Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1887
Complete Left, 10th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th Apr., 1888
I, ALEXANDER ORR, of 44 Pitt Street, in the City and County of Edinburgh,
Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention to be
as follows:
My invention comprises improvements on the well known type of carpet beating
machines consisting of a wooden cased chamber or frame work enclosing rotating
beaters. The object in view being that carpet beating machines may be produced at
a much less cost and of a quality more durable and better adapted for the work than
any yet in the market; thereby rendering a public benefit by making it possible for
carpet beating being done much more cheaply and more efficiently than formerly.
The case or framework of my new machine is made in the ordinary style and shape,
excepting that the aim kept in view in its construction is strength and durability,
avoiding elaborate joiner work in the way of bevelled framing, beaded paneling and
fine varnishing, expenses quite unnecessary for the kind of work the machines have to
perform.
My Improvements essentially consist (1) in an improved bed for laying the carpets
on while being cleaned, (2) an improved construction of beaters or beating arms,
and (3) the driving shaft on which these are mounted, and (4) an improved con-
struction or arrangement of chamber for collecting and disposing of the dust taken
from the carpets being beaten.
According to my invention I use an ordinary construction of outer supporting
framing used in carpet beating machines, and inside a slit or opening in front of the
machine framing (which slit or opening has a hinged lid to fold down after the carpet
is inserted in order to prevent the light dust from escaping at the front) is placed a
bed on which the carpet rests while receiving strokes from the beaters. This bed is of
an improved construction from that of any other machine, and consists of a series of
straps made of the strongest cotton or other belting, the top or upper side of which is
protected from the action of the beaters by a lining of thin Scotch Ash or other
equivalent hard wood, the ash and the strap yield sufficiently to each stroke of the
beaters to give the bed the required flexibility, while tension may be imparted to the
cotton belting straps by their ends being attached to strong flat steel springs placed at

page_text: the bottom of the machine, or the bars or beam carrying the outer end of these elastic
straps might be attached to horizontal blade springs. This improvement in the con-
struction of the strap bed is claimed to be a source of greater economy in the use of
carpet beating machines, the very frequent renewal of the old form of leather strap
beds being a very serious item in working expenses.
The main driving shaft mounted in the centre of the machine, on which are jointed
or secured the rotating beaters, is of an improved construction, and consists all as
follows. Four battens or pieces of wood are bolted strongly together to form a
cylindrical case, their outside edges describing a circle while revolving, a metallic
casting embraces each end of the battens, into which casting is fixed the short turned
steel shafts on which it revolves in gun-metal plumber blocks with a fast and a loose
pulley at one end which may be driven by a belt from any overhead prime moving
shaft. This improved construction of shaft involves less cost in making, while light-
ness combined with strength renders it more easily driven than shafts of other
machines heretofore in use."
The rotating beaters are an improvement on those of other machines, and consist of
ordinary rubber belting, band leather and zinc, all riveted together, their form or
shape may be either simple radial straps secured or hung from the main shaft, or
radial straps having transverse straps connecting two or more of these. These beaters
are attached to the main shaft before described by a simple and cheaper method than
that adopted in other machines, namely, they are slung on or attached to a plain iron
rod by means of plain iron clasps, while the rod is held stationary to the main shaft
by kneed bent iron brackets bolted to or through the batten bars.
In my improved arrangements for disposing of the dust besides adopting the
ordinary sparred bottom as in other carpet beating machines for collecting the heavy
dust, I have constructed a dust chamber into which the dust is drawn or driven by a
fan in the usual way, it is then prevented from getting into the open air by means of
a water spray placed inside an opening at each end of the chamber, and through
which the air passes outwards freed from the dust.

page_text: I, ALEXANDER ORR, of 44 Pitt Street in the City and County of Edinburgh,
Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon; that is to
say :-
My said Invention comprises improvements on the well known type of carpet
beating machines consisting of a wooden cased chamber or frame-work enclosing
rotating beaters. The object in view being that carpet beating machines may be
produced at a much less cost and of a quality more durable and botter adapted for the
work than any yet in the market, thereby rendering a public benefit by making it
possible for carpet beating being done much more cheaply and more effeciently than
formerly.
