APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR CLEANING THE DRIVING SURFACES OF MACHINERY BELTS." FOR CNING THERY
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David McMillan, of Huddersfield, in the County
of York, Machinist, for the Invention of "APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES
FOR CLEANING THE DRIVING SURFACES OF MACHINERY BELTS."
FOR CLEANING THE DRIVING SURFACES OF MACHINERY BELTS.'
· PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David McMillan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th January 1874.
I, DAVID MCMILLAN, of Huddersfield, in the County of York,
5 Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
.
" APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR CLEANING THE DRIVING SURFACES OF MACHINERY
BELTS," to be as follows:-

page_text: a belt and remove from the driving face thereof any adhering or accu-
mulated greasy, fibrous, or dusty matter.
It is well known that the grip of machinery, belts is largely reduced
when fouled, and that in cotton and other mills where fibres are spun
the threads produced are irregular in thickness and weight.
Accidents to life during the cleaning of belts in motion are so
numerous that any appliances which will tend to prevent such
occurrences are greatly to be desired.
In practice I employ for each belt a brush of coir, piassava, or like
fibre, or of fine wire, or of bristles of sufficient strength, and cause such
brush to rotate from any convenient power by a cord, chain, belt, or
gearing.
To bring the brush into contact with the face of the belt I employ a
screw and hand wheel or equivalent mechanical appliance acting on the
bearings carrying the brush and its shaft.
Instead of a brush a revolving drum carrying helical or other scrapers
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David M°Millan in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
MCMILLAN, of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said David McMillan, Her special licence that
I, the said David McMillan, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said David McMillan, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from

page_text: time to time and at all 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 "APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR
CLEANING THE DRIVING SURFACES OF MACHINERY BELTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said David McMillan, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under, 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 David McMillan, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
illustrative Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say :-
The object of my Invention is to provide a machine which, although
ordinarily out of action, can be brought into use when required to clean
a belt and remove from the driving face thereof any adhering or accu-
mulated greasy, fibrous, or dusty matter.
It is well known that the grip of machinery belts is largely reduced
when fouled, and that in cotton and other mills where fibres are spun
the threads produced are irregular in thickness and weight.
Accidents to life during the cleaning of belts in motion are so
numerous that any appliance which will tend to prevent such occur-
rences are greatly to be desired.
In practice I employ for each belt a brush of coir, piassava, or like
fibre, or of fine wire, or of bristles of sufficient strength, and cause such
brush to rotate from any convenient power by a cord, chain, belt, or
gearing.
To bring the brush into contact with the face of the belt I employ a
screw and hand wheel or equivalent mechanical appliance acting on the
bearings carrying the brush and its shaft.

page_text: Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan view of apparatus or
appliances constructed in accordance with my Invention to be used for
cleaning one side of a belt.
a, framing attached to any convenient support; b, cleaning drum;
c, bristles arranged helically around b; d, friction drum; f, gearing;
g, portion of belt; h, screw and hand wheel for throwing the cleaning
and driving drums into and out of contact with the belt; k, universal
joint for adjusting the apparatus in position. By turning the hand
wheel and screw h in one direction the driving and cleaning drums are
brought into contact with the belt. The drum 6 moves in an opposite
direction to the belt at the surfaces of contact so as to effectually clean
off all dirt and other objectionable matter. By turning the hand wheel h
in the opposite direction the drums 6 and d are removed from the
belt.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of apparatus or appliances under my Invention
suitable for cleaning a belt on both sides at once. It is simply a com-
bination of two of the apparati or appliances described under Figs. 1
and 2. The screw h has a right and left handed thread so as to cause
the cleaning and driving drums to approach and recede from the bel
on both sides simultaneously. Like letters denote the same parts as
those described in Figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of belt-cleaning apparatus constructed
under my Invention, here the driving drum d is grooved, and is actuated
by a cord or belt other than the one to be cleaned. Like letters denote
the same parts as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
It will be obvious that fibres, wires, or scrapers may be used instead
of the bristles above described, and that the said cleaning media may be
placed otherwise than helically.
Having now described my said Invention in such manner that others.
will be enabled to understand it, I would have it understood I do not
confine myself to details, but claim, the apparatus or appliances for

page_text: cleaning machinery belts, constructed substantially as described and
illustrated, for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said David McMillan, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Ninth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
In the presence of,
J. JOHNSON,
Patent Office,
Clayton Sq.,
Liverpool.
DAVID MCMILLAN. (L.S.)