Improvements in Furniture Casters.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 5th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1891
ROVIDIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furniture Casters.
We ISAAC CHORLTON of 17 Blackfriars Street Manchester in the County of
Lancaster Spring Mattress Manufacturer and GEORGE LAMB SCOTT of the
same place Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
5 Our said invention relates to improvements in the construction of casters for
application to bedsteads and to other articles of furniture. As at present con-
structed such casters have the jaw piece or horns containing the roller pivotted
loosely to the centre of the cup, plate or part receiving or attached to the leg or
support, the centre of the pivot being opposite to the centre of the leg or support.
It is a common complaint that such casters are apt to stick and are not so sensitive
to the movements of the piece of furniture as is desirable.
They are also liable to cant and wear rapidly owing to the necessary length of
leverage existing between the central pivot and the centre of the roller. According
to our invention we are enabled to diminish this leverage considerably and instead
of pivotting the jaw horns or roller support to the centre of the part attached
to the leg or support of the piece of furniture, we pivot it excentrically with
relation thereto and are thus enabled to decrease the length and consequent hurtful
leverage of the roller jaw or horns.
or horns thus excentrically pivotted to the fixed attachment are much more
We find that casters having the roller jaw
sensitive and much less liable to jamb than is the case with the ordinary caster.
The fixed part to which we excentrically pivot the roller jaw or horns might be a
cup or plate or in the case of an iron bedstead it might be a metallic plug entering
the foot of the tubular head or foot end of the bedstead. We do not however
limit ourselves to any particular form of the parts so long as the horns, jaw or part
carrying the roller is excentrically pivotted instead of being pivotted centrally as
at present.
By a modification of our invention we may make the excentric pivot itself
movable around the centre of the support to which the caster is attached. This
may be effected by loosely pivotting an arm or bracket to the centre of the fixed
cup, plate or support. To the outer end of this loosely pivotted arm or bracket
we loosely pivot the jaw or horns containing the caster roller. The caster has two
loose pivots viz. the central loose pivot carrying the arm or bracket and the loose
pivot at the end of the said arm or bracket the latter being the excentric loose
pivot. The jaw or horns may be provided with two rollers instead of one.
caster so constructed has a freedom, sensitiveness and ease of motion never before
A
attained. Under a modification of the last described arrangement instead of
oivotting the loose arın or bracket carrying the horns to the centre of the cup,
late or support we pivot the said arm or lever excentrically and in such a manner
s to bring the centre of the horns and roller directly beneath the centre of the
eg or upright of the article of furniture.
In order to permit only of the necessary motion to one side or the other of the
posely centred horns or bracket the free end of the arm or lever is confined
etween two stops or a peg or pegs projecting from the lever plays in a curved slot
r in a recess checked out of the margin of the supporting base-plate or cup or
art so that the loosely pivotted lever is allowed to move only slightly to one side
the other of the centre line of the leg or support and thus sufficient lead is
ven to cause the rollers to gyrate and run in the direction in which the article of
rniture is moved. The rollers might be single or double confined in horns or
ntred on a central bracket. The chief feature in this modification is that the
[Price 8d.1

page_text: centre of the leg or support of the article of furniture is nearly always directly
over the centre of the roller or rollers, the amount of play permitted to the part
carrying the rollers being so slight as not materially to affect this disposition.
Under a further modification of our improved caster the hereinbefore referred
to pivotted and interposed arms and levers might be dispensed with and the horns
or roller bracket be applied directly to the flat base of the cup plate or plug
attached to or inserted in the leg or bedstead end. The flat top of the horns or
roller bracket is slotted to admit a headed pin projecting from the flat base of the
aforesaid cup plate or part the slot extending at right angles to or parallel with
or at an angle to the axis of the caster roller or bowl. An extended and steady
bearing contact exists between the two flat surfaces viz. the flat top of the horns
or roller bracket and the flat base while the slot permits rotation of the horns or
roller bracket in all directions and also permits shifting of the horns or roller
bracket on the flat base and relatively to the centre of the leg or attached cup
plate or part. Two slots at right angles to each other or a hole clearing the
central pin might be made in the flat top of the roller bracket. By these combined
movements the caster readily assumes the required positions in moving the article
of furniture and these advantages are gained by a very simple and inexpensive
construction of caster.
To render casters noiseless and smooth in their motions we so construct the
rollers as to present treads or peripheries of rubber leather or other suitable
material. We form the metallic portion of the roller in two parts consisting of a
disc or ring having a boss and a disc having a central hole to fit the boss. A disc
of rubber, leather or other suitable material of larger diameter than the metallic
side discs is placed over the boss and the other side disc is then likewise placed on
the boss thus confining the rubber or other ring between the two discs. The hole
in the side disc may be slightly countersunk and the boss rivetted thereinto thus
holding the two metallic side discs firmly together the rubber ring being immovably
held between. We might however secure the whole together by rivets.
To hold the rubber or other ring more securely between the two discs we might
form the inner sides of the discs with vee rings projections or teeth which sink into
the soft material and thus bite and hold it. With such a construction of caster
roller it is impossible for the rubber or other ring to be twisted out by the gyrations
of the caster an accident which frequently happens in casters as at present made
with a spring or rubber ring or tyre.
Dated this 6th day of November 1890.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Furniture Casters.
We,
ISAAC CHORLTON of 17 Blackfriars Street, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Spring Mattress Manufacturer, and GEORGE LAMB SCOTT, of the
same place, Engineer, 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 and accompanying drawings
==
Our said invention relates to improvements in the construction of casters for
application to bedsteads and other articles of furniture. As at present constructed,
such casters have the jaw piece or horns containing the roller pivotted loosely to
the centre of the cup, plate or part receiving or attached to the leg or support the
centre of the pivot being opposite to the centre of the leg or support.
It is a
common complaint that such casters are apt to stick and are not so sensitive to the
movements of the piece of furniture as is desirable. They are also liable to cant,
stick, and wear rapidly owing to the necessary length of leverage existing between
the central pivot and the centre of the roller. According to our invention we are

page_text: to diminish this leverage considerably and instead of pivotting the jaw,
horns or roller support, to the centre of the part attached to the leg or support of
the piece of furniture, we pivot it so that the roller is situated excentrically with
relation thereto and we are thus enabled to decrease the length and consequent
5 hurtful leverage of the roller jaw or horns. We find that casters having the roller
jaw or horns thus excentrically situated relatively to the fixed attachment are much
more sensitive and much less liable to jamb than is the case with the ordinary
caster. The fixed part to which we excentrically pivot the rollers might be a cup
or plate or in the case of an iron bedstead, it might be a metallic plug entering the
0 foot of the tubular head or foot ends of the bedstead. We do not however limit
ourselves to any particular form of the parts so long as the horns, jaw or part
carrying the roller is excentrically situated instead of being pivotted centrally as at
present. The rollers might be single or double, confined in horus or centred on a
central bracket. Under a further modification of our improved caster the horns or
5 roller bracket may be applied directly to the flat base of the cup, plate, or plug
attached to or inserted in the leg or bedstead end. The flat top of the horns or
roller bracket has a curved slot to admit a headed pin projecting from the flat base
of the aforesaid cup, plate, or part, the slot extending at right angles to or parallel
with or at an angle to the axis of the caster roller or bowl. An extended and
steady bearing contact exists between the two flat surfaces viz.: the flat top of the
horns or roller bracket and the flat base while the slot permits rotation of the horns
or roller bracket in all directions and also permits shifting of the horns or roller
bracket on the flat base and relatively to the centre of the leg or attached cup,
plate or part. Two slots at right angles to each other or a hole clearing the
central pin might be made in the flat top of the roller bracket. By these combined
movements the caster readily assumes the required positions in moving the article
of furniture and these advantages are gained by a very simple and inexpensive
construction of caster. To render casters noiseless and smooth in their motions we
so construct the rollers as to present treads or peripheries of rubber, leather or
other suitable material. We form the metallic portion of the roller in two parts
consisting of a disc or ring having a boss and a disc having a central hole to fit the
boss. A ring or disc of rubber, leather or other suitable material of larger
diameter than the metallic side discs is placed over the boss and the other side disc
is then likewise placed on the boss thus confining the rubber or other ring between
the two discs. The hole in the side disc may be slightly countersunk and the boss
rivetted thereinto thus holding the two metallic side discs firmly together the
rubber ring or disc being immovably held between.
