IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASTORS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Kendall, of Heaton Norris, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, and George Andrew Robinson, of
Stockport, in the County of Chester, Accountant, for the Invention
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Kendall
and George Andrew Robinson at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 18th February 1875.
We, WILLIAM JOHN KENDALL, of Heaton Norris, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, and GEORGE ANDREW ROBINSON, of Stockport, in
the County of Chester, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CASTORS," to be
as follows:-
We form the castor in two principal parts or portions; the upper part
consists of a plate, circular by preference, which may be either fixed
directly to a piece of furniture, or it may be provided on its upper side

page_text: with a socket, into which the lower portion of one of the legs of the
piece of furniture may enter.
The lower part of the castor consists of a circular plate corresponding
to that of the upper portion and provided on its lower side with a
bracket or suitable projections, in which the well known ground roller
of the castor is mounted. The lower part of the castor is connected to
the upper by means of a bolt or screw passing through the centres of the
circular plates and firmly attached to the upper part, while the lower
part of the castor is allowed to turn round a short projection formed on
the upper side and passing through the lower portion.
The circular plates of the upper and lower parts of the castor are
provided on their respectively lower and upper sides facing each other
with circular grooves, and a suitable number of small balls or rollers are
placed in the said grooves, forming a medium between the upper and
lower part of the castor, by which the turning of the castor is much
facilitated.
In some cases these balls or rollers may be made to revolve on pins
fastened to either the top or botton portions of the castor.
The top circular plate of the castor may also be provided in some
cases with a centre stud extending downwards into a socket formed
below the circular plate of the lower portion. The bracket or bearing
for the ground roller of the said castor is attached to or formed on the
said socket.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William John Kendall and George Andrew
Robinson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th August
1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
JOHN KENDALL, of Heaton Norris, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer,
and GEORGE ANDREW ROBINSON, of Stockport, in the County of Chester,
Accountant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteen day of February, in the

page_text: year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said William John Kendall and
George Andrew Robinson, Her special license that we, the said William
John Kendall and George Andrew Robinson, our executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said William John
Kendall and George Andrew Robinson, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
CASTORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
John Kendall and George Andrew Robinson, our executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, 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

page_text: The upper and lower plates above described are connected and fitted
by means of a central bolt or screw passing through the centres of the
said plates or sockets and firmly attached to the upper plate by a suitable
nut; on said bolt the lower plate of the castor turns, or the top plate or
socket may in some cases be provided with a fixed centre stud or nut
extending downwards into a socket formed in the lower plate or
socket.
The accompanying Drawing will serve as an illustration of convenient
modes of performing the Invention.
Fig. 1 shows an elevation of improved castor; Fig. 2 & Fig. 3,
section and details thereof, in which A is the upper socket; B, the
lower plate; C, the bracket; D is a fixed nut formed in or on A; F is
a screw or bolt, the thread of which is made to fit in D; E are the
grooved spaces or channels for receiving the rollers shown in front and
side view respectively at H, H'; G is plan of roller frame or band
furnished with studs K for the purposes of receiving and holding in
place the rollers H; the frame G with the friction rollers H is shown in
position in Fig. 2, the upper socket A in said Figure being shown lifted
up and out of its place for the sake of clearness.
Fig. 4 shows another mode of performing the Invention, in which
A. is an upper and inside socket, and B a lower or outside socket, on the
upper part of which is a curved lip E, the upper or inside socket A
being furnished with a depressed lip or horn piece H, as shown, said
depressed lip being intended to work upon friction balls or rollers placed
in position on a frame in the curved lip E of the bottom socket B, so
that the outside bottom plate of the inside socket piece A may not touch
the inside bottom plate of the outside socket B.
We prefer to place the groove formed by the lip E in such a position
that a perpendicular line will pass through the centre of the groove and
the centre of the ground roller, thereby ensuring a direct bearing on 8
the ground roller.
Fig. 5 shows another modification having the upper plate or socket A
furnished with a "wood" or other screw, and is intended more par-
ticularly to be used with furniture having a flat surface and no legs
or feet.
Having now described the nature of this our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be or may be carried into effect, we
3

page_text: would state that we do not limit ourselves to the precise mode or modes
herein described and set forth; but we claim as our Invention the con-
struction of castors for furniture and such like in or of two main parts
or pieces, an upper and lower; and interposing between such parts
or pieces friction balls or rollers, and the so mounting such parts or
pieces together that the upper may work on the lower.
In witness whereof, we, the said William John Kendall and George
Andrew Robinson, have hereunto set our hands and seal, this
Fourteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-five.