Improvements in the Manufacture of Furniture Castor Rings."
Year: 1897

page_text: 66
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Furniture Castor Rings."
We, SAMUEL HENRY KEELING, trading as H. Hipkiss & Co., of Goodman Street
Works, Goodman Street, Birmingham, Manufacturer, and HENRY MATTHIAS PICKEN,
of 54, George Street West, in the City of Birmingham, aforesaid, Foreman Machinist
do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows :-
This Invention consists of the herein described improvements in the manufacture of
furniture castor rings which are used on the bottom of the legs of furniture to strengthen
the legs and form a finish to the top of the castor or castor plate. A furniture castor
ring as usually made from sheet metal is trough section the trough being formed
round its interior causing a projecting annular rib on the outside and in this trough a
strengthening wire is fixed. The ring forms an internal flange to come against the
bottoin of the furniture leg,.so that the leg fits in the top part of the ring against
the internal flange, and the castor plate fits in the lower side of the ring and against
the underside of the flange. Heretofore the wire ring or internal flange has been
situated at about the centre of the width of the ring as by the process of manufacture
it has been found difficult or almost impossible to form the trough nearer to the bottom
By making
of the castor ring without materially increasing the depth of the same.
castor rings in accordance with this Invention we are enabled to form the internal
flange in a piece with the ring itself and to make the said flange nearer to the bottom
edge of the castor ring so that there is more space in the upper part of the ring above
the flange for the furniture leg to fit in.
In making a furniture castor ring in accordance with this Invention we raise from
a circular sheet metal blank by suitable dies worked in a stamp or press or by spinning
or by other means, a shallow flat bottomed cup which is of the same diamter and a
little less in depth than is the required castor ring. The bottom of this cup is
recessed inwardly and there is a central hole pierced in it thus leaving a ring with an
internal flange or rim. The upper part of the said shallow cup or ring is by pressure
reduced in diameter leaving the lower portion bulged outwardly to correspond in
shape with the usual bulged out annular bead or rib of an ordinary castor ring. From
another sheet metal blank we form a second ring which is of what we may call a
double angle section the smaller part being of a size to fit into and being closed over
the internal flange or rim of the first ring thus firmly fixing the two rings together.
The larger part of the second ring tits in the annular recess in the first ring. The
furniture leg fits in the first or upper ring and rests upon the internal flange and the
castor plate fits in the recess in the lower ring.
In a modification of this Invention we form the castor ring in three parts that is to
say we form the first said ring with the internal flange as above described against
which the lower ring is made to fit the upper edge of this lower ring being spread
outwardly slightly as a rim of larger diameter. The upper and lower rings are
secured together by a third ring which fits over the enlarged part of the first ring and

page_text: is closed over the rim of the second ring thus securing the upper and lower rings
together and completing the castor ring.
"Improvements in the Manufacture of Furniture Castor Rings."
We, SAMUEL HENRY KEELING, trading as H. Hipkiss & Co., of Goodman Street
Works, Goodman Street, Birmingham, Manufacturer, and HENRY MATTHIAS PICKEN,
of 54, George Street West, in the City of Birmingham, aforesaid, Foreman Machinist,
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 consists of the herein described improvements in the manufacture
of furniture castor rings which are used on the bottom of the legs of furniture to
strengthen the legs and form a finish to the top of the castor or castor plate. A
furniture castor ring as usually made from sheet metal is trough section the trough
being formed round its interior causing a projecting annular rib on the outside and
in this trough a wire is fixed. The wire ring forms an internal flange to come
against the bottom of the furniture leg, so that the leg fits in the top part of the
ring against the internal flange and the castor plate fits in the lower side of the ring
and against the underside of the flange. Heretofore the wire ring or internal flange
has been situated at about the centre of the width of the ring as by the process of
manufacture it has been found difficult or almost impossible to form the trough
nearer to the bottom of the castor ring without materially increasing the depth of the
same. By making castor rings in accordance with this Invention we are enabled to
form the internal flange in a piece with the ring itself and to make the said flange
nearer to the bottom edge of the castor ring so that there is more space in the upper
part of the ring above the flange for the furniture leg to fit in.
We will describe this Invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a castor ring constructed in accordance with this
Invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation and plan of the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional
elevation and Fig. 4 is a plan of the upper part of the said castor ring separate from
.the lower part which latter is shewn separately in sectional elevation by Fig. 5;
Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are sectional elevations illustrating progressive stages in the
formation of the part shewn by Figs. 3 and 4 from a sheet metal blank; Fig. 10 is
a sectional elevation and Fig. 11 is a side elevation and plan illustrating one of the
stages in the formation of the said lower part represented in sectional elevation by
Fig. 5 and of which lower part Fig. 12 is a side elevation and plan. Fig. 13 shews
our improved castor ring applied to a furniture leg and castor.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
Figures of the drawings.
In making a furniture castor ring in accordance with this Invention we raise from
a circular sheet metal blank by suitable dies worked in a stamp or press or by spinning
or other means a shallow flat bottom cup A of the shape shewn by Figs. 3 and 4
which is of about the same diameter and a little less in depth than is the required
castor ring. The bottom a¹ of this cup is recessed inwardly and there is a central
hole a² pierced in it thus leaving a ring as shewn by Fig. 3 provided with an internal
rina. The upper part 3 of the shallow cup or ring is by preference reduced
leaving the upper portion a bulged outwardly to correspond in shape with the usual.
:

