An Improved Gyroscopic Toy.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th May, 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Gyroscopic Toy.
I, CARL ADAM, of Feuergasse 50 Königsberg, in the Kingdom of Prussia,
German Empire, Manufacturer 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 :-
My invention relates to a toy, in which figures are moved by gyroscopic action.
These figures may be fixed directly to the frame or hollow ball of the wheel or
may be held apart from it by a rod or wire, so as to revolve in either case around
the vertical column, by means of which the gyroscope proper is sustained during
its revolution. The figures thus moved in their whole, may also get a special
movement of their own, i.e. of one or the other part by the rotation of the wheel,
with the shaft of which they may be connected in any suitable way.
In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanying drawing,
in which:
Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the frame and hollow ball for the hold and
reception of the wheel.
Fig. 2 is another vertical section through the frame and hollow ball, the wheel
being shown in side-view.
Fig. 3 is an upper view of the gyroscopic toy.
Figs. 4 & 5 are details.
Similar letters denote similar parts throughout the several views.
In Figs. 1 & 2 is shown the hollow ball a, carrying in its inner frame d the
shaft with the gyroscopic wheel e and with the small roll g, the latter being
arranged outside the ball a and serving for rapidly rotating the wheel e by being
wound with a thread which then is quickly drawn off. Opposite to roll g the ball
has an angular projection 6 by means of which the gyroscope proper may be put on,
and held by, the column c.
Two butterflies with movable wings o are secured to the ball a by a rigid
wire r, the wings having projections o¹ stretching into the hollow body 9 and being
connected there with a bell-crank lever m also held within the body of the
butterfly. The vertical arms of said levers m m are connected to each other by
a rod n and further by a second rod to a crank k within the ball a, said crank
being rotated from the shaft by gearing wheels h and i.
If, now, the wheel e is rotated with a great velocity, and the ball is put on the
column, the whole device is held in height by the well-known gyroscopic action,
by virtue of which at the same time also a slow revolution of the ball around the
column is effected. The rotation of the wheel however, is also employed for
moving parts of the figures or limbs of the animals connected with, and held by,
the ball, so that seemingly the motion or revolution of the ball is caused by the
draft of these animals. This appearance may be increased still more by arranging
on the ball a leader as in Figs. 1 & 3, which seemingly directs the animals by reins
in the usual way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A toy comprising a gyroscope and one or more figures or objects fixed to
or held by the frame of the gyroscope proper, said figures being moved by the
revolutions of the gyroscope, substantially and for the purpose as described.
2. A toy comprising a gyroscope and one or more figures or objects fixed to or
held by the frame of the gyroscode proper. said figures being moved by the

page_text: revolutions of the gyroscope as well as the rotations of the gyroscopic wheel,
substantially and for the purpose as described.
Dated this 9th day of May 1893.
CARD ADAM,
By Geo. H. Rayner,
37, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.