AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR WASHING AND CLEANSING TEXTILE FABRICS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Washington Bacon, of No. 127, Strand,
in the County of Middlesex, Map Publisher, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR WASHING AND CLEANSING TEXTILE FABRICS."
- A. communication from abroad by Edwin Bacon, of the City,
County, and State of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Washington
Bacon at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th May 1871.
I, GEORGE WASHINGTON BACON, of No. 127, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Map Publisher, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR WASHING AND CLEANSING TEXTILE
FABRICS," a communication, to be as follows:-
:-
The said Invention relates to that class of washing machines wherein
the cleansing is effected by the operation of rollers between which the
fabrics to be cleansed are passed.

page_text: The said Invention has for its object to construct an efficient machine
which shall be more portable and cheaper than those hitherto in use,
and which can readily be secured into and removed from any tub or other
vessel in which it may be desired to be used.
My improved washing machine consists of a frame constructed of
wood or other suitable material, the said frame being composed of two
suitable
uprights or standards firmly united by a bar or rod of any
material, and also by a horizontal cross piece secured in or to the said
uprights or standards near their lower extremities. The said uprights
are by preference made to taper upward. In the upper portion of the
said frame is pivoted a roller of wood or other suitable material having
its periphery corrugated longitudinally. The shaft or axis of the said
roller has its bearings in vertical slots formed in the upper extremities
of the said standards, from the outer sides of which standards the said
shaft or axis projects a short distance, one end of the said shaft or axis
being extended and bent into the form of a hand crank or winch, by
turning which the said roller is caused to revolve. Or the said hand
crank or winch may be made separate from the said shaft or axis so
as to be attached thereto or removed therefrom at pleasure. Beneath
the said corrugated roller a series of smaller rollers of wood or other
suitable material is arranged, their shafts or axes being pivoted in the
said standards in such a manner as to admit of the periphery of the upper
or corrugated roller being brought into contact with the peripheries of
the whole of the said series of small rollers. When by turning the
hand crank the said upper roller is caused to revolve it acts by friction
upon the said series of small rollers as a driving roller, causing the said
rollers to revolve upon their axes. Each of the small or lower rollers
has formed around its periphery a spiral groove or channel, the said
groove or channel on each roller having a different pitch and running
in a contrary direction to that of the next roller in the series. The
variation in the pitch and direction of the grooves of the small rollers
ensures a thorough rubbing action upon every portion of the fabric as
it passes between the said corrugated or upper roller, and the lower or
smaller rollers when the said upper roller is caused to revolve. The
number of the lower rollers may be varied according to the diameter of
the upper roller. The shaft or axis of the upper or corrugated roller
having its bearings in the said vertical slots the said roller can adjust
itself to any thickness of material passed between it and the lower
rollers, the pressure upon the said upper roller necessary to ensure a

page_text: thorough cleansing of the fabric being obtained by means of spiral springs
arranged at the outer sides of the said standards, the upper ends of
the said spiral springs being secured to the shanks of hook headed con-
nections of wood or other material which hold the upper roller adjustably
in its bearings. The hand crank or winch by which the said upper.
roller is revolved is by preference provided with a quill or sleeve of
wood to prevent injury to the hand in turning the same.
The said machine is secured to the tub or other vessel in which it is
to be used by means of a bolt passing through the horizontal cross piece,
the upper end of the said bolt being provided with a screw thread, and
its lower end being bent at right angles to take into a clutch block
screwed or otherwise secured to the bottom of the tub, the upper end of
the said bolt being secured by a thumbscrew. When necessary I use in
addition to the said bolt and clutch block wooden or other clamps fitting
upon or against the uprights or standards and secured by screws or
otherwise to the sides or bottom of the tub.
The said machine may be made of any dimensions according to the
size of the tub with which it is to be used, and any other suitable devices
may be employed in place of the springs and hook headed connections or
for fixing the machine in the tub or other vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Washington Bacon in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 8th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WASHINGTON BACON, of No. 127, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Map Publisher, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of May, 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 successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Washington Bacon, Her
special licence that I, the said George Washington Bacon, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Washington Bacon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all

