IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR MEANS OF ROTATING BRUSHES OR OTHER ARTICLES FOR WHICH
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Holness, of No. 2, Albany Terrace, Victoria
Park, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MODE OR MEANS OF ROTATING BRUSHES OR OTHER ARTICLES FOR WHICH A
Sealed the 13th September 1867, and dated the 16th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Holness at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
March 1867.
I, STEPHEN HOLNESS, of No. 2, Albany Terrace, Victoria Park, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OR MEANS OF ROTATING BRUSHES OR OTHER ARTICLES
FOR WHICH A CIRCULAR OR REVOLVING MOTION 18 REQUIRED," to be as follows:-
I. My Invention consists, firstly, in mounting upon a central horizontal
spindle provided at each end with a suitable handle a tube case or frame.
The spindle is cut or divided transversely at the centre or other convenient
place. The tube case or frame can be held rigidly by one (say the left)
handle, but that portion of the spindle attached to the right handle can be and
is moved or rotated along with and in the same direction as the right handle;
in so doing a spring attached to the spindle and also to the tube case or
frame is coiled or compressed and is prevented from slipping by a ratchet and
pall arrangement; in the spring is thus stored the power to drive the apparatus
and the endeavour of the spring to uncoil itself is taken advantage of to drive

page_text: or rotate an outer tube casing or frame by means of a train of tooth wheels;
the outer tube casing or frame is so constructed as to carry upon its outer
surface the brush or brushes, rubber or rubbers, or other article to which it
is desired to give a rotary motion. By holding the left bandle firmly and turning
the right from the body the spring will be coiled, and the outer tube casing or
frame rotated, so that in point of fact the apparatus is wound up at the same
time it is used, and the speed may be regulated at the will of the operator.
Instead of coiling the spring the same end may be attained by uncoiling or
extending the spring and obtaining the motion by the effort of the spring to
recoil itself.
II. My Invention consists, secondly, in so arranging the apparatus that
it can be used effectively without a spring. In order to do this I arrange
the driving gear at one end of the apparatus, and that I may be clearly
understood I append to this Provisional Specification a Drawing baving
figures and letters of reference marked thereupon, the like letters being used
to denote similar or corresponding parts in each Figure. To the handle at
the driving gear end I secure a disc (Figure 1) with a rim having internal
teeth like an internal toothed wheel. A central spindle a passes from internal
toothed disc and handle at one extremity to handle at other extremity; the
internal toothed disc is provided at its centre with a proper bearing for
receiving the end of spindle a, and in which the spindle can be rotated; to
the central spindle a is secured a disc plate (Figures 2 and 3) carrying an
arrangement of toothed wheels; two of these toothed wheels b, c, take into
the teeth of internal toothed disc. Each of these toothed wheels b, c, has fixed
to it a smaller ratchet wheel (d, e, Figure 4); as these two wheels always turn
in opposite directions the ratchet teeth are cut accordingly; each of these tooth
wheels b, c, has beside it, on the same spindle, a loose tooth wheel (or tooth
wheel loose on the spindle); these loose wheels are marked b', c', and each
loose wheel has at its side a pall for the ratchet wheel. By working the
handles to and from the body of operator alternately the tooth wheels b and c with
ratchets d, e, alternately become by means of their loose wheels b', c', drivers of a
central pinion d; b' acting directly on d and c' indirectly through b'; the central
pinion d is fixed to a boss attached to boss on brush or rubber to be rotated,
and as one of the loose wheels, that marked ', is always moved in the same
direction the brush or rubber has always its revolutions continuous in one
direction. A simpler apparatus is made by omitting one set of wheels (fixed
wheel, ratchet wheel, and loose wheel), and with the other set driving the
central pinion; with this arrangement the brush or rubber will be turned
alternately in different directions.

page_text: III. I propose in some instances to use with either of the two last described
arrangements a spring or springs for the purpose described in the opening
part (marked I.) of this Provisional Specification.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Stephen Holness in the Great Seat Patent Office on the
16th September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
HOLNESS, of No. 2, Albany Terrace, Victoria Park, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Stephen Holness, Her special licence that I, the said Stephen Holness,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Stephen
Holness, 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, exer-
cise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MODE OR MEANS OF ROTATING BRUSHES OR OTHER ARTICLES FOR WHICH A
CIRCULAR OR REVOLVING MOTION IS REQUIRED," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Stephen Holness, 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 Stephen Holness, 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:-
I. My Invention consists, firstly, in mounting upon a central horizontal
spindle provided at each end with a suitable handle a tube case or frame.
The spindle is cut or divided transversely at the centre or other convenient
place. The tube case or frame can be held rigidly by one (say. the left)
bandle, but that portion of the spindle attached to the right handle can be and

