Year: 1887

page_text: We, CHARLES WELLS, Gentleman and LIZZIE RITCHIE, Spinster, both of
No. 53, Charlotte Street, Portland Place, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to our invention, we fix a musical box or instrument to the handle of
the skipping rope, or in it; and connect it by suitable gearing, spindles cranks or
levers to the rope, so that in the act of skipping, the twist imparted by the hand
to the rope gives the necessary movement to the musical instrument. In some cases,
the musical instrument is actuated by a weighted lever or crank which is set in motion
by the circular motion of the hand without the necessity of connecting it to the
rope. We may also use a spring to act on the musical instrument. This may be
wound up and actuated by the pression of the hand acting on the handle or on a
button or any other suitable device whilst skipping.
Dated this 5th day of December 1887
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: We, CHARLES WELLS, Gentleman, and LIZZIE RITCHIE, Spinster, both of
No. 53, Charlotte Street, Portland Place, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to an improvement in skipping ropes, and consists in the
combination of a springless musical box with one of the handles of a skipping rope;
the end of the rope being attached to the first motion shaft of the musical box, to
which it communicates a motion of rotation as itself is thrown round the person of
the skipper.
We attain the object of our invention by means of the mechanism illustrated in the
accompanying drawing in which
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, and
Fig. 2 a detail elevation.
Fig. 3 illustrates modified form of swivel.
A is one handle of the skipping rope, to which the musical box is attached, and B,
the box itself. C is part of the skipping rope.
D is the first motion shaft, adapted to be rotated by the means hereinafter described,
in bearings d, d; and engages with the second or, barrel, shaft, d¹, for the purpose of
rotating it, by any suitable mechanical device, e.g., a worm, e, on the former, and a
worm-wheel, el, on the latter.
F is a musical box-barrel; and, f, the comb. Both barrel and comb are of the
usual, or of any other, construction known to manufacturers of mechanical musical
instruments in which the sounds are produced by the rotation of a barrel about its
own axis.
Fig. 1 illustrates the barrel and comb extending only half of the length of the box,
and fixed on one side of the centre of the box. This is the most convenient pro-
portion and position; but the shaft, d, may be continued towards the opposite end, a,
of the box B, and a second barrel and comb mounted thereon.
The first motion shaft, D, supported in suitable bearings, is continued through
the side, a', of the box, and terminates in a forked end, d², which receives one end, e²,
of the rod, E, thereby forming a knuckle joint.
A piece of tube, F1, is passed over the rod, E, around which it can move freely.
An enlargement,, of the end of the rod, E, prevents the tube from slipping off
the rod. One end of the skipping rope is securely fastened to the said tube, F¹.
The tube, F, rod, E, and enlargement together constitute a swivel which compen-
sates for any twist which the rope C may contract during the act of skipping,
allowing the same to work out.
We may adopt any kind of swivel-device, and do not confine myself to the
particular one illustrated in Fig. 1.

page_text: In the alternative device illustrated in Fig. 3, the rod, E, terminates in an eye, e³,
through which the end of the rod, g, is passed. The latter has an enlargement g¹ upon
the end of it which prevents its being withdrawn from the eye e³, in which however
it can freely turn. The skipping rope is connected to the projecting portion of
the rod, g.
The handle at the other end of the skipping rope is an ordinary one, and is connected
to the rope in any well-known or convenient way.
The action of my invention is as follows:
The handles are held, and the rope, C, thrown round the person of the skipper,
in any of the usual and well known ways. As the rope is swung round, its motion
is communicated through the knuckle joint forming the connection between the
first motion shaft, D, and the rod, E, to the former; and the barrel, F, is rotated
accordingly.
We provide a ratchet and pawl, G, or other equivalent device for the purpose of
preventing the barrel being rotated in the wrong direction.
The box, B, may be dispensed with, and the barrel, comb, and movement, mounted
in the handle the axis of the barrel being parallel with that of the handle, and the
position of the shaft, D, modified accordingly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is,
1. The combination of skipping rope, musical box, and mechanism adapted to
transmit the motion of the rope to the barrel of the box, as set forth.
2. The combination of skipping rope, swivel, knuckle joint, and first motion shaft
of a musical box, as set forth.
PHILLIPS LEIGH,
Patent Agents,
22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.