IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBLE SHAFTING AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE- WITH FOR TRANSMITTING POWER
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBLE SHAFTING AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THERE-
WITH FOR TRANSMITTING POWER."-A communication from abroad by
James Beall Morrison, of St. Louis, Missouri, United States of
America.
Sealed the 11th August 1871, and dated the 3rd March 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Haseltine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd March 1871.
I, GEORGE HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," South-
ampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBLE SHAFTING AND APPARATUS CON-
NECTED. THERE WITH FOR TRANSMITTING POWER," a communication, to be as
follows:-
A shaft connects by a wire spiral or helix to a section of another shaft,
the said helix being enveloped in a short piece of india-rubber pipe
which allows it free flexure. This universal joint turns in a swivel eye.

page_text: The pivot of the swivel forms the pintle of the upper end of a hinge, by
which an adjustable bracket is connected to the stand. The said pintle
passes vertically through the ear of a plate attached to the side of tho
stand; the pintle also passes through the top of a strap, which is stepped
by another pintle in the car. The strap consists of two perpendicular
bars connected at the top and bottom where the strap is pivotted to the
cars. The parallel bars are pivotted to the strap by pivots, which pass
through the sides of the strap and through the said bars; these bars are also
pivotted in like manner to the strap by pivot pins. The strap has pivotted
to it (by pivots or pintles) a bracket supporting an instrument tray; the
pintle at the upper end of the strap forms also the pintle of a swivel cyc,
which is similar to the other eye, and gives journal bearing to a universal
joint. The said joint is attached to a shaft section which turns in a box,
and which after passing through the box is attached by a spiral helix
to another section of shaft; by a similar helix the shaft section is:
attached to a socket head. The socket of the head is square and receives
a square end of a shaft section, which ends in a helix carrying a
socket head, into which screws the drilling tool. The said socket head
turns in a tubular box, baving an arm ending in a hollow ball adjustable
in a socket. This ball has a circular opening, and through this opening a
passes a screw bolt having a hemispherical head, whose convex side is
made to press against the ball to render the joint rigid; the bolt traverses
a tube and by a nut tho head is forced against the ball. The said tube
is connected by a bifurcated arm to a sleeve which turns at will upon
another tube, in which the last-mentioned section of the shaft and the
head have journal bearing. Another section of the shaft turns in a
section of pipe, and over this pipe is drawn a sleeve of india-rubber.
The portions of the sleeve covering the helices before mentioned aro
lined with helices of wire, which serve to support the sleeve and yet
allow flexibility to the joint. Within the end of the sleeve is a section
of tubing which serves to connect the sleeve to its fixed box; the sleeve,
as before mentioned, has free rotation on the tube, and is held thereon
by a set screw whose point enters a circumferential groove in the said
tube. The sleeve may be removed and a straight drill put in the place.
of the shaft section; the drill will then have near its outer end journal ¿
bearing in the tube, while its inner end will be held in the socket by a
set screw.
A plain rule joint” may be used instead of the joint above described.
8

page_text: up a pintle screw; in this simple form the tool may be set at any angle.
The bracket is sustained at the desired clevation by means of a clamp
whose jaws are held together by a thumb screw. The pivots are so
arranged that the flexible shaft is undisturbed in its bearings in whatever
way the bracket may be moved. The bracket may be raised and lowered
without in any way affecting its own horizontal position or that of the
tray. The shaft may be turned by a belt upon a pulley, or by means of
a treadle. One or more bearings may be given to the cylindrical sections
of the shaft.
I modify the construction of my apparatus by making the stand with
three fect, and an upright standard, and with an arm extending from
the centre of the stand; to the end of the said arm is pivotted the end
of a treadle. A connecting rod has at its lower end a ball which rests
in a socket in the treadle, forming a ball and socket joint, which allows
the treadle to be swung around upon its pivotted arm, and to act on the
connecting rod equally well in every position. The said rod is fitted on
a pin attached to one of the arms of a balance wheel or pulley. The
said wheel has an arbor which extends through the standard, and also
forms the fulcrum pivot of an oscillating staff. The lower end of the
staff is connected by an clastic spring to the stand, the said spring acting
as a counterbalance to the weight of the upper end of the staff when
inclined. The middle part of the staff extends in a horizontal direction
over the top of the standard to which it may be secured, when the main
portions of the staff are vertical by a pin which enters the top of the
standard. One part of the staff extends over the aforesaid wheel or
pulley, and has depending from it a rectangular socket piece containing
a spiral or other spring which acts to press downward a pin, to whose
forked end is journalled a pulley. The upper portion of the staff extends
upwardly from the last-mentioned part in the plane of the balance
wheel; at the upper end of this upper part is an axial socket, which
receives a pin that forms the turning pivot of the head. The head has
two arms or rests and two standards, which give journal bearing to a
shaft. This shaft carries a doubly grooved pulley, and one or more
emery wheels. A fork has horns perforated to receive bosses on the
inner sides of standards that carry the said shaft, which passes axially
through the bosses, and the fork is sprung upon them before the
insertion of the shaft. The horns have out-turned points, and act to
sustain a rod which ends in a socket that contains an clastic spring

