Year: 1886

page_text: I, WILLIAM BRITAIN Junr. of 28 Lambton Road Hornsey Rise Middlesex
Mechanical Toy Maker 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 :-
C
The object of my invention is to make a mechanical race with two or more figures,
that shall travel round, and at the same time shall pass and repass each other in such
a manner that it shall be almost impossible to calculate which shall be first at the end
of the race; so as to present the appearance of a race contested by living competitors.
In carrying out my invention I make a frame a a (Fig. 1.) carry a spindle b, with
a tube c round it. To the spindle I fix a wheel and to the tube c I fix a similar
wheel c', and between these two wheels I place a third wheel d working freely upon an
axle d perpendicular to the spindle b. These three wheels I gear together so that
when the axle d¹ with the wheel d is made to revolve round the spindle b, the two
wheels and care carried round with it. Then at any convenient position on the
frame a I fix a wheel e concentric with the spindle b; and in gear with it I make a
wheel which is carried round the main spindle by its axle f; and in conjunction
with the axle d' and wheel d by any suitable mechanism. (A pulley g is shown in
the drawings intended to form the connection with the driving mechanism, but any
other means may be used.) I connect the wheel d to the wheel by any link working
upon cranks or pins d' and fat such radii that when a rotary motion is imparted to
the wheel by means of its motion round, and gearing with, the wheel e, a reciprocal
motion is imparted to the end of the link at d and to the wheel d itself; and through
it and the wheels and c¹ to the spindle and tube c.
But the axle of the wheel d
being connected to the same mechanism as the axle of the wheel fa continuous
circular motion is imparted to it, and through it to the spindle band tube c at the
same time that they receive the reciprocal motion: so that the reciprocal motion only
has the effect of accelerating the spindle while it retards the tube; and then changing
and retarding the spindle while it accelerates the tube. I attach the figures required
to race, in any convenient manner to the spindle and tube c.
In another modification (Fig. 2) I make the wheels on and cone an external
wheel, and the other an internal wheel, of such sizes that the wheel d can work in the
same plane and gear with both of them; thus driving them both and imparting the

page_text: reciprocal motion as in Fig. 1. When I require exactly the same amount of
reciprocal motion in each figure, in this modification I make two wheels at d (Fig. 3.)
(fixed together on the same axle,) of different sizes, and in proportion to the sizes of
the wheels b and c¹ into which they gear respectively.
In another modification (Fig. 4.) I make two wheels and d with their axles
parallel to the spindle b, and gearing together; one of them gearing with the wheel 1
and the other gearing with the wheel c¹; and the reciprocal motion is imparted
through one of the wheels d to the wheels and spindles b, and c, as before.
In another modification (Fig. 5) I make the wheels and c¹ into pulleys, and
connect them by an endless band with two other separate pulleys d (shown in the
drawing one behind the other) which are carried round by their axles, and one of
which receives the reciprocal motion from the other part of the movement.
Fig. 6. is a modification of the wheels e and f, that I use when I require the
reciprocal motion in a different direction to that in Fig. 1. In this modification I
fix tho wheel e to the frame by means of the pin e', and make the wheel travel round
the pin, and in gear with the wheel e; receiving a circular motion from it, and
imparting a reciprocal motion to the wheel d. In this modification, when desirable,
I make the wheels e and f into pulleys and connect them by an endless band as in
Fig. 7.
In the drawings I have shown each modification working with friction gear; but
toothed, or any other suitable gear may be used at will.
I have described each of the modifications applied to a race between two figures;
but four or more figures may be worked (in pairs) by multiplying the necessary parts
of the movement.
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:
The various modifications of an epicyclic train of two or more elements to produce
a reciprocal motion in an epicyclic train of three or more elements, at the same time
that they conjointly receive a continuous circular motion; to produce a mechanical
race; substantially as described.
W. BRITAIN, Junr.