Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 6th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 13th July, 1888
1, JOHN ROSE, of 18 Frampton Place, Boston in the County of Lincoln, baker, uo
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates, firstly, to means by which a galloping or to-and-fro move-
ment in a curved direction vertically is imparted to the horses, boats or other parts of
roundabouts or merry-go-rounds which directly carry the riders, such movement
being of course additional to the ordinary movement in a constant direction of
rotation of such horses boats or other parts aforesaid around a common centre; and
consists in what may be described as an improved modification of an invention
intitled "An improved roundabout or riding school described in the specification
filed in pursuance of an application made by me for Letters Patent dated 16th
October 1886 and numbered 13212. And this invention relates, secondly, to means
whereby horses, boats or other parts aforesaid which have a to-and-fro movement
imparted to them in addition to their rotation around a common centre are supported
on the arms or brackets by which they are carried or partly carried and to which they
are fixed by means of screws, bolts or spikes, so as to be maintained in a constant
position in relation thereto.
According to the first part of this invention each horse boat or other part aforesaid
is mounted on an arm or lever which is pivotted below to a fulcrum which travels
round with the revolving platform in the manner of the rear rods described as
supporting the horses in the specification aforesaid, and a vibrating or two-and-fro
movement is imparted to such arm or lever by means of a link connected at one end
with a part of such arm or lever formed for the purpose to extend below the fulcrum,
or with a part of such arm or lever formed for the
at
purpose any desired angle with
the main part of such arm or lever, or with the main part of such arm or lever, that
is above the fulcrum, and connected at its other end, by means of excentric straps,
with an excentric carried to revolve with a shaft which travels round with the
revolving platform and is itself caused to revolve around its own axis by means of a
wheel fixed to it and bearing on a circular rail which causes it to revolve as it travels
thereon. This wheel may be on a separate shaft which is itself geared with the shaft

page_text: carrying the excentric. The wheel may be one of the ordinary wheels supporting the
revolving platform on the ordinary circular rail or rails. A crank may be employed
in lieu of the excentric, and such crank (or the excentric) may operate within a sluice
in the arm or lever aforesaid, or in an extended part thereof, in lieu of employing a
link.
A to-and-fro movement varying in the ratio of velocity between one end of the
stroke and the other may be produced by carrying the link, when such is employed, at
an inclination with the arm or lever, or by connecting it with a part formed at a
suitable inclination with the arm or lever.
According to the second part of this invention the end of the arm or lever referred
to in the last preceding paragraph on which the horse boat or other part as aforesaid
is mounted is formed as a spring which curves round under the body of the horse
boat or other part aforesaid, and on the outer end of such spring the horse boat or
other part aforesaid is fixed. The spring may consist of a flat steel plate welded into
the part of the arm which is pivotted to the fulcrum, or of a number of laminated
plates fixed to the part of the arın which is pivotted to the fulcrum and varying as to
their length outwards as is usual with this class of spring, or may be formed and
connected with the arm in any convenient manner. The employment of the spring
gives a specially easy action to the horse boat or other part aforesaid.
A spring may be employed in the manner and for the purpose described in the case
generally of horses boats or other parts having a to-and-fro movement imparted to
them in addition to their rotation around a common centre when such horses boats or
other parts aforesaid are each fixed in the manner above described upon an arm or
bracket whether the same is itself pivotted upon a fulcrum which is in a constant
position in relation to the revolving platform or is connected with a crank or
excentric by which it is itself operated to impart movement to the horse boat or other
part aforesaid.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Roundabouts or Merry-go-rounds.
I JOHN ROSE, late of 18 Frampton Place, Boston in the County of Lincoln, now
of Rothwell in the County of Northampton, baker, 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, reference being had to
the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
:-
This invention relates, firstly, to means by which a galloping or to-and-fro movement
in a curved direction vertically is imparted to the horses, boats, or other parts of
roundabouts or merry-go-rounds which directly carry the riders, such movement being
of course additional to the ordinary movement in a constant direction of rotation of
such horses boats or other parts aforesaid around a common centre; and consists in
what may be described as an improved modification of an invention entitled "An
improved roundabout or riding school" described in the specification filed in pursuance
of an application made by me for Letters Patent dated 16th October 1886 and
numbered 13212. And this invention relates, secondly, to means whereby horses,
boats or other parts aforesaid, which have a novement imparted to them in addition
to their rotation around a common centre, are supported on pivoted arms or brackets
by which they are carried or partly carried.
According to this invention each horse, boat, or other part aforesaid is mounted on
an arm or lever which is pivoted below to a fulcrum which travels round with the
revolving platform in the manner of the rear rods described as supporting the horses
in the specification aforesaid, and the vibrating or to-and-fro movement is imparted to
such arm by means of a link or rod operated from an excentric upon a revolving
shaft which travels round with the platform. The upper end of the arm aforesaid is
formed as a spring which curves round under the body of the horse boat or other part
aforesaid, and the horse boat or other part aforesaid is fixed by screws to the outer
end of the spring.
The invention will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawings,
of which figure 1 is a vertical section through a segment of the revolving platform of
a roundabout (taken on line cx of figure 2) shewing in side elevation the means by
which a horse is operated from a revolving shaft travelling round with the platform,
and shews also a spring upon the upper end of the arm supporting a horse, and by
which the horse is mounted upon the arm. Figure 2 is a transverse section through
the segment of platform shewn by figure 1, and through the circular tramway on
which the platform runs, shewing a set of three horses mounted side by side and
operated from a revolving shaft which travels round with the platform. The same
letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the views. The segment A
of the platform is mounted upon a pair of wheels A' A³ carried upon a shaft or axle B