page_text: 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 MACHINE FOR WASHING AND CLEANSING TEXTILE
FABRICS," (a communication) upon the condition (amongst others) that 5
I, the said George Washington Bacon, 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 1
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Washington Bacon, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawing forming a part of this Specification :---
The said Invention relates to that class of washing machines wherein
the cleansing is effected by the operation of rollers between which the
fabrics to be cleansed are passed.
The said Invention has for its object to construct an efficient machine
which shall be more portable and cheaper than those hitherto in use,
and which can be readily secured into and removed from any tub or other
vessel in which it may be desired to be used.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved washing machine and a
portion of a tub in section, showing the method of fixing the said
machine in the tub; Figure 2 is an end elevation of the said machine;
Figure 3 is a plan of the lower spirally grooved rollers; Figure 4 shows
plans of the blocks used for fixing the said machine in a tub or other a
vessel. Like letters indicate like parts in each of the Figures.
any
My improved washing machine consists of a frame constructed of
wood or other suitable material, the said frame being composed of two
uprights or standards A firmly united by a bar or rod B of suitable
material and also by a horizontal cross piece C dovetailed or otherwise
secured in or to the said uprights or standards near their lower
extremities. The said uprights or standards are by preference made
]

page_text: to taper upward, as shown in Figure 2. In the upper part of the
frame is pivotted a roller D of wood or other suitable material having
longitudinal corrugations d upon its periphery (shown in dotted lines,
Figure 2). The shaft or axis E of the roller D has its bearings in
vertical slots F formed in the upper ends of the uprights A, the said
shaft projecting from the said uprights, one end terminating in the
head e and the other end being bent to form a hand crank or winch e¹,
by turning which the roller D is caused to revolve. Or the said hand
crank may be made separate from the said shaft or axis so as to be
attached thereto or removed therefrom at pleasure. Beneath the
roller D a series of smaller rollers G of wood or other suitable material
is arranged, their shafts or axes 9 being pivoted in the standards A. in.
such a manner as to admit of the periphery of the roller D being brought
|into contact with the peripheries of the whole of the series of rollers G.
When by turning the hand crank e¹ the roller D is caused to revolve,
it acts by friction upon the rollers G as a driving roller, causing the
said rollers G to turn upon their axes g. Each of the rollers G has
formed around its periphery a spiral groove or channel g¹, the said groove
or channel in cach roller having a different pitch and running in a
contrary direction to that of the next roller in the series as clearly
shown in Figure 3. The variation in the pitch and direction of the
grooves or channels g¹ ensures a thorough rubbing action upon every
portion of the fabric as it passes between the roller D and the rollers G.
The number of the rollers G may be varied according to the diameter
of the roller D. The shaft or axis E of the roller D having its bearings
in the vertical slots F the said roller can adjust itself to any thicknoss
of material passed between it and the rollers G, the pressure upon the
roller D necessary to ensure a thorough cleansing of the fabric being
obtained by means of coiled springs H arranged at the outer sides of the
standards A, the upper ends of the said springs being secured to the
shanks of the hook headed connections I which hold the roller D
adjustably in its bearings. The hand crank or winch e' by which the
roller D is revolved is by preference provided with a quill or sleeve e¹¹
of wood to prevent injury to the hand in turning the said crank.
The machine is secured to the tub or other vessel in which it is
to be used by means of a bolt J passing through the horizontal cross
piece C, the upper end of the said bolt being provided with a screw
thread and its lower end being bent at right angles to take into a hole
in the clutch block K, which is screwed to the bottom of the tub, the

page_text: upper end of the said bolt being secured by a thumb nut L. I also
use the block M screwed to the tub in the position shown in Figure 1
and the block N which fits upon the standard A and is screwed to the
side of the tub, as also shown in Figure 1.
The said machine may be made of any dimensions according to the
size of the tub or other vessel in which it is to be used, and any other
suitable means may be employed in place of the springs H and hook
headed connections I or for fixing the machine in the tub or other
vessel.
In witness, whereof, I, the said George Washington Bacon, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one