page_text: resting against the inner end of a round sliding block; the latter has
a central conical recess at the outer end to receive the "centre" of a
pin, this pin ends in a fork connected to another fork by a pintle which
carries a groove pulley or wheel, having upon it bevelled cogs engaging
a pinion upon another spindle. At the outer end of the said spindle
is a socket to receive the shank of the tool, which may have at one cud
a removeable burr, and at the shank end a semi-cylindrical portion, whose
flat side prevents the turning of the shank in the socket. The said
spindle is enclosed in an outer sleeve, in one piece with the fork. The
spindle has a collar, and between the collar and the pinion is a box 1
sleeve which is kept from turning by a set screw passing through an
outer sleeve, the spindle being held in the said sleeve by a set screw.
The spindle may pass through the end of the sleeve, or the said sleevo
may give bearing to tho shank of the tool. Power is communicated
from the balance wheel to the last-mentioned pulley by belts. The 1
equal tension of the belts is secured by springs. Or the power may, if
preferred, be partly communicated by spur or friction gearing.
I make the shank and hoad of the burr tool detached. The shank
may be of common wire.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 2
filed by the said George Haseltine in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, George
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Offlcc, Southampton Buildings,
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Haseltine, Her special licence 3
that I, the said George Haseltine, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George Haseltine, my 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

page_text: 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 FLEXIBLE SHAFTING AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH FOR TRANSMITTING
POWER," a communication to me from abroad by James Beall Morrison,
of St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said George Haseltine, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and scals, 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 George Haseltine, do hereby declare
5 the nature of the 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 accompanying
Drawings, forming a part of this Specification, in which Figure 1 is a side
elevation of an apparatus constructed according to my Invention for
O dentists' use, a portion being in section to exhibit the construction of
flexible joints, and the double hinge of a bracket herein-after described;
Figure 2 is an axial section of one end of flexible shafting used in the said
apparatus; Figure 3 is an exterior view of a metallic tube, constituting
the outer section of the sleeve of the said shafting, and giving journal
5 bearing to a straight drill, or to another section of flexible shafting, as
shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a side view of a simpler form
of hinge than that shown in Figures 1, 2, and 6; Figure 5 shows the
said hinge at a right anglo to Figure 4; Figure 6 shows the hinge in
Figures 1 and 2 drawn to an enlarged scale; Figure 7 is a side eleva-
O tion of a modified arrangement of the aforesaid apparatus; Figure 8 is
a vertical axial section of the stand, standard, and oscillatable staff of the
same, the staff being in its fixed vertical position; Figure 9 is an axial
section of the end portion of the said apparatus; Figure 10 is a plan of the
turning head of the same, at the upper end of the staff; Figure 11 is a
5 plan of the stand and a treadle foot, herein-after described; Figure 12
shows a burr tool used on the said apparatus; Figure 13 is a side
elevation, showing other modifications of the said apparatus.