whole together by rivets. To hold the rubber or other ring more securely between
We might however secure the
the two discs we might form the inner sides of the discs with "vee" rings pro-
jections or teeth which sink into the soft material and thus bite and hold it.
such a construction of caster roller it is impossible for the rubber or other ring to
With
be twisted out by the gyration of the caster an accident which frequently happens
n casters as at present made with a spring or rubber ring or tyre. To render our
nvention perfectly clear we will now proceed more particularly to describe the
ame with reference to the annexed sheet of drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side view in perspective and Fig. 2 a plan of a caster in which the
orns and roller a are pivotted so as to be situated excentrically with regard to the
racketb which is firmly attached to the leg of the article of furniture. The said
racketb might be of any suitable formation. For example it might assume the
orm of a cup or socket or flat plate or any other shape suited to the article to
hich it is to be applied. To the centre of the bracket we pivot loosely at the
orns or jaw piece c. It will be seen from an inspection of the plan view Fig. 2
at the pivot d of the jaw piece is excentrically situated with regard to the centre
the jaw. Thus the roller a is never at any time directly beneath the centre of
e plate and is always excentrically situated with relation thereto so that the
ster is much more sensitive to changes of position when the furniture is being
oved than is the case with casters of ordinary construction. In some cases

page_text: instead of having a double jaw to contain the roller as in Figs. 1 and 2 the piece c
might have one projection only as in Figs. 3 and 4. The principle of construction
is precisely the same as in Figs. 1 and except for the absence of one member of
the jaw.
In Figs. 5 and 6 the piece c with a single member c' is used in conjunction with
the rollers a a, the limb c' extending between the rollers. The limb c¹ being
excentrically situated with relation to the part e carries the rollers also to one side
so that the same principle is present in this case as in the other examples. In the
example illustrated at Figs. 7 and 8 the upper platform of the jaw piece c has a
curved slot extending diagonally across as clearly shown in Fig. 8. A. headed stud d
extending from the foot of the bracket enters the said curved slot. It will be
noted that when the stud occupies either end of the curved slot the jaw piece c is
excentrically pivotted just as in the foregoing examples with the additional
advantage that the stud can traverse from end to end of the slot without the
necessity for turning round the caster and at times the roller is directly beneath
the centre of the supporting bracket b as seen for example at Fig. 8.
The roller a of the caster may be made noiseless by the addition of a ring of
rubber applied and secured in the manner shown at Figs. 9 and 10. The roller is
formed with a flange a' at one end and a projection a² at the other end. The
rubber ring or disc e is slipped upon the roller a and a flange u³ is then placed on
the projection a' the said projection being then rivetted up so as to hold the rubber
ring and flange in position. Instead of rivetting up the part a² as described we
-might secure the two parts together with rivets as in Fig. 10. By applying the
rubber ring in the manner set forth we can recess the ring more deeply in the
roller a, and thus render it less liable to be twisted out or displaced by the gyrations
of the roller. To increase the grip of the flanges on the rubber ring or disc we
might form the inner sides of the flanges with vee shaped annular ridges as in
Fig. 9.
The vee ridges sink into the soft rubber and thus bite and hold it. Instead of
the said vee ridges we might form the sides of the flanges with projections or
indentations of other forms to assist in holding the rubber. Instead of rubber,
leather or any other suitable substance might be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is.
1.) In the construction of casters, pivotting the horns, jaws or brackets con-
taining or carrying the roller or rollers so that the rollers are situated excentrically
with relation to the plate, socket or part attached to the leg or support of the bed
or piece of furniture substantially as described and shown.
2.) Connecting the roller horns, or jaws of casters to the fixed plate, socket or
part by means of a stud occupying a diagonal slot in the top or platform of the
horns or jaw so that when the stud is at either end of the slot the horns or jaw
will be excentrically pivotted to the fixed part substantially as described and as
illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings.
3.) In the construction of caster rollers forming the roller in two parts and
binding a rubber ring or disc between the two parts, the faces of the binding parts
being either plain or formed with grooves, ridges, projections or indentations to
assist in holding the rubber ring or disc more firmly, substantially as described and
as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings.
Dated this 4th dor of Anos 1901
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.