Improvements in Furniture Casters.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furniture Casters.
I, ALFRED COUSEN, of 420, Fifth Street, in the City of Detroit, and State
of Michigan, United States of America, Gentleman, 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:-
The object of the invention is to make a ball caster that will freely turn
whether used on light or heavy furniture and which precludes all possibility
of scratching the floor or injuring carpets.
To this end the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and
combination of parts, all as more fully hereinafter described and shown.
In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved caster.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the pivotal support of the ball.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the equatorial section of the ball detached, and
Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the hemispherical end sections of the ball
looking at it from the inside.
A is the forked support of the ball, B is a screw stem or other stem, by means
of which the caster is secured to the furniture leg, all in the ordinary manner.
The ball consists of two hemispherical end sections C C¹ and a central equa-
torial section D.
The end sections C C¹ are provided with the interior hubs E E and the
equatorial section is provided with a corresponding hub F.
These hubs are apertured to receive a pin G which pin extends through the
hubs and is made fast in the hubs of the end sections, preferably by forming
shoulders H on the pins and corresponding shoulders in the hubs and by rivet
heading the outer ends of the pins.
In the adjacent faces between the hubs of the sections of the ball, ball races [
are formed in which suitable balls J to form ball bearings are enclosed.
On diametrically opposite points of the equatorial section of the ball are
formed the outward projecting trunnions K having shoulders L, which trun-
nions are journaled in bushings M secured in any suitable manner in the end
of the forked support.
In practice, the parts being arranged as shown and described, the two sec-
tions C.C are free to rotate on the axis of the pin G, while at the same time
the ball is free to rotate upon the axis of the trunnions which is at right angles
thereto, thereby permitting a joint universal rotation of the hemispherical
sections of the ball, sufficient clearance being made between the adjacent faces
of the section of the ball. at the same time the ball will present in whichever
direction it may be turned a perfect spherical outline.
By reason of the anti-friction devices the caster will turn as freely with
heavy furniture as with furniture of lighter description.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
The equatorial section rotatorily secured between hemispherical end sections
and provided with trunnions.
ALFRED COUSEN,
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.