IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD SWEEPING AND DIRT GATHERING MACHINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Barker, James Barker, and Daniel Barker,
Millwrights, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD SWEEPING AND DIRT GATHERING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Barker, James Barker,
and Daniel Barker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th
February 1880.
JOHN BARKER, JAMES BARKER, and DANIEL BARKER, Millwrights, of Oldham,
in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD SWEEPING AND DIRT
GATHERING MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in road or street sweeping, and
collecting the dirt or refuse thereon.
For this purpose we employ a circular rotary brush, working behind a flexible
roller of one or more parts, made of india rubber, soft wood, or any other material
of such a nature as to allow of its lying close to the ground or pavement, such roller
being placed underneath the body of the elevating machine and rolling on the
ground and in contact with the rotary brush; the necessary pressure required by
the brush to keep it in contact with the ground or pavement and the flexible roller
is obtained by means of springs, levers, or weights attached to and acting on the
shaft or axle of the rotary brush.
The circular rotary brush is made to revolve in the opposite direction to the
flexible roller, and by so doing the dirt is lifted between the brush and the roller
and thrown into a receptacle in front of it; the dirt is then conveyed upwards to
the height required, and deposited into a cart attached to the machine for its
reception.
The dirt is raised from the receptacle at the foot of the elevator by means of
buckets made of tin, wood, or other suitable material attached to endless chains or
bands running over suitable pulleys at top and bottom of elevator.
The whole of the sweeping and elevating machine is suspended on a stationary
axle, and will adapt itself to the various gradients and undulations of the road or
street.
On this axle," one at each side" of the machine, is placed a cart wheel of special
construction, these wheels running on the ground or road. The circular motion is

page_text: given to the brush by means of a pair of spur wheels, the larger spur wheel being
fastened to the inside of the cart wheel on one side of the machine, gearing into a
smaller spur wheel placed on a stud, the stud being fixed to the framework.
Attached to the smaller spur wheel is a chain pulley, also a chain pulley on the
shaft or axle of the rotary brush; a chain is passed over these two chain pulleys
to give the requisite speed and direction to the rotary brush.
The motion to the elevator is obtained by placing a chain pulley on the inside of
the other cart wheel on the stationary axle, and placing a chain wheel on the
bottom elevator shaft, and passing a chain over the two pulleys gives the requisite
speed and direction to the elevator buckets.
Preparation is made on the sides of the machine for attaching circular rotary
brushes to project past the rims of the machine cart wheels, to enable the machine
to sweep the roadway close up to the kerb stone, such rotary brushes constructed
so as to throw the dirt gathered from the kerb stone into the track of the large
rotary brush attached to back of machine.
These machines can be made to be attached behind the cart that is to convey the
dirt to the place of discharge, or can be made so that the cart can be attached
behind the machine.
The cart which collects the dirt is attached to the elevator, and runs on one or
more pair of ordinary wheels.
These machines can be adapted to existing circular bottom carts, or any other
form of cart in use, by sanitary authorities or others.
The machines are adapted for working either by hand, horse, steam, gas, or other
motive power.

page_text: by the said John Barker, James Barker, and Daniel Barker in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th August 1880.
JOHN BARKER, JAMES BARKER, and DANIEL BARKER, Millwrights, of Oldham,
in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROAD SWEEPING AND DIRT
GATHERING MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object improvement in road or street sweeping, and
collecting the dirt or refuse thereon; and in order that it may be fully understood,
and readily carried into effect, we will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon. Fig. 1 is a side
elevation in section, and Fig. 2 is a plan of our improved machine. Tis an axle
which does not revolve, and to which the machine is attached or suspended;
h and h¹ are the traction wheels which carry the machine, and they revolve on the
axle r; a is a large circular rotary brush, on the shaft of which is fixed a chain
pulley k driven from the chain pulley ; fast to the spur wheel i, and revolving
with it on a stud fixed to the frame of the machine; the spur wheel is driven by
a spur wheel i fixed on the wheel h, which revolves when the machine is in motion.
6 is a roller made in one or more lengths of india-rubber, wood, or other suitable
material, placed on a shaft considerably smaller in diameter than the size of the hole
through the roller, which shaft runs loose in vertical slots at each side of the
machine, and it is caused to revolve by the roller running in contact with the road
over which the machine travels; d, d, are elbow levers connected to the bearings,
in which the shaft of the brush a revolves; c is the elevator; c' is a strip of india
rubber which extends from the bottom of the elevator to the top of the roller b;
e are the buckets attached to bands e¹ which work over the rollers f. f¹, at the top
and bottom of the elevator c; & is a shoot through which the dirt is delivered into the
cart or other receptacle; n is a doffer brush; n³ is a chain pulley on the shaft of
the doffer brush; n! is a chain pulley on the axle of the large brush a which drives
the doffer brush; o is a guide wheel to support the sweeping machinery, the axle
of which is fitted in a bracket working on a swivel. The mode of operation is as
follows:-When the machine is drawn over the road the spur wheel i revolves
with the traction wheel h, and communicates motion to the spur wheel and
through it to the large brush a by means of a chain on the pulleys ; and k. The
brush a revolves in the contrary direction to the roller b, and the dirt is taken up
between them and discharged into the receptacle at the foot of the elevator c.
india rubber strip c' extends from the bottom of the elevator c to the top of the
roller b, to prevent dirt escaping, and it allows the roller b to rise and fall with the
inequalities of the road. The doffer brush n is driven by a chain on the pulleys
n' and n³, and it revolves in contact with the large brush and in the same direction,
and it strikes off any dirt that may adhere to the large brush. The buckets e take
up the dirt from the bottom of the elevator, and discharge it through the shoot a
into a cart or other receptacle. The roller f¹ is driven from the wheel h¹ by a chain
on the pulleys and m, and the band or chain e' carries the buckets & up and down
the elevator. The guide wheel o supports the machinery and enables it to be turned
readily. The brush a can be lifted from the road by the levers d, or the levers d
may be used to put pressure on the brush a when required, but the brush usually
runs on the ground with no pressure but its own weight. The levers d are retained
in the required position by pins inserted into the frame side.
The
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and described the manner of

page_text: 1. The roller o made in one or more parts, substantially
II. The doffer brush n, substantially as shewn and described.
III. The levers d, as shewn and described.
IV. The guide wheel o, and
V. The combination of machinery, shewn and described, for road or street
sweeping.
5
In witness whereof, I, the said John Barker, for myself and on behalf of the
said James Barker and Daniel Barker, have hereunto set my hand and seal, 1
this Sixteenth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
JOHN BARKER. (L.S.)