IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ASSISTING OR ENABLING PERSONS TO SWIM OR FLOAT AND PROGRESS IN WATER
Year: 1841

page_text: TO' ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
Cox, of Gorgie Mills, Edinburgh, Tanner and Glue Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Nineteenth day of January, in the fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Cox, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said John Cox; my exors, adñors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Cox, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree'
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of.
years therein expressed; should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my.
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ASSISTING OR ENABLING
PERSONS TO SWIM OR FLOAT AND PROGRESS IN WATER;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John Cox, shall cause a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what.
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately.
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John
Cox, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is
to say):
-
My Invention of "Improvements in Apparatus for Assisting or Enabling
Persons to Swim or Float and Progress in Water," and some of the various
modifications thereof, will be found clearly shewn in the Drawings, in which
the same letters of reference are used to indicate the same parts in each of
the Figures, the object of the Invention being to provide apparatus which
shall offer to the person swimming or floating a substitute for the web feet of
birds and animals, and tails and fins of fishes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a plan, Figure 2 shews a side view,. and Figure 3 an
end view of an apparatus constructed according to my Invention. a, a, are
two parallel bars of wood, which I prefer to be hollow, and filled with cork,
the object being to obtain the bars, a, a, as light. as possible. b.is. a bar fixed.
across the apparatus, as is shewn, and on this bar the person may rest. his
head when floating and using the apparatus. c, c, are two uprights, which-I
prefer to be, made. of iron, and which carry the axis d, from, which the pro-
pellers, e, e, swing. Each.of the propellers. e, e. consists of two float. boards or
surfaces c, e,, which are hinged to the bars.ffwhich are affixed on the bars g, J,.
as is shewn; h, h, being, stops of iron to prevent. the float boards, or surfaces of
the propellers opening, out. too much.when being forced against the water. On.
the bars 9, 9, are applied wood blocks i,, i, having, straps. j, affixed thereon for
receiving the feet; of the person using, the, apparatus. The bars 9,,g, move or
swing on the, axis. d, and it will be.evident that a person using the apparatus as
above described, and having his head resting, on the bar b,.and his feet in the
straps, will be supported on, the surface of the water. And it.will, readily, be
understood that if the, person wishes, to. propel himself, by successively drawing
the propellers towards. him by his feet and then successively, forcing the
propellers outwards; he will be propelled with speed according to the quickness
with which he uses his feet; for, it, will be seen,, that, as either of the feet, draws
in a, propeller, the propeller will collapse; and offer little resistance to its
being drawn back, but in forcing the propeller outwards, it will open, and offer
considerable surface to the water, and; thus be the means of propelling, the

page_text: person.
When it is desired to use the hands in conjunction with the feet, I
apply the rods:k, k, one to each bar g, as is shewn, the other ends of the rods k
being attached by pin joints to the lever handles, moving on an axis at m on
the transverse bar m³. By this arrangement the person using the apparatus
can use his hands as well as his feet.
Figure 4 shews a plan, Figure 5 a side view, and Figure 6 an end view of
another arrangement of apparatus according to my Invention, a being a hollow
float, which I prefer to be of wood, filled with cork. In using this apparatus
the person's head is not supported, but he floats in the water under the float a
of the apparatus. b, b, are bars across the float a for the hands of the person
using the apparatus. In this case only one propeller is used; and both feet
enter suitable straps j, j, applied to the block i. In using this apparatus the
person holding by the bars b, and having his feet in the straps j, when he
wishes to propel himself he will alternately draw the propeller towards and
then force it outwards from himself; and the single propeller being made
similar to those before described, a similar effect will be produced in propelling
the person. In both the apparatus above described the propellers perform.a
swinging motion, like a pendulum, but in place of such swing motion a parallel
movement may be applied, such as is shewn at Figure 7, where, in place of
using a single bar g, two bars 9 are used to each propeller, and swing from
two axes, as is shewn, and the propeller is applied thereto by the bar g¹ by
means of pin joints, as is shewn, and the bars 9 are connected above by the
rod 9, as is shewn. By this arrangement the propeller will work nearly
parallel, or in a perpendicular position.
Figures 8, 9, and 10 shew a plan, a side view, and an end view of an
apparatus to be applied to the feet of a swimmer by means of straps, which
straps are not, however, shewn, but they will readily be applied through the
holes shewn for that purpose, or they may be attached to the feet like a shoe
or boot, by cloth or leather. I, 1, are two floats or propellers, hinged to the
plank p, to which the foot is attached. 9 are stops to prevent the propellers
opening out too much;, and r, r, are legs affixed to the under part of the
apparatus for the person to walk on when necessary.
Figures 11, 12, 18, and 14 shew another arrangement of apparatus for the
feet, so constructed as to offer little resistance in drawing back through the
water; and the nature of the parts is clearly shewn, and differ only in the parts
being rounded off, and the legs r, which are of iron, being made to strengthen
the surface which is affixed to the foot.
Figures 15 and 16 shew a plan and section of an apparatus for the legs.

page_text: The apparatus is constructed similar to an umbrella, being cloth e, affixed to
the radii f, of wood or other suitable material, having cords or strings s to
prevent it opening out too much. t, v, are two straps which are applied to
the apparatus, and the upper one is.to be attached to the person's leg, about, half-
way between the knee and the ancle, and the other is to be attached to the leg
still lower down. A stocking may be used instead of, straps, in which case the
cloth.e has to be sewed firmly to the stocking at l, and the strings at v. . And
it will readily be understood that a person using either of these läst-described
apparatuses; whether those for the feet or those for the legs, when in the water
and striking out with his legs the apparatus will extend and be the means of
propelling the person.
•
Figures 17: and 18 shew a plan and side view in section of another arrange-
ment of apparatus.according to my Invention, so arranged as to work with. a
rotatory axis, with propellers obliquely on such axis, as is shewn. The nature
of such propellers may be varied, but I prefer that each propeller should be a
portion of a screw, as is shewn. The other parts of the apparatus being marked
with the same letters of reference, and a mode of giving motion to the pro-
pellers being shewn, it will not be necessary to enter further into a description
of those parts.
Figures 19 and 20 shew a plan an side view in section of another arrange-
ment of apparatus according to my Invention, where é is an elastic propeller or
tail, made of plate steel or other suitable elastic material, fixed to the vertical
axle d, to. be put into an undulating horizontal motion by the person applying
his feet or hands to the horizontal bar i, as shewn. I do not confine myself to
any precise form or size of elastic tail, nor to the extent of lateral motion to be
given to it, which.may be increased by fixing the root of the tail to the ends of
horizontal arms fixed to the said axle d.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which: the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details of the apparatus as herein described,
either as to structure or materials, so long as the general character and essence
of my Invention be retained. But; what I claim is, the Improvements in
Apparatus for Assisting. or Enabling Persons to Swim or Float and Progress in
Water, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, 'the said John Cox, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
JOHN (L.s.) COX.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of July, in
the year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid John Cox came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.