Im- PROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Whitley, of High Street, Notting Hill, in
the County of Middlesex, Dyer and Scourer, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES."
Sealed the 10th January 1865, and dated the 16th July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Whitley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
July 1864.
I, WILLIAM WHITLEY, of High Street, Notting Hill, in the County of
Middlesex, Dyer and Scourer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WASHING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in washing machines,
whereby a reciprocating motion of the dash or beater is obtained. For this
purpose I propose to attach to the end of the shaft crank (actuating such dash
or beater) a pinion wheel gearing into a horizontal or segmental toothed rack,
in the centre of which is a vertical rod moving on a pin or bolt at its lowest
extremity; at or near the centre of the rack is secured one end of a con-
necting rod or bar, the other end running to the back of the machine and
secured to the cranked handle of a second shaft, by which means the machine

page_text: may be worked by the cranked handle, or a fly wheel and fast and loose pulley
may be placed at the opposite end of this second shaft and be driven by steam
power, thus the dash or beater is not only moved up and down, but by the
reversing action of its shaft, caused by the rack and piniou, it is also moved
from side to side, thus turning over the clothes to be washed, and squeezing
them at the same time at every revolution of the driving shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Whitley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, WILLIAM
WHITLEY, of High Street, Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex, Dyer
and Scourer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Der most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth 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, the said William Whitley, Her special licence that I, the said William
Whitley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Whitley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WASHING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Whitley, my executors or administrators, by 'an instrument
in writing under my, or their,.or. one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Whitley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following..
statement:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in washing machines,
whereby a reciprocating motion of the dash or beater is obtained; for this

page_text: purpose I propose to attach to the end of the crank shaft (actuating such dash;
or beater) a pinion wheel gearing into a horizontal or segmental toothed rack,
in the centre of which is a vertical rod moving on a pin or bolt at its lowest
extremity; at or near the centre of the rack is secured one end of, a con-
necting rod or bar, the other end running to the back of the machine and
secured to the cranked handle of the second shaft, by which means the machine
may be worked by the cranked or winch handle; or a fly wheel and fast and
loose pulley may be placed at the opposite end of this second shaft and be
driven by steam or other power, thus the dash or beater is not only moved up
and down, but by the reversing action of its shaft caused by the rack and
pinion it is also moved from side to side, thus turning over the clothes to be
washed, and squeezing them at the same time at every revolution of the
driving shaft.
In order that my Invention may be completely understood I annex the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which exhibit the principal portions of the
machine.
Fig. 1 is an end view; Fig. 2, a section of the beater, and Fig. 3, an eleva-
tion of the beater. Similar letters denoting corresponding parts in each
Figure respectively.
a, a, is the case or body of the machine, and b, the dash or beater, to the
crank shaft of which e the pinion d is keyed; this pinion gears into the hori-
zontal segmental toothed rack e fixed on the vertical rod and arms f, f. f;
g is a fly wheel set on a driving shaft h, to which the crank i is fixed, so as to
drive the connecting rod k backwards and forwards, and carry with it the
segmental rack to which it is joined, as shewn at 1; m is a slide, shewn in
dotted lines, through which perforations are made at the bottom for draining
the clothes; this slide may work in grooves or guides at the interior ends of
the machine, whereby the slide or strainer may be entirely drawn out for
the purpose of cleansing the machine. For operating upon fine clothes the
level of the dash or beater may be suitably arranged by means of setting the
crank shaft in any of several bearings formed in the uprights of the beater
or dash b.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark in conclusion that I do
not limit myself to the exact details and configuration of parts I have described,
nor to any express dimensions of apparatus, since the same may obviously be
varied or modified without in any way departing from the principles on which
the Invention is based; but what I claim and desire to be secured to me by
the herein in part recited Letters Patent are, the general arrangement and

page_text: combination of parts, substantially as herein described for effecting the
reciprocating and reversing action of the dash or beater constituting my
aforesaid "Improvements in Washing Machines."
In witness whereof, I, the said William Whitley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
WILLIAM WHITLEY. (L.B.)
Witness,
L. J. WETHERELL,
Clerk to Messrs. Prince & Co.
Agents for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,
Charing Cross.