IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA- RATUS FOR CUTTING STANDING CROPS, AND COLLECTING THE SAME WHEN CUT DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION
Year: 1869

page_text: Filed 3rd March 1879.
In the Matter of Letters Patent granted to JAMES HOWARD, Agricultural
Engineer, and EDWARD TENNY BOUSFIELD, Engineer, both of Bedford, in
the County of Bedford, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS FOR CUTTING STANDING CROPS, AND COLLECTING THE SAME WHEN
CUT," bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine, No. 3437.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION of parts of the Title
and Specification of the said Letters Patent proposed to be entered by James
Howard and Frederick Howard, of Bedford, in the County of Bedford,
Assignees of the said Letters Patent.
WHEREAS since the date of the said Letters Patent and of the filing of the
complete Specification of the same by a deed of assignment bearing date the
Twenty-eighth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, and
duly recorded in the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, the said Letters Patent
have been transferred and made over to us, the said James Howard and Frederick
Howard.
WHEREAS since the filing of the Specification of the said Letters Patent, and
since the said Invention and Letters Patent became vested in us as aforesaid, we
have ascertained that a part of the Invention claimed in the said Specification is not
of such practical value as to render it desirable to retain the claim for such part of
the said Invention.
We, the said James Howard and Frederick Howard, for the reason aforesaid, do
hereby disclaim and strike out from the said Specification the claim herein-after
mentioned, and also the description and Figures on the Drawing relating thereto,
and we also alter the title of the Patent to accord with the amended Specification
as herein-after more particularly set forth, that is to say, we disclaim the first head
[Price Ad 1

page_text: of the Invention, and to make the title accord with such disclaimer, we alter it so
that it shall read "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING CUT CROPS."
In the printed copy of the Specification at page 4, line 12, we commence to strike
out at the works "the first part of our Invention," and continue the erasure down
to the line 38 inclusive. We also in the annexed Sheet of Drawings strike out
Figures 1, 2, and 3. In page 5, at line 1, we alter the word "the" into "this,"
and strike out the words "second part of our." At line 2, we strike out the word
"the" before "cut crop," and alter "crop" to "crops." At line 6, we strike out the
words "head of our." At page 6, lines 20 and 21, we strike out the recited title,
and insert the altered title. We also strike out the first claim at lines 24 to 26
inclusive, and at line 27, we strike out the word "secondly," when the Specification
will stand as follows:-
This Invention relates to the mechanism employed for collecting cat crops, and
consists in an improvement on the leverage of the self-acting rake or grass
collector for which Letters Patent were granted to one of the present applicants,
bearing date June Twenty-eighth, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
The object sought under this Invention is to provide a leverage with a very
limited range, to be operated either by hand or foot, which leverage when put in
action will cause friction bands to come in contact with rings or flanges cast upon
the travelling wheels, and thereby as the implement advances cause the rocking
frame which carries the tines or other operating instruments to rise and lift them
from the ground.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 show our improvements as applied to a horse rake, Fig. 4
being a plan view of the implement; Fig. 5, a transverse section taken in the line
1; 2, of Fig. 4, with the tines on the ground; and Fig. 6, a similar view with the
tines raised to their highest elevation.
a, a, is the axle of the.running wheels b, b, and to it the shafts c, e, are connected
ás usual by draught irons e, el. On this axle the rocking frame or cradle d which
carries the tines e, e, e, is mounted as heretofore. At the middle of its length the
axle is formed with a loop or central opening to give space for the movement of the
arrangement of levers to be presently explained, and at this part it is provided
with a lateral extension a¹. This extension carries a fixed stud f, upon which is
centred a double-ended lever g of limited range. This lever g is placed longi-
tudinally at or near the middle of the implement, and it is intended to be operated
at pleasure either by the hand or the foot of the attendant for the purpose of giving
the motion for lifting the tines from the ground from time to time and discharging
the collected produce. This double-ended lever is furnished with a short arm g¹ at
its under side, which projects when depressed into the before-mentioned loop of the
axle of the carrying wheels. Jointed to this arm g¹ is a link h, which connects
with an arm i that is fitted to a transverse shaft k, having its bearings in the tine
rocking frame,d. This transverse shaft k is fitted at its extremities with lugs, to
which are respectively attached the opposite ends of one of a pair of friction
bands 1, 2, made preferably of metal. These bands are laid around friction rings m
cast on or attached to the carrying wheels, and are so arranged as to leave the
friction rings free to turn within the bands. When however the transverse shaft k
is rocked in its bearings during the traverse of the implement through the double-
ended rock lever, being moved by the attendant from the position shown in Fig. 5
by the depression of the foot end of the lever, the bands l, l, will be caused to nip
the friction rings, and the tine frame which was up to this moment independent
and loose on the axle being now made fast to the travelling wheels, the further
progress of these wheels will cause the frame d to rise and lift the tines off the
ground, as shewn at Fig. 6, thereby freeing the tines of the cut produce which they
had collected.
The release of the rock lover from the pressure of the foot or the hand (as the
case may be) of the attendant will instantly slacken the friction bands, disconnect
the frame d from the carrying wheels, and allow the tines to fall by their own
weight to the ground.

page_text: For the purpose of keeping the frame d in the proper position for presenting the
tines to their work a pendent catch n is provided with catches under the tine
bar.
When it is desired to lift the frame d this catch is thrown out of reach of the
tine bar by a pin o on the lever g striking and forcing back the catch, as shewn at
Fig. 6.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements in Appa-
ratus for Collecting Cut Crops," and explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, we claim, connecting the rocking frame or cradle of horse rakes with the
carrying wheels by friction bands, in the manner and for the purpose above
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Howard and Frederick Howard,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Second day of January, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
I hereby grant my fiat, giving leave to the above-named James Howard and
0 Frederick Howard, as assignees of the above-mentioned Letters Patent, to file in
the Great Seal Patent Office, with the Specification to which the same relates,
the above written Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration.
Dated this First day of March 1879.
JOHN HOLKER,

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Howard, Agricultural Engineer, and
Edward Tenney Bousfield, Engineer, both of Bedford, in the County
of Bedford, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Howard and
Edward Tenney Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th November 1869.
We, JAMES HOWARD, Agricultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY
BOUSFIELD, Engineer, both of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING STANDING CROPS AND COLLECTING THE SAME WHEN CUT,"
to be as follows:-
The first part of our Invention relates to a method of detaching from
its couplings the connecting rod, through which reciprocating motion is.
imparted to the knife bar of the harvesting machine. Heretofore this

page_text: has usually been done either by removing the head of the connecting
rod from the crank stud or by disconnecting the rod from the knife bar;
the former plan necessitates the use of a split cotter or an equivalent
device for retaining the head of the rod in position, and the crank pin
when the disconnection is effected is thus left uncovered and exposed to
grit and dirt. When the connecting rod is disconnected from the knife
bar a separate tool is required to take hold of and draw out the knife
bar from its bearings on the finger bar. By our Invention both these
advantages are obviated. To attain this end we construct the head
of the connecting rod with a recess ribbed transversely to receive the
squared end of the rod, which is correspondingly indented to fit the
transverse ribs. The rod when inserted in the head is retained firmly
in position by a single screw bolt. This arrangement allows of the head
remaining on the crank pin, from which it receives its motion on the rod
being disconnected, and the disconnected rod being still connected to
the heel of the knife bar is useful for withdrawing the knife bar from the
cutter bar.
The second part of our Invention relates to the mechanism employed
for collecting the cut crop, and consists in an improvement on the
leverage of the self-acting rake or grass collector, for which Letters
Patent were granted to one of the present applicants, bearing date June
28th, 1869.
This part of our Invention is also applicable to other implements of a
similar kind provided with a rocking frame. The object sought is to
provide a leverage with a very limited range to be operated either by hand
or foot, which leverage when put in action will cause friction bands to
come in contact with rings or flanges cast upon the travelling wheels,
and thereby as the implement advances cause the rocking frame which:
carries the tines to rise and lift the tines from the ground.
In carrying out this part of our Invention we centre on a fixed stud
carried by the axle of the running. wheels (and on which the rocking
frame with its tines is hung) a double-ended lever of limited range.
This lever is placed longitudinally and at or near the middle of the
implement. From this lever, which may be operated at pleasure. either
by the hand or the foot of the attendant, the motion is derived for. lifting
the tines from the ground and discharging the collected produce. This
double-ended lever is furnished with a short arm at its under side which
projects into a loop formed in the before-mentioned axle of the carrying

page_text: wheels. Jointed to this arm is a link which connects with an arm that.
is fitted to a transverse shaft having its bearings in the tine-rocking
frame. At its extremities the transverse shaft is fitted with lugs to,
which are respectively attached the opposite ends of one of a pair of
friction bands. These bands embrace friction rings cast on or attached
to the carrying wheels, and by rocking the transverse shaft in its
bearings through the action of the double-ended rock lever the bands
will be caused to nip the friction rings; the further progress therefore
of the carrying wheels will cause the rocking frame to rise and lift the
tines off the ground. The release of the rock lever from the pressure of
the foot or the hand of the attendant will instantly slacken the
friction bands and allow the tines to fall to the ground.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
HOWARD, Agricultural Engineer, and EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD,
Engineer, both of Bedford, in the County of Bedford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield,
Her special licence that we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney
Bousfield, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said James Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term.
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING STANDING CROPS AND COLLECTING THE SAME WHEN
CUT," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said James
Howard and Edward Tenney Bousfield, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands
:

page_text: and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
•
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Tenney Bousfield, on behalf
of myself and of the said James Howard, do hereby declare the nature of
our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
:-
The first part of our Invention relates to a method of detaching from
its couplings the connecting rod, through which reciprocating motion
is imparted to the knife bar of the harvesting machine. Heretofore this
detachment has usually been done either by removing the head of the
connecting rod from the crank stud, or by disconnecting the rod from
the knife bar, the former plan necessitates the use of a split cotter or an
equivalent device for retaining the head of the rod in position, and the
crank pin when the disconnection is effected is thus left uncovered
and exposed to grit and dirt. When the connecting rod is disconnected
from the knife bar a separate tool is required to take hold of and draw
out the knife bar from its bearings on the finger bar. By our Invention
both these disadvantages are obviated. To attain this end we construct
the head of the connecting rod with a recess ribbed transversely to
receive the squared or flattened end of the rod which is correspondingly
indented to fit the transverse ribs.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews the manner of securing
the connecting rod (through which the reciprocating motion is transmitted
to the knife bar of harvesting machines) to the crank from which the
rod receives its reciprocating motion; Figures 2 shew in plan view and
longitudinal section the improved head detached; and Figures 3 shew
in two views the end of the rod prepared to fit into the ribbed recess of
the head. The rod when inserted in the head is retained firmly in
position by a single screw bolt, as shewn at Fig. 1. This arrangement
allows of the head remaining on the crank pin, from which it receives
its motion on the rod being disconnected, and the disconnected rod being
still connected to the heel of the knife bar is useful for withdrawing the
knife bar from the cutter bar.

page_text: .The second part of our Invention relates to the mechanism employed
for collecting the cut crop, and consists in an improvement on the
leverage of the self-acting rake or grass collector, for which Letters
Patent were granted to one of the present applicants, bearing date
June Twenty-eighth, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
:
The object sought under this head of our Invention is to provide &
leverage with a very limited range to be operated either by hand or foot,
which leverage when put in action will cause friction bands to come in
contact with rings or flanges cast upon the travelling wheels, and thereby
as the implement advances cause the rocking frame which carries the
tines or other operating instruments to rise and lift them from the
ground.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 shew our improvements as applied to a horse rake,
Fig. 4 being a plan view of the implement, Fig. 5 a transverse section
taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 4, with the tines on the ground, and Fig. 6
a similar view with the tines raised to their highest elevation.
a, a, is the axle of the running wheels b, b, and to it the shafts.c, c,
are connected as usual by draught irons c, c'. On this axle the rocking
frame or cradle d, which carries the tines e, e, e, is mounted as hereto-
fore. At the middle of its length the axle is formed with a loop or
central opening to give space for the movement of the arrangement of
levers to be presently explained, and at this part it is provided with a
lateral extension a'. This extension carries a fixed stud f, upon which
is centred a double-ended lever g of limited range. This lever g is
placed longitudinally at or near the middle of the implement, and it is
intended to be operated at pleasure either by the hand or the foot of the
attendant for the purpose of giving the motion for lifting the tines from
the ground from time to timé and discharging the collected produce.
This double-ended lever is furnished with a short arm g' at its under
side, which projects when depressed into the before mentioned loop of
the axle of the carrying wheels. Jointed to this arm g¹ is a link h
which connects with an arm i that is fitted to a transverse shaft k,
having its bearings in the tine rocking frame d. This transverse shaft k
is fitted at its extremities with lugs, to which are respectively attached
the opposite ends of one of a pair of friction bands 1, 2, made preferably
of metal. These bands are laid around friction rings m cast on or
attached to the carrying wheels, and are so arranged as to leave the
friction rings free to turn within the bands. When however. the trans-

page_text: verse shaft is rocked in its bearings during the traverse of the imple-
ment through the double-ended rock lever being moved by the attendant
from the position shewn in Fig. 5 by the depression of the foot end of
the lever, the bands 1, 2, will be caused to nip the friction rings, and the
tine frame, which was up to this moment independent and loose on the
axle being now made fast to the travelling wheels, the further progress
of these wheels will cause the frame d to rise and lift the tines off the
ground, as shewn at Fig. 6, thereby freeing the tines of the cut produce
which they had collected. The release of the rock lever from the
pressure of the foot or the hand (as the case may be) of the attendant
will instantly slacken the friction bands, disconnect the frame d from
the carrying wheels, and allow the tines to fall by their own weight to
the ground. For the purpose of keeping the frame d in the proper
position for presenting the tines to their work, a pendent catch n is
provided which catches under the tine bar. When it is desired to lift
the frame d this catch is thrown out of reach of the tine bar by a
pin o on the lever g striking and forcing back the catch, as shewn at
Fig. 6.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in Apparatus for Cutting Standing Crops and Collecting the same when
Cut," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent we claim,-
First. Coupling the connecting rod of the knife bar of harvesters with
its crank pin or excentric by a detachable head, in the manner and for
the purpose above described.
Secondly. Connecting the rocking frame or cradle of horse rakes with
the carrying wheels by friction bands, in the manner and for the purpose
above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Tenney Bousfield, have a
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
EDWARD TENNEY BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)