IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSCULAR POWER OR STRENGTH TESTING MACHINES
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 27th May, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 28th June, 1887.
We JETHRO FooT and ROBERT JETHRO FOOT both 70 New Oxford Street in the
County of Middlesex Engineers we do hereby declare the nature of our Invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSCULAR POWER OR STRENGTH TESTING MACHINES to be as
follows :-
Our Invention consists of a machine that the act of placing a coin or the
like in the apparatus will cause the Lifting Pulling or Pushing powers of one or
more persons to be indicated on a dial or the like.
In order to carry out our invention we construct our machine with a wheel or
other suitable device for receiving the power of one or more persons, the wheel
communicating by means of a suitable mechanism to a counterpoise consisting of
springs or weights or spring and weight combined. We preferably use springs con-
nected to a jointed lever communicating by means of suitable mechanism to the wheel
which is caused to rotate on its axis when the power applied and the said movement
of the wheel will contract or expand the springs until it counterbalances the power
communicated to the wheel.
Outside the apparatus we use an index moving in a circular or other suitable
direction attached to gearing or other suitable mechanism inside the apparatus which
is caused to move by the weight of a coin placed in a receptacle attached thereto. On
the counterpoise reassuming its normal position which is effected by the removal of
the power from the wheel, the index is moved back by the gearing or equivalent
mechanism to its starting point, and the receptacle for the coin is thereby brought
into contact with a pin or catch or other suitable device and delivers the coin into a
bag or box for receiving the same. If desired in order to lessen the shock which
would be caused by the counterpoise suddenly reassuming the normal position on the
removal of the power from the wheel we employ a mechanism for retarding the
same which arrangement may consist of a fly escapement or an an or other cushion
consisting of an arrangement of a piston fitting loosely in a cylinder so as to allow
of the gradual passage of air or fluid, or any other equivalent device may be used for
this purpose.
JULIUS HALL,
90, Chancery Lane,
Patent Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Muscular Power or Strength Testing Machines.
We, JETHRO FOOT and ROBERT JETHRO FOOT, both of 70 New Oxford Street, in
the county of Middlesex, Engineers, 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 that class of muscular power or strength testing machine
which was first invented by Robert William Page and patented by him in 1885,
No. 12576, and described in the Specification thereof and the object of our invention
is the same as Page's invention, videlicet, to dispense with the necessity of an
attendant to collect the fee charged for the use of the machine.
In carrying out our invention we employ a wheel adapted to be operated by one or
more persons desiring to test his or their muscular power when lifting, pulling or
pushing the said wheel is connected to springs or weights or a spring and weight
combined which counterbalance the power applied to the wheel which can only be
operated when a coin has been placed in the apparatus, the muscular power exerted
being indicated on a dial or the like.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings in which figure 1
is a front elevation and figure 2, a side elevation of an apparatus for testing muscular
power constructed according to our improvements; figure 3 is a back elevation of
part of the apparatus the back of the case being removed; figures 4 and 5 are
vertical sections illustrating an arrangement of mechanism which we some-
times use for the purpose of indicating for a given time after the wheel has been
released. Figures 3, 4 and 5 are drawn to a larger scale than figures 1 and 2.
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
a, is the wheel mounted on a shaft b, and provided with a number of handles c, c, c,
similar to a steering wheel which handles are grasped and lifted, pulled or pushed by
the person wishing to test his muscular power; the shaft b, extends within the case A
of the apparatus and is connected by a lever d, connecting rod e, and lever f, to a
spring balance or weighing scale, g; h, is the ordinary pointer or index of the
balance which is visible outside the case A, and operated by a rack ', and pinion i¹,
as usual; the lever f, is pivotted at i, and has a slot j, in its free end in which works a
roller k, carried by a counter-weighted arm 1; on the pivot of the arm l, is fixed a
quadrant m, having ratchet teeth in which a spring pawl n, engages mounted loosely
on the pivot o, of a balanced arm p, p'; the part p², is provided with a pin q, for
disengaging the pawl n, as hereinafter described and is connected by a rod r, to the
weighted end of a counter-balanced levers, pivotted at t; g', is a guide, the top and
bottom of which form stops for limiting the movement of the lever which carries

page_text: at its other end a coin bucket u, having a pivotted bottom operated by a weighted.