page_text: bulged out annular bead or rib of an ordinary castor ring. From another sheet metal
blank we form a second ring B of the shape shewn. by Figs. 5 and 12 which is what
we may call a double angle section the smaller part b¹ being of a size to fit into the
hole a² in the ring A. The larger part 62 of the double angle section ring B is made
of the proper diameter to fit in the recessed bottom a' of the ring A. After the two
parts A and B of the castor ring have been placed together with the part b¹ of the
ring fitting in the central hole a² of the upper part A, the part 61 of the ring B is
spread outwardly and closed down and over the internal flange or rim a¹ of the first
ring A thus firmly fixing the two rings A and B together and forming the castor
ring as represented in Figs. 1 and 2.
The furniture leg C fits in the first, or upper ring A and rests upon the internal
flange ba¹ and the castor plate d' of the castor D fits in the recessed part 62 of the
lower ring B as shewn in Fig. 13.
In forming the shallow bottomless cup A shewn in Figs. 3 and 4 from a sheet metal
blank by dies worked in a stamp or press we find it is convenient to first raise up
the flat sheet metal blank into a shallow cup form shewn by Fig. 6 with the sides
inclined to the bottom. Then by another pair of top and bottom dies the sides of
this cup are raised at about right angles to the bottom as represented by Fig. 7. In
the next process another pair of dies reduce the diameter of the upper part of the
cup and recess the bottom so that the cup has then the appearance represented in
cross section by Fig. 8. Another pair of dies further reduce the upper part of the
cup which will now have the shape represented by Fig. 9.
In the next process
the closing tool gives a more pronounced appearance to the bulged out part a* which
will then have the appearance represented by Fig. 3. After the parts A and B have
been fixed together as aforesaid the bulged out part or bead at is rolled in a
lathe so as to bring up the bead a to the almost semi-circular form shewn in
Figs. 1, 2 and 13.
We have not shown the dies on our drawings as a die sinker of ordinary skill will
from our drawings understand the form that these dies should take so as to raise the
shallow bottomless ring shewn in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.
In making the double angle section ring B represented by Figs. 5 and 12 we find
it is convenient to first raise the circular sheet metal blank into the ring form
represented in sectional elevation by Fig. 10 and in side elevation and plan by Fig. 12
which is slightly dished at b¹ towards the central hole and this dished part b₁ is
afterwards raised to form the smaller part 6 of the finished ring shewn in Fig. 5 and
the shoulder 3, and the larger portion 62 of the blank shewn by Figs. 10 and 11 is
turned downwardly to form the outer recessed rim 62 of the finished ring
Figs. 5 and 12.
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 improved method of forming furniture castor rings from sheet metal
substantially as described and illustrated.
2. A furniture castor ring consisting of an upper ring raised from sheet metal and
bluged outwardly at the bottom and made with an internal flange or rim, and a
lower double angle section ring also raised from sheet metal and inserted in and
closed over the internal flange of the said upper ring substantially as set forth.
3. A furniture castor ring consisting of the upper ring A and the lower ring B
raised from sheet metal and secured together in the manner substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 29th day of October 1897.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY
Agent for the Applicants.