Improvements in Roundabouts or Merry-go-rounds.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 29 h Mar., 1394-Accepted, 8th Sept., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Roundabouts or Merry-go-rounds.
I, FERDINAND WEBER, Artist of 83" Maccerstrasse Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, 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 roundabout is intended for use either in or out of doors. For that reason.
it is constructed as light as possible, can be quickly and conveniently folded up,.
and easily turned. This result is attained in a very simple manner; the device
may be operated manually by means of a crank handle, or foot-treadle, or by a
petroleum, benzine, gas, spring, electric or other motor.
The roundabout is rotated by power centrally situated within itself, and all the-
difficulties and special intermediate mechanism and communicating gear, which are
inseparable from external driving power, disappear.
The roundabout represented in the annexed drawings is arranged for manual
operation. A person, standing on the central platform e of the roundabout, turns.
(by means of an ordinary winch or crank handle) the spindle a carrying at its
lower end a toothed pinion which engages. with the teeth of a fixed wheel c
preferably forming one piece with the support d. The thick disc or platform e
unites in one all the parts of the roundabout which partake in the movement of
rotation. To it the two stanchions ff are rigidly joined, and thus allow the driving
spindle a to be mounted so as to rotate in suitable bearings, while at the saine time
they serve to carry the awning Z. The long stem or pivot g of disc e is lodged
vertically in the support d and is carried ou two rollers h which facilitate the-
rotary motion of the roundabout.
In order to erect the roundabout, when a suitable position has been selected or
prepared for the support d (with its bed-plate,) the stem or pivot g of disc e is
lodged therein on its step-rollers h. In four radial holes in the edge of the disc e-
are placed the four metallic pipes or arms i, their connection with e being made-
secure by means of pins or bolts, and with their free outer ends similarly secured
to the seats, if these latter are not already permanently made fast thereto. The
other four metallic pipes or arms k which carry the four intermediate seats (there.
being 8 in all in the example shown see Figure 2) are each provided with a.
segmental bar / whereof the central point is rivetted to the arm k and its ends are
each bored with a hole, corresponding to pins or studs projecting on each side of
the other set of four arms i previously mentioned respectively, with which pins the
said holes are arranged to engage, whereby the four segments united, form a circle.
at a suitable distance between the central block, piatform or disc e and the seats.
Thus the four pipes or arms k when inserted in corresponding radial holes in the
edge of the disc e (intermediately between those which carry the other arms ),.
may be quickly and easily connected with the latter pipes or arms i, so that the
ring formed by the segments links the whole together, so as to prevent the arms
being separately turned round, thus effectually guarding against any lateral
displacement tilting or turning over of any of the seats.
l
The awning Z is spread or opened out in very simple fashion, its supporting
pipes or rods m being secured to pins on the ring or runner n which unites and fixes
the two stanchions f. With the upper ends of the said stanchions the eight seats.
are respectively connected by means of as many guy-wires 0, which render
impossible any bending downwards or fracture of the horizontal pipes or arins i k
carrying the seats.

page_text: The seats shown in the drawing (Figure 1) may obviously be replaced by horses,
sleighs, boats and the like, to which, by well known means, a rocking motion can
be imparted.
As shown in Figure 1 the rotating block or disc e does not touch the fixed disce;
in case the pivot g should, by choice or preference be made weaker e must rest
upon c, and the rubbing friction must be minimised by conversion into rolling
friction by an arrangement of intermediate rollers in a well-known manner.
For stage purposes a draped and cushioned platform can be laid under d, in such
a manner that an artist may place himself beneath it and carry the entire weight
on his shoulders and knees.
The motor can simultaneously operate a music-mechanism.
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. In a roundabout for in and out door use a motor centrally located in the
roundabout and turning therewith substantially as described.
2. In a roundabout for in and out door use a motor centrally located in the round-
about and turning therewith and driving a toothed pinion engaging with a fixed
toothed wheel the whole structure with its movable parts rotating by means of the
said toothed pinion whereof the rotary movement is imparted to the movable disc
or block e with which all the other movable parts are firmly connected while the
severally loose seat-bearing arms being individually secured to the central body or
disc e obtain mutual connection and support by means of intermediate bars joined
together to form a securing ring substantially as described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete round-
about substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 28th day of March 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.