CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SWEEPING OR CLEANSING CHIMNEYS, FLUES, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEMUEL
WELLMAN WRIGHT, of Chalford, in the County of Gloucester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of May, in the tenth year of Her reign, and in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Lemuel Wellman
Wright, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, my exe-
cutors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England and
Wales and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of " CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SWEEPING OR CLEANSING CHIMNEYS,
FLUES, AND OTHER SIMILAR PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, shall cause a parti-
cular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said.
Lemuel Wellman Wright, do hereby declare that the nature of my said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly.

page_text: described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereto annexed, and
the following explanation thereof (that is to say):-
My Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Sweeping or Cleansing
Chimneys, Flues, and other Similar Purposes, consist,―
Firstly, in a certain novel contrivance whereby the brushes used in cleansing
or sweeping chimneys and flues are caused to collapse when ascending and
expand when descending the said flue, by means of the elastic force of "vul-
canized india rubber," the bristles or brushes being set or placed in strips,
bands, or segments of this material, and applied as hereafter described.
Secondly, in rendering the brushes capable of being expanded and con-
tracted at pleasure by means of suitable springs formed by an application
of endless bands of "vulcanised india rubber," to be worked in connection
with certain arrangements of expanding and contracting levers or apparatus,
as herein-after described.
Thirdly, in expanding the body of the material in which the said brushes or
bristles are set or placed by means of inflation, or by the application of com-
pressed air introduced into a cylindrical or other shaped vessel composed of
"vulcanized india rubber, and capable of being so inflated that the brushes
shall be thereby expanded, so that any irregularity in the space of the interior
of the flue may be reached and subjected to the action of the brushes.
Fourthly, in a certain novel method of rendering the joints of the rods or
tubes elastic (to which the said brushes are attached, so as to accommodate
themselves to any tortuous or irregular formation of the flue or chimney, which
universal or yielding joint is also formed or made by the use or application of
"vulcanized india rubber; and,
Fifthly, in forming or rendering the rods or tubes elastic for extending or
working the brushes, and which is also hereafter described.
The mechanical construction and practical application of my said improve-
ments will be better understood by referring to the Sheet of Drawings
accompanying these Presents, in which the several Figures are drawn about one
fourth the real size, and have figures and letters of reference marked upon them
corresponding with the following description thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side view of an apparatus for cleansing chimneys, in which the
elastic force of the india rubber alone is employed to expand the brush. a, a,
is the rod or tube, which is made in suitable lengths, and screwed together, the
joints being made elastic, or the rods or tubes themselves may be elastic, as
hereafter described. Upon the rods are fixed the top and bottom plates b. c.

page_text: enclosing the cylinder d, made of "vulcanized india rubber, in which the
whalebone or other material composing the brush is fixed. eis a ball furnished
with friction rollers to act as a guide to the brush in ascending the flue. It
will be observed that the whalebone is fixed nearer to the top of the cylinder
than the bottom; therefore it will be evident as the brush descends the lower
part of the cylinder will collapse, and thus allow the brush to give way, but in
ascending the reverse will be the case. The upper or smaller brush is intended
to sweep the pots or chimney tops, and the lower one to cleanse the flue.
Figure 2 is a section, and Figure 3 a plan view, of an expanding brush in which
the vulcanized india rubber is used in connection with certain arrangements of
leverage; and Figures 4 and 5 are similar views of the brush expanded. a, a, is
the rod or tube, and 6,6, are the fixed caps or guards to protect the bush; c is an
endless band of "vulcanized" india rubber upon which the whalebone d is fixed,
and which is supported by four linkse, e. These levers are connected by the levers
ff, to the fixed bearing 9; by the levers f*, fx, to the sliding bush h, which
bush is connected to the fixed bearing by two strong endless belts or bands
of "vulcanized" india rubber i, i. The sliding bush h is to be drawn down as
shewn in Figures 2 and 3, and held in that position by catches or other conve
nient means until the brush has ascended the flue and swept the chimney pot,.
when it is to be released by turning the screw joint of the tube, which may be
furnished with a small rod and caused to release a catch, and the brush will
expand and assume the form shewn in Figures 4 and 5, and in descending
will thoroughly cleanse the flue.
Figures 6 and 7 shew section and plan views of a modification of the above
in a collapsed form, and Figures 6 and 7* similar views of the same expanded.
The same letters of reference will apply as in the preceding Figures, excepting
that the place of the links and the elastic band is supplied by the blocks of
wood c, c*, in which the whalebone d, d, is fixed, and e is a short hard brush.
for sweeping the chimney pots. The blocks c*, cx, upon which the back and.
front brushes are fixed, are made in three pieces, the levers connected to.
the two outer divisions of the same turning upon ball and socket joints, and.
moving in inclined slots or mortices in the upper cap or guard 6, so as to cause
the said brushes to lengthen as they rise and assume the figure shewn in
Figure 7*.
Figure 8 is an elevation, and Figure 9 a plan view, of another arrangement
of the expanding brush. a is the rod or tube, and b, c, the top and bottom.
caps, the top cap 6 being formed of a block of wood having six spaces or
recesses d, d (more or less), cut or formed thereon, over which spaces or
recesses are suspended levers e, &, which are prevented from falling into the

