A NEW OR IMPROVED CASTOR FOR FURNITURE OR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Raymond Fletcher, of 86, Siddall's Road, Derby, in
the County of Derby, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED CASTOR
FOR FURNITURE OR OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 27th March 1868, and dated the 1st October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Raymond Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
October 1867.
I, RAYMOND FLETCHER, of 86, Siddal's Road, Derby, in the County of
Derby, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED CASTOR FOR FURNITURE OR OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows, that is
to say:
This Invention relates to castors for furniture or other purposes and consists
of a cup and ball and bearing plate. The ball is spherical and the cup flanged
at the top and open at the bottom. The diameter of the ball is a little
greater than the depth of the cup, so that when the bearing plate which
closes the top of the cup is fixed thereto, the ball projects through and below
the opening before-mentioned in the bottom of the said cup. The covering
and bearing plate is fitted with three rollers which rest upon the ball when
the latter is placed in position; these rollers are so arranged that their lines
of axes form an equilateral triangle. By this means the ball is free to rotate
in any direction in which the article supported thereby is moved. The bearing

page_text: rollers against which the ball rotates may be fitted to the inside of the cup
itself instead of to the bearing plate before described, and I also propose to
use small bearing balls in lieu of the rollers in the formation of my said
or improved castor for obtaining an universal motion bearing for the
main or castor ball. I further propose to make the cup and top closing plate
integral parts of each other, and to pass the main ball into the cup through an
opening therein to be closed by an annular plate or ring for keeping the said
ball in position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Raymond Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RAYMOND
FLETCHER, of 86, Siddall's Road, Derby, in the County of Derby, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Raymond Fletcher, Her special licence that I, the said Raymond Fletcher, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Raymond
Fletcher, 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED CASTOR," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Raymond Fletcher, 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 Raymond Fletcher, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to castors for furniture or other purposes, and consists

page_text: of a cup and ball and bearing plate. The ball is spherical and the cap flanged
at the top and open at the bottom. The diameter of the ball is a little greater
than the depth of the cup, so that when the bearing plate which closes the
top of the cup is fixed thereto, the ball projects through and below the opening
before-mentioned in the bottom of the said cup. The covering and bearing plate
is fitted with three or more rollers which rest upon the ball when the latter is
placed in position; these rollers when three are used are so arranged that their
lines of axes form an equilateral triangle, and when more than three are used
their respective axes form a regular polygon. Being thus fitted the ball is
free to rotate in any direction in which the article supported thereby is moved.
The bearing rollers against which the ball rotates may be fitted to the inside
of the cup itself instead of to the bearing plate before described, and I also
propose to use small bearing balls in lieu of the rollers in the formation of my
said new or improved castor for obtaining an universal motion bearing for the
main or castor ball; where balls are used the bearing plate is simply formed
with a circular dipping flange. I further propose to make the cup and top
closing plate integral parts of each other, and to pass the main ball into the
cup through an opening therein to be closed by an annular plate or ring for
keeping the said ball in position.
The accompanying Drawing shows the form of the said castor together with
the modifications thereof as above described.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the castor as formed according to the plan first
berein-before described; Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the centre and
shows the mode of fitting the bearing plate and rollers; Fig. 3 is an inverted
plan of the bearing plate.
The following reference applies to each of the Figs. where the index letter-
appears. a is the ball which takes the place of the wheel or pulley in the
ordinary castor; 6 is the cup which receives the ball, this cup is made so that
the aperture at x, x, is of less diameter than that of the said ball, when the
latter is intended to be put in from the top, in which case the said cup may
be cast in one piece when it is desirable to form it, so that the ball may be put
in from the bottom, an annular ring is screwed or rivetted on at x, x, the
opening or apperture being then mado of a slightly larger diameter than than
that of the ball. c is the bearing plate which closes the top of the cup and is
screwed or rivetted thereto; d, d, d, are small bearing rollers against which
the surface of the ball a bears; these rollers may be solid or hollow. The mode
of forming this plate is to have the small flanges & cast in one piece with it,.

page_text: the rollers d' are then made with a hole through the centre through which a
steel wire or spindle is passed and its ends rivetted outside of the flanges.
The rollers may however be made so as to turn with the spindles, and the
flanges may also be cast separate from the plate and be fastened thereto.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a similar castor formed with friction bearing balls
instead of rollers; Fig. 5 is a transverse section shewing the position of the said
last mentioned balls; and Fig. 6, a sectional or plan view taken at the line A, B,
Fig. 5. The index letter is repeated in each of these Figs. where the part
referred to appears in view.
e is the main ball as before; f, the cup which may be formed upon either
of the plans herein-after described; g, the covering and bearing plate;
h, the friction or bearing balls; i, i, are two shallow flanges formed under the
bearing plate so as to dip slightly into the cup and form a bearing surface for the
friction balls; i, j, is a convex annular surface which I prefer to make to fit
the surface of the friction balls, the number and diameter of which may be
varied as required. This modification of the castor requires no fitting beyond
dropping the main and smaller balls into their respective places and then
screwing or rivetting the bearing plate on; the flange i, i, should however be
so regulated in depth that when the plate is fixed in position its under surface
should just touch the balls, to leaving the main ball e with sufficient play to
allow it to rise and fall slightly in the cup and clear itself when in motion
from the lower extremity of the aperture x, x. It is not necessary that the
sides of the cup in this nor in the preceding cases should be solid all round, the
sides may be pierced or perforated so as to form a claw or other ornamental
figure.
Figs. 7, 8, and 9, respectively shew a side elevation of castors made as just
described, and which I denominate the "clear castors." is a screw socket
plate adapted for plain surface supports allowing the castor to bo readily
detached when necessary; ³, a socket for fixing the castor to the leg or foot
of a pillar; , a taper screw to enable the castor to be readily fixed to either
a plain surface or pillar; 1, side legs which may be variously ornamented;
m, small bearing pullies fitted in recesses; n, the main ball; o, an annular
and flanged. ring to which the claws are secured. In this case the main
ball is put into its place from the under side, and then the ring which is
formed of less diameter than the ball being rivetted or screwed to the under
side of the claws secures the ball in position. These balls may be made of
glass, china, earthenware, metal, ivory, or other suitable material moulded,
cast, or turned as the nature of the case may require.
1 claim more particularly the use of glass bearing balls either white, colored,

page_text: or variegated applied to any of the modifications herein described or to other
I also claim the "claw" shaped. cup or receptacle for ball castors,
and I further claim the new or improved ball castors formed and fitted as
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Raymond Fletcher, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
RAYMOND FLETCHER. (L.B.)