AN IMPROVED MODE OR MEANS OF OBTAINING, APPLYING AND TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Black, of Edinburgh, Machine Maker, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OR MEANS OF OBTAINING, APPLYING
AND TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 22nd February 1859, and dated the 26th August 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Black at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
August 1859.
I, JAMES BLACK, of Edinburgh, Machiue Maker, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OR MEANS OF OBTAINING.
APPLYING, AND TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER," to be as follows:-
A face plate or disc is fixed on an axis, and has formed in it a number of
wipers, excentrics, or curved paths, which receive (in the space taken out) a
pulley or roller free to revolve on its own axis, and attached to an adjustable
lever in equal balance with the desired lift or pressure. On rotary motion
being communicated to the plate (by a band or otherwise) the pulley or roller
moves round the excentrics or paths, imparting a rocking motion to the lever
(similar to the action of a beam), wherefrom motion may be transmitted or
applied, as desired, or converted by suitable appliances into any description
of motion.
In connection herewith a pump may be set in a tank of water, and a tank
of water added above; on the same shaft with the face plate is a water wheel

page_text: driven by the water from above; when it passes the centre, the water falls
into the lower tank and is pumped up again; whatever weight of water is
in each stroke is equalized by a balance weight on the lever; the number
of excentrics and size of water wheel may be increased to correspond with
the quantity of water required to secure a desired power.
One means of imparting rotary motion from my arrangement is by
attaching at the end of the lever a crank and connecting rod of same radius
as the lift of the lever, carried over the centre by a fly wheel
The Invention is applicable to the actuating of pumps, mincing machines
and other machinery, instruments, and apparatus, and to parts thereof; to
propelling on land and water, and to various motive purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Black in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
February 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BLACK, of Edinburgh, Machine Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me
the said James Black, Her special licence that I, the said James Black, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Black, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OR MEANS
OF OBTAINING, APPLYING, AND TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Black, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE. that I, the said James Black, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularlydescribed and ascertained in and bythe following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and
to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to the arranging and combining of parts for the
purposes of obtaining, applying, and transmitting motive power, the same
forming a mode or means which is applicable as a mechanical motion for the
driving and actuating of machinery, instruments, and apparatus, or parts
thereof, and for propelling and motive purposes generally; and which may
be contrived, applied, and combined, as herein-after explained, to produce
or obtain motive power.
According to my Invention, a face plate or disc is fixed on an axis, and has
formed in it a number of wipers, excentrics, or curved paths, which, in the
space taken out, receive a pulley or roller free to revolve on its own axis, and
attached to an adjustable lever in equal balance with the desired lift or down-
ward I pressure. On rotary motion being communicated to the plate by a band
or otherwise, the pulley or roller moves round the excentrics or paths,impart-
ing a rocking motion to the lever (similar to the action of a beam), wherefrom
motion may be transmitted or applied, as desired, or converted by suitable
appliances into any description of motion.
This arrangement may be applied to various apparatus for the driving.
actuating, or propelling thereof.
Inconnection with the foregoing arrangement, a pump may be set in a tank
of water, and a tank of water added above; on the same shaft with the face
plate is placed a water wheel driven by the water from above; when it passes
the centre, the water falls into the lower tank and is pumped up again; what-
ever weight of water is in each stroke is equalized by a balance weight on the
lever. The number of excentrics in the plate and the size of the water wheel
may be increased to correspond with the quantity of water required to secure
the
power.
One means of imparting rotary motion from my improved arrangement is
by attaching at the end of the lever a crank and connecting rod of the same
radius as the lift of the lever, carried over the centre by a fly wheel.
My Invention is applicable to the actuating of pumps, mincing machines,
and other instruments and apparatus, and to parts thereof; to propelling on
land and on water, and to various motive purposes.
My method, or mechanical motion,"-consisting of a roller acting in the
excentrics or paths of a revolving plate, and attached to a lever,―being
applicable to the driving or actuating of a great variety of machines and
apparatus; the following adaptations thereof are selected, as illustrating the

page_text: mode of carrying the Invention practically into effect, which I now proceed to
exemplify with reference to the Drawings; supposing it, for example, as
applied to mincing machinery, printing machinery, and pumps.
Figure 1 is a view of a face plate or disc A, with its curvilinear paths B for
a roller C, connected to a lever to act in; Figure 2, section through the
line x, x; and Figure 3, through y, y. The paths B lead into one another, so
as to form a continuous pathway, of which there may be any number at
different distances from the centre of the plate, with a corresponding number
of rollers C, and of levers, one to each roller. Figure 4 is a perspective view
of a mincing machine, to which my method is applied for actuating the knives.
X is the frame of the machine. A is a face plate or disc set on a shaft E,
and having formed in it curvilinear paths B, B, for the roller C to act in.
There may be the number of paths B shewn in the view, Figure4, or more,
as in Figure 1; in fact, any suitable number. The roller C is connected by
an adjusting screw a, or otherwise, to one end of a lever D, centered on a
bracket a', attached to the framework.
This lever D is connected by links b, b, to knife carriers d, d, carrying
mincing knives or choppers G, G. and working in guide-ways H¹. H is a
mincing board which supports a tray or vessel for holding the meat to be
minced, and consists of a wheel toothed at its under rim, and acquiring rotary
motion from a pinion I, actuatel by pulleys J, J¹, and band e worked from
the shaft E.
This shaft may be actuated by a handle, with fly wheel or otherwise, such
appliances being at the opposite end of the shaft to that which carries the
pulley J. On rotary motion being communicated to the shaft E, and thence
to the plate A, the roller C, acting in the paths B, imparts a rocking action
to the lever D, and thence to the knives G, G, so that on the easy application
of rotary motion at the handle end of the shaft, very rapid and effective action,
will, by means of my arrangements, be transmitted to the knives.
The face plate may be lightened by constructing it with sections removed,
as in Figure 4, or it may be formed with solid sections, as in Figure 1. Of
course, though herein particularly referred to, the knives, mincing board, and
other well-known parts of the machine form no part of my present Invention,
which refers, in this machine, to the method of and combination of parts for
driving the knives.
Figure 5 is a side view of my method, as applied to the actuating of pumps;
Figure 6, section through the disc or face plate.
X is the general-framework; A is a disc or plate mounted on a shaft E
working in bearings a, a, in the framework; B, B, are the curved paths or

