Improved Lawn Mower.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 20th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 2nd Apr., 1898
Improved Lawn Mower.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and
Lower Temple Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
The present application for Letters Patent relates to a lawn mower one special
characteristic of which consists in the use of a metal framework complete in one
or more pieces serving as the support for the apparatus, and holding all its organs
in such manner as to render them capable of being mounted and dismounted inde-
pendently one of the other, whereby these operations are much facilitated, and of
preventing in any case the displacement of the said organs which would result in
increased friction, and cause the apparatus to work badly. The mechanism car-
ried by the frame is composed of
1. Two supporting wheels placed at the back. One of them is firmly connected
to a toothed wheel which transmits the rotary motion by means of intermediate
gearing to a pinion mounted upon the axle of the knives or cutters.
2. The knives or cutters mounted upon an axle in one piece with the pinion
above alluded to.
3. The counter blade the support of which can move about two points situated
on the same axis and parallel to the axle of the knives. At each side the axis
of oscillation of the counter blade traverses the frame and bears an arm the end
of which slides around a little threaded bar fixed upon the frame. In order to fix
the position of the arm upon the threaded bar two screws are preferably employed
which are screwed from each side against the end of the bar. It is obvious that
according to the position which the end of the arm is caused to assume upon the
threaded rod bar, the position of the counter blade in relation to the knives will
be fixed at the same time. The invention is, however, not limited to the precise
method above set forth of altering this adjustment and the arm and the threaded
bar might for instance be placed in the interior of the frame or the threaded
bar and the two screws may be replaced by any other arrangement suitable for
fixing the end of the arm in the desired position.
4. A roller in several pieces intended to assist the stability of the apparatus
and to fix the height of the cutting. For the purpose of being able to vary this
height at will, the axle of the roller is supported at the end of a fork working loosely
upon the shaft of the supporting wheels, which shaft serves as its axis of rotation.
This fork is prolonged at the side opposite to the roller in an arm the end of which
is adjustable in a slide or slot having as the centre of its curve the axle of the
bearing wheels. A bolt passed through the slide and into an eyehole of the arm
enables the position of the said arm to be fixed at will, and consequently that of the

page_text: roller which is carried at the other end of the fork. In this manner the distance
of the cutters from the ground, and consequently the height at which the grass
is cut can be altered with the greatest facility and at the will of the operator. In
place of the slot or slide above set forth any other arrangement for conveniently
fixing at will the end of the arm of the fork may be made use of.
5. A handle serving for the operation of the apparatus and articulated at each
end of the shaft of the bearing wheels or to some other suitable point of the frame.
There is further provided a system of hooks or stops which can be regulated at
will for supporting the said handle in its lowered position and preventing it from
falling to the ground. This has also the advantage of connecting the handle and
the apparatus in a rigid and fixed manner to facilitate the operation of the mower
when the same meets obstacles, holes, or hollows of the ground. It is obvious that
considerable modification of the details of construction of the machine may be
made without departing from the essential features of the invention.
Dated this 20th day of April 1807
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents for the Applicant, 322, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
pproved Dawower.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and
Lower Temple Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer,
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 fol-
lowing statement:-
My present application for Letters Patent relates to the invention of a new or
improved lawn mower which I will proceed to describe in this specification with
reference to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a view in elevation.
Figure 2 a plan view.
My improved lawn mower is especially characterized by the use of a metallic
frame 1, la, 16, 1c, in one or more pieces which serves as the frame of the apparatus
and supports all its organs so as to render them independent one of another for the
mounting and dismounting, with the object of assisting these operations and of
preventing any causing of friction whatsoever by the relative position of the organs
which might lead to ineffectual working. The mechanism supported by the frame
is composed essentially of-
1. Carrying wheels 2-3 placed at the back; one of these wheels 2 is in one piece
with a gear wheel 4 which transmits the rotary motion by means of an intermedi-
ate gear wheel 5 to a pinion 6 mounted upon the axle 7 of the blades 8.
2. The arrangement of the blades 8 mounted upon an axle 7 rigid with the
toothed pinion 6 above set forth. The knives or blades I made use of are of the
ordinary kind for this class of apparatus, and their position is indicated in
the drawing by external lines only.
3. The counter-blade 9 of which the support 10 can oscillate upon the two
points 11 and 12 situated upon the same axis and parallel to the axis 7 of the
knives. On each side, or upon one of the sides only, the axis of oscillation of the
counter-blade 9 traverses the frame and supports an arm 13 the end of which slides