arm v, which when the bucket is lowered into the position shewn in dotted lines at
figure 3 by the weight of a coin inserted through the money slit 10, rests in a
position immediately above the tail x, of a spring pawl y; z, is a double lever
pivotted at a', and carrying at one end a roller 6', which rests on the free end of the
lever f the other end of the lever z, is connected by a link c¹, to a counter-
weighted toothed quadrant d¹, pivotted at e¹, and arranged so that it will engage with
the pawl y, as hereinafter described.
The operation is as follows:-
bucket
U,
The required coin having been inserted in the money slit w, will fall into the
and will cause the lever s, and bucket u, to descend into the position shown
by the dotted lines and the arm p, p', will be caused to disengage the pawl n, from
the quadrant m, and the lever f, and consequently the wheel a, can then be operated
in the direction indicated by the arrows; the free end of the lever f, descending will
allow the lever z, to move on its fulcrum and consequently the counterweighted
quadrant d', to rise and engage with the pawl y; as soon as the wheel a, is released
the quadrant d', will resume its former position and in doing so will cause the
tail x, of the pawl y, to move upwards and open the bottom of the bucket u, so as to
discharge the coin inside the case of the apparatus.
In order to prevent the insertion of a coin in the apparatus by a second person
whilst the apparatus is being operated we provide a sliding shutter r¹, which is moved
upwards so as to close the money slit when the lever f, is depressed by one end of a
lever s¹, pivotted at t¹, and having its opposite end situated under the lever f.
Instead of actuating the pointer or index h, in the usual manner as above referred
to in which case it will only indicate so long as the muscular force is continued to be
applied to the wheel a, we sometimes arrange the indicating mechanism so that the
index h, will indicate for a given time after the wheel a, has been released. For this
purpose as shown in figures 4 and 5 we mount the pinion ¹, on a sleeve j¹, which
revolves loose on the index arbor k¹, and carries a bent arm A, which bears against the
index h; m², is a drum keyed on the arbor k¹, and having wound around it a cord n³,
attached to the weighted top of a bellows o¹, provided with a suitable air valve. q', is
a lever one end of which is jointed to the top of the bellows o¹, the other end of the
said lever being situated underneath the free end of the lever f. By this arrangement
when the lever f, is depressed the bellows are distended and the index h, will be moved
by the arm, to indicate the power exerted and the drum m', will revolve with it
thereby winding up the cord n', at a less speed than the movement of the bellows
slackens it. As the lever f, rises, the arm, resumes its former position leaving the
index h, stationary until the bellows in slowly closing has drawn the cord taut when
the index will commence to move back to zero.
It will be obvious that the wheel a, can be arranged in relation to the mechanism
which it operates in any other suitable manner than that shewn in the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we make no manner
of claim to a machine such as is generally described and claimed in Page's Specifica-
tion aforesaid but what we claim is :-
1. In muscular power or strength testing machines of the kind herein described the
use of a wheel arranged so as to allow of testing the muscular power of a person
exerted when lifting, pulling or pushing as hereinbefore described.
2. In muscular power or strength testing machines of the kind herein described
the arrangement whereby the machine is locked until the insertion of the proper coin
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. In muscular power or strength testing machines of the kind herein described the
arrangement of mechanism whereby the pointer of the dial can be caused to remain
for a given length of time at the point to which it has been moved by the use of the

page_text: machine substantially as and for the purpose herein before described and illustrated in
figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In muscular power or strength testing machines of the kind herein described
the arrangement for preventing a coin being inserted whilst the machine is in action
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
5. The combination of parts forming the improved muscular power or strength
testing machine hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 27th day of M. 1907
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicants.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicants.