
of washing machine for domestic and other purposes, and is designed for
the purpose of expediting the process of cleansing clothes or other
fabrics with facility.

page_text: The Invention consists in the employment of peculiarly constructed
dashboards or flaps secured to the face of a reciprocating or revolving
polygonal or circular disc enclosed in a box or receptacle. As the
arrangement and construction of the said dashboards or flaps may be
varied according to circumstances, still maintaining the essential features
of the Invention, we will proceed to describe as examples those con-
structions which as experiments we have found to answer the purpose
best.
First. The formation of the receptacle or box containing the disc,
dashboards, and clothes, or fabrics to be washed is of a rectangular or
other suitable form. Near the inner surface of one side thereof a poly-
gonal or circular disc is supported in a vertical or diagonal position on a
reciprocating or rotating axle, which disc need not necessarily be strong
as it derives its strength from the dashboards. The face of this disc is
provided with deep or broad strong dashboards or flaps, perforated or
otherwise, having a tapering or other section, the depth or breadth of
such dashboards or flaps being about two-thirds the distance, more
or less, from the disc to the opposite side of the box or receptacle.
These dashboards or flaps are placed across the disc at right angles or
diagonally to its axis, thoroughfares or perforations being made therein,
which in conjunction with the dashboards when reciprocating or rotating
will produce in the washing liquor a counter current that will effect the
greatest possible amount of agitation in the tub or receptacle. In order
to give steadiness to the disc when working we provide for the same a
long bearing for its axle; to effect this the center of the disc is bored
through a distance that protrudes into the center dashboard; the axle
being fastened at that part enables the bearing in which the axle works
to project considerably past the outside of the disc inwards, or a boss to
which the axle is fixed may be placed inside the disc for the same
purpose. The axle upon which the disc is placed may move laterally
or otherwise. We propose to work the disc in a reciprocating or oscil-
latory manner derived from a continuous motion through the medium
of any well known mechanical equivalents, or the disc may be worked in
a continuous motion only.
: Second. Another form of disc which we have found to answer very
well consists in having round the periphery of the disc or near it a flange
or rim fixed at right angles or otherwise to the disc. On the inner or
outer side, or both sides combined, of this flange or rim we place a

page_text: number of beaters for the purpose of agitating the clothes or water.
We actuate this disc in a similar manner to the one already described.
We also place an inclined board inside the tub or box opposite to the
disc; the clothes or other fabrics being placed upon this board are
conveyed into or against the disc and beaters when they are in action.
Third. Another form consists in having two discs placed some distance
apart upon an axle; upon these discs and connecting them together or
otherwise we place beaters running from the periphery inwards; the
whole is placed in a suitably conformed box and is actuated similarly to
the beforegoing examples. The said washing machines may be used in
combination with a wringing machine.
In conclusion we would remark that we are aware that pegs, corru-
gated surfaces, and shallow projections upon a revolving disc have been
employed as a medium for washing, but are incompetent to produce that
thorough and effective agitation necessary for the purposes of washing,
and are totally different in their action to the reciprocating dashboards
or beaters forming the peculiar feature of our Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Sagar and Thomas Richmoud in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, BENJAMIN
SAGAR and THOMAS RICHMOND, both of Burnley, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said Benjamin Sagar and Thomas
Richmond, Her special license that we, the said Benjamin Sagar and
Thomas Richmoud, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Benjamin Sagar and Thomas Richmond, our
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,

page_text: the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "CERTAIN IM-
PROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Benjamin Sagar and Thomas Richmond, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or
one of our or 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 we, the said Benjamin Sagar and Thomas
Richmond, do hereby declare the nature of our 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)
Our Invention relates more particularly to washing machines for
domestic and other purposes, whereby the process of cleansing clothes 1
or other fabrics is performed more expeditiously and effectually and
with less power than heretofore.
The Invention consists in the employment of a reciprocating or
revolving polygonal or circular disc with dashboards or flaps enclosed
in a box or receptacle, also in certain modifications of the same.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation, we will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
2
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a washing and wringing machine to which 2
our improvements are applied; Fig. 2 is a back view of the same; and
Fig. 3 is a plan of the washing machine without the wringing rollers.
a, a, are the side frames, between which is the box or receptacle b
containing the articles to be washed; c, c, are the wringing rollers,
which are pressed together by the levers d and by springs contained 3
in the boxes e cast with the side frames. The parts above enumerated
form no part of our Invention, and may be made in any convenient
manner.
Our improvements consist in the peculiar construction of the instru-
ment by which the articles to be washed are agitated in the box or 3
receptacle b, also in communicating thereto a reciprocating or revolving
motion, and they are performed in the following manner:- is a disc

