An Improved Knife and Fork Cleaning, Polishing, and Sharpening Machine.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th ent., 1891-Accepted, 7th Nov., 191
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Knife and Fork Cleaning, Polishing, and Sharpening
Machine.
I FRIEDRICH BOSSE of 11 Melchierstrasse Berlin in the Empire of Germany
Manufacturing Engineer 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:-
It is well known that in large households such as hotels etcetera the daily
cleaning of knives and forks consumes a considerable amount of time.
Machines therefore have been constructed so that the cleaning could be effecter
thereby, and more quickly than heretofore.
The machines of this kind hitherto constructed have not found great favour as
on the one hand they could only clean knives while on the other they were usually
too expensive and too complicated to find their way into common use.
These defects are proposed to be remedied by the machine constructed according
to this invention which not only cleans knives and forks in a very much shorter
time than heretofore but likewise polishes them; furthermore this machine is
comparatively cheaper and is therefore more likely to be adopted.
In the accompanying drawings Figures 12 and 3 illustrate my improved
machine; Figure 1 being a side elevation of the general arrangement of the
machine, Figures 2 and 3 showing details drawn on an enlarged scale.
Upon the shaft w mounted upon the blocks or supports 6 is arranged on the
left side the fork cleaning apparatus 9 which consists essentially of the rotary
brush (Figure 2).
This brush is provided inwardly with a cavity h which is closed at the side by
a cover plate d. This cavity has for its object to store cleaning powder.
When the brush is rotated the cleaning mass passes through small holes p
formed in the upper wall of the brush in order to be distributed in this manner
upon the brushes so that the forks within the latter may be polished all over as
well as between their prongs.
It is sufficient to pull the forks through once in order to thoroughly clean the
same. The powder is filled in from outside through an opening which is closed
by means of a screw s.
Upon the right hand end of the shaft w is arranged the knife cleaning machine m
consisting of two disc like parts a and c (Figure 3). The disc a is firmly keyed
upon the shaft while the disc c is loosely mounted upon the same so that it can be
shifted laterally thercon.
Upon the inner side of the two discs a and c is fixed an india rubber disc i
and 9* respectively. These india rubber discs are rounded on their upper edges
and furnished with pumice stone and therefore possess a very great polishing
power.
The disc o as well as the india rubber disc g* are controlled by a spiral spring f
which is fixed to the shaft and has a tendency to bear against the disc i as soon as
a knife is inserted between the two discs i and gx (which insertion is facilitated by
the rounding of the upper edges of the discs i and gx) when they are somewhat
separated the spiral spring however causing them to be firmly pressed against the
surfaces of the knife."
The supply of cleaning material or powder for the discs i and yx is effected in
the same manner as for the fork cleaning machine aforesaid. For this purpose the
discs a and c are furnished with a recess wherein a box e is located; the latter is
furnished upon its periphery with holes z and is fixed in the disc c while extending

page_text: within the cavity of the disc a which is filled with cleaning powder from outside
by means of an opening n.
When a knife is inserted between the two discs i and 9* cleaning powder passes
in consequence of the cleft thus formed through the opening of the box wall.
The powder issuing in this manner is distributed over the india rubber discs i
and g*.
In this case it is usually sufficient to draw the knife once along the disc in order
to clean and polish it.
One of these two contrivances may be removed and replaced by a sharpening
stone which is fixed upon the shaft w and serves to sharpen the knives when
required.
The machine may be driven by hand or by treadle which latter would be the
more appropriate means as the two bands being free a knife and a fork could be
simultaneously cleaned.
This machine fully answers all the requirements that can fairly be expected
from a knife and fork cleaning machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a knife and fork cleaning and sharpening machine the receptacles—such
as for cleaning powder which receptacles are placed within the cleaning device
and which when the latter is rotated allow the cleaning powder to escape through
small openings z formed in the walls thus continuously supplying cleaning powder
to the article which is being cleaned substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described and shown in the drawings hereunto annexed.
2. The improved knife and fork cleaning and sharpening machine arranged
combined and acting substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and represented in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this 24th day of September 1891.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Patentee.