page_text: I will first describe the apparatus shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
A is a portion of the stand or case giving journal bearing at a, a', to the
shaft B of the pulley b. The shaft B connects by a wire spiral or helix O
to a section of a shaft D, the said helix being shown enveloped in a
short piece of india-rubber pipe c, which allows the free flexure of the
helix. This universal joint O, c, turns in a swivel cyc E. The pivot e
of the swivel forms the pintle of the upper end of the hinge by which
the adjustable bracket A' is connected to the stand A. The piutlo e
passes vertically through the car of a plate F attached to the side of
the stand A. The pintle e also passes through the top of the strap G,
which is supported by a pintle e' in the car. The strap G consists of
two perpendicular bars 7 united at top and bottom where the strap is
pivoted to the cars ff. The parallel bars II, I, are pivoted to the
strap G by pivots h, i, which pass through the sides g of the strap and
through the said bars. These bars are also pivoted in like manner to
the second strap J by the pivot pins k¹, 7. The strap J has pivoted to
it (by pins or pintles j, j',) a bracket K supporting the instrument tray L.
The pintle at the upper end of the strap J forms also the pintle of the
swivel eye M, which is similar to the eye E, and gives journal bearing to
a universal joint N similar to C, c. The said joint N is attached to a
shaft section O which turns in a box P, and which after passing through
the box is attached by a spiral helix similar to C to another section Q of
shaft seen in Figure 2. By a similar helix R the shaft section Q is
attached to the socket head S. The sockets of the head S is square and
receives the squaro end of the shaft section T. The shaft T ends in a 1
helix, to which is attached a socket head for receiving the drilling
tool U, which may be a burr, as shown, a common drill, or other tool. The
socket turns in a tubular box V having an arm v ending in a hollow
ball W adjustable in a socket . The ball has a circular opening w
(Figure 6) on the side opposite the arm v, and through this opening I
pass a screw bolt Y having a hemispherical head y, whose convex side is
made to press against the surface of the cavity in the ball to render the
joint rigid. The rod Y traverses the tube X and receives a nut y'; by
turning this nut the head is forced against the interior of the ball to
render the joint rigid. The tube X is connected by a bifurcated arm Z
to a sleeve 1 which is turned at will upon the tube 2 in which the
section T of the shaft and the head 8 have journal bearing. The shaft Q
turns in a section of pipe 3, and over this pipe is drawn the aforesaid

page_text: leeve, which is made of india-rubber and is shown extending from
the box P to the tubular box 2. The portions of the sleeve 4 covering
the helices before mentioned are lined with helices of wire, one of which
s shown at 5 in Figure 2. These helices serve to support the sleeve
against exterior pressure, and yet allow flexibility to the joint. Within
the end of the sleeve 4 is a section of tubing which extends into tho
box P and is held therein by a set screw p; this tube serves to connect
the sleeve 4 to the fixed box P, and is shown by dotted lines at 6, Figure 1.
The sleeve 1, as before mentioned, has free rotation on the tube 2, and
is held thercon by a set screw 7 whose point enters a circumferential
groove 8 made around the said tube 2.
In Figure 3 the sleeve 1 is removed and a straight drill 9 occupies the
place of the shaft section T shewn in Figures 1 and 2. The drill 9 near
its outer end has journal bearing in the tube 2, while its inner end t
(which is square) enters the sockets and is held by a set screw 10.
The arrangement shown in Figure 3 is not only the most simple but
is of much more general application than that shown in Figures 1, 2,
and 4, the latter form being applicable chiefly to cases where the drilling
is done, from the inner side.
The hinge shown in Figures 4 and 5 has a plain "rule joint" 11 and
needs no special description. It is tightened to hold the tool at any
desired angle by turning the pintle screw 12. In this simpler form
the tool may be set at any angle with the shaft T, but cannot be set to
either side, as with the universal joint shown in Figure 6. The bracket K
(with the bearings M, P, of the flexible shaft) may be turned to the
right or left on the vertical pivots of either of the straps G or J, or may
be folded back against the stand A. The said bracket is sustained at
the desired elevation by a clamp 13, whose jaws are held together by
means of a thumbscrow 14, and being rigidly attached to the upper
bar H they are made to firmly grasp the bar I when drawn together by
the thumbscrew. The mid length of the pivots h, i, and h¹, i², is in the
vertical lines extending from the vertical pivots e to e¹ and j to j¹, so
that the flexible shaft is undisturbed in its bearings in whatever way
the brackets may be moved. The bracket A¹ may be raised and lowered
without in any way affecting the horizontallity of the tray or of itself.
The shaft B may be turned by a belt on the pulley b, or may be fitted
with a crank having connection with a treadle.

