Improvements in Casters for Furniture.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1898-Accepted, 25th June, 1898
Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM AOUNTZ SEWARD, of Butte, Silverbow
County, Montana, United States of America.)
Improvements in Casters for Furniture.
I, JOHN WILLIAM MACKENZIE, of the Firm of Wheatley and Mackenzie,
Engineers and Patent Agents, of 40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., 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: -
My invention relates to that class of furniture casters which comprise a
principal or large ball rolling against a plurality of small balls arranged in a
socket, and it has for its general object to provide such a caster of an exceedingly
cheap and simple construction and one which admits of the several parts being
very quickly and easily assembled and connected together.
The invention will be fully understood from the following description and
claim when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, illustrating the caster as con-
nected to the leg of a piece of furniture.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the caster body, and
Fig. 3 is a similar view of the cap.
Referring by letter to the said drawings:-
A designates the leg of a piece of furniture having a socket a, and B designates
the body of my improved caster, which is formed in one piece. This body B has
a shank b designed to be arranged in the socket of the leg, and an apertured
flange c designed for connection to the lower end of the leg, and it is provided
in its under side with a hemispherical concavity d, for a purpose presently
described.
C designates a large ball which is arranged in the concavity d and is designed
to bear upon a floor or other base so as to permit of the piece of furniture being
easily moved, D designates a plurality of small anti-friction balls which are also
arranged in the concavity d and are interposed between the large ball C and the
caster body so as to prevent undue friction and consequent wear of the parts,
and E designates the cap which has for its purpose to retain the large ball and
the small balls in the caster. This cap E receives the caster body as shown and
it is provided in its bottom e with an aperture f of less diameter than the ball C
through which said ball protrudes as shown, so as to bear on the floor or other
base as before described. The said cap, which is formed of some suitable metal,
is also provided at its upper end with four (more or less) tongues F, as better
shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. These tongues F are designed when the cap
is placed on the caster body to take into the notches G formed in the edges of
the body flange c and be bent inwardly into the seats H formed in the upper
side of the flange c coincident with the notches G, so as to rest flush with such
upper side of the flange and permit of the same resting flat against the end of
the piece of furniture to which the caster is applied, as shown. In this way it
TD 077

page_text: will be observed that the cap may be quickly and easily fastened to the caster
body and held against rotary as well as vertical movement thereon.
In assembling the parts of my improved caster, the body B is held in an
inverted position and the small balls D and the large ball C are dropped into the
concavity thereof. The cap E is then placed on the body with its tongue F
resting in the notches G thereof after which the said tongues are bent inwardly
into the seats H of the body so as to rest flush with the upper side of the same
and permit of the body resting close against the end of the leg A.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that my improved caster is made up
of but a minimum amount of simple parts and that this together with the facility
with which the parts may be assembled and connected renders the caster very
cheap.
It will also be appreciated that the construction of the caster is such as to
permit of the body B being formed of cast steel or other hard metal adapted to
afford a hard bearing for the anti-friction balls D and withstand frictional wear.
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 herein described caster consisting essentially of the body having the
hemispherical concavity in its under side and also having the lateral flange pro-
vided with the notches G in its edges and the seats H in its upper side coincident
with said notches, a large ball arranged in the concavity of the body, a plurality
of small anti-friction balls also arranged in said concavity and interposed
between the large ball and the body, and the cap E receiving the body and
having the central aperture in its bottom of less diameter than the large ball and
also having the tongues F at its upper end resting in the notches G of the body
flange and bent inwardly into the seats H in said flange and resting flush with
the upper side thereof, substantially as specified.
Dated this 24th day of May 1898
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.