US551552A - Foot-brush - Google Patents

Description

J-. MELLOR. FOOT BRUSH (No Model.)

No. 551,552. Patented Dec. 17, 1895.

W/TNESSES: 1

M. PNQTGYU'I'HQWASHINGTON D C JOHN MELLOR, OF ASPEN, COLORADO.

F O O T B R U S H SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,552, dated December 17, 1895.

Application filed February 28, 1895. $eria1N0. 540,058. li o model To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MELLOR, of Aspen, in the county of Pitkin and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Foot- Brush, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to foot-brushes, and has for its object to produce a very durable and effective brush of this class, which will permit of readily and quickly cleaning the shoes or boots from mud, snow, dust, &c., which will not easily become clogged, and which will have the combined action of a wiper and a scraper.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts that will behereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which Figure 1 a side elevation of the improved foot'brush, partly in section, on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, with parts broken away; and Fig. 3 is an end view showing another form of brush.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the views.

The improved foot brush or wiper coinprises a suitable base A provided with openings such as A for the reception of screws or the like, although other fastening means may be employed. The base is recessed, as shown at A thereby forming a chamber for the reception of the brush-head and some other parts, to be presently described. The brush consists of a head 1-3 which is of substantially the same height and width as the recess or chamber A but of somewhat less length. The head is secured in position on the base by means of a pin O or other suitable devices. From the head extend upward the brushes D, which are made of fiat strips or wires of steel or equivalent elastic metal, and whose upper ends form the wiping and scraping surface of the foot-brush. At the opposite end of the chamber A to the brush-head B is located a clip E consisting of two plates E and h respectively clasping between them a strip of rubber F, the upper end of which projects above the clip and is substantially flush with the top surface of the brush-tufts D. The clip members E E are forced toward each other to clamp the rubber strip F, by means of screws G and nuts G, or equivalent devices, and by loosening the nut the rubber may be released and slid upward or downward between the clip members to adjust it to the plane of the brush-tops. In this manner wear can be taken up.

Between the clip E and the brush-head B may be interposed a scparatin g strip or block H to leave a su'fiicicnt space between the clip and the adjoining brush D, or the block ll may be formed integral with the ln'uslrhead.

W'hile the brushes D may be made all of the same length so that their tops are in a plane surface, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, 1 prefor in some cases to make them of different lengths, so as to produce a wiping-surface that will be substantially V-shaped in crosssection, as illustrated at l) in Fig. 3, the object of this particular construction being to cause the upper ends of the brushes D to en gage not only the soles, but the sides of the boot or shoe. It will be understood that the rubber F and clip E may be employed in connection with the brushes D, although the rubber and clip have not been shown in Fig.

The improved foot-brush is used in the same manner as ordinary foot-wipers, but is more cfiective for the following reasons: The ed es of the flat strips or wires of steel employed tor the brushes D form scrapers and will obviou sly remove the mud, &c., more readily than bristles having smooth side surfaces, without any edges; also, the brushes being elastic, will brush the mud off better than the usual rigid scrapers. It will thus be seen that by employing steel brushes of angular cross-section, I produce a foot-wiper which combines the advantage of a scraper-viz., the presence of a narrow edge acting to forcibly remove the mud-with that of a brush made of bristlesvia, the elasticity of the bristles and their capability of adapting themselves to the form of the article to be cleaned. Another advantage of the steel brushes results from their great elasticity, which causes them to scatter the mud away, thus keeping the wiper clean and preventing clogging of the brushes, also preventing the latter from deterioration by prolonged contact with injurious substances. This scattering effect is much stronger when brushes of angular cross-section are employed ICO than when using brushes having smooth side surfaces, as the elastic Vibrations of the brushes will not only be longitudinal, but torsional in addition thereto. The rubber F is employed to take off any remaining wet after the use of the brush proper, and has the same action as the mat commonly used.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- An improved foot brush, consisting of a base having a recess in its upper surface, a brush having fiat steel bristles, the back of the brush being of substantially the same height and width as the recess of the base, but of less length than the said recess and secured therein, a clip, comprising two spaced plates and clamping screws or bolts, the lower ends of the plates being secured in that portion of the recess of the base not filled by the the same and flush with the tops of the bristles of the brush, substantially as herein shown and described.

JOHN MELLOR.

lVitnesses MARY E. MELLoR, E. A. MELLoR.

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