AN IMPROVED APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR THE SUPPORT AND EXERCISE OF THE HUMAN FRAME, AND FOR THE PREVENTION OF BODILY DEFORMITY
Year: 1809

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WARE, of the Royal Military Accademey, Woolwich, in the County of Kent,.
Gentleman, do send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Third,
by His Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fifth day of December,
in the fiftieth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Ware, my exors, adiñors, and assigns,
His special licence and authority, that I, the said George Ware, my exors,
adniors, and assigns, during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS AND
MACHINERY FOR THE SUPPORT AND EXERCISE OF THE HUMAN FRAME, AND FOR THE
PREVENTION OF BODILY DEFORMITY;" in which Letters Patent there is contained
a proviso, obliging me, the said George Ware, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
George Ware, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, as the same is delineated
in the margin of these Presents, and as follows, that is to say:-
Figure 1, in the Drawings in the margin hereof, represents the front view of
the machine. A, the platform, to be framed of strong wood fixed upon four
pedestals with castors, to raise the platform a sufficient height from the floor,
where the machine may be placed so as to allow a part of the apparatus to work
underneath the platform. B, B, the side frames and pillars of wood, strongly
secured at the back part to the platform by iron brackets, plates, and screws,
and placed in an angle at least forty-five degrees. C, C, the two back boards,
which slide up and down when put in motion in grooves inserted in the pillars
of the side frames. At the back of the lower board is affixed two wooden sliding
bars, which pass into grooves cut into the centre of the upper board, the bars
to be confined with screws, so that the upper board may be raised and lowered
as occasion may require; to prevent the ends of the back boards from being
injured they may be edged with brass plates. D, a small wooden seat in the
lower back board, moveable at pleasure, and fixed by means of brass pins and
receiving holes; (the seat is to place the lower part of the human body upon,
to force down the back boards to work the springs below them. E to E are
steel eliptic springs immediately under the lower back board, but not fixed to
it, rivetted at the upper part to an iron bar, the lower part of the springs pass
through a channel cut through the floor at the hindermost part of the platform,
and are firmly fixed into an iron cross bar of sufficient length to admit of its
being screwed into the under part of the platform at each end; the springs are
kept in their proper position when worked by the means of four brass rods,
two on each side, which are fastened at the upper part to the iron spring bar
immediately under the lower back board, and sufficient space being left for
that purpose, they pass down through the channel in the platform on each side
of the springs and lower iron spring bar, and about four inches below the
latter, and are then rivetted to a false iron bottom plate, by which means the
securing rods and false bottom play up and down when the springs are at work,
and effectually keep them in their direct position. The springs may be enclosed
in a frame of wood or case of leather, if found convenient. F, the front board,
for the knees of the person exercising to press against to put it in motion,
which is framed to two pillars of wood G, G, of sufficient thickness, which
pass through two channels cut on each side of the front part of the floor of the
platform, and work at the lower part upon the ends of a strong eliptic spring
which is secured to the under part of the platform in the centre. To the
spring is affixed a regulating and gathering screw and frame of iron to slacken
or tighten it by means of an iron winch applied to the screw at the hole in

page_text: in
the front of the platform at H. Small metals castors are fixed at I, I, I, I, to
assist the front board to pass backwards and forwards. At K, K, are two
strong metal rods on swivels, at one end affixed to the front board, at the
other end they have eyes to hook them to buttons screwed to the other sides
of the side frames to widen or shorten the space between the front and back
boards. At L, L, may be placed moveable wooden stocks.to.confine the feet to
a certain position. M, M, are arm springs keyed through the side frames at
the upper angle, to which are hung lines or ropes N, N, for the use of the
hands and arms at O. At the upper part of the back board may be. affixed any
sort of apparatus fit for the purpose, for the support of the head, and to keep
it in a proper erect position.. The Drawings in the margin, according to the
numbers of the Figures herein-after described, shew and explain several of the
parts of the machine and apparatus which could not be so well described-in
the front view of the same. Figure 2 is the section of platform A, as
Figure 1; P; P; are the channels for the front board pillars to move
through, which about six inclies below the front board; Q, the channels of the
back springs and rods to pass down; R, R, are brass plates inserted for the
castors of the front board to roll upon.. Figure 3, one of the side frames' and'
pillars, with the arm spring. Figure. 4, the front view of the back board and
springs when in a small degree separated by. means of the back slides.. Under-
neath the back boards are the springs as affixed to the upper, and lower iron.
bars, also the rods on each side rivetted to the false plate at the bottom.
Figure 5, the back, view of the, back, boards, and, slides, when closed,, and the
springs underneath, and the-means of raising the lower back board by an iron
sliding bar fixed at the lower end to the upper spring bar, and sliding at the
upper part through a bridge with a securing screw in the centre of the lower
back board. Figure 6, the front board with the brass rollers and metal rods.
Figure 7, the front view of the spring, which is affixed underneath the front
part of the platform in the centre, at the ends of which the lower part of the
front board pillars act against. Figure 8, the section of the same spring with
the regulating screw. The size of the machine, and the strength of the
materials made use of in constructing the different parts of the same, must be
adapted to the size and strength of the subject to be exercised, and may bo
formed of various sorts of wood and metals suitable for the purpose, and may
be ornamented in many ways. The size of the machine delineated in the
margin is drawn from a scale of feet there given, and is adapted to exercise
a child from nine to sixteen years of age. In some cases a person may not
have sufficient strength to work the whole of the apparatus, or may not wish
to employ the whole effect of the exercise which can be produced by the

page_text: machine in its entire state. To adapt the machine to such cases, the springs
under the back board may be removed and the space filled with a frame, and
the front board and spring may also be removed; the machine and apparatus
will then be left acting principally upon the upper part of the body.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Ware, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Fifth day of February, in the fiftieth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender
of the Faith, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
Inrolled the Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and ten.