CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LEVER, AND THE APPLICATION OF ITS POWER
Year: 1829

page_text: NICHOLLS' SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
NICHOLLS, of Pershall, in the County of Stafford, Gentleman, send greeting. . !
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George, the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-,
minster, the Twenty-fifth day of, July, in the tenth year of His reign, for.
Himself, His heirs and successors, did give and grant unto me, the said.
John Nicholls, His especial licence that I, the said John Nicholls, my exors,
adiors, and assigns, and every of them, or such others as .I, the said.
John Nicholls, my exors, admors, and assigns, .should at any time agree.
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,.
my Invention of " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LEVER, AND THE APPLICATION OF
ITS POWER;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me,,
the said John Nicholls, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,;
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed; and to cause the same to be,
enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar.
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as
by the said Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Nicholls, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and.
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are described and ascer-
tained as follows (that is to say):-

page_text: My said Invention of improvements in the "lever, and the application of
its power," consists in applying weights to the opposite sides or ends of a lever,
suspended at the centre (the centre of gravity being below the point of
suspension), so as when acted upon to produce a vibratory or oscillating motion,
which may be applied like any other force or power, to the moving of machinery,
or other useful purposes where force is required. The construction is repre-
sented in Figures 1 and 2. This lever may be made of cast-iron or any other
suitable material, and may be of any given form or dimensions as to its length,
breadth, or thickness. At certain given points near each end I attach weights,
as represented in the Drawing, or I so form the. arms of the lever as to act
themselves as weights. These weights are placed in such a position as to
balance each other, and at a given distance below the line of the axis of
motion; and by the alternate elevation and depression of each end in succession
I obtain a vibratory action by which an accession of power is obtained. I
find by experiment that when the lever is 5 inches from the axis of suspension
to the centre of the weights, that the line of the centres of the said weights
should be about 1 or 1 of an inch below the centre of the axis of suspension,
making an angle with the centre of about 16 degrees. I also find that it is
beneficial for the improved lever to have an elevation above the axis of about
2 inches, and of about 4 inches above the line of the centres of the weights,
making an angle with the centre of about 25 degrees. The suspended weights
which I have applied in these applications are about 2 lbs. each, and the
vibratory action of the lever about 36 vibrations or double strokes per minute.
These lines of construction and given dimensions, and the statement of weight,
as applied in practice, I lay down and recommend as general data for the
proportional construction of all apparatus on a larger scale, and which I con-
sider as best adapted to obtain the most effective power from the application
of my said improved lever; but I do not confine myself to any particular
form of construction, or to these proportions, for if a greater speed is required
I use larger or heavier weights, and if a slower speed is wanted I use lighter
weights, and adapt the construction of the improved lever and its machinery
to the object to which it is intended to be applied. I now proceed more
particularly to describe the nature of my said invention and improvements.
Figures 1 and 2 are geometrical elevations and side views of the two sides of
the improved lever, shewing the application of its power to move machinery
and other useful objects to which the said improvements may be found
applicable. a, a, in each Figure, represents one side of the improved
lever, which may be made of wood, or of cast-iron, or of any other
suitable material. b, b, are weights attached to each end of the lever, which

page_text: should be equal or nearly so. c the axis on which the lever a, a, is suspended.
d, d, are columns of cast-iron or other suitable material, which support the
improved lever.
e is a crank or lever, fixed firmly in the axis C, and moves
with the lever. f is a connecting rod which joins or connects the crank e with
the crank g on the axis h. i, i, is a wheel, fixed on the axis h, which operates
upon and moves the pinion K, K, which is firmly fixed on the axle 1. m, m,
is a fly wheel, also fixed to the axle l. n is an iron pin, to which a rope u
is attached, for the purpose of putting in motion the improved lever and sus-
pended weights. 0, 0, 0, 0, are stays or braces, which connect each side of the
suspended lever firmly together. P, P, P, are frames of cast-iron or other
material made to support the wheel i, i, and the pinion K, K, and their axis
land h. Figure 3'represents a sectional view of the suspended lever. a, a, a, a,
represents the wood or cast-iron sides; b, b, the lead or iron weights; e, the
crank on the axes; c, c, c, the axis of the improved lever; 0, 0, 0, 0, the
stays or braces by which the sides of the lever are firmly held together.
Figure 4 represents a sectional view of the frame P, P, P, P, on which the fly
wheel m, m, on the axis l, and the pinion K, K, rest and are supported; also
the wheel i, i, on the axis h, on which the crank g is fixed. The improved
lever, and machinery therewith connected, and which have been herein de-
scribed, may be put in motion by any power acting upon it in such manner as
to produce a vibratory action on the end of the lever a, a, &c. For instance,
a pulley and ratchet wheel, which may be attached to the frame P, P, P;
which, being caused to act with sufficient force on the end of the lever at n,
through the medium of a rope or any other connecting means, a depression
of one end of the lever will occur, and the gravity of the weights will
instantly produce an effort to regain an equilibrium, and the effect will
be a vibratory action or motion of the improved lever, which operation being
repeated a rotatory movement of the machinery may be produced, and the
power thus obtained applied to useful purposes. Thus motion may be com-
municated by the force of a man acting directly upon the rope u by pull
downwards, or in any other convenient mode by which the vibratory action
will be communicated to the improved lever a, a, and suspended weight b, b,
which will operate by the axle c upon the crank, communicating motion by
the connecting rod f to the crank g, and the axle h to the wheel i, i, which
operates upon and moves the pinion K, K, fixed on the axle l, and the fly-
wheel m, m, being thus put in rapid motion, will enable the crank g-to pass
the line of centres or neutral points, and the motion and power thus origi-
nated by the action of the improved lever and weights may be communicated
to a corn mill or any other machine or machinery requiring rotatory motion.
8

page_text: The power originated by the vibratory action of the improved lever and weights
may also be advantageously applyed to working pumps and many other
useful purposes, which will be obvious to every practical mechanist.
Having thus described my improvement. generally and particularly, and
having given an example of the mode of constructing my said Invention of
the improved lever, and the particular details of the application and manner
of operation by which the power of its vibratory action may be communicated
to machinery, and by which description and drawings any competent .me-
chanist may construct or manufacture and apply the same to useful purposes,
I proceed to state my special claims to the Invention of the improvements
herein described, and the application of their power..
First, I claim as my Invention the application of the vibratory motion, of
suspended weights, acting on opposite sides or ends of a lever having a common
axis, to the production or application of force as a moving power, as herein
described.
Second, I claim as my Invention the described application of the improved
lever, and of the mechanical power originating from the vibratory motion of
suspended weights, acting as aforesaid under any other similar form of
construction by which the same can be manufactured, produced, and applied;
but I do not claim the wheels, cranks, or axis, or any other mechanical appa-
ratus in common use, as any part of my Invention, except in connection' with
the construction of the "improved lever and the application of its power."
In witness whereof, I, the said John Nicholls, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine.
JOHN (L.s.) NICHOLLS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of Sep-.
tember, in the year of our Lord 1829, the aforesaid John Nicholls came
before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,.
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine.