CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN SWEEPING MACHINES INTENDED ESPECIALLY FOR SWEEPING GRASS, CLIPPINGS, LEAVES, AND THE LIKE FROM LAWNS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesox, Gentleman, for an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SWEEPING MACHINES INTENDED ESPECIALLY FOR SWEEPING GRASS,
CLIPPINGS, LEAVES, AND THE LIKE FROM LAWNS." A communication from
abroad by Everett Griscom Passmore, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United
States of America.
(Void by reason of the Patentee having neglected to file a Specification in
pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.)
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th April 1880. A communication
from abroad by Everett Griscom Passmore, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SWEEPING MACHINES INTENDED
ESPECIALLY FOR SWEEPING GRASS, CLIPPINGS, LEAVES, AND THE LIKE FROM
LAWNS." A communication from abroad by Everett Griscom Passmore, of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention relates to a machine adapted for sweeping grass clippings,
leaves, and tho like from lawns.
In carrying out this Invention opposite side frames are provided, which are
connected together in front by a concavo-convex plate, and at the rear by a
transverso bar. In the side frames are formed bearings for the driving shaft and
brush shaft, one of the sido frames being also provided with studs forming bearings
for the spur wheels hereinafter referred to. The machine is supported upon wheels
or rollers on the driving shaft and on front rollers or supports. The rear wheels or
rollers are provided with ratchet mechanism or equivalent devices, whereby on the
forward movement of the machine the driving shaft will be caused to turn with the
rollers, but on the backward movement the rollers are free to turn independently
of the shaft.

page_text: The front rollers or supports may consist of two castor wheels mounted in studs
projecting from the front plate of the machine, the wheels being so mounted in
the said studs that they can swing freely from side to side, or can be adjusted
vertically.
One end of the driving shaft carries a spur wheel which gears into another spur
wheel, the latter engaging with a spur wheel which gears with a pinion on the end
of the brush shaft. This shaft carries two sets of, say, three brushes each, the
brushes of each set extending from a point near one end of the shaft to a point at
or beyond the centre of the same, and the brushes of one set coinciding with the
spaces between the brushes of the other set. By this means a multiplicity of
brushes may be used, so that the action of sweeping is almost continuous, and the
work to be done is rendered uniform, whilst at the same time the power required
to operate the brush is not so great as would be necessary if each brush extended
from end to end of the shaft.
The heads carrying the brush material are secured by bolts and nuts to radial
slotted arms formed on hubs secured to the brush shaft, so that as the brushes
become worn they may be adjusted to compensate for this wear.
The chamber in which the brush revolves is open at the rear, but enclosed at the
sides, in front, and on top, such enclosure being effected partly by the side plates
and front plate, and partly by a hood which has end plates fitted to the side plates,
the transverse portion of the hood being partly curved and partly straight.
This hood is hinged to the front plate, so that it can be thrown up in order to
expose the brush; the hood, however, should be provided at the rear end with
staples adapted to hooks on the side frames or with some equivalent means, whereby
the hood may be secured in position, but may be elevated at the rear end so as to
govern its position in respect to the brush.
Hung to the side plates of the machine are two bars which extend rearwardly
from the said side plates, and are connected near their rear ends by a transverse
bar, suitable handles being formed on the extremities of the bars so that the
machine may be pushed forward when used as a hand machine or guided when
drawn by a horse.
The handles may be rigidly secured to the side frames, but it is preferable to
pivot them loosely thereto, so that they are at liberty to yield upwardly, and thus
allow the supporting rollers or wheels of the machine to follow the inequalities of
the ground without imparting a like movement to the handle bars, or where
uninterrupted movement is not desirable the movement may be limited or the
handles adjusted to different positions in respect to the frames by combining
clamping bolts on the bars with slotted plates on the side frames.
A transverse bar extends from one of the bars to the other, and to this transverse
bar is hung a receptacle which is closed at the sides, bottom, and back, and partly
closed in front, the top of the box and a portion of the front of the same near the
top being open.
The front of the box is supported on the rearwardly extending bars by means of
side strips, and the said front portion is so formed as to project over the driving
wheels or rollers, so that the receiving end of the box is brought closely to the
brush. The rear lower corner of the receptacle has a roller which in the event of
a sudden descent of the supporting wheels or rollers comes into contact with the
ground, and prevents the receptacle from dragging.
A door forms part of the rear of the receptacle, this door being hung to one of the
transverse bars, and being, by preference, retained in position by means of a spring
catch or equivalent yielding retaining device. A cord extends from the lower end
of the door to another of the transverse bars, another cord also extending from
the latter to a bow to the front of the receptacle.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The front rollers or supports being
set in respect to the rear wheels or rollers, so that the brush properly touches the
ground, the machine is pushed or drawn forward, and a forward movement is
consequently imparted to the rear wheels or rollers.

page_text: The movement of the driving wheels or rollers is transmitted to the brush shaft
through the gearing hereinbefore described, but owing to the character of this
gearing the direction of movement of the brush shaft is the reverse of that of the
driving wheels or rollers, hence the leaves grass clippings and the like are swept up
by the brush and discharged from the top of the same back ward into the receptacle,
the hood serving to properly direct the sweepings, and prevent them from being
thrown out above or in front of the machine.
When the receptacle becomes full and it is desired to empty the same the
attendant pulls upon the cord secondly mentioned, so as to cause the tilting of the
receptacle on the pivot rod, the door being retained by the other cord in such a
position that it presents no obstacle to the free discharge of the sweepings from the
receptacle.
The door is at liberty to swing rearward however in order to clear the pile of
sweepings, and on restoring the receptacle to its normal position the door is again
caught and retained by the spring catch.
Additional capacity in the receptacles is attained by causing the brush to
discharge from the top, as hy this means the closed front of the box may be extended
up almost to the line of the brush.
As the axis of the driving shaft is located between the brush shaft and the
receptacle for the sweepings, the weight of the brush shaft and its appurtenances
is balanced by the weight of the receptacle, but the weight of both is borne almost
entirely by the driving wheels or rollers and proper traction of the latter is thus
assured.
It will be observed that the supporting traction and driving device do not
extend laterally beyond the brush, but are entirely within the limits of the side
frame, so that the machine can be made to sweep closely up to hedges, shrubbery,
or other obstructions, no outside ground supports being presented as in the case of
machines having exterior supporting and driving wheels.
Shoes or equivalent supports may be used in place of the castors forming the
front ground supports, and if desired the receptacle may be arranged in advance
instead of in rear of the brush, and the latter may be caused to turn in the same
direction as the driving wheels or rollers.