IMPROVEMENT IN FURNITURE CASTORS
Year: 1885

page_text: .
I JOHN ROBERT HARGROVE of Vernon Place 68 Alfred St. Sparkbrook in the
county of Worcester, Brass & Iron Founder do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENT IN FURNITURE CASTORS, to be as follows:―
In the application of balls rotating in grooves, one cut in the bottom of Castor,
the other in the roller disc, whereby the weight is taken by the balls, and reduces
the friction on the pin to a minimum, and in consequence enables the roller to
turn on its axis withe ease.
Fig. 1. Shows the Castor complete, bottom part showing section of disc and balls
in position.

page_text: I JOHN ROBERT HARGROVE of Vernon Place 68 Alfred Street Sparkbrook in
the County of Worcester, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNITURE CASTORS" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My invention has for its object principally to simplify the construction of, and
to render more efficient when in use, furniture castors, and my said invention
consists principally in interposing between the movable parts of the said castors,
antifriction rollers or spheres upon which the whole weight of an article of furniture
rests or is sustained instead of upon the pin or axis commonly employed; that is
to say, between the underside of the bottom of the castor socket or plate and the
top of the horn plate, antifriction balls or spheres are interposed; which work and
run within suitable annular grooves made in the parts presented to the balls before
nained; and further, the peg or axis around which the horn rotates or turns,
depends from the bottom of the socket or plate, and passes through a central hole
in the horn plate-The bottom of the said socket or plate is also sunken, so as to
form an annular or extended ring wherein a like contracted part of the horn plate
fits and freely works, which so extends the bearing surfaces and gives steadiness to
the moving parts, that all strain is removed from the central peg around which
the horn turns; and further, by so constructing castors as described, the wheel or
bowl admits of being placed more in a line with the axis, than is the case with
castors of the ordinary kind, thereby producing a nearly direct bearing castor,
the excentricity of the bowl of which is only removed a short distance from the
centre of the castor.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in side elevation, and figure 2 in vertical section a furniture
castor made according to my invention-Figure 3 shows a plan of the underside of
the bottom of the socket or plate part of the castor-This view exhibits the
position and arrangement of the balls or spheres which are interposed between the
bottom of the castor proper, and the platform plate carried by the horn-The
positions of the balls are so arranged that if a vertical line be extended upwards
from the axle of the roller it will intersect either one or other of the anti friction
balls Figure 4 represents a plan of the horn plate, showing the groove or race
wherein the spheres roll-Figure 5 shows a vertical section of the castor figure 1,
but taken at right angles to that of figure 2-Figure 6 shows the principal parts
of the castor separately, and figure 7 represents a plan of the cage plate, for keeping
the balls at determinate distances apart.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the Drawing.

page_text: a is the socket of the castor, a³ is an annular flange or ring on the bottom of
the socket, and a³ is an annular groove or race made in the underside of the said
bottom a a³ is a depending peg proceeding downwards from the underside a of
the socket ab are rollers or spheres interposed between the top of the horn
plate of the horn c, and the underside of the bottom-c³ is an annular groove on
the top face of the horn plate, and c is a shoulder or reduced part which fits into the
sunken or socket like part formed by the flanges a' of the castor socket a, thereby
giving an extended bearing to the horn, or the plate of the horn which carries the
weight and excludes dust or other foreign matter from gaining access to the working
parts is an axial hole made in the axis or middle of the horn plate, through
which the peg a passes-d is a washer, and e is a lynch pin passing transversely
through and near the end of the peg a³ which said lynch pin secures and holds the
parts together-f is a ball cage or plate with gapped or pierced parts wherein the
balls or spheres are confined and rotate.
Instead of employing the split cotter e for connecting the parts together, the end
of the peg may be wormed upon which a nut may be screwed; or the said end
may be riveted or expanded, so as to form a head.
By confining the spheres or balls within the openings f* of the said plate, three
or other limited number of balls are sufficient to constitute the bearing surface
between the fixed socket and the movable horn plate, (although five are shown) and
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the plate ƒ for keeping
the balls in a determinate position with respect to each other, as the said plate may
be dispensed with, and a sufficient number of balls employed that will fill up the
grooves or embrace the extended bearing surface required to be supported; or
three bearing spheres may be employed which seat themselves within square or
rectangular holes, so as to form extended and roller bearings which constitute the
essential features of my invention--g is the bowl or wheel of the castor, and h is
the axle secured to the lower end of the horn, and upon which the bowl g turns.
By constructing castors as described, the wheel or bowl admits of being brought
into a more central position or more in a direct line with the axis of the castor
than has heretofore been accomplished, in consequence of interposing between the
fixed and movable parts, anti friction or rolling surfaces in such positions, that an
extended bearing surface is obtained, which gives rigidity and allows the horn and
bowl to move around its central peg with great freedom without any tendency to
bear upon the sides of the peg, which is common in castors where the horn rotates
around a central axis.
Although I have represented a socket castor, yet my invention is equally
applicable to plate and other forms of castors in which a horn is required to move
around a central pivot or axis, in changing the direction of the bowl or wheel when
an article of furniture to which the said castor is applied, is required to be moved.
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
First. Interposing between the underside of the bottom of the socket or plate
of a castor, and the upper side of the horn plate, anti friction balls or spheres, which
reduce friction and wear upon the moving parts, and also form an extended bearing
surface which takes all strain from off the central pin, and allows the roller or
wheel which is brought more in a line with the axis of the castor, to move with
great freedom, substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly. In a furniture castor, in which the horn plate or its equivalent, is
made to work within a recess or sunken part and around a depending peg on the
underside of the bottom of a socket or plate; and between the surfaces of the
upper side of the said horn plate, and the underside of the socket or castor plate,
spheres or balls are disposed and work, either in grooves or annular channels or on
the flat. The spheres or balls being confined and kept in determinate positions by

page_text: a cage or pierced plate, the holes or gaps of which are made to surround or partially
surround the said balls, substantially as described and illustrated.
Thirdly. Keeping spheres or rollers interposed between the moving parts of
furniture castors in position, or at determinate distances apart, by means of a cage
or pierced plate f, substantially as described and set forth.