IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING MOTIVE POWER TO GIVE MOTION TO MACHINERY
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gerhard Uhlhorn, of Grevenbroich, near Cologne, in
the Kingdom of Prussia, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLYING
MOTIVE POWER TO GIVE MOTION TO MACHINERY."
Sealed the 3rd December 1858, and dated the 30th September 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gerhard Uhlhorn at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th September 1858.
I, GERHARD UHLHORN, of Grevenbroich, near Cologne, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPLYING MOTIVE POWER TO GIVE MOTION TO MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in applying motive power to
give motion to machinery, and is applicable where two or more prime movers
(such as steam engines, water wheels, or others,) of different powers are
employed to give motion to the same shaft, or to shafts connected therewith;
and the Invention consists in so connecting together the shafts from the two
or more prime movers, that the shaft from the prime mover of the greatest
power will not in rotating cause the shafts from the prime movers of lesser

page_text: power to rotate, but the shafts from the prime movers of lesser power will
in rotating cause the shaft from the prime mover of greatest power to rotate.
For this purpose the axis from the prime mover (or it may be movers) of least
power has attached to it a disc having recesses formed around its periphery,
in which clicks or pawls turn on centres. The disc turns within a ring (the
exterior of which may be formed with teeth to give motion to machinery),
which is attached to a disc on the axis of the prime mover of the greatest
power, or on an axis which is connected with it by toothed wheels. In the ring
attached to the axis of the prime mover of greatest power there are notches, into
which the clicks or pawls which are constantly pressed outwards by springs
enter when the axis to which the disc is attached has a tendency to rotate
quicker than the axis of the prime mover of greatest power, and so cause this
latter axis to rotate; but when the axis of the prime mover of the greatest
power rotates quicker than the other axis, then the clicks or pawls turn
down within the recesses in the disc, so that the axis of the prime mover
of least power is not caused to rotate by the rotating of the axis of the
prime mover of greatest power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Gerhard Uhlhorn in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd March 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GERHARD
UHLHORN, of Grevenbroich, near Cologne, in the Kingdom of Prussia, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Gerhard Uhlhorn, Her special licence that I, the said Gerhard Uhlhorn,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Gerhard Uhlhorn, 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 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
APPLYING MOTIVE POWER TO GIVE MOTION TO MACHINERY," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that I, the said Gerhard Uhlhorn, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands, 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 Gerhard Uhlhorn, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in applying motive power to
give motion to machinery, and is applicable where two or more prime movers
(such as steam engines, water wheels, or others,) of different powers are em-
ployed to give motion to the same shaft, or to shafts connected therewith; and
the Invention consists in so connecting together the shafts from the two or
more prime movers, that the shaft from the prime mover of the greatest power
will not in rotating cause the shafts from the prime movers of lesser power:
to rotate, but the shafts from the prime movers of lesser power will in rotating
cause the shaft from the prime mover of greatest power to rotate. For this
purpose the axis from the prime mover (or it may be movers) of least power
has attached to it a disc having recesses formed around its periphery in which
clicks or pawls turn on centres. The disc turns within a ring (the exterior of
which may be formed with teeth to give motion to machinery), which is attached
to a disc on the axis of the prime mover of the greatest power, or on an axis
which is connected with it by toothed wheels. In the ring attached to the
axis of the prime mover of greatest power, there are notches into which the
clicks or pawls which are constantly pressed outwards by springs enter when
the axis to which the disc is attached has a tendency to rotate quicker than
the axis of the prime mover of greatest power, and so cause this latter axis.
to rotate; but when the axis of the prime mover of the greatest power rotates.
quicker than the other axis, then the clicks or pawls turn down within the
recesses in the disc, so that the axis of the prime mover of least power is not.
caused to rotate by the rotating of the axis of the prime mover of greatest:
power.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto:
annexed.

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 shew sections of an apparatus for connecting together the
shafts of two prime movers constructed according to my Invention. a is the
shaft from the prime mover of greatest power, and 6 the shaft from the prime
mover of least power. On to the shaft 6 there is keyed a disc c, on which
there is a boss c¹; in this disc c there are two recesses c² formed at its peri-
phery, in which recesses there are clicks or pawls d which turn on centres e, e;
these clicks or pawls are capable of turning down within the recesses c³, or may
project out beyond the disc, as shewn at Figure 2. The disc c turns within
a ring f, in which there are recesses into which the ends of the clicks or pawls
d, when projecting beyond the disc c enter; the ring f is attached to a disc f¹;
this disc f¹ is attached to the shaft a in the same manner that the disc c is
attached to the shaft b; g, g¹, are two rings, one of which is fixed by means
of screws as shewn to the disc c, and the other to the ring f; these rings
serve as a cover to the apparatus.
Now, supposing the shaft a to turn in the direction of the arrow, Figure 2,
and the shaft 6 to stand still, the clicks or pawls d will turn down within the
recesses in the disc c; but supposing the shaft 6 to have a tendency to rotate
quicker than the shaft a, the clicks or pawls & will be made to open outwards
by means of the springs h, h, into the recesses in the ring f, and the rotation
of the shaft b will then aid the shaft a to rotate.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 shew sections of another apparatus for connecting
together the axes of two prime movers, which is applicable where the axes of
the two prime movers are not in a line with each other, but which both give
motion to the same set of shafting. In this apparatus a is the shaft or axis
from the prime mover of greatest power, to which is attached a disc b, in
which there are recesses in which clicks or pawls d turn on centres, as in the
apparatus above described. The disc 6 turns within a ring f, which is attached
to a disc f¹, on which there is a hollow boss which turns around the boss on
the disc b. In the interior of the ring f there are recesses into which the
ends of the clicks or pawls d enter, and on the exterior of the ring f there
are teeth, into which a toothed wheel gears, which toothed wheel is on an
axis to which motion is communicated from the prime mover of least power;
g is a disc, which is screwed to the ring f, and serves as a cover to the apparatus.
Supposing the axis a to turn in the direction of the arrow Figure 3, and the
ring to remain stationary, the clicks or pawls d will turn down within the
recesses in the disc b; but supposing the ring f to have a tendency to rotate

page_text: quicker than the axis a, then the clicks or pawls d are made to project
beyond the disc b, and to enter the recesses in the ring f, and so aid the
shaft a to rotate.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gerhard Uhlhorn, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.