Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 28th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 29th Mar., 1887.
I CHARLES WARREN, of 13, Fore Street, Ipswich, in the county of Suffolk,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved noiseless clutch for throwing the cutters of
lawn mowers out of engagement when the lawn mower is moved backwards, whereby
I obtain a noiseless, fast and loose action.
For this purpose, in the cutter spindle or other suitable spindle driving the cutters
or in the hosses of the wheels I form a longitudinal groove or grooves, the bottom or
bottoms of which is or are inclined transversely in the said groove or grooves I place
a pin or pins or ball or balls.
By these improvements when the mower is driven forwards the pins or balls will
wedge themselves into the smallest part of the grooves and cluich the cutter or other
spindle or the boss of the wheel and the cuiters will be thereby driven; when,
however, the machine is moved backwards the pins or balls will pass into the deepest
part of the grooves and be free of the spindle or the like which will therefore cease to
rotate the cutters.
When only one groove and pin or ball are employed I find it advantageous to place
a spring in the groove to ensure an immediate grip of the pin or ball between the
groove and the spindle or the like when the mower is commenced to be moved
forward.
385] ***T********|| ** ***T' 'FTP [**!*U..
G. F. REDFERN.
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or Applicable to Lawn Mowers.
I CHARLES WARREN, of 13, Fore Street, Ipswich, in the county of Suffolk,
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 :—
This invention relates to an improved noiseless clutch for throwing the cutters of
lawn mowers out of engagement when the lawn mower is moved backwards whereby
I obtain a noiseless, fast and loose action.
For this purpose in the cutter spindle or other suitable spindle driving the cutters
or in the bosses of the wheels or other suitable part I form a longitudinal groove or
grooves, the bottom or bottoms of which is or are inclined transversely in the said
groove or grooves I place a pin or pins or ball or balls.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood 1 will now proceed to
describe how the same can he carried into practice by reference to the accompanying
drawing in which figure 1 represents a sectional view of the cutters and driving
mechanism of a lawn mower constructed according to the Specification of former
Letters Patent granted to me dated the 4th January 1886, No. 114, and shewing my
present improvements applied to the cuiter spindle and spring flange or collar thereof;
figure 2 is a section on line A, B, of figure 1. figure 3 is a detached section of the
part of the spring flange in which the longitudinal grooves are formed and figure dis
a face view of figure 3. Figures 1 and 2 are drawn to a scale of about one third full
size and figures 3 and 4 about full size. Similar letters in all the figures represent
similar parts.
,,, are the longitudinal grooves which I form in the boss d, of the spring
friction flanges or collars, shewing the inclined bottoms of the said grooves;
are the pins or rollers which I place in the grooves a.
By these improvements when the mower is driven forwards the pins or rollers 6, 6, 6,
will wedge themselves into the smallest part of the grooves a, a, a, and clutch the
gutter spindle E (or the like) and the cutters D will be thereby driven when,
however, the machine is moved backwards the pins or rollers e, e, e, will pass into the
deepest part of the grooves a, a, a, and be free of the spindle E (or the like) which
will therefore cease to rotate the cutters D. By this arrangement of grooves and pins
1. obtain a noiseless fast and loose action.
It will be obvious that the said arrangement of grooves d, and pins c, can be
employed with lawn mowers of other constructions than that shewn and described as
the grooves a, can be formed in any suitable direct or intermediate driving spindle.
When only one groove a, and pin or balle, are employed I find it advantageous to
place a spring in the groove to ensure an immediate grip of the pin or ball between
the groove and the spindle or the like when the mower is commenced to be moved
forward.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
:―
1. In a lawn mower the combination with a longitudinal groove or grooves having
the bottom surface inclined transversely and formed in the spindle for driving the
cutters, or in other suitable part, of a pin or pins or ball or bails placed in the said
groove or grooves and operating substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
2. The improved lawn mower hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
Dated the 98th day of February 1887.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.