The case or framework of my new machine is made in the ordinary style and shape
excepting that the aim kept in view in its construction is strength and durability,
avoiding elaborate joiner work in the way of bevelled framing, beaded panelling and
fine varnishing, expenses quite unnecessary for the kind of work the machines have to
perform.
My improvements essentially consist (1) in an improved bed for laying the carpets
on while being cleaned, (2) an improved construction of beaters or beating arms
and (3) the driving shaft on which these are mounted and (4) an improved construc-
tion or arrangement of chamber for collecting and disposing of the dust taken from
the carpets being beaten.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended
an explanatory Sheet of Drawings, in which the same reference letters are used to
indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation, broken away in the centre at 1
1, of my
new or improved carpet beating machine, with a great part of the front of the closing
wooden case or frame-work removed, to show the beaters and details more clearly.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the machine corresponding to Figure 1, showing
the improved construction of carpet beating bed, and revolving shaft and beaters.
Figure 3 is a sectional end elevation of a modified construction of carpet beating bed
from that shown in Figure 2. While Figures 4 and 5 are longitudinal and transverse
sectional views respectively of the chamber for collecting and disposing of the dust
taken from the carpets being beaten in the machine.
Referring to the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 of these Drawings
According to my invention I use an ordinary construction of outer supporting
framing Z boarded in on all sides at Z' as used in carpet beating machines, and inside
a slit or openings S in the front machine framing Z (which slit or opening has a hinged

page_text: lid S¹ to fold down after the carpet is inserted in order to prevent the light dust from
escaping at the front) is placed an angled bed- A A¹ within the beating chamber z on
which the carpet rests after passing over the guide feeding roller Z and new
table carried on the supporting brackets Z3, Z outside the front framing Z of the
machine. The carpet is indicated at a in Figure 2. This bed A A¹ is of an improved
construction from that of any other machine and consists of a series of straps A made
of the strongest cotton canvas and gutta-percha, or leather or other belting, the top or
upper side of which is protected from the action of the beaters by a lining of thin
Scotch Ash or strips of ash or other equivalent hard wood A', the ash A' and the
strap A yield sufficiently to each stroke of the beaters to give the bed the required
flexibility, and the ash may be corrugated to assist in allowing the dust to pass down
through. The thin ash top A¹ is riveted or attached to the belting A and the upper
ends of the belting strips A, are strongly screwed at b to the beam A² of the framing Z
while a moving tension is. imparted to these straps A in groups by attaching their
front ends to clasp iron bars at a¹ after passing over a roller A³ for each group, as two,
three, four or more, five being shown as grouped together in the Drawing. As seen
in Figures 1 and 2 the upper ends of the rod B is attached to the clasp. bars.a¹ at
of each set of straps, and the lower ends of the rods B are attached by adjusting
nuts to horizontal flat springs B₁ screwed to the beam B2 at the lower framing.
Each roller A³, over which is passed the groups of belts A is mounted by its end
spindles in brackets A on the top of a strong longitudinal beam carried by
standards from the lower longitudinal beams C secured to the floor. Or a
longitudinal beam might be used for the roller A³, to which the moving end of these
elastic straps A might be secured and this beam be directly attached to horizontal
blade springs B¹. A modified arrangement of attaching and supporting the clastic
carpet bed A, A, from that shown in Figures 1 and 2, is shown in Figure 3, and
consists in screwing or attaching the lower moving end ¹, of the group of straps A
to an oscillating bar or beam A equivalent to the roller A³. This bar A¹¹ is pre-
ferably of hardwood, and is mounted in bearing blocks A bolted or secured to the
beam C carried on vertical standards C. Each oscillating lever beam A to
which the group of bands A are attached at 1 is secured and retained in position
by one or more spiral springs 63 below its fulcrum to the front main framing Z,
which gives each group of belts A, A¹, an equivalent elasticity to the arrangement
shown in Figures 1 and 2. This improvement in the construction of the strap
beds A, A¹, is considered to be a source of greater economy in the use of carpet
beating machines, the very frequent renewal of the old form of leather strap beds
being a very serious item in working expenses.
