IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Milward, of Agnes Street, and Benjamin
Richards, of the Public Baths, both in the Town and County of the Town
of Nottingham, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Milward &
Benjamin Richards at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
25th May 1880.
WILLIAM MILWARD, of Agnes Street, and BENJAMIN RICHARDS, of the Public
Baths, both in the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING CARPETS AND SUCH LIKE FABRICS."
In carrying our improvements into effect the carpet or other fabric to be cleaned
is conducted into the apparatus through a suitable opening on to an adjustable
support or bed formed by a frame with bands or strips of leather or other suitable
material. This frame is suspended by chains or bands, or otherwise, to facilitate
variations of its angle and distance from the beaters. The carpet or other fabric to
be operated upon as passed over this frame is subjected to the repeated action of a
series of strips of leather or other suitable flexible material attached at one end to
a revolving roller or drum, and weighted, if desired, at their other ends, by which
the dust and loose matters are shaken out of the fabric or are loosened.
After being acted upon by the beaters the carpet or other fabric in its progress
falls on to a grating, through which the loose dust passes, and it is then withdrawn
from the apparatus by the opening by which it entered or by other suitable
opening.
An exhaust fan or a blower aids the conducting away of the dust.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Milward & Benjamin Richards in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 24th November 1880.
WILLIAM MILWARD, of Agnes Street, and BENJAMIN RICHARDS, of the Public
Baths, both in the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING CARPETS AND SUCH LIKE FABRICS."
In carrying our improvements into effect the carpet or other fabric to be cleaned
is conducted into the apparatus through a suitable opening on to an adjustable
support or bed formed by a frame with bands or strips of leather, or other suitable
material. This frame is suspended by chains or bands, or otherwise, to facilitate
variations of its angle and distance from the beaters. The carpet or other fabric
to be operated upon as passed over this frame is subjected to the repeated action of
a series of strips of leather, or other suitable flexible material, attached at one end
to a revolving roller or drum, and weighted, if desired, at their other ends, by
which the dust and loose matters are shaken out of the fabric or are loosened.
After being acted upon by the beaters the carpet or other fabric in its progress
falls on to a grating through which the loose dust passes, and it is then withdrawn
from the apparatus by the opening by which it entered, or by other suitable
opening.
An exhaust fan or a blower aids the conducting away of the dust.
But that the Invention may be the better understood we will, by the aid of the
Figure 1 shows a transverse section, and Figure 2 a front view partly in section
of apparatus arranged to carry out our improvements. In both these views the
same letters are employed to indicate corresponding parts. a, a, represents simply
the outer case or frame in which the operating parts are contained.
This case or frame is provided with an opening a¹, through which the fabric to
be operated upon is conducted, and through which it is returned after the
operation upon it for cleaning it. This opening a¹ is capable of being closed by
a flap b which we form of leather or some other suitable fabric b' stretched on a
frame b², and it is hung by leather or other suitable hinges b³. The carpet or
other fabric to be cleaned is conducted through this opening a' on to a frame c
formed of the opposite bars c¹, c³, and bands or strips of leather or other suitable
material, which bands are affixed by nailing or otherwise at their opposite
ends to the bars c¹, c², and the tension or elasticity to these bands c³ is capable of
being regulated by altering the position of the set nuts c¹ on the distending
rods, by which the opposite bars c¹, c², of the frame c are connected together.
The bar is formed, as shown, with a groove on its underside to rest on the
bevilled upper edge a² of the bar a³ forming the lower part of the opening a¹, so
that the frame c may rock thereon as a hinge, and the back bar c³ of the frame c
is suspended at its ends from the ends of chains or ropes d which pass out of the
case or frame & over pulleys e, and are connected so as to be capable of adjustment
to springs f. Thus whilst the extent of inclination of the frame c may be varied
the springs admit of a slight yielding as the carpet or other fabric is being beaten
whilst passing over it, as we will now explain.
The carpet or other fabric to be operated upon is conducted through the
opening a on to the elastic frame c, and as it passes over the bands c³ forming the
surface of the frame c it is subjected to the action of the beaters employed, and

page_text: thence it passes down on to the grating g, and after thus passing in one direction
it may be returned, if desired, in like manner, to be again acted upon by the series
of beaters and passed out again by the opening a'.
The beaters we employ are formed of strips of leather or other suitable flexible
material h, each of which is connected at one end to one of the three transverse
bars, and at the opposite or outer back end these strips may have metal or other
plates applied to them, or those ends of the respective strips may be connected
together by chains or cords, or other flexible material, to aid the operation of the
strips h in effecting the cleansing of the fabric for the time under operation. We
prefer to form the bars i with a tendency to arch outwards and to force their ends
into the end plates j by compression of these arched forms, when the bars i and
the end plates are securely connected together by wedge pieces k. The end
plates are securely fixed to the shaft or axis 7, and by this means great rigidity is
obtained to the holding means for the strips h. The shaft or axis is supported
so as to be capable of freely revolving in suitable bearings carried by the box or
frame a, and it has applied to it the fast and loose pulleys m, n, by which it may
be operated or be left at rest by means of a strap or band driven by a steam engine
or other suitable power; o indicates a passage by which dust from the chamber a
may be withdrawn by any suitable exhausting means.
Having thus described our Invention, and means which we adopt in carrying the
same into effect, we would have it understood that what we claim is the arranging
or combining parts forming apparatus for cleansing carpets, and such like fabrics,
whereby the fabric under operation is supported on an elastic and adjustable bed
whilst being acted upon by suitable beaters, and is received onto a grating for the
passage of the dust therefrom, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Milward and Benjamin Richards,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty second day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
WILLIAM MILWARD.
(L.S.)
BENJAMIN RICHARDS. (L.S.)