page_text: around a little threaded bar 14 fixed upon the frame. In order to fix the position
of the arm 13 upon the threaded bar 14, two screw nuts 15 are used which are
screwed from each side against the end of the arm 13. It would be obvious that
according to the position which the end of the arm 13 is caused to occupy upon the
said threaded bar 14, the position of the counter-blade 9 with relation to the knives 8
will be adjusted at the same time. It is also evident that one could if required
vary the arrangement just described and place the regulating arm and the threaded
bar inside the frame. In like manner the threaded bar 14 and the two screws 15
might be replaced by another device of any kind capable of fixing in the desired
position the end of the arm 13.
4. The roller 16 in several sections is arranged to assure the stability of the
apparatus and to fix the height of the cut. In order to be able to cause this height
of cut to be variable at will, the axle of the roller 16 is attached to the end of a
fork 17, attached loosely upon the shaft 18 of the carrying wheels, which shaft
serves as its axis of rotation. The said fork is prolonged at the side opposite to
the roller by an arm 19 the end of which 20 is capable of motion in a slide 21
having for its centre and curvature the axle of the shaft 18 of the bearing wheels.
A bolt 22 passed into the slide 21 and into the eye of the arm 19 enables the position
of this arm to be fixed at will, consequently that of the roller 16 which supports
the other end of the fork aforesaid. It is thus possible to cause to vary with the
greatest ease and at the will of the operator the distance of the knives 8 from the
ground and consequently the height of the cut of the grass. Moreover in case of
need the slide 21 above described might be replaced by any other arrangement
which enables the position of the end 20 of the arm 19 of the fork to be adjusted
at will.
5. The handle 23 which serves to operate the machine. This handle forms at
its lower part a fork of which each one of the two branches 25 is articulated upon
the axle of the bearing wheels or at any other suitable point of the frame. This
point is determined by the balance of the apparatus. Upon each side of the
frame is placed a stop 24 the height of which can be adjusted at will. This stop
is arranged to serve as the support of the corresponding branch 25 of the fork in
its lowest position-it has therefore as its immediate effect the prevention of the
handle from falling to the ground when it is released by the operator, but the
main use of the said stop is quite another one. The articulation of the handle
upon the frame has for its object to give all possible liberty to the apparatus which
consequently follows the contour of the ground and produces a cut which is per-
fectly uniform. But this independence possesses a serious drawback whenever
there presents itself an obstacle, or an inequality of the ground too suddenly. As
the apparatus cannot be controlled in the vertical direction, the knives plunge in
the ground and there is danger of causing damage to the mechanism and also there
is an irregularity in the work. With the arrangement above described it suffices
in such a case that the operator should lower the handle until the same rests upon
the stops 24-the apparatus will then be in the desired sense rigidly connected with
the handle, and the operator by acting thereon becomes completely master of the
machine and can direct it suitably to pass over the obstacle. It must be clearly
understood that the details of the construction are capable of modification as long
as the essential characteristics remain as hereinbefore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
In lawn mowers-
1. The use of a complete metallic frame in one or more pieces serving as the
frame of the apparatus and supporting all its organs in such a manner as to render
them independent one of another in the mounting and dismounting, with the oh-
ject of facilitating its operations and preventing in any circumstances the displace-

page_text: ment of the said organs with regard to one another, which may produce friction and
bad-results-in-work..
2. The means for the control of the roller which determines the height of cut,
substantially as described.
3. The regulating device for the counter-blade, holding it in all its positions
parallel to its original position and to the axis of the knives substantially as de-
scribed.
4. The division in several sections of the roller which fixes the height of the cut.
5. The use of one or two adjustable stops upon which rests the hinged handle
in its lowermost position, for the purpose of establishing between the said handle
and the apparatus such a degree of solidarity that the operator can lift up the
front part of the machine in order to cause the same to pass over difficult places.
6. The improved lawn mower constructed and operating substantially as described,
and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of January 1898
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.