page_text: :
said recess by a ring of vulcanized india rubber f,j, placed between the block o
and the levers e, e, and passing over the spaces d, d.
Blocks of wood carrying
the levers e, e. Thus it
the whalebone or other brushes g, g, are attached to
will be seen that the elastic force of the ring of vulcanized india rubber will keep
the brushes always up to their work; but when any obstruction is offered to
any one or all of the said brushes, the vulcanized india rubber will give away,
and allow the levers to fall into the recesses, as shewn by the dotted line in
Figure 8.
Figures 10 and 11 shew side and plan views of an apparatus for sweeping
horizontal flues. a is the rod or tube, the joints of which must be flexible, and
6 is the body of the brush, the construction of which is similar to that of
Figure 1. The brush 6 is mounted upon wheels c, c, the axis d of which
works in an inclined slot e. The apparatus is also furnished with a scraper or
short stiff brush f, which is attached to the axis by a wire. 9, 9, is a flexible
tube or rod (hereafter described), furnished with two balls h, h, for guiding the
apparatus. When the apparatus enters the flue and is forced along the same,
the action of the axis in the inclined slot e will raise the brush and cause it to
cleanse or sweep the top or sides of the flue; but as soon as the brush begins
'to return the axis ascends the inclined slot, thus lowering the brush b, and also
the scraper or brush f, so as to remove the soot, &c. which has accumulated
upon the bottom of the flue.
Figure 12 is a section of another arrangement of brush, in which the body
of the same is made entirely of vulcanized india rubber, and which expands by
"the elastic force of india rubber alone. a, a, is a tube or rod, and b, b, are the
guards or caps, the lower one being fixed to the sliding bush. c, d, is the body
of the brush, the upper part of which is fastened to the rod a, and the lower
part to the sliding bush c. e, e, are two rings or bands of vulcanized india
rubber, in which the whalebone or other brushes are fixed. When this appa-
ratus is to be used the sliding bush c must be drawn down, which will cause
'the body of the brush to elongate, and, consequently, to decrease in diameter;
the tube must then be held in this position by catches or otherwise, and when
the brush has reached the top of the flue the catches must be released, and the
brush will assume the form shewn in the Drawing.
Figure 13 is a section of a brush, the body of which is composed entirely of
vulcanized india rubber, and which is to be expanded by means of compressed
air. a, a, is the tube, and b, b, are the caps or guards. c is a hollow vessel of
vulcanized india rubber, secured by nuts between the caps b, b, and formed
perfectly air-tight. d is a loose band or cylinder of the same material, upon
which the brush is fixed; and e is an universal revolving guide ball, which may

page_text: be used with this or any of the above-described brushes. The apparatus is to
passed up the chimney or flue in a collapsed state, and the chimney pot
cleansed; air is then to be compressed into the body of the apparatus, being
forced up the tube a (which is perforated at that part inside the vessel c) by
means of an air pump, which will expand the brush to the required degree,
when the brush may be drawn down and the flue cleansed.
Figure 4 is a modification of the above. The body of the brush is formed
of a double cylinder of vulcanized india rubber a, a, bound tightly by means
of wires over two grooved pulleys b, b, the brush being fixed to the outer
cylinder. It is almost needless to state, that these two arrangements must be
provided with valves opening upwards, and also with a valve closed by a spring
for regulating the pressure of the air when inflated.
My improved method of making flexible joints in the rods or valves of such
machinery or apparatus is shewn in Figure 13. I place the ends of the rods
or tubes together, and after placing over the joint a tube of vulcanized india
rubber, I bind both ends tightly with string or wire; or a solid piece or rod of
vulcanized india rubber may be placed and secured inside the tubes, so as to
form an universal flexible joint. The method of making the rods or tubes
themselves elastic or flexible is as follows:-These elastic rods, to be used for
the upper joints of this apparatus, are to be formed by combining a series or
bundle of small thin whalebones with an outside casing or integument of
vulcanized india rubber, so that when thus combined they shall constitute a
flexible rod, which will answer the purposes required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Third day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven
LEMUEL (Ls.) W. WRIGHT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Third day of November,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Lemuel Wellman Wright came
o before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Fourth day of November, in the year above written.