Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1886
Complete Left, 28th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 31st May, 1887.
I, JOHN STEAD of 211 West Street Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Iron-
worker, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:
It consists first in forming the top with a conical cavity or hole at the summit,
preferably oval in shape, either by fixing a hollow cone of metal or other suitable
material or by cutting the hole in the substance of the top.
To spin the top, I use a small heavy wheel made to fit and revolve by means of a
suitable pivot in a suitable handle, the pivot is continued beyond the wheel and upon
the projection thus formed I place a small cone of india rubber or other similar elastic
material.
The wheel is revolved by means of a string coiled round the pivot or axle, or by
other ordinary means; while spinning the indiarubber cone is inserted in the aperture
or cone of metal in the top, and the indiarubber or other material grips upon the sides
of the aperture or cone and thus communicate the motion of the wheel to the top.
This process may be repeated as often as desired and the top kept spinning for any
length of time.
DL: 2-1 1 of 1000
JOHN HENRY TOPHAM,
Agent to Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Tops and in Apparatus for spinning the
I, JOHN STEAD of 211 West Street, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Iron-
worker, 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:-
It consists first, in forming the top with a conical cavity or hole at the summit (the
sides of this cavity may be of any shape but preferably slightly oval,) either by fixing
a hollow cone of metal or other suitable material to the summit of the top or by cutting
the hole in the substance of which the top is made.
To spin the top, I use a small heavy wheel made to fit and revolve by means of a
suitable pivot in a suitable handle, this pivot is continued beyond the other side of the
wheel and upon the projection thus formed I fix a small cone of indiarubber or other
similar elastic material.
This wheel is revolved by means of a string coiled round the pivot or axle, or by
any other ordinary means, and while it is spinning the indiarubber cone is inserted
in the aperture or cone of metal in the top, when the indiarubber or other material
grips upon the sides of the aperture or hollow cone and thus communicates the motion
of the wheel to the top. This operation may be repeated as often as desired and the
top kept spinning for any length of time.
In order that the foregoing may be better understood I send herewith a sheet of
Drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows an elevation (partly in section) of a top made with
my improvements, and Fig. 2 a plan of the same. Fig. 3 and 4 respectively are, an
elevation (partly in section) and an underview, of the wheel used in spinning the top.
In these Figs. a indicates the slightly flattened hollow cone in the summit of the
top b, c the heavy wheel revolving by means of the pivot d in the handle e upon the
lower end of the pivot d is placed the indiarubber cone which is inserted while
spinning in the hollow flattened cone a.
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 :-
1st. The combined apparatus substantially as described and shown, hereinbefore
and in the accompanying drawing, for the purpose set forth.
2nd. The combination of an indiarubber or similar cone with a suitably shaped
aperture in the summit of a top, for the purpose of imparting rotatory motion to, or
spinning the same, substantially as described and shown hereinbefore and in the
accompanying drawing.
Tad thin 07th dove of Anil 1887
JOHN HENRY TOPHAM,
Agent to Applicant.