IMPROVEMENTS IA APPARATUS FOR APPARATU OBTAINING MOTIVE LOWER.
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Colwell, of Gorleston-cum-Southtown, in-
the County of Suffolk, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IA APPARATUS FOR
APPARATU
OBTAINING MOTIVE
LOWER.
Sealed the 20th August 1867, and dated the 22nd February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Colwell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd February 1867.
I, CHARLES COLWELL, of Gorleston-cum-Southtown, in the County of
Suffolk, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," to be as
follows:-
The object of the Invention is the obtaining of motive power by means of
an apparatus which consists essentially of an arrangement and combination of
arms or levers and weights and connecting bars or rods. Levers or arms'
weighted at the outer end and toothed or cogged at the inner end obtain
motion by the gravitation of their weights, and transmit such motion by their
toothed or cogged ends to the connecting arms or bars, and thence through
similar toothed or cogged levers or arms working on centres to weights
carried at the outer end of the said levers or arms, so that as soon as the
dead point or what would ordinarily be the dead point is reached it is imme-
diately overcome by the transmission of power of such weight or weights at
their then lowest point to the then uppermost weight or weights, thus over-

page_text: coming the tendency to equilibrium or inertia, motion being communicated to
all the moving parts of the apparatus simultaneously by the transmitting
arrangements described. Instead of using teeth or cogs (which I recommend)
for transmitting motion other mechanical appliances may be employed. By
these means rotary motion is continuously obtained, and it may be applied in
any ordinary manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Colwell in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
COLWELL, of Gorleston-cum-Southtown, in the County of Suffolk, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Colwell, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Colwell,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Charles Colwell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 APPARATUS POR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Colwell, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly deseribe 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 Charles Colwell, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that
is to say.
The object of the Invention is the obtaining of motive power by means of

page_text: an apparatus which consists essentially of an arrangement and combination of
arms or levers with weights and connecting bars or rods. Levers or arms
weighted at the outer end and toothed or cogged at the inner end obtain
motion by the gravitation of their weights, and transmit such motion by means
of their toothed or cogged ends to connecting arms or bars, and thence
through similar toothed or cogged levers or arms working on centres to
weights carried at the outer end of the said levers or arms, so that as soon as
the dead point or what would ordinarily be the dead point is reached it is
immediately overcome by the transmission of power from such weight or
weights at their then lowest point to the then uppermost weight or weights;
thus overcoming any tendency to inertia, motion being conimunicated to all
the moving parts of the apparatus simultaneously by the transmitting arrange-
ments described. Instead of using teeth or cogs for transmitting. motion
(though, however, I recommend them) other mechanical gearing or appliances
may be employed for that purpose. By the above means rotary motion is
continuously obtained, and such motion may be applied in any ordinary
manner.
'
The accompanying Drawings exemplify in what method the Invention may
be carried into effect. The Figure is a vertical section of apparatus con-
structed according to the Invention; such apparatus is supposed to consist of
four wheels mounted one. behind the other on an axis, but more or less
than four such wheels may be employed. The full lines shew a vertical
section of the front wheel, and the dotted colored lines show the arms of three
wheels behind such frout wheel...
:
a is the axis or shaft on which the wheels are all mounted; each wheel
consists of two parallel rims' b, b, each of which is connected by radial arms c
to a boss d keyed on the axis à; the working parts of each wheel are mounted
between the: rims and arms thereof, but the outer rim, boss, and radial arms
are removed in the Figure in order that the working parts may be fully
shown. It must be understood that the pivots or axes f, j, n, t, herein-after
referred to, on which certain parts are mounted are supported by and extend
between the two parallel rims, radial arms, and bosses of the wheel b, c, d.
e, e, are curved arms working on axes or pivots f fixed in the rims; each arm
carries weights g, g, held in place by adjusting screws 9*. Each arm e
terminates at its innermost end in a wheel h toothed on a portion of. its
periphery; through the centre of these wheels the axes fpass. Each arm
is capable of travelling towards and from the rim, as afterwards described. I
prefer that. the extreme position of the arm, that is, its position when at the
greatest distance from the rim shall be such that the distance of the centre of

page_text: the head of the screw g* of the extreme weight 9 from the centre of the
wheel b, c, d, shall be equal to the length of the diameter of the wheel b, c, d,
and when the arms are worked to their innermost or closed position they lie
flat on the rim b. Each toothed wheel h is in gear with a toothed wheel i
pivoted on a radial arm c by the axis and terminating in an arm k carrying a
weight held in place by an adjusting screw 1*. The wheel h is also in gear
with a toothed wheel m centered by a pivot or axis n on the rim b. o is an
arm formed on the wheel m. and jointed to a socket p at one end of a con-
necting bar 9,
the farther end of which is screwed into a double socket r, to
which is jointed at sa guide arms jointed or centered at t to the boss d;
this socket is also connected with an arm u which is screwed into a socket v
jointed to the arm e. w is an india-rubber disc mounted on a projecting
portion of the rim b, b, and so placed that when the arm e works outward
projecting parts y on the wheels h, m, impinge and press against the edge of
the disc w; this arrangement is to prevent vibration or strain upon the works,
and the disc w being elastic tends also to facilitate the return or inward travel
of the wheels h, m, and their arms e, o. The dotted lines e, g, represent the
arms è and weights g of the various wheels mounted on the axis a, and their
colors are varied, each color indicating the arms and weights of a different
wheel. When the weights g throw out either of the arms e of any of the
wheels b, c, d, the action of the toothed wheels and other connections will
force the opposite arme of the same wheel in an inward direction, and so on,
and the wheels are so arranged that the arm e of one will take up the work
from the point left by the next preceding arm e of the next wheel b, c, d, and
as fast as that arme has performed its work, so that there will be practically
no dead point and no loss of power, and the wheels b, c, d, and the axis a will
revolve without further or extraneous application of motive power thereto.
As soon as any one arm e is at its inmost stroke the opposite arme of the
same wheel will be at its outermost stroke, and will begin to move inward at
the half revolution of the wheel b, c, d. Any number of wheels b, c, d, with
working appliances similar to those above described may be mounted or keyed
one behind the other on the same axis a, or they may be placed on arms pro-
jecting from an axis, or on a plane surface or frame, forming the rim or
circumference of a large annular framework or wheel, or they may be arranged
in any convenient manner around or about and connected with an axis for
transmitting the motive power obtained by them. Pieces of vulcanized india-
rubber or similar material may be inserted or interposed in the connecting
bars or arms 9, u, at a part or parts of their length, so as to form portions
thereof, by which means an useful amount of resilience is obtained, each such

page_text: arm or bar being thus composed of both rigid and resilient portions. .Or india-
rubber or other like elastic packing may be inserted into the sockets, or intro-
duced in the joints, by which various parts of the apparatus are connected
together. Each wheel b, c, d, instead of having only two arms e may have
more than two such arms, each being pivoted on its axis in like manner to,
but intermediately of the two first arms e, and being worked by gearing actuated
by and similar to the gearing before described. I sometimes, by preference,
arrange any number of iny wheels b, c, d, on frames disposed around and con-
nected with a common central axis, to which they impart, as above described,
the required rotary motion.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim as my improvements in
apparatus for obtaining motive power the general arrangement and combination
of parts, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Colwell, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
M. HENRY,
Patent Agent,
68, Fleet St.,
London.
C. COLWELL. (L.S.)