IMPROVEMENTS IN ROUNDABOUTS
Year: 1885

page_text: We, THOMAS BLINKHORN and WILLIAM SIMPSON KEY both of 18a Norfolk Street,
Boston, in the county of Lincoln, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our
IMPROVEMENTS IN ROUNDABOUTS " to be as follows:-
invention for
"
Heretofore it has been proposed to construct roundabouts with horses mounted
upon them, and to give to the horses and to their legs the movements natural to
galloping.
According to our invention we not only improve the means bereinbefore adopted
for giving these movements to horses but we are able also to give to mules, zebras
and other animals, movements natural to both galloping and trotting.
The roundabout is constructed of a number of wooden frames connected
together end to end, to form a horizontal ring, which is made to rotate in any
usual manner.
The frames are made or covered over with loose boarding to form a table over
their upper surface for safety.
Underneath each frame is an angle iron frame jointed at its forward end to the
forward end of the upper frame and at its rear pressed downwards by springs
interposed between the two frames.
The angle iron frame carries in addition near to its rear end a wheel or wheels
to run on a fixed circular tramway and to serve not only as a support for the
revolving wooden frame, but also as a driving wheel to impart movement to the
nules or other animals.
Each angle iron frame has standards projecting upwards from it to carry a mule
or other animal above the table. If the mule or other animal is to have galloping
movements given to it, the lower part of the body of the mule or other animal
immediately in front of its hind legs is jointed to the top of the standard-whereas
if it is to have trotting movements given to it, the central part of the body is fixed
to the top of the standard.
On the axle of the driving wheel or wheels are fixed cams or rollers between
two cheeks, carrying two rollers on pins on opposite sides of the axle.
To the front end of the angle iron frames are also jointed the front ends of lever
arms, the rear ends of which are made to rest upon the rollers on the pins.
The loose rollers on pins fixed in the cams are for the purpose of avoiding
friction.
When a galloping movement is to be given, the fore part of the body of the
mule or other animal is supported by being jointed to the upper ends of rods
which at their lower ends are jointed to the lever arms at an intermediate point of
their length.

page_text: The front end of each lever arm has also another arm extending upwards from
it. The upper end of this arm is coupled by rods to both the hind legs of the
mule or other animal above the knee joints, and from the centre of these rods other
rods are carried to the front legs and similarly jointed to them, just above the
knee. The legs are jointed to the body, and at the knee of each leg there is also a
joint which allows a certain amount of backward and forward movement of the
lower part of the leg.
In this way when the driving wheel is rotated, the fore part of the body will be
made to move forward and downward, and the legs will be moved backward and
forward: the lower part of each leg will also at the termination of each backward
movement of the upper part of the leg continue to move backward owing to the
freedom in the knee and similarly at the end of the forward movement of the legs
to move a distance forward.
When a trotting movement is to be given the fore part of the body is not
connected by a rod to the lever arm, and one pair of legs only on one side of the
mule or other animal is moved to and fro by the upright arm of the lever in the
manner above described; whilst the legs on the opposite side of the body are
moved to and fro by their being similarly jointed by rods to the upper end of
another upright arm which is geared with the first arm in such manner as always
to move in opposite directions to it.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Roundabouts.
We THOMAS BLINKHORN and WILLIAM SIMPSON KEY both of 18 Norfolk Street
Boston in the County of Lincoln Engineers 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:-
According to our invention we are able to improve the means heretofore adopted
for the construction of roundabouts and can give to mules, zebras, elephants and
other animals movements natural to walking trotting and galloping.
The roundabout is constructed of a number of wooden frames connected together
end to end, to form a horizontal ring, which is made to rotate by an engine and an
endless rope running round the circumference of the horizontal ring, or it may be
made to rotate in any usual manner. The frames are covered over with loose
boarding to form a table over their upper surface for safety. Underneath each
frame is an angle-iron frame jointed at its forward end to the forward end of the
upper frame and at its rear end pressed downwards by springs interposed between
the two frames,

