AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT TO BE USED IN TILLING THE LAND
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Lawes, of the Office for Patents, 77, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
CONSTRUCTION OF AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT TO BE USED IN TILLING THE
LAND."
Sealed the 23rd September 1857, and dated the 24th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Lawes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th March 1857.
I, THOMAS LAWES, of the Office for Patents, 77, Chancery Lane, in the.
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT TO BE USED IN TILLING
THE LAND," to be as follows (that is to say):-
My Invention, which has reference to an improved method of raising or
lowering the tine cylinder employed in connection with the usual mechanism
for digging or tilling the land, so as to discontinue the operation of digging
when necessary, and enable the machine to be turned round with greater.
advantage than hitherto, consists in the tine cylinder being supported hori-
zontally on suitable running wheels mounted eccentrically upon the outer ends
of the shaft, on which the cylinder revolves through the intervention of cranks
or otherwise in such manner, that by the employment of ordinary screw and.
pinion gear in connection with the framing, the said cranks on which the

page_text: wheels are mounted may be actuated in either direction at pleasure, in con-
formity with the mode of lifting or lowering the apparatus. The tine cylinder
may be formed and mounted in one or several parts, running separately
or together, as may be required, and arranged side by side on the shaft, either
closely together or with intervening spaces, the peripheries thereof in either
case being provided with fixed or shifting tines, and surrounded with an outer
case or cylinder (of greater dimensions than the inner one, upon which the
tines are fixed,) furnished with openings or perforations, corresponding with
the number and size of the teeth or tines on the lesser cylinder, which moves
eccentrically within the outer one, so that the teeth or tines may be readily
cleaned by their being drawn in or out through the perforations, consequent
upon the eccentric action of the inner cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Lawes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
LAWES, of the Office for Patents, 77, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
clid, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Lawes, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Lawes, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas
Lawes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT TO BE USED IN TILLING THE LAND," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Lawes, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Lawes, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and the Drawings therein referred to (that is to say):-
My Invention, which has reference to an improved method of raising and
lowering the tine cylinder employed in connection with the usual mechanism
for digging or tilling the land, so as to discontinue the operation of digging
when necessary, and enable the machine to be turned round with greater
advantage than hitherto, consists in the tine cylinder being supported hori-
zontally on suitable running wheels mounted eccentrically upon the outer ends
of the shaft on which the cylinder revolves, through the intervention of cranks
or otherwise, in such manner, that by the employment of ordinary screw and
pinion gear in connection with the framing, the said cranks on which the
wheels are mounted may be actuated in either direction at pleasure, in con-
formity with the mode of lifting or lowering the apparatus.
But in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I now proceed to describe it by the aid of the accom-
panying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and figures. thereon
marked (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of my improved apparatus for lifting the
tine cylinder, as aforesaid; Fig. 2, a top or plan view thereof; and Fig. 3, a
transverse vertical section of a portion of the apparatus. In each Figure the
same letters of reference denote similar corresponding parts. A, A, frame or
carriage; B, B, the shafts; C, C, running wheels, upon which the body of the
apparatus is raised and supported as required; D, D, tine cylinder; E, E,
tines; F, F, shaft or axis on which the tine cylinder is caused to revolve;
G, G, cranks, firmly keyed on either end of the said shaft, upon the pins of
which H, H, the said running wheels revolve; I, I, chain wheels, secured to
the cranks on either side; J, J, spiked wheels for supplying the requisite
tension to the endless chains K, K, and giving motion to the same; L, L,
tightening screws; M and N, spur wheels and pinions for giving motion to
the spiked wheels and chains; 0, 0, crank handles for actuating the same;
P and P¹, ratchets and palls, secured to the ends of the shaft Q, Q, upon
which the pinions are keyed; R, R, scrapers for cleaning the tines.
In conclusion to the foregoing description I would here briefly remark, that
eccentrics, segment racks, or chain levers may be substituted in place of
cranks with similar advantages, and actuated in like manner, and that the tine
cylinder may be formed and mounted in one or several parts, running sepa-
rately or together, as may be required, and arranged side by side on the shaft

page_text: either closely together or with intervening spaces. And I would further note,
that in place of chains, as above mentioned, screw and pinion or toothed wheel
multiplying gear may be employed for raising or lowering the tine cylinder, as
described.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried
into effect, I would have it clearly understood that I no not intend to confine
myself to the precise details berein-before set forth and described, as the
same might be varied without departing from the general principle of these
my said improvements; but that which I do claim as new and of my said
Invention is, the general construction and arrangement of machinery or appa-
ratus for raising the tine cylinder of agricultural implements; in the manner
and for the purposes herein-before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Lawes, have hereunto, set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
THOMAS LAWES. (L.S.)
F. R. DARKIN CAMPBELL,
Clerk to Messrs. Weatherdon & Co.,
77, Chancery Lane.