Improvements in Roundabouts.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1900
Improvements in Roundabouts.
We, JOEL SANDER, Engineer, of Kurze Strasse 28, Hamburg, Germany, and
ADOLPH KOOPMANN, Merchant, of Auf dem Sande, Hamburg aforesaid, 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:
This invention relates to improvements in roundabouts and has for object
to provide rotating means which comprise suitable mechanism operated by an
equal-armed rocking beam, which is rocked by two or more persons, children,
who sit or stand upon the equal arms of the beam.
A roundabout in accordance with this invention is illustrated in the accom-
panying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 2 are an elevation and a plan respectively
of the roundabout and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the driving mechanism
thereof.
Arranged in or upon the base-plate a is a foot-step bearing in which rotates
a pin of a cap or body b. At the upper part of this cap or body is fixed a bearing
pine which forms the pivot of the rocking beam d, the outer ends of which are
provided with saddles, chairs, or seats e. At one side of the cap b, which forms.
the body proper of the roundabout, there is fixed a ratchet wheel f the plane of
which is parallel to the plane in which the beam & rocks. This ratchet wheel
is rotated continuously during the rocking of the beam by means of pawls f¹, f
fixed to the latter. A rope pulley g fixed to the ratchet wheel f serves to rotate
the roundabout by means of a rope which passes over suitably arranged guide
pulleys h, h, and around a horizontal pulley i that is fixed on the base plate a.
The pawls f, fare fixed to the rocking beam & in such a manner that they
alternately operate upon the ratchet wheel during the motion of the said
beam. When one pawl f¹ advances the ratchet wheel ƒ a number of teeth,
the other pawl slips idly over an equal number of teeth, and when the rocking
beam d moves back again the pawl f² begins to act and the pawl f¹ slips in-
operatively over a corresponding number of teeth. This action is continued so.
long as the rocking beam d is rocked. On the cap there are fixed the seat
beams on the outer ends of which are provided chairs or other suitable seats.
On the axle that carries the ratchet wheel f and rope pulley 9 there is also
fixed a fly-wheel which serves considerably to facilitate the working. This
fly wheel is provided with a number of oval holes m which receive bobbin-shaped
or similarly constructed rollers each of which alters its position in its corre-
sponding hole during the rotation of the fly wheel 1.
These oval apertures m are arranged with their longitudinal diameters tan-
gential, so that the ascending rollers n slide inwards, whilst the descending rollers
gradually slide outwards in their apertures as soon as they pass the vertical
middle line. The result of this is that the centre of gravity of the wheel is
always in the one half.
In order still further to increase the action of the descending rollers, they

page_text: are placed entirely out of operation as they reach their lowest position by
causing them to slide down an inclined plane o, which is situated at a higher
or lower level according to the diameter of the wheel and to the length of the
apertures m. The number of rollers that can be employed, and also their size
and weight are dependent on the size of the fly-wheel 7.
This fly-wheel considerably facilitates the working, and constitutes, as it were,
an intensifying element for the round-about. Under each arm of the rocking
beam there is arranged a spring board so that the persons who are operating
the rocking beam can give themselves an impetus with their feet, whereby the
working is additionally facilitated. These spring boards may be arranged in
various ways and may be of various kinds. The round-about is preferably pro-
tected by a covering or roof against the action of the weather, and this covering
or roof may either be arranged to rotate with the round-about, or be stationary.
The mechanism may be covered over by suitable protecting means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a round-about, a rocking beam adapted to act by means of ratchet
mechanism and suitable connecting parts to produce rotary motion of the round-
about, a fly-wheel fixed on the axle of the driving mechanism serving to
facilitate the working, substantially as described,
2. In a round-about provided with a rocking beam, rotating mechanism com-
prising two pawls f, f which are attached to and operated by the beam and
which alternately operate a ratchet wheel f, the motion of which is transmitted
to the round-about by means of an endless rope k running over a rope pulley !
fixed to the ratchet wheel f. over guide pulleys h, h¹ and round a pulley i fixed
to the baseplate a, whilst a fly wheel which is fixed on the same axle as the
said ratchet wheel, serves by means of weights n that slide in oval apertures m,
to facilitate the working, substantially as described.
3. In the apparatus of the kind specified in Claims 1 and 2, a fly-wheel
serving as an intensifying element having weights n, sliding in tangentially-
arranged oval holes m, and in which the ascending weights slide inwards, and
the descending weights slide outwards, so that the centre of gravity of the wheel
will always be situated outside its centre of rotation and in the operative half,
whilst the weights, as they reach their lowest position are placed out of operation
by being caused to slide down an inclined plane o, substantially as described.
4. In apparatus of the kind specified in Claims 1 and 2, the arrangement of
a cap rotating on a vertical pin, with seating beams t which branch off from
the said cap, and at the outer ends of which there are fixed chairs t¹ or other
seats, substantially as described.
5. In a round-about having a rocking beam as specified in the preceding
claims, spring boards such ass under the arms of the rocking beam d, for the
purpose of giving an impulse to the persons, operating the rocking beam, sub-
stantially as described.
6. A round-about constructed, arranged, and operating as described with
reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of November 1890
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.