page_text: The angle-iron frame carries also near to its rear end a wheel or wheels to run
on a fixed circular tramway and serve not only as a support for the revolving
wooden frame but also as driving wheels to impart movement to the mules, zebras,
elephants or other animals.
Each angle iron frame has standards projecting from it to carry a mule, zebra,
elephant or other animal above the platform.
If the mule or other animal is to have a galloping movement given to it the
lower part of its body immediately in front of its hind legs is jointed to the top of
the standard whereas if the mule or other animal is to have a trotting movement;
given to it the central part of the body is fixed to the top of the standard.
On the axle of the driving wheel or wheels are fixed arms or cheeks between
which are rollers carried on pins fixed to the arms on opposite sides of the axle.
To the front end of the angle iron frames are also jointed the front ends of lever
arms the rear ends of which are made to rest upon the rollers on the pins. The
loose rollers on pins fixed in the cams are for the purpose of avoiding all friction.
When a galloping movement is to be given to the mule or other animal the fore
part of the body is supported by being jointed to the upper ends of rods which at
their lower ends are jointed to the lever arms at an intermediate point of their
length. The front end of each lever arm has also another arm extending upwards
from it.
The upper end of this arm is coupled by rods to both the hind legs of the mule
or other animal at or above the knee joint, and from the centre of these rods other
rods are carried to the front legs and similarly jointed to them just above the knee.
The legs are jointed to the body and at the knee of each leg there is also a joint
which allows a certain amount of backward or forward movement of the lower
part of the legs.
By this means when the driving wheel or wheels are rotated the fore part of the
body of the mule or other animal will be made to move upwards and downwards
and the legs to move backwards and forwards. The lower part of each leg will
also at the termination of each backward movement of the upper part of the leg
continue to move backward owing to the freedom in the knee; and similarly at
the end of the forward movement of the legs to move a distance forward.
When a trotting movement is to be given the fore part of the body is not
connected by a rod to the lever and one pair of legs only one on either side of the
mule or other animal is moved to and fro by the upright arm of the lever in the
manner above described; whilst the other legs are moved to and fro by their being
similarly jointed by rods to the upper end of another upright arm which is geared
with the first arm in such manner as always to move in opposite directions to it.
Figure 1 of the drawings hereunto annexed shows a side elevation of part of a
roundabout constructed as above described. Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the
angle iron frames-it is shown to be adapted for supporting three animals side by
side and for giving a trotting movement to the central one and a galloping move-
ment to the others on either side of it.
In Figure the central animal is shown as having a galloping movement given
to it and the others a trotting movement.
A A are the wooden frames connected together so as to form a complete ring.
B B are the angle iron frames each jointed at one end to the forward end of a
frame A and at their rear end pressed downwards by coiled or other springs C
interposed between them and the rear ends of the frames A-D D are the wheels
upon which the rear ends of the frames B are supported-these wheels run upon a
circular tramway as indicated in Figure 2-In this figure each axle is represented
as having three pairs of arms extending from it-one pair for imparting movement
to each animal that is to be mounted on the frame B which the axle supports.
Between the two arms of each pair are carried two rollers EE at opposite sides
of the axle. The rear end of a lever F rests upon these rollers. The lever at its
front end turns on a fulcrum F¹ near to the front end of the frame B.
It has also an arm F* extending upwards from it,

page_text: For galloping the upper end of this lever is connected by links G G with the
two hind legs at or above the knee joint-and these links G are by other links H
connected to the two front legs at or above their knee joint. The legs are jointed
to the body in the ordinary manner. At each knee there is also a joint and this
joint as before stated and as is shown by the drawing we form in such manner as
to allow a certain movement backwards and forwards of the lower part of the
leg I is a standard rising up from the angle iron frame B the lower part of the
body of the animal just in front of the hind legs is jointed to the top of this
standard.
J is a rod by which the fore part of the body is coupled to the lever F at a
short distance away from its fulcrum.
For trotting the upright arm F2 of the lever F is coupled by a link G with one
of the hind legs and this link is by a link H coupled to the front leg on the
opposite side of the animal..
The other hind leg is coupled by a link G¹ with another upright lever arm K'
carried by a short axis K which as shown is geared by toothed wheels to the axis
of the lever F so as always to move in an opposite direction to it-G2 is a link.
for connecting the link G¹ with the remaining front leg-L is a standard rising up
from the frame B and having the central part of the body of the animal fixed to
its upper end.
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
1. The construction of roundabouts substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the drawing.
2. The combination of parts substantially as herein before described for giving
a galloping movement to animals mounted upon the carriages of roundabouts.
3. The combination of parts substantially as herein before described for giving
a trotting movement to the legs of animals that are mounted upon the carriages of
roundabouts.
Dated this Sth day of December 1885.