US13344A - Washing-machine - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES FATFN T OFFICE.

JOHN I-I. ATIVATER, OF KALAMAZOO, B'IIGHIGAN.

WASHING-MACHINE.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. f'\,'rwATER,

of the town and county of Kalamazoo, in

the State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in IWashing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making a part of this specification.

Figure l, is a top view of my improved washing machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation, and Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical sect-ion in the line m, of Fig. l.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The supporting frame of my improved washing machine, consists of an oblong box A, and its legs B, B, which may be constructed in any suitable manner. Rollers c, c', pass transversely across the box A, and are supported by suitable bearings secured to the sides of said box. The journal of the roller c, passes through the front side of the box, and receives the double faced ratchet wheel D, upon the projecting portion thereof; the teeth of the face e, of said wheel, inclining to the left from their radial faces, and t-he teeth of the face f, of said wheel, inclining to the right from their radial faces. Endless bands g, g, embrace the rollers o, c,-to which bands a series of corrugated slats z, h, are .secured in such a manner that they can pass freely over the rollers; or the said slats z, 7L, may be connected to each other by hinges. Slats 27, z', are secured to the inner sides of the box A, bet-ween the rollers c, c, and in such positions as to firmly support the ends of that portion of the slats h, L, which may be between the upper sides of the peripheries of the said rollers. Centrally between the ends of the rollers c, c, the posts 7c, c, rise from the outer sides of the box A; which posts, are connected to each at their upper extremit-ies by the cap Z. A washing frame, composed of the side pieces m, m, the xed rollers n, n, the slat o, and the rollers 0, 0, is placed upon the platform composed of the endless series of slats h, 71,' which frame, is reciprocated across the said slats by means of the pitman p,the crank on the shaft g, the pulley 1, on the said shaft g, the band s, and the driving wheel t, which are connected with each other substantially as represented in the drawings, or in any other convenient manner.

The washing frame has an elastic pressure upon the platform composed of the endless series of slats L, 7L, which pressure may be given to it by means of the bars u, u, whose lower ends pass into concavities in the transverse slat fu, of said frame, and whose upper ends pass up through apertures in the cap Z, (of the frame 7c, 7c, Z,) and are acted upon by the springs w, as represented in Fig. 3.

A crank is placed on the front end of the shaft g to which the hook headed pawl x is connected, that can be made to operate upon the teeth of the face e of the ratchet wheel D. On the outer side of the said pawl m a pawl g/ is placed in such a position that it can be made to operate upon the teeth of the face f of the ratchet wheel D; the said pawl .1/ is jointed to the pawl by means of the pins e and is therefore operated by the same crank. Two levers a and Z) are connected by pivot screws to the front post 70,' a hook a descends from the inner end of the lever a and passes under the outer pawl y; and a hook descends from the inner end of the lever b and passes under the pawl By this arrangement either of the pawls can be made to operate upon the ratchet wheel D, that may be desired. By elevating the inner pawl x and allowing the outer pawl to rest upon the ratchet wheel the wheel will be made to turn toward the right when the machine is operated, and by elevating the outer pawl and allowing the inner pawl to rest upon the ratchet wheel the said wheel will be drawn (by the action of the saidhook headed pawl around toward the left. And thereby the platform, composed of the endless series of corrugated slats L 7L, may be made to move to the right or to the left, at the pleasure of the person operating the machine.

My improved washing machine is operated by a person standing at the end of the machine in such a position that he or she can take hold of the crank pin Z of the driving wheel with the right hand and can reach the levers a o with the left hand. The box A having been supplied with proper quantity of soap and water, and the clothing to be washed having been placed between the platform of slats and the washing frame, motion is imparted to the Washing frame by turning the wheel t and at the same time the platform of slats is made to move forward and backward by means of the above described action upon the levers a and b and the pawls x and y; and at the same time the proper quantity of soap and water must be thrown upon the clothing. This may be done by ladling it from the box A or it may be placed in or pumped into a vessel suspended over the washing frame and allowed to pass through suitable perforations in the bottom of said vessel. If a portion of the piece which is being washed is dirtier than the remainder of it, both pawls should be elevated above the ratchet wheel at the time that this dirtiest portion of the said piece of clothing is under the cap Z, and then the operation of the washing frame be continued until a` sufficient amount of friction has been exerted to remove the dirt from that portion of the piece that is being operated upon.

By keeping the clothing moving back ward and forward under the reciprocating washing frame I produce the most thorough and efficient friction for washing purposes that has ever been produced. And by means of the arrangement by which the slatted platform can be made to remain stationary at any moment the friction upon the clothing can be graduated and governed so as to exactly adapt it to the amount of dirt contained in any portion of the article operated upon.

The operating face of the reciprocating washing frame may be made of corrugated slats or of rollers (or their equivalents) at the option of the Iperson who may construct the machine.

Having thus fully described my improved washing machine, what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

The arrangement of the washing frame m, n, o, /v and the endless platform of slats z, 7L. together with the respective parts combined therewith, in such a manner that the same first mover will at the option of the operator simultaneously impart a reciprocating movement to the washing vframe and a forward or a rearward movement to the said platform, or operate the said washing: frame without moving the said platform substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

The above specification of my improvement in washing machines, signed and witnessed this seventh day of May. 1855.

JOHN H. ATVVATER. l/Vitnesses:

ALEX. BRULE, O. C. ATWATER.

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