page_text: made by preference of wood and of a circular or polygonal form; to
this disc are fixed the dashboards or flaps 9 and h, which intersect
each other at right angles, and both of which are perforated as shewn
in the Drawing, or in any other suitable manner; we wish also to
observe that although the dashboards or flaps shewn give good results,
we do not limit ourselves to their peculiar number, size, shape, or
arrangement, as the same can be varied. The back of the disc f is
placed near one side of the box or receptacle b, and to the disc is screwed
the hollow axle h', which passes through a hole in the stay i connected
to the side frames a; and in order to make the joint steam and water
tight we employ a stuffing box j fitting over the hollow axle h¹, and in
the boss of the stay i, to the hollow axle h', is keyed the pinion k, which
is driven partly round first in one direction, and then in the other by
the segment, as will be explained hereafter; the outer end of the
hollow axle is supported in the bearing fixed to the stay i. The
strong screw m passes through the hollow axle h¹, through the disc f,
and is then screwed into the middle dashboard or flap g. The oscillating
motion is imparted to the disc f by the fly wheel n, which is loose on
the axle of the bottom wringing roller c; to this wheel is cast or fixed the
spur pinion n' which gears into the wheels o and o', the former of which
is keyed on the cross shaft p, and the latter is loose thereon but fixed to
the pinion of which gears into the wheel c¹ fixed on the axle of the lower
wringing roller c. To the other end of the shaft p is keyed the disc p³, in
the face of which is a crank pin p², which in revolving gives an up and
down motion to the connecting rod q, the lower end of which is jointed
to the arm of the segment 7, and this segment as before described gears
into the pinion keyed on the hollow axle h¹ of the disc f. By this
gearing the continuous rotary motion of the fly wheel n causes the
disc fto reciprocate or oscillate about half a revolution in each direction
but the amount of the oscillation may be increased or reduced by altering
the distance of the crank pin p² from the axis of the disc p³, or by
varying the diameter of the pinion k. When the spur pinion n' is
in gear with the wheel o, as shewn in Fig. 2, the disc f is reciprocating
as described, but when the wringing rollers are required to be brought
into operation the driving wheel n and the pinion n¹ must be slidden
along the axle of the roller c until the pinion n¹ is brought into gear
with the wheel o¹, as shewn in dots in Fig. 2, but before sliding the
wheel and pinion n² on their axle the handle must be raised to
allow the pinion n³ (which before had been held by it in gear with.

page_text: the wheel o) to pass under it, and when the pinion n' is in gear with
the wheel o' the handle is again lowered, and it then holds the pinion
in gear with the wheel o¹ until the wringing is effected.
•
We wish to observe here that although we have shewn the gearing
required for imparting a reciprocating motion to the disc with the
dashboards or flaps, we do not intend to limit ourselves to the use
of the said disc when made to reciprocate, but that we also intend to
use it when it is caused to rotate continuously by any suitable gearing.
We would also have it understood that steam or other power may
be applied to drive our improved washing machines by substituting a
fast and loose pulley for the fly wheel n. When the dashboards or
flaps on the disc fare about in the position shown in Fig. 2, the clothes
or other articles to be washed are placed in the box or receptacle b,
together with the hot water and soap or other ingredients; the level of
the water should be about in a line with the axle of the disc; the
attendant then turns the fly wheel continuously round, and this rotary
motion imparts an oscillating or reciprocating motion to the disc f
thereby agitating and turning over the articles to be washed and pre-
senting fresh surfaces to the action of the washing liquor until the
impurities are removed. The oscillating or reciprocating action of
the disc with the dashboards or flaps is most effective for washing
purposes and greatly economises time and power in washing. The
foul water is drawn off when required through the ordinary tap s, and
if it should be found desirable the inner face of the box U opposite
the dashboards or flaps may be made with projections and recesses or
corrugations as in some other washing machines to increase the agi-
tation of the articles to be washed, or the box b may be made with
an inclined partition in front of the disc f to guide the clothes against
the disc, as shewn by a dotted line in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is an elevation, and Fig. 5 a plan of a modification of our
improved washing machine. In this instance b is a cylindrical box,
and c, c, the wringing rollers supported in bearings fixed to the side
frames a, or to the box b. Within the box b is the cylinder or flange f¹,
the lower end of which is open and the upper end is partially closed
by the disc f, a portion of which is open for admitting the articles to
be washed. The dashboards or flaps y are fixed to the cylinder 1, to
which an oscillating motion is given by the crank pin p² on the cross
shaft p, the said crank pin taking into a slot in the upright portion of

page_text: the arm, which is cast with the segment gearing into the pinion k
fixed to the axle of the disc f, as before described, or the disc ƒ with
the flange f¹ and dashboards or flaps g may be caused to rotate
continuously.
Fig. 6 represents another modification of our Invention. In this case
a double disc f, ƒ³, is employed, the two discs being connected by the
dashboards or flaps g and h; this double disc is caused to oscillate or
reciprocate in the manner described in reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
Fig. 7 is another modification of our Invention. In this arrangement
the front of the box is vertical, as in Fig. 1, but the disc fis placed
diagonally.
Fig. 8 is another modification of our Invention. The disc f is placed
diagonally as in Fig. 7, but it is secured to a horizontal shaft, con-
sequently as it revolves or oscillates it imparts a to-and-fro motion to the
articles to be washed in addition to the up and down motions. This
form of machine is particularly suitable for churning.
Figs. 9 and 10 represent a front and edge view of the dashboards
or flaps g and h connected to the axle h¹ without the disc f.
Fig. 11 represents another modification of our Invention. In this
instance the dashboards or flaps are fixed to the inside of a horizontal
barrel, to which an oscillating or reciprocating motion is given by hand
or power. This arrangement is also suitable for a churn.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described several
modes of performing the same, we wish it to be understood that we
do not limit ourselves to the details given, as the same may be varied,
we would also remark that we are aware that revolving discs with pegs,
corrugated surfaces, and shallow projections have been used for washing
purposes, and that attempts have been made to wash fabrics by means
of two oscillating discs connected by bars or rods, we therefore make
no claim to such discs nor to the oscillating motion when applied to
two discs connected by bars or rods; but what we claim is,—
First. The application of dashboards or flaps to washing machines,
as shewn and described.
Secondly. The various improved washing machines described or any
other washing machine in which a single disc with projections on its
face is made to oscillate or reciprocate on its axis, the oscillating or
reciprocating motion being derived from a continous rotary motion.

page_text: And, lastly. The application of a diagonal disc on a horizontal shaft,
as shewn in Fig. 8.
In witness whereof, we, the said Benjamin Sagar and Thomas
Richmond, have hereto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth
day of October One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.