FRICTIONLESS BALL BEARINGS
Year: 1885

page_text: ADOLPH CORDIER 42 Fitzroy Street Fitzroy Square London in the county
of Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
FRICTIONLESS BALL BEARINGS to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a frictionless ball bearing applicable to all purposes
where a rotary motion is required, either horizontal, vertical or on inclined planes,
circular elliptic or straight.
This invention is so combined that without altering the facility of the motion,
irrespective of the weight to be supported, friction is reduced to a minimum.
It consists of a moveable disc with three or more sockets fitting round three or
more balls of metal or other material & moving on a pivot placed according as the.
motion required be circular or elliptic. The balls by means of this disc are main-
tained at the same distances from each other as is required. The principle upon
which the balls are placed is that of the equilateral triangle, but modifications may
be made where eccentric motion is necessary.
The platform in which the pivot is placed has a raised centre, bevelled off at the
edge and upon which the disc runs and with the external circumference terminates
in a slightly inclined groove, by means of which the centrifugal motion of the balls
running therein is invariably kept up. This fixed platform constitutes the base.
On the balls rests a moveable platform turning upon the pivot and made to fit
the base within which it moves, in such manner that this platform cannot touch
the outer upper edge of the base platform. This is obtained by means of a raised
bevelled edged centre fitting inside the circle of the balls and resting on the disc,
terminating in a groove or flange also slightly inclined to correspond to the base.
This moveable platform constitutes the motion.
I claim
1st The principle of this motion in so far as it does not infringe the patent
No 2330 A.D. 1881 exclusively applicable to Castors for furniture, my invention
being of universal application.
2nd The shape & configuration of the disc.
3rd The shape & configuration of the inclined planes of the component parts of
the platforms, by means of which a scientifically and mathematically correct motion
is correctly obtained.

page_text: I ADOLPH CORDIER, of 42 Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy Square, in the county of
Middlesex, Gentleman, 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 improvements in ball, thrust or end bearings the
invention having reference partly to further improvements in the casters for
furniture for which Letters Patent were granted to Amand Constant Fontaine
dated the 27th day of May 1881 N° 2,330.
In carrying out my invention as applied to a bearing suitable for a turntable or
for other purposes I provide a moveable disc with three or more arms having
recesses or sockets fitting round a corresponding number of balls of metal or other
material and moving around a pivot placed in the centre. The balls by means of
this disc are maintained at equal distances from each other.
The pivot is placed in a fixed platform having a raised centre bevelled off at the
edge and upon which the disc runs and the external edge of the platform is formed
of a slightly inclined plane by means of which a centrifugal motion of the .balls
running thereon is invariably maintained. This platform constitutes the base.
On the balls rests a moveable platform turning around the pivot and made to fit
the base over which it moves, in such a manner that this platform cannot touch the
base platform.
The moveable platform is formed with a raised bevil edged centre inside the
circle of the balls above the disc and has a groove the sides of which are slightly
inclined, two of the said inclines corresponding with those on the base.
In some cases I dispense with the arms on the said disc and form the recesses in
the edge of the disc itself and some of the herein before described inclined surfaces
can be replaced by curved surfaces; further in certain cases the upper platform
would require to be fixed whilst the lower platform would rotate under the same.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure I represents a
vertical section of a ball bearing constructed according to my invention and suitable
for turntables or for other like purposes; figure 2 is a plan of the underside of the
same the lower platform being removed; figure 3 is a vertical section partly in
elevation shewing my improvements applied to the construction of a furniture
caster; figure 4 is an underside view of the same the lower platform and caster-
wheel being removed. Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
Referring to figures 1 and 2 a, represents the moveable disc and b, b, are the
arms thereof (of which five are shewn in the drawing but which number may be
varied as required); c, c, are the recesses in the arms b, b, and d, d, are the balls
(preferably of steel) round which the recesses c, partly extend at about the centre
of their height as shewn in figure 1; e, is the pivot around which the disc a moves
the said disc serving to keep the balls d, at equal distances apart. from each other;
fis the fixed platform forming the base of the bearing and in which the lower end
of the pivot e, which consists of, a shouldered and headed screw is fixed as shewn
in figure 1; is the raised centre of the platform f, on which the disc a, and

page_text: arms b, run and h, is the bevelled edge of the raised centre g, a portion of which is
depressed or recessed as at i, so as to reduce the bearing surface for the disc a, and
arins b; j, is the slightly inclined plane forming the external edge of the platform f,
by means of which the centrifugal motion of the balls d, which run thereon is con-
stantly maintained; k, is the moveable platform which rests on the balls d, and
turns around the pivot e, in such a manner that it cannot touch the lower plat-
form f, the balls being of such a diameter as to keep the two platforms always at
a distance from each other; l, m, n, represent the raised bevil edged centre corre-
sponding to that of the fixed platform bereinbefore referred to and placed inside
the circle of the balls d, a short distance above the disc a; n, o, p, figure 1 represent
the groove with slightly inclined sides, two of which o, and n, correspond with the
inclines j and h, on the fixed platform or base f; the third side p, of the groove is
formed by a flange which extends downwards and covers the edge of the incline j;
the head of the screw or pivot e, enters a countersunk recess in the moveable
platform k.
By this construction it will be obvious that the inclined surfaces ; and o, will
always cause the balls d, to keep at the farthest possible distance from the centre
pivot e, and consequently when the moveable platform k, is rotated the balls d,
will constantly bear against the inclined surface p, whereby, whilst their direction
of rotation will remain constant, their axes of rotation will constantly vary and a
practically frictionless bearing will be provided whatever be the weight placed upon
the platform k.
The furniture-caster bearing represented in figures 3 and 4 is similar in con-
struction to the bearing herein before described when referring to figures 1 and 2
with the exception that the upper platform k, is fixed whilst the lower platform f,
rotates below it; the disc a, is formed without arms the recesses c, for the balls d,
being made in the edge of the disc as shewn in figure 4; in this arrangement also
I have shewn the bearing surfaces j and o, formed curved instead of consisting of
inclined planes as in figures 1 and 2 but it will be obvious that these being mere
nechanical equivalents either arrangement can be employed; the pivot c, is formed
on the lower platform f, and is threaded and receives a nut q, at its upper end for
securing the two parts f and k, together; r, figure 3 represents an ordinary caster
wheel working in the usual lugs or brackets t, on the underside of the lower
platform f, and 8, 8, 8, shew the holes by which the upper platform is secured to the
leg or other part of the piece of furniture or the like.
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. A ball thrust or end bearing having inclined or curved surfaces such as j, o,
and p, whereby a centrifugal motion is always given to the balls so that in rotating
whilst constantly changing their axes they shall bear upon an inclined plane
substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
2. The improved bearing herein before described and represented in figures 1
and 2 of the accompanying drawing.
3. The improved bearing for casters for furniture hereinbefore described and
represented in figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawing.
G. F. REDFERN,
Agent for the Applicant.