Improvements in Roundabouts or Merry-go-rounds.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1890-Accepted, 30th Aug.. 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Roundabouts or Merry-go-rounds.
We. JOHN EDWARD ("OOPER, of 70, Church Street, Drypool, Hull, Yorkshire,
Engineer, and ROBERT ASPLAND BELLWOOD, of 5, Cromwell Terrace, Cromwell
Street, Hull, Yorkshire, Mechanical Draughtsman, 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 following statement:-
This invention has for its object improvements in roundabonts or merry-go-rounds,
and relates to improvements in the roundabout for which Letters Patent were
granted to James Parker and John Edward Cooper dated 27th July 1888 and
numbered 10893.
or
According to our invention we provide a circular rotating platform, which is
mounted on wheels running on circular tracks or guides. The rotating platform is
adapted to receive a number of cars or vehicles, which are each provided at their
lower ends with two downwardly projecting arms or standards. The arms
standards carry at their lower ends small wheels or rollers which move on tracks or
guides forming a series of inclined planes or fixed to a series of inclined planes.
The inclined planes are so disposed that when motion is given to the rotating
platform by an engine or other means the cars or vehicles receive a vertical up and
down motion in addition to the circular motion due to the rotation of the platform.
In order that our invention may be thoroughly understood we have appended the
accompanying sheets of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a general view of our improved roundabout.
Fig. 2 is a cross-section through part of the rotating platform, showing one of the
cars or vehicles in its highest vertical position.
Fig 3 is a vertical section through part of the rotating platform, showing two of
the cars or vehicles, one in its highest vertical position and the other in its lowest
vertical position.
In these drawings similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is the rotating platform, which is driven by an engine or other means and is
mounted on wheels B. The wheels B run on circular guides or tracks C. The cars
or vehicles D are each provided with two downwardly projecting arms ог
standards E, which carry small wheels or rollers F. The small wheels or rollers F
move on tracks or guides G which form a series of inclined planes H or are fixed
to a series of inclined planes. The inclined planes may be constructed as shown in
Fig. 3 or in any other suitable manner. A suitable number of standards I are fixed
to the rotating platform A to serve as guides to the cars or vehicles D and to prevent
any lateral or end movement of the said cars or vehicles. The cars or vehicles D are
provided with sleeves J which surround the standards I and slide thereon as the cars
or vehicles D move up and down.
The cars or vehicles D are preferably braced or strengthened by means of stay-
rods K fixed to then and to the arms or standards E, the platform being cut away
to allow of the passage of the stay-rods as the cars or vehicles move up and down;
or the cars or vehicles may be strengthened in any other way.
A suitable number of pairs of antifriction rollers may be placed at those parts
of the platform where the arms or standards pass through.
The cars or vehicles may, if desired, he provided with the dummy or captive
balloons described in the aforesaid Letters Patent.
We prefer to use an even number of cars or vehicles and to so arrange the
number of the cars or vehicles and the number of the inclined planes that when
one car is moving up or ascending an inclined plano the next car or vehicle is
moving down or descending an inclined plane. This arrangement is clearly shown

page_text: in Figs. 1 and 3. According to this disposition of the cars or vehicles and the
inclined planes one half of the cars or vehicles will be in their highest vertical
positions when the other cars are in their lowest vertical positions. By this arrango-
ment the power required for rotating the platform is considerably less than if the
cars or vehicles and the inclined planes were otherwise arranged.
We wish it to be understood that we do not claim as our invention a roundabout
or merry-go-round consisting of the combination of a rotating platform and a
number of cars or vehicles carried round by the rotating platform and simultaneously
moving up and down.
But having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
In roundabouts or merry-go-rounds of the kind described herein, the improved
means for producing the vortical up and down motion of the cars or vehicles con-
sisting of downwardly projecting arms or standards fixed to the lower part of the
cars or vehicles and carrying small wheels or rollers which move up and down
inclined planes as the platform rotates, substantially as described herein and illus-
trated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Gill of June 1800
JAMES STEVENSON,
Gray's Inn Chambers, 20, High Holborn, London, W.C.,
Agent for Applicants.