AUTOMATIC FANS
Year: 1884

page_text: LEON ANTHONY WHITE 1 Redcliffe Place Clarendon Road Chorlton on Medlock
in the County of Lancaster Factor do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for AUTOMATIC FANS to be as follows:-
For the purpose of obtaining a cooler atmosphere by means of fan while the
hands are engaged with work, or holding a book &c. I construct a pedestal or
stand, of any convenient height from the ground, consisting of a hollow tube either.
of metal, or other suitable material resting on a hollow foot of such pattern or
shape as may be preferred: through the centre of the said tube, a rod is inserted
the lower end of which is formed with either a fork or eye, suitable to receive one
end of a lever, which projects through the base of the pedestal, and is pivotted in
the centre the opposite end forming the rest upon which a person's foot is placed to
give motion to the fan by alternately raising or depressing the said lever: At the
top end of the rod which passes through the centre of the tube, I attach a lever
similar to the one at the bottom end of the rod; the outer end of, this lever is made
in a suitable form to attach either an ordinary fan, or a fan such as is used by
attendants in hot climates: By the action of the foot raising or depressing the
lever at the bottom of the pedestal the fan which is attached to the lever at the
upper end of the rod, is in like manner raised or depressed, cooling the air in the
immediate neighbourhood: In order to regulate the speed of propulsion, I attach to
the upper end of the rod which passes through the pedestal, and to which the foot
and fan levers are fixed, a metal collar, at a convenient distance from the end of
the said rod, and upon this collar rests a coil spring with a loose washer on the
top. To give the required tension to this spring, I insert in the cover of the
pedestal or stand a metallic screw, the lower end of which rests on the loose washer
covering the spring within the tube: by screwing or unscrewing this screw greater
or less pressure is placed on the spring allowing the fan to be worked at the
required speed.

page_text: I, LEON A. WHITE of 111 Oldham Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Factor do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OR RELATING TO FANS" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
It consist of an apparatus whereby a fan can be actuated by the foot leaving the
hands at liberty, for working, reading &c.
For this purpose I use a pedestal or stand, constructed by fixing a hollow tube of
metal or other suitable material, upright upon a foot of suitable shape. Inside this
tube is a rod of metal or other suitable material, the lower end of which is connected
by means of a hook and eye attachment to one end of a short lever, which is pivoted
upon its centre and the other end of which is suitably formed for pressing with the
foot, and projects from the base of the pedestal.
To the other, or upper end of the rod is connected another lever of a similar
description, which carries an arrangement for attaching the fan, formed in the
following manner-The top lever is curved upwards so that when stationary the
outside end parallel to the upright rod or tube. Across the top of this lever is
fixed a flat crosspiece, at right angles to the lever, the ends of this crosspiece are
turned up parallel with each other, and a thumbscrew passed through one of them,
presses the fan against the other, thus firmly securing it. In addition to this I drill
a hole through the centre of the crosspiece, so that the handle of a fan can be
passed through it and secured by another thumbscrew.
In use, the fan is fixed to the upper lever by one of these two arrangements and
the lower lever or pedal pressed with the foot, the rigid rod communicates the
motion to the top lever thus raising and depressing the fan, leaving the hands at
liberty for writing working &c.
I also use suitable springs for regulating the motion of the rod so as to prevent
jarring &c.
In order that the foregoing may be better understood, I send herewith a sheet of
Drawings in which Fig. 1 shows Section upon line A. B. of Fig. 2 which is a plan
of the apparatus.
In both Figs. a indicates the hollow tube, b the foot, c the central rod, & the
lower lever or pedal, e the upper lever, f the flat crosspiece, g the thumbscrew,
h the central hole for fan handle, ȧ the second thumbscrew.
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
1st The apparatus, substantially as described and shewn herein before, and in the
accompanying Drawing, for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 2nd The methods of, and means for, fixing a fan to a lever substantially as
described and shown hereinbefore and in the accompanying Drawing.
3rd The use of a rod and two levers for giving motion to a fan by 'the foot,
substantially as described and shown hereinbefore and in the accompanying
Drawing.
Datel this Ci
1 1007