IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING GENTLE- MEN'S GARMENTS
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RENÉ ALLAIRE,
of Charlotte Street, Fitzroy Square, in the County of Middlesex, Dyer and
Cleaner, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant. unto me, the
said René Allaire, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said René Allaire, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such. others as I, the said René Allaire, my exors, admors, 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, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed,, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING GENTLE-
MEN'S GARMENTS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
that I, the said René Allaire, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled in Her said 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
René Allaire, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the

page_text: manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention has for its object the use of certain apparatus for applying the
heat of steam for cleansing gentlemen's garments, and removing grease, tar, or
oil spots, and also for drying the garments when cleansing them by previous
washing and wetting, as is well understood; and this apparatus will be found
highly important in such processes of cleansing, and will allow of brushing
the surfaces and producing a face on the fabric, which cannot be obtained when
the ordinary means of cleaning are resorted to, where the drying is performed
by being suspended in the open air or a heated room. The apparatus consists
of forming hollow shapes suitable for receiving a coat therein, and other hollow
apparatus suitable for receiving trowsers or breeches thereon, such hollow
apparatus being so formed that steam may be introduced therein and thus
heat the garment, which will be found not only to dry a washed and wet
garment, but at the same time any oil or grease spots will be removed; and the
surfaces being brushed, and if desired the nap may be slightly improved by soft
sharp wire cards, and the surface of the fabric thus will be greatly improved;
and its original shape preserved.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING..
Figure 1 is a back view of an apparatus suitable for receiving a coat;
Figure 2 is a side section of the apparatus; Figure 5 shows detail views of the
means of fixing one of the arms. The apparatus consists of a hollow form of
the desired shape, with a steam pipe and cock a for admitting steam from a
steam boiler, and another pipe and cock 6 for draining off the water resulting
from the condensed steam; and each of the parts of the arms of the garments
has an outlet for condensed steam at c, c, and to allow of the escape of
air from the apparatus, one of the arms of the apparatus is made separate,
so that the separate arm being introduced into the garment and the coat
introduced on the other arm and body of the apparatus, the separate arm
may be affixed to the body of the apparatus. This is accomplished by
means of a hollow groove d being formed in the arm, with a suitable
packing, into which groove the projecting stump of the arm & enters, and
there is a fixed bar f across the stump e of the arm, having a hole g
through it, as is shewn. h is a rod, which has a flat head at i, which on passing
through the hole g'in the bar may be turned round, and then by means of the
rodj with a screw at k and nut the arm may be made fast, and the condensed

page_text: water may be drawn off when the screw nut is turned back. The screw nut ?
has a small groove cut across the face, which comes in contact with the aperture
in the arm, so as to allow the air to escape therefrom. Figure 4 shows a side
view and a front view of apparatus of a like kind for trousers, the upper part
being suitable for filling or nearly filling the upper parts of the trousers, and
the lower parts for the legs thereof; and there are the same provisions for
introducing steam and drawing off the water resulting from. condensation, as
before explained, and marked with the same letters of reference, a garment
being placed on either of these apparatus in a wet state, having been washed
and treated in the ordinary manner; and it is not necessary to subject garments:
to such severe treatment as heretofore necessary in this part of the cleansing in
order to remove grease or oil, as the apparatus will effect this part of the
cleansing very effectually, and will, as above stated, admit of a better cleansed
surface being obtained by the brushing to which the garments are subjected
when on the steam-heated apparatus.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise shapes and parts as herein
described so long as the apparatus is suitably formed for receiving garments
thereon, and steam on the interior, as herein explained; but what I claim
is, the mode of cleansing gentlemen's garments by applying steam-heated
apparatus within them, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said René Allaire, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of October,. in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.
RENÉ ALLAIRE. (L.S.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth, day of October,
in the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid René Allaire came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.