page_text: One or more. bearings 15, as in Figure 1, may be given to the
cylindrical sections of the shaft, or the said shaft may be supported wholly
by the bearings of these sections, the bearings embracing the flexible
portions being dispensed with.
In some cases it may be desirable to extend the sleeve 4 to envelope
the whole length of the flexible shaft from the box a¹ to the tubular pipo
or box 2 at the free end of the said shaft.
In the modification illustrated in Figures 7 to 12 the apparatus is
constructed as follows:-
A is the stand having throc fect a², and an upright standard B³. C'
is an arm extending from the centre of the stand. To the end of the
arm C is pivoted the end of the arm d of a treadle foot D'. The
foot D', has cars e³, giving bearing to the pivot or pintle E' of the
treadle F. G is the pitman, having at its lower end a ball g', which
rests in a socket in the treadle forming a ball and socket joint. The
ball and socket joint allows the treadle to be swung around upon its
pivoted arm d and to act on the pitman equally well in every position.
E is a wrist pin attached to one of the arms of the wheel or
pulley I, which is fixed on an arbor J'extending through the standard B'
and forming the fulcrum whereon the staff K', L', O', is oscillated.
The lower end of the staff K', L', O', is connected by a spring & to the
stand A', the said spring acting as a counter-balance to the weight
of the upper end of the staff when the same. is inclined. The middle
part L' of the staff extends in a horizontal direction over the top of
the standard B¹; to which it may be secured when the main portions of :
the staff aro vertical by a pin that, traverses the part L' and enters the
top of the standard B'. One end of the part L' extends over the wheel
or pulley I and has depending from it a rectangular socket piece M',
containing a spiral or other spring m which acts to press downward a
pin N' to whose forked end is journalled a pulley n.
O' is the upper
portion of the staff, and it extends upwardly from the part L'in the
plane of the wheel I'. At the upper end of O' is an axial socket o'
which receives a pin p' that forms the turning pivot of the lead.
The head has two arms or rests P', and two standards R' which give
journal bearing to the shaft S'. This shaft carries a doubly grooved a
pulleys and one or more emery wheels &³. Q' is a fork whose horns

page_text: are perforated to receive the bosses 7 on the inner sides of the standards R'.
The shaft & passes axially through the bosses and the fork Q' is sprung
upon them before the insertion of the shaft. The horns have outwardly
turned points q which engage with the standards when the rod T¹ of
the fork Q' is thrown upward and a little past the vertical position and
act to sustain the rod in that position. The rod T ends in a socket /³
which contains a spring a¹ resting against the inner end of a round
sliding block ², having a central conical recess at the outer end to.
receive the "centre" of the pin U¹. The pin U¹ ends in a fork V¹
connected to a fork w¹ by a pintle ¹ and turning upon the pintle is
a grooved pulley or wheel X' having upon its side a circle of bevel cogs
engaging a pinion y³ upon a spindle Y'. At the outer end of the spindle is a
socket to receive the shank of the tool ¹, shewn having at one end a
removeable burr and having at the shank end a semi-cylindrical
portion whose flat side rests against a similar face on the spindle, and
prevents the turning of the shank in the socket. The spindle is
enclosed in an outer sleeve W', in one piece with the fork w¹. The
said spindle has a collar y³, and between the collar and the pinion y
and surrounding the spindle is a box sleeve 1*, which is prevented
from turning by a sot screw 2* passing through the outer sleeve W',
the spindle being held in the sleeve W by the set screw. The spindle Y¹
may pass through the end of the sleeve W or the said sleeve may give
bearing to the shank of the tool, as shewn. Power is communicated
from the pulley I' to the pulley X¹ by means of belts 3*, 4*, the first
of which passes under the wheel I', and is crossed beneath the idler
pulley n, and then over the pulley s¹. The belt 4* passes around the
pulleys and X³, and its tension is kept equable by the spring u'. The
equal tension of the belt 3* is secured by the spring m acting to force
down the pulley n. The power may, if preferred, be communicated from
the shaft S¹ to the spindle Y', by toothed or frictional gearing, or may be
conveyed by belt gearing entirely.
In Figure 12 the shank and head of the burr tool is shewn detached;
this construction allows the tool to be manufactured in the cheapest
manner, as the shank may be of common wire and will outlast many
burrs, whereas in the manner of construction now employed the shank
and burr are composed of one piece of metal and the shank requires
finishing in the lathe and must be thrown outside when the burr becomes
worn out.

page_text: Eighth. The pivoted treadle C¹, d, 'D', E', e³, F', substantially as
described.

page_text: Ninth. The construction of the burr tool in two separable parts,
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
W. ROBT. LAKE.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)