Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1888
Specification Accepted, 11th May, 1888
[Communicated from abroad by FREDERICK SCHUMPE, Cabinet Maker, of No. 18,
Buckeye Street, and JOHN MAX HAMMELRATH, Jeweller, of No. 631, Vine
Street, both in Cincinati, Ohio, United States of America.]
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
:-
This invention relates to washing machines which comprise a concave tub having a
rubber adapted to vibrate therein, and the first part of the improvements consists in
constructing the rubber in such a manner as to render it automatically adjustablo
along the operating lever in order that the desired pressure will be brought to bear
upon the clothes, no matter whether the tub is full or only partially full, as herein-
after more fully described. The second part of the said invention comprises a novel
construction of rubber which ensures the most thorough agitation of the clothes and
circulation of the suds within the tub, as hereinafter more fully described.
The third part of the said improvements comprises a novel construction of operating
lever, which is so jointed as to be readily used either in a horizontal or vertical
position, as hereinafter more fully described. The fourth part of the said improve-
ients consists in applying a tubular shield to the top of the rubber, for the purpose
of preventing clothes coming in contact with the operating lever, as hereinafter more
fully described.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved washing-machine, taken in the plane
of the vibrating lever a portion of the rubber being shown in section.
Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section of a rubber taken in the plane of the
lever.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the rubber taken in the plane of the lever.
Figure shows the two sections of the lever coupled together in an erect
position.
A represents an ordinary tub mounted upon feet a and having a concave bottom B,
(71

page_text: provided with a series of transverse ribs or corrugations b. C is the lid, hinged to
the opposite sides of the tub, and near one end thereof, one of these hinges or pivots
being seen at c. The opposite end of this lid is stiffened on its underside by a
batten c¹ which closes upon a shelf D. The lid C is slotted longitudinally at cu to
admit free play of the vibrating lever E the latter being pivoted at f to a bearing
secured upon said lid. The upper end of lever E, is perforated at G G₁ which
perforations are in line with similar holes H H, of a supplementary lever / whose
free end has a handle h¹. g, gare bolts passing through the holes GH, G¹ H', as
seen in Figure 4. The lower end of the lever E has a square or other non-circular
section E terminating with a heade the said section E¹ being adapted to carry the
rubber, which rubber is composed of a top board I, two side boards J J¹, and a pair of
blocks K K. These members I J J and K, K₁ are so, united as to form a rubber
which is considerably wider at the bottom than at top, the member I being pierced
at i to permit free play of the section E of the lever. The inner ends of blocks K K¹
are not in contact with each other, but are separated by a chamber L, traversed by
the lever heade the said chamber being closed at bottom by a cleat M, uniting the
said blocks. is a plate or cushion that may be applied to the top of chamber L.
N are holes passing through the boards J, J, and blocks K, K. j,, are stumps or
pins projecting laterally from the aforesaid boards. k, are similar devices pro-
jecting downwardly from the blocks K, K'. In some cases the lever E, E, may be
made of galvanized iron or other suitable metal that will not rust and injure the
clothes, but as a matter of economy the said lever can be composed of any cheap
metal, and a guard or shield can be attached to the rubber to prevent the articles in
the tub coming in contact with said lever. As seen in Figure 2 this guard is com-
posed of a tube O, of India rubber or other yielding material, the lower end of the
said tube being tacked to the board I. But in Figure 3 this shield is composed of a
galvanized iron tube 01 secured upon the said board, or upon a pierced plate P
attached to the latter, the object of this plate being to prevent the enlargement of the
opening i. R represents one of a pair of bearers attached to the opposite sides of the
tub, for the purpose of supporting the closed lid. This machine is used in the follow-
ing manner. The lid is first opened to the position indicated by the dotted lines,
in Figure 1, and after the tub has been filled with the clothes and hot suds, the said
lid is closed, to prevent the escape of vapour. If the operator wishes to sit whilo
engaged in washing the clothes, the upper bolt g is removed, and the supplementary
lever his swung down to the position seen in Figure 1, but if the operator desires to
stand, said bolt is inserted in the coincident holes G, H, thereby causing the said
lever to serve as a vertical extension of the lever proper E E¹, as represented in
Figure 4. The handle ', being then grasped and worked back and forth causes a
corresponding vibration of the rubber IJ, J, whose pins j, j, k loosen up the clothes
and prevent them "bunching" together, while the holes N of the said rubber induce
currents of water to flow from end to end of the tub. As a natural result of this
thorough agitation of the clothes and rapid circulation of water, the various articles
are completely washed in a few minutes and without injuring the finest fabrics, which
safe action of the machine is due to the fact that the rubber is loosely hung upon the
lever. Consequently the said rubber will automatically raise and fall to accommodate
itself to the amount of clothing in the tub, or to any increased thickness of the
garments and the like. As the clothes surge back and forth within the tub, the
guard O, or the shield O¹, prevent them coming in contact with the lever E¹, and
thereby being injured by any rust on the latter.
-
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, 1 declare that what I claim is :-
First. A washing-machine provided with a vibrating lever whose lower portion
carries a self-adjusting rubber for the purpose described.
Second. A washing machine provided with a vibrating lever whose lower end has a

page_text: head that traverses the chamber L, of a self adjusting rubber applied to the said lever,
for the purpose described.
Third. A washing machine rubber consisting of the top board I, downwardly and
outwardly flaring side-boards J, J, and blocks K K¹ the said boards and blocks being
perforated at N, and provided, respectively, with pins j, j, k, for the purpose
described.
Fourth. A washing-machine having a vibrating lever, one section E of which is
pivoted to the lid at f, and is perforated at G, G', while the other section h, is
similarly perforated at H, H', bolts g, g', being employed for coupling the said
sections together, as herein described.
Fifth. A washing-machine rubber having a guard or shield O' attached to it, which
guard surrounds a portion of the vibrating levor carrying the said rubber, as herein
described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.