The main driving shaft mounted in the centre of the machine on which are jointed
or secured the rotating beaters, is of an improved construction and consists all as
follows. Four battens or strong longitudinal bars of wood D, D, D, D, are bolted
strongly together to form a cased or cruciform shaft their outside edges D' describing
a circle while revolving. A metallic casting D2 is formed with flanged sockets to
embrace each outer end of the battens D, to which they are screwed as bosses and to
which the revolving carrying shaft D³ is secured and mounted to rotate in gun-metal
bushed pluminer-blocks D secured on the end frames Z of the machine. Fast and
loose pulleys E, E¹, are mounted on one end of this shafi. D³ and would be driven by
a belt passed over them from any overhead prime moving shaft of the works. This
improved construction of shaft involves less cost in making, while lightness combined
with strength renders it more easily driven than shafts of other machines heretofore
in use.
At intervals along the outer edges D¹ of the beams D of this rotating shaft, two
swivelling fulcrumed bearing metallic blocks d are screwed, and between these,
swivelling metallic arms d¹ are fulcrumed by a spindle passing through the eyes d.
The outer flat ends of these swivelling metallic arms d¹ are screwed to the back of a
flat longitudinal bar of hardwood d² to which flexible radial ropes d of gutta-percha
and canvas are attached at intervals all secured at their outer ends to a longitudinal
rope of canvas and gutta-percha d³ secured along their back by another similar

page_text: longitudinal bar or cord d parallel to the outer one d³, leaving the whole of these
ropes d¹¹, d³, d, as beaters constructed and bound together by gutta-percha and rivets
as shown to a largo scale in side and edge elevation in Figure 6, and elastic from each
longitudinal board d² which swings on the fulcrumed hinges d, d¹, so as to strike the
carpet over the laths A¹ of the elastic bed of straps A, as they come round. One of
the swivelling frames d² of beaters is mounted on the joints d, d¹, on the outer edge
of each of the four beams D of the rotating shaft, as scen more particularly in
Figure 2.
Or the elastic part d", da, d, of the rotating beaters may consist of ordinary band
leather bound together in an equivalent manner, their form or shape may be either
simple radial straps secured or hung direct to the eyes d of the bars D, D, on the
main shaft without the swivelling bars d² or the radial straps d" may have transverse
straps d³, d, to connect two or more of these sectional groups of beaters.
In my improved arrangements for disposing of the dust besides adopting the
ordinary sparred portable bottom F over the floor as in other carpet beating
machines for collecting the heavy dust, I have constructed as shown in Figures 4
and 5 a dust collecting chamber G outside and preferably above the machine into
which the dust is drawn from the machine and forced into the chamber G through
ducts g by a fan in the usual way one fan and duct g to each machine, leading to the
chamber G common to a set of machines. The dust forced into the collector G is
then prevented from getting into the open air by being passed through a water spray
trap G1, G2 placed inside an open wire door at G3 at each end of the dust chamber,
and through which the air passes outwards free from the dust, all as indicated by the
arrows in Figures 4 and 5. A perforated water pipe G is fitted all round within
each of these traps, and especially within the hollow space within the upper
boarding G so as to fall in a broad shower over the current of dust and air passing
in the space of the under boarding G₁, G¹, of each trap, the fine dust flowing away
with the water from an overflow tray G¹ fitted under the spray chamber G¹, G¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The construction, or general arrangement and combination of the parts of
carpet beating machinery, substantially as herein described, in reference to and shown
in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. In carpet beating machinery, the constructing of a carpet beating bed
composed of strips of gutta-percha and canvas, cotton, or similar material, with an
upper surface of strips of ash wood, and attached in groups to bars and tension
springs, substantially as and in the manner herein described, in reference to and
shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Third. In carpet beating machinery, the constructing of a rotating beater shaft of
four longitudinal beams, each having mounted on it a set or groups of elastic radial
and longitudinal rope or band beaters, substantially as herein described in reference
to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Fourth. In carpet beating machinery, the construction of a dust collecting chamber
with water spray dust traps, substantially as and for the purposes herein described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this 10th day of March 1888
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.