Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1900
Complete Specification Left, 6th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 16th Dec.. 1899
Complete Specification Left, 6th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 16th Dec.. 1899
I, WILLIAM WALTER BARTON, of 97, New Oxford Street, London, W., Horse
Clipping & Sheep Shearing Machine Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
In the Specification of Patent granted to George Wolcott Gillette, and Mott
George Gillette, dated November 7th, 1892, No. 20,068, a flexible shaft is described
and shown as being composed of a series of universally jointed links, which are
rotative within a flexible coiled wire tube covered with suitable fabric.
These links are made from soft iron wire, and the coiled wire tube is made of
hard steel wire, and it has been found, in practice, that these links wear away
comparatively quickly, in a great measure due to their being cut by coming into
contact with the coils of the wire tube.
It has therefore been found necessary to provide spare links, which the persons
using the shaft could substitute for the worn links.
There has been little difficulty in removing worn links, or in substituting new
ones for them, but a difficulty has been experienced in closing the new links.
It is absolutely necessary, in order to secure proper working of the chain shaft,
that the eyes of the links shall be perfectly round, and it has been found that,
in attaching a new link, the eyes, which have to be closed by a blow from a
hammer, have been knocked out of shape, thereby causing them to bind when
working, thus increasing friction, and requiring more power to drive the chain
than before.
One mode suggested for getting over the difficulty was to leave the ends slightly
open, but this it was found produced another difficulty, and had to be abandoned.
Now, the object of the present invention is to provide a link which can be
closed, and yet be capable of ready detachment and attachment, when required,
without the use of a hammer or other closing device.
In carrying out this invention, I bevel off the ends of the length of wire from
which the link is to be made, and the eye, when formed, is nearly closed up,
only leaving space enough for the sharp edge of the bevel of the adjacent link to
pass in and out, when the links are held in a particular position.
By this means I am enabled to send out the chain shaft perfect in every respect,
and provide for the repairing with links of a perfect form, without requiring a
hammer or other device to close them up, thus obviating the difficulties enumerated
above.
Dated this 4th day of Falruary 1800
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Flexible Shafts,
I, WILLIAM WALTER BARTON, of 103, New Oxford Street (late of 97, New
Oxford Street), London, W.C., Horse Clipping & Sheep Shearing Machine
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:---
In the Specification of l'atent granted to George Wolcott Gillette, and Mott
George Gillette, dated November 7th 1892, No. 20,068, a flexible shaft is described
and shown as being composed of a series of universally jointed links, which are
rotative within a flexible coiled wire tube covered with suitable fabric.
These links are made from soft iron wire, and the coiled wire tube is made of
hard steel wire, and it has been found in practice that these links wear away
comparatively quickly, in a great measure due to their being cut by coming into
contact with the coils of the wire tube, and by friction in the joints before named.
It has therefore been found necessary to provide spare links, which the persons
using the shaft could substitute for the worn links.
There has been little difficulty in removing worn links, or in substituting new
ones for them, but a difficulty has been experienced in closing the new links.
It is absolutely necessary, in order to secure proper working of the chain shaft,
that the eyes of the links shall be perfectly round, and it has been found that,
in attaching a new link, the eyes, which have to be closed by a blow from a
hammer, have been knocked out of shape, thereby causing them to bind when
working, thus increasing friction, and requiring more power to drive the chain
than before.
One mode suggested for getting over the difficulty was to leave the ends slightly
open, but this, it was found, produced another difficulty, and had to be abandoned.
Now, the object of the present invention is to provide a link which can be
closed, and yet be capable of ready detachment and attachment when required,
without the use of a hammer or other closing device.
In carrying out this invention, I bevel off the ends of the length of wire from
which the link is to be made, and the eye, when formed, is nearly closed up,
only leaving space enough for the sharp edge of the bevel of the adjacent link to
pass in and out, when the links are held in a particular position.
By this means I am enabled to send out the chain shaft perfect in every respect,
and provide for the repairing with links of a perfect form, without requiring a
hammer or other device to close them up, thus obviating the difficulties enumerated
above.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 is a side view of a link constructed according to my invention, and
Fig. 2 is an edge view.
Fig. 3 shows three links of the flexible shaft, one link being in the position it
would assume when being inserted as a new link.
Fig. 4 shows the same link brought home, and
Fig. 5 is an edge view of the old link, showing two positions the new links
should assume as they are being twisted into their proper normal position.
The links, as it will be seen from Fig. 1, consist of a straight stem A, with a
loop or eye B at either end, and made from any suitable metal, say steel wire.
At the points C, the ends of the length of metal are bevelled off, as shown,
and the loops are practically closed up.
To insert a new link in the flexible shaft, the new link is turned so that the

page_text: bevelled edge of one loop is brought practically parallel to the bevelled edge of
the old link (see Fig. 3), in which position what may be called the knife edge
of the new link is free to slip past the knife edge of the old link, and the links
are brought into the position shown at Fig. 4.
Then, by lowering the free end of the new link, and slightly twisting it from
right to left, it will be brought into the position shown at the right-hand side
of Fig. 5, and, by further twisting, the link will be brought into the proper
position, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 5.
By forming the links as herein shown and described, the hammering of the
loops, to close them, is avoided, the links being completely and properly formed
when sent from the works.
An additional advantage obtained by making the links in the manner described
is, that they may be made from steel, and hardened, instead of from soft iron, as
heretofore.
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:-
-
Constructing links for flexible shafting with a straight portion, and two closed
loop or eye portions, from blanks, the ends of which are bevelled off, so that when
two formed links are brought together in a particular manner, the ends will pass,
and the loops or eyes will interlock, and the use of a hammer or other tool, to
close the loops, will be rendered unnecessary, all as herein shown and described.
Dated this 4th day of November 1899.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.