page_text: spaces in the plate for the roller C to travel in; D, lever connected to the
roller, carrying at one end a weight G, and attached at H to the rods I of
pumps J. To reduce weight, the face plate may be cut away between the
arms b, b, which join the boss c to the parts d, in which are the paths B; and
also between the outer edges of those parts and the periphery e. (f, cotter ;
g, bush beneath cotter). On rotary motion being suitably communicated to the
shaft E, as by a handle or otherwise, the roller C and lever D will impart
motive power to the pump rods I.
When it is desired to produce rotary instead of reciprocating motion, cranks
and connecting rods may be attached to the lever at the end opposite that
connected to the roller; and Figure 7, an elevation, shewing my mode applied
to driving cylinders of printing machinery, exemplifies this method of con-
verting the action of the lever into rotary motion. K, K, are antifriction
rollers, working in the pathways of the face plate, which is not shewn in the
Drawing, being similar to that in Figure 1, 2, &c. P is a printing cylinder
driven by cranks Q, connected by rods or links R to levers S, S, which are
attached to the rollers, and communicate motion from the face plate; the
travelling type carriage may be worked to and fro by connecting rods attached
to the disc plate on the opposite side, moving it once to every six or more, or
fewer revolutions of the cylinder.
Platten printing machinery may also be worked by my disc plate and roller
a lever attached to the platten being fitted on each side of the plate; the
types are stationary, while the frisket and tympan are caused to work out to
receive fresh supply, and the inking roller to come in from the other side, ink
the types, and return out of the way of the platten, &c. by means of disc
plates, with a path or segment of a circle on each, the course of the pulley
acting therein being timed accordingly; and the platten being raised by the
drop in the plate for the rollers and tympan to travel freely, a spring on each
side of the under plate raising the sheet from the form.
My plate or disc in its various applications may be caused to revolve by
connecting its shaft with a handle or other prime mover, or otherwise, as, for
example, by a band passing over its periphery; and I do not confine myself
to the precise details shewn, which may be varied, provided the general
character of my Invention, as herein set forth, be retained.
Although I have only described the application of my Invention to
machinery for mincing, printing, and pumping, it may be applied to, and
connected with, various other machinery, apparatus, instruments, and appli-
ances for various other purposes, as, for example, for propelling on land and
on water.

page_text: Figure 8 is an elevation, showing an arrangement for obtaining power
according to my Invention. X is the general framework of the apparatus;
A, a disc or plate, mounted on a shaft E, and formed with curved paths B;
the same shaft E also carries a water wheel W, provided with vanes or blades
w, w, as is usual; C is a roller, working in the paths B, and connected to a
lever D, attached to rods d, d, of pumps G, G. G¹ is a balance weight at the
further end of the lever, which is supported in the bearingƒ; H, H, are tanks
fixed below the water wheel, and I is a tank set above it; i, i, are supply
pipes, for conveying the water from tanks H, H, to the tank I; j, j, escape
water pipes. The water falling from the tank I on to the wheel W drives
that wheel in the usual manner; and when it passes the centre, the water
falls into the lower tanks H, from which it is pumped up again into the upper
tank I by the pumps G, actuated by the levers E, driven by the rollers C, in
the pathways B of the face plate A, as the latter is caused to revolve by the
revolution of the water wheel W on the same shaft with it, thus producing a
continuous motive power.
When the water is allowed to escape, as in pits, quarries, &c., it is pumped
up to the upper tank direct, and escapes below. The lever E may be
connected or combined with an endless screw and pinion, or with wheels and
pinions, or other known appliances and means for the obtaining and applying
of motive power.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,-
Arranging and combining parts in the manner and for producing the
method or methods of action herein-before described, for the purposes of
obtaining, applying, and transmitting motive power, that is to say, the arrange-
ment and combination of a revolving face plate or disc, with curved pathways,
in which acts a roller or pulley connected to a lever, the whole arranged and
operating substantially as described, and forming a mechanical motion, which
is applicable, or which may be connected or combined to or with various
instruments, machinery, apparatus, appliances, or means in such manner as to
effect, and for the purpose of effecting, the obtaining, applying, and trans-
mission of motive power.
Also, I particularly claim the application, adaptation, and combination of
the aforesaid mechanical motion, (or revolving face plate, with curved paths,
in which acts a roller or pulley connected to a lever,) to and with mincing
machinery, pumps, and other apparatus in which reciprocating motion is
required; and to and with printing and other machinery in which rotary
motion is required; and for purposes of moving carriages and propelling, and

page_text: otherwise for transmitting and applying motive power. And I likewise
particularly claim the application and combination of the aforesaid mechanical
motion with a water wheel and pumps, as herein-before set forth, for the
purpose of obtaining and applying motive power.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Black, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
Wч. BLACK,
Bookseller, witness.
JAMES BLACK. (L.B.)