page_text: is moved or rotated along with and in the same direction as the right handle;
in so doing a spring attached to the spindle and also to the tube case or frame
is coiled or compressed, and is prevented from slipping by a ratchet and pall
arrangement. In the spring is thus stored the power to drive the apparatus
and the endeavour of the spring to uncoil is taken advantage of to drive or
rotate an outer tube casing or frame by means of a train of tooth wheels.
The outer tube casing or frame is so constructed as to carry upon its outer
surface the brush or brushes, rubber or rubbers, or other article or thing to
which it is desired to give a rotary motion. By holding the left handle firmly
and turning the right from the body the spring will be coiled and the outer
tube casing or frame rotated, so that in point of fact the apparatus is wound
up at the same time that it is used, and the speed may be regulated at the
will of the operator. Instead of coiling the spring the same end may be
attained by uncoiling or extending the spring and obtaining the motion by the
effort of the spring to recoil itself.
II. My Invention consists, secondly, in so arranging the apparatus that it
can be used effectively without a spring. In order to do this I arrange the
driving gear at one end of the apparatus; to the handle at the driving gear
end I secure a disc with a rim having internal teeth like an internal toothed
wheel. A central spindle passes from internal toothed disc and handle at one
extremity to handle at other extremity of apparatus; the internal toothed disc
is provided at its centre with a proper bearing for receiving the end of central
spindle, and in which the said spindle can be rotated; to this central spindle
is secured a disc plate carrying an arrangement of tooth wheels. Two of the
tooth wheels take into the teeth of internal toothed disc; each of these tooth
wheels has fixed to it a smaller (ratchet) wheel; as these two tooth wheels
always turn in opposite directions the ratchet teeth are cut accordingly; each
of these tooth wheels has beside it on the same spindle a loose tooth wheel or
tooth wheel loose on the spindle, and each loose wheel has beside it a pall for
the ratchet wheel. By working the handles on central spindle to and from the
body of operator alternately the tooth wheels with ratchets alternately become
by means of their loose wheels drivers of a small tooth wheel gearing with the
central toothed wheel on central spindle, one acting directly on the small tooth
wheel and the other indirectly through the first. The central toothed wheel
is fixed on a boss attached to boss on the spindle of brush or rubber to be
rotated, and as the small tooth wheel gearing with the central tooth wheel is
always moved in the same direction the brush or rubber has always its revo-
lutions continuous in one direction. A simpler apparatus is made by omitting
one set of wheels, say, one fast wheel, ratchet wheel, and loose wheel, and with

page_text: the other set driving the central wheel; with this arrangement the brush or
rubber will be turned alternately in different directions. I propose, in some
cases, to use with either of the arrangements last described a spring or springs
for the purpose described in the opening part, marked I., in this Specification.
In order that the nature of my said Invention and the manner in which the
same is effected may be distinctly described and ascertained, I to this Specifi-
cation append a Sheet of Drawings having figures and letters of reference
marked thereupon, the like letter being used to denote a similar or corre-
sponding part in each Figure.
In these Drawings Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus
constructed in the manner described in that part of this Specification marked II.
The central spindle.is marked a, and passes from internal toothed disc b and
handle at one extremity to the handle at other extremity of the apparatus. In
order to communicate motion to the central spindle a it has fixed upon it a
small tooth wheel c, and between the disc b and the wheel c are interposed two
sets of wheels, one set containing three wheels, the arrangement of which is
shown separately in Figure 3, and one set of two wheels. One wheel marked d
in the first set and d' in the other set (Figures 1 and 2) gear: or takes into
the disc b on the one hand, and by means of the other wheels of the same set
with the central wheel c, so as to act as a driver of the same by means of the
wheel f, which is moved or rotated always in one direction. The wheels d
and d¹ are keyed or fixed on their spindle, and have each a small ratchet wheel
attached to them in the manner shown in Figure 4, but as the wheels d and d¹
are, as herein-before explained, always rotated in opposite directions the teeth
of the ratchet wheels are cut accordingly. On the same spindle as the fixed
wheel d and its ratchet there is a tooth wheel e; this wheel is loose on the
spindle, and on the same spindle as the fixed wheel d¹ with its ratchet; there
is a tooth wheel e¹ also loose on the spindle. Each loose wheel has a pall, as
shown in Figure 5. When the disc b drives through the set d, e, f, the pall
of that set acts or is effective, but when the disc b drives through the set d', e¹,
and f of the first the pall slips past the teeth of ratchet, and vice versa.
The object and action of this arrangement are berein-before described.
I have in this Specification described the apparatus as applied for the
purpose of giving a circular or revolving motion to brushes or rubbers, but it
will be obvious that the driving arrangements described, or illustrated in the
Drawings, can with some slight modifications to adapt them to the peculiar
circumstances be used for many other purposes where such motion is required,
and I purpose thus applying them where suitable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to
be distinctly understood that what I claim is,-
Firstly, the construction and arrangements of apparatus or mechanism for
rotating brushes, rubbers, or other articles for which a circular or revolving
motion is required, as in this Specification and the appended Drawings described
and illustrated.
Secondly, I claim the particular arrangement of internal toothed disc b, with
wheels d, d', e, e¹, and f, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for the purpose of
driving central wheel c on spindle a.
In witness whereof, I, the said Stephen Holness, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
STEPHEN HOLNESS. (L.S.)