page_text: mounted in bearings fixed to the segment. One of the wheels, preferably the inner
wheel A¹, runs in a channel ring a as a guide, and is itself fixed upon the axle B,
while the other wheel A2 is loose thereon. As the platform is revolved therefore, by
means of a pinion C, driven from a central engine, gearing into a circular toothed
rack C fixed to the platform, the axle B is caused to revolve. Excentrics bbb aro
fixed upon the axle B and are set with their throws equally spaced around the axle,
that is at angles of 120 degrees with each other. Each horse is carried on the upper
end of an arm e fulcrumed at d, and each arm is vibrated by means of a link e from
an excentric b so as to give a galloping or to-and-fro movement, in a curved direction
vertically, to the horse. The upper end of each arm c is formed as a spring c¹ curved
under the belly of the horse, and the horse is fixed to the outer end of this spring.
The spring as shewn consists of a number of laminated plates fixed at their inner end
to the main portion of the arm, and varying as to their length outwards as is usual
with this class of spring; or the spring may consist of a flat steel plate welded into
the part of the arm which is pivoted to the fulcrum; or any suitable form of spring
and method of fixing it may be employed, the intention in and effect of employing
the spring being to give a specially easy action to the horse so as to avoid shocks to
the rider.
The method of operating each arm e from the axle B may be varied considerably
without departing from the nature of the invention. For instance, a crank may be
employed in lieu of an excentric, and the arm itself may, if desired, be pivoted lower
down than shewn and the link e be connected with the arm above the fulcrum; or the
link e may be dispensed with altogether, if desired, by causing the excentric or crank
to operate within a sluice in the arm c, for which purpose the arm may be fulcrumed
in a suitable position in relation to the axle B, or the arm may be bent or curved
forward to gear in such manner with the crank or excentric. Figure 3 shews a
modification in which the arm c is operated by means of a crank revolving within a
sluice in the outer end of the arm. It is not, of course, essential that the axle B
form the axle of a pair of wheels (or of a wheel as when a single rail is employed)
upon which the segment of the platform runs, as it may be driven by suitable gear
from the axle of such wheel, if desired.
A to-and-fro movement varying the ratio of velocity between one end of the stroke
and the other may be produced by carrying the link e, when such is employed, at an
inclination with the arm c.
A spring may be employed, in the manner and for the purpose described, in the
case generally of horses, boats or other parts having a movement imparted to them in
addition to their rotation around a common centre, when such horses, boats or other
parts aforesaid are each fixed upon an arm or bracket whether the same is itself
pivoted upon a fulcrum which is in a constant position in relation to the revolving
platform as above described or is pivoted upon a crank or excentric by which it is
itself operated to impart movement to the horse, boat or other part aforesaid, as, in for
instance, the case of the bracket & shewn in figure 1 of the drawings accompanying
Meeds, Meeds and Blinkhorn's patent specification No. 723 of 1883; and this part of
the invention is, of course, applicable also in the case of a horse, boat or other part
aforesaid which is partially supported by a pivoted arm, and partially by a rod by
means of which it has a movement imparted to it in addition to its rotation around
the centre of the roundabout, as in the case of my former invention above referred
to.
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 in respect
of roundabouts or merry-go-rounds is :-
:―
1. The means by which a galloping, or to-and-fro movement, is imparted to the
horses, boats, or other parts which directly carry the riders, that is to say, operating
arms which are pivoted upon or to the revolving platform and support such horses,
hoats, or other parts, by means of excentrics or cranks upon a rotating shaft carried
round with the platform either directly, by arranging such cranks or excentrics to

page_text: operate within sluices of such arms, or through the medium of links or rods, sub-
stantially as described.
2. Fixing the horses, boats or other parts which directly carry the riders, and which
have a movement imparted to them in addition to their movement around a common
centre, upon springs at or forming the outer ends of pivoted arms supporting or
partially supporting such horses, boats or other parts, substantially as described, for
the purpose set forth.
3. The means by which a galloping or to-and-fro movement is imparted to the
horses (boats, or other parts which directly carry the riders) substantially as described
with reference to the drawings herewith.
4. The combination of springs c¹ with pivoted arms c, substantially as described
with reference to the drawings herewith, for the purpose set forth.
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton and Walsall,
Agent for the Applicant.