Improvements in Mops and Brushes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1996
[Communicated from abroad by PATRICK JAMES GRACE, 38 Court Street,.
Brooklyn, U.S.A., Merchant.]
Improvements in Mops and Brushes.
I, HUGH DONALD FITZPATRICK of 70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, in the
County of Lanark, Registered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to mops and brushes. Preferably the mops and brushes
are made with pads of sponge secured to suitable backs, but, instead of sponge, any
suitable absorbent material can be used.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a brush formed with a sectional back and sponge-
pads; and
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a brush arranged to be bent on itself to squeeze
the water out of the sponge and also to adapt it to clean articles of various
shapes.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of the same;
Fig. 4 being a broken sectional view on a large scale of one of the elastic bands
which hold the strips or sections of the back together.
Fig. 5 is a view of the brush compressed by the hand for wringing out.
Fig. 6 is a view of the brush applied to cleaning a concave surface.
A, (Figs. 1 and 2) is the back of wood or other inaterial, made in strips or
sections a a which run either lengthwise or crosswise. Pieces of spouge B B are
caught between the edges of adjacent strips, and nails or pins cc are driven or
passed through holes transversely, as shown on Fig. 2, both drawing the sections a a
tightly together on the sponge and also passing through the sponge and holding it
firmly in place. Instead of the nails or pins, I can use dowels, but prefer the
nails or pins.
The back A¹ (Fig. 3), is made of sections a', a¹, but these are now arranged in
groups, as say, three in a group forming one part of the brush (Fig. 6). The
strips a¹ of each group are fastened together with sponge B B between them, as
before described, and then transverse holes are bored in line through the backs of
each group. Elastic bands dd of rubber or other suitable material, are passed
through these holes, and the ends of the bands d d are fastened at the outside edges
of the completed brush in any suitable manner. For example, if the common endless
rubber bands are employed, small wires ee are passed through the ends of the
bands dd and the ends of the wires are bent and driven into the backs. Preferably
a beveled block f is placed between the parts of the brush (Figs. 4 and 6) and the
inner edges of the sections a' a' are beveled as shown, to permit the deflection of
the brush as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.
Thus the bands dd on the one hand permit the brush to be bent to various
shapes, as for squeezing out the water, Fig. 5, or for cleaning a concave article,
Fig. 6, and on the other hand tend to draw the sections flat (Fig. 3) as soon as the
deflecting force is removed.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A mop or brush composed of a back made in strips, absorbent pads caught
between the edges of the strips, and fastenings through the strips and absorbent
pads.
2. A mop or brush made in a plurality of parts which are fastened together by
elastic connections which on the one hand allow the brush to be deflected to squeeze
out water or to clean various surfaces, and on the other hand tend to draw the said
parts always into line.
Deted thin 8th dow of ducenat 1806
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow.