IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER MECHANICAL APPLIANCES IN WHICH A ROTARY MOTION IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY IS REQUIRED
Year: 1871

page_text: [GRIFFIN'S PATENT.]
In the Matter of the Letters Patent granted to JAMES THEODORE GRIFFIN,
of Upper Thames Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
APPLICABLE TO OTHER MECHANICAL APPLIANCES IN WHICH A ROTARY
MOTION IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY IS REQUIRED." A communication from
abroad by George L. Chadborn and Thomas Coldwell, of Newburg,
United States of America, dated 12th September 1871.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to be
entered and filed by Thomas Coldwell, as President, and on behalf of the
Chadborn and Coldwell Manufacturing Company, the Assignees of the above-
named Letters Patent, to portions of the Specification of the said Letters.
Patent, according to the Statutes in that case made and provided.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS COLD-
WELL, President of the Chadborn and Coldwell Manufacturing Company, of New-
burg, in the United States of America, send greeting :—
-
WHEREAS Her most excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal Letters
Patent bearing date the 12th day of September, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-one, did grant unto the above-named James Theodore Griffin, his executors,
administrators, and assigns, the sole privilege to make, use, exercise, and vend
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER MECHANICAL APPLIANCES IN WHICH A ROTARY
MOTION IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY IS REQUIRED," within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, during
the term of fourteen years then next ensuing :
And whereas the said James Theodore Griffin, on the 12th day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, within the the time prescribed by the said
Letters Patent, caused a Specification in writing under his hand and seal to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office :
'

page_text: And whereas by an Indenture of Assignment bearing date the second day of
November One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, and made between the
said James Theodore Griffin, of the one part, and the said Chadborn and Coldwell
Manufacturing Company, of the other part, and duly registered in the Great Seal
Patent Office, the said Letters Patent and Invention were duly assigned to and are
now vested in the said Chadborn and Coldwell Manufacturing Company (of which
I am President) for all the residue of the said term of fourteen years:
And whereas, after the date of the application for the said Letters Patent, and
since the filing of the Specification in pursuance thereof, I have been advised that
doubts may be raised whether or not some of the claims in the said Specification
do not comprise matters which were not new at the date of the said Letters
Patent:
And in order to remove any such doubt as aforesaid, I propose to make the
disclaimer, alterations, erasures, and corrections in the said Specification herein-after
contained:
NOW KNOW YE therefore, that I, the said Thomas Coldwell, by and with the
leave of Her Majesty's Attorney General, do hereby for the reasons aforesaid, make
the following disclaimer, alterations, and erasures in the said Specification, that is
to say:
I strike out at line 17, page 7, of the said Specification, as printed by Her Majesty's
Printer, the words "The next part of the Invention referring to," and substitute
therefor the words "A form of," and on line 18 of the same page 7, between the
word "clips" and the words "is shown," I insert the words "which may be used,
but to which no claim is herein made." And I strike out on pages 8 and 9, the
claims and claiming clauses numbered respectively Secondly, Thirdly, Fourthly,
and Ninthly, and on line 30 of page 8 I strike out the word "Fifthly," and
substitute therefor the word "Secondly," and on line 34 of the same page 8 I strike
out the word "Sixthly," and substitute therefor the word "Thirdly," and on line
1 of page 9 I strike out the word "Seventhly," and substitute therefor the word
"Fourthly," and on line 5 of the same page 9 I strike out the word "Eighthly,"
and substitute therefor the words "And, Fifthly."
-
And I do hereby declare that the said Specification when so altered and amended
by this present Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration shall read as follows:---
" SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Theodore Griffin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th March 1872.
:
:..
"
" TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
"THEODORE GRIFFIN, of Upper Thames Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
"
"
"WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
"Patent bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
"thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the Thirty-fifth year of Her reign, diḍ
"for herself, her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
" Theodore Griffin, Her special license, that I, the said James Theodore Griffin,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Theodore Griffin, 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
"PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER MECHANICAL APPLIANCES IN WHICH A ROTARY MOTION IN ONE
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS, A
"
DIRECTION ONLY IS REQUIRED,
14
'
tj
4 (communicated to me from abroad by George L. Chadborn and Thomas Coldwell,
"of Newburg, in the United States of America) upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said James Theodore Griffin, my executors: or administrators, by an
*instrument in writing, under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should

page_text: 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 Theodore Griffin, do hereby declare
"the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
"to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
"thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to
<< say :-
"These improvements relate to the construction of lawn mowers, and to special
parts of the same, whereby they are rendered lighter, more compact, and more
"efficient in action than those at present in use, some of the special parts being
applicable to windlasses, ratchet braces, boring tools, and other mechanical
appliances.
"The side frames, which carry the rollers and cutters, are cast with recesses or
grooves in which leading wheels or rollers and revolving cutters are adjustable.
"The cutters are strips of steel curved into a spiral form for securing upon a cast-
"iron skeleton frame.
CE
C
"The mechanism by which the cutter frame is actuated is composed of toothed
"band or frictional gearing, one wheel or disc of which has one or more eccentric
lugs on one face, the lug or lugs being grooved for the reception of spherical
"bodies, which are free to roll into narrow parts of the grooves to effect the working
"of the cutters when the machine is travelling in one direction, and to stop the
working when the travel of the machine is reversed. One of the advantages in
using the spherical bodies in this manner is that a constant and effectual bite is
"obtained without slip, and a cutting close up to a wall or other fixed object can
"be accomplished. By simply giving a sudden impulse to the handle the cutters
"continue to rotate after the machine is at rest, a speciality possessed by no other
"mower at present known. The lug wheel is pivotted on an axle pin, and the
spheres roll in or upon a cap or cover, which prevents the entrance of cut grass
"to the mechanism.
"
"The spheres and lug wheel are applicable to other mechanical appliances to
"which a rotation (whether continous or intermittent) in one direction only is
required, particularly to ships' windlasses, ratchet braces, and boring tools. When
"the motion is continuous the spheres form antifriction rollers.
"
"The handle or draw bar is jointed to the main frame, and its height can be
regulated by means of clips on a rod.
"
The machine can be tilted to run upon the main roller when being moved from
place to place without cutting, or it can be turned up or over to run upon the
leading wheels for the same purpose, which wheels may be at the side of or in
"advance of the rotating cutters.
"
"The accompanying Drawings, Figures 1 and 2, represent how the Invention is
applied to a lawn mower, Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 being detailed views of some
"of the parts for which special claim is made, as indicated in the foregoing
description.
"
a, a, represent the two side frames of cast metal provided with grooves or
"recesses b, b, in which the axes c, c, of the front or leading wheels or rollers d, d,
"are adjustable by the nuts and screw bolts e, e, the naves of the wheels being
fitted over ferrules or collars, which are upon the bolts, to give them freedom of
"action in turning at whatever part of the grooves the bolts are fixed. These
"wheels are arranged one on each side of the framing, and in such a manner that
they with the portions f, f, in which they are fitted can be thrown round, as
"shown by the dotted lines, to enable the cutters to be worked close up to a wall
or the border of a grass plot with facility, thus dispensing with the use of the
"hand shears or the scythe to trim up those portions, as is usually the case.
"The revolving cutter axes g, g, are arranged in socket plates h, h, one of which
=

page_text: "
jo
is seen in Figure 3, the socket being free to be moved between cheeks i, i, on
." each side of the plate, and in which they are adjustable by screw bolts j, j, to
"determine the closeness of contact with the fixed cutter blade k, which is secured
" to a transverse tie bar on the under side of the frame a, which cutter blade is of
"steel, with an upward chamfered edge for working in combination with the edges
"of the revolving cutter blades m, m, these being arranged upon a skeleton frame,
"with two, three, or more ribs n, with the axes projecting from cross bars o, o, at
"the ends, as seen in the detached perspective view, Figure 4. The socket plates
h, h, work between 'cheeks, as before mentioned, on the frame to preserve their
"vertical action, and they are held to the frame by bolts being passed into slots p, p.
"The revolving cutters are driven in this case by toothed gearing through an
intermediate wheel and pinion q, which receives its motion from a kind of clutch
box with spheres 8, 8, arranged in the curved hollow portions of lugs t, t, as
seen in Figures 5 and 6, the lugs being on the inner face of the first tooth wheel u
"for the purpose of obtaining the necessary-grip of the spheres in the hollows of
"the lugs when the rotation of the main roller brings a narrowed portion of its
box into contact with the spheres. This clutch box with its lugs and spheres is
" an essential feature in this Invention, not only from its special adaptability to
"lawn-mowers, in which the revolving cutters should travel in one direction only,
"but from its adaptability to all kinds of machinery, mechanism, and appliances in
"which ratchet-toothed wheels and pauls are used for maintaining a motion in one
"direction only, intermittent or continuous, among which may be mentioned wind-
lasses, ratchet braces, boring and drilling tool holders, riggers and strap pulleys of
shafting, driving wheels of lathes and sewing machines, barrels, or winding-up
portions, and other parts of clocks and watches and keys, for such and other
pieces of mechanism, the spheres being free to rotate in the deeper parts of
"the lug curves, when the wheel or the handle, as the case may be, is rotated in a
contrary direction.
"
st
«
"
"
By the use of the spheres, lug wheel, or disc, and the box with its unequal side
walls, a positive and instant bite is obtained when moving in one 'direction and
a silent or non-clicking action when moving in the opposite direction, there
being no springs, detents, or pauls, or ratchet teeth, as in machinery and
"mechanism at present known and constructed; thus all liability to get out of gear
or becoming deranged under changes of climate or of temperature are entirely
" obviated.
<
"For machinery in or to which endless chains, ropes, or cords are employed,
"such as for hoisting and lifting, the clutch box will be found of great service, as
by no unforseen circumstances save the breaking of the parts under excessive
strain can a retrograde movement take place without the will or the desire of
the attendant.
"
"
"
**
"Some examples of the foregoing pieces of mechanism to which the clutch is
applicable are shown in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, the first of which is a view of a
traversing jack, to the upper part of whose vertical screw a sphere clutch is fitted,
"thus dispensing with the ordinary ratchet wheel, paul, and spring, by which its
" rotative movement is obtained, á corresponding box or sphere clutch being upon
"the square on the left of the horizontal screw for traversing the jack in one
direction, the other end of the screw being also arranged for receiving the clutch
which is removable on to that end in the other direction, the clutch being so
"made that it can be put upon either end for working the screw.
"
"
"
"
"In some cases the vertical screw could have two sphere clutches upon it to
"work in opposite directions, when by removing the handle from one to the other
" and moving it to and fro in a circular direction the screw could be caused to rise
or descend as required. 1 have not shown two sphere clutches in position,
"but it will be understood that they can be arranged in the same cap upon the
head or the neck of the screw, both set of lugs being on the opposite faces of the
same disc, or otherwise, and with their curves in the opposite direction.
Figure 8 is a view of a 'capstan of windlass with the spheres and lugs arranged
"

page_text: "at the lower part in a horizontal manner, the spheres being preserved from contact
"with foreign bodies by the overlapping edge or lip of the capstan head, and into
which the unequal faced rim of the box takes.
"
Figure 9 represents a perspective view of the crank axle of, say, a sewing
"machine or à lathe with the band pulley or driving wheel fitted with four spheres
and lugs in a vertical position.
"
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a hand brace for drilling holes in metal
plates, the brace being held with the cutting tool in a vertical manner by the
" contact top and bottom between the arms of the frame, on the table of which the
plate to be drilled is laid.
"
«
"
"
"There is no limit to the number or the sizes of the spheres and lugs to be
employed in each box or clutch, but three or four of such, as shewn in Figures 5,
6, 11, and 12, are preferable, as in practice these have been found to answer every
expectation, but it will be understood that I do not limit myself to those numbers.
"The arrows in Figures 6 and 11 indicate the direction in which the box travels
" to take one or other of the spheres into the curved grooves of the lugs, or into
"which it or they fall, so that it or they become nipped between or are caused to
"bite, the two surfaces, against which it impinges for the purposes before
explained.
"
"
"
"
et
"A form of the draw bars of mowing machines, and their regulating clips, which
may be used, but to which no claim is herein made, is shown in Figures 1, 2,
"and 13. The draw bars or arms are bent into the form shown in Figure 1, where
they are connected or tied by a casting w, and also by the handle x, by which
"the machine is moved about as required. The lower ends of the bar z are
pivoted at A, and the height is determined by the clips B, which are upon the tie
rod C across the back of the machine, the clips having arins with slots or forks in
"them at different distances from the tie, so that the arms can be adjusted into
"either of them to suit the angle at which they are to be placed. In Figure 13 I
"have shown only one slot or fork to each arm of the clips, but others can be
arranged thereon if desired, the clips being retained in position by screw pins D, D,
" as seen in Figure 2, the inner ends of which are caused to bite the tie rod C.
"The main roller E is arranged between and is carried by lugs F depending from
"the side frames, the height of the cutting being determined by the height at
which the wheels d, d, are arranged in the grooves or recesses b, b, that is to say,
the lower the wheels d, d, are set the higher will be the cutting, and the higher
they are set in the grooves the closer to the ground will be the cutting; thus the
grass may be left one, two, or three inches high, or be only tipped by the machine;
or the cutting may be so close to the ground that the grass may be termed shaved
" clean off. The handle with the bars can be turned over the machine to the front,
so that it can be drawn along; or they may be set to the rear for the machine to
"be pushed along, as required; or the whole of the machine may be turned over
"when the leading wheels d, d, become the bearings wheels.
"
"
"
#f
"
"
kt
"There is of course no limit to the size of the machine, it not being restricted to
"the one shown for hand purposes, as it can be made large enough for ponies,
horses, or other animals, the main feature being the construction of lawn or grass
mowers containing the several parts herein-before referred to, by which great
advantages are gained over those at present in use, and in which there is a total
"absence of springs or other weak parts, which have proved so detrimental to the
"use and working of such machines hitherto.
"
"And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
"manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
"
Firstly. The construction of lawn mowing machines and the arrangement of
"the parts in the manner described, and shown in the Drawings.
"
Secondly. The employment of revolving cutter frames of skeleton form with
"curved blades attached in or to lawn mowing machines, substantially as described
"and shown in Figures 1 and 4 of the Drawings annexed.
"
Thirdly. I claim the clutch appliances, herein-before described, and shown with

page_text: "reference to lawn mowers, whereby a positive motion only in one direction is
obtained, for the purposes set forth.
"
"
Fourthly. I claim the combination of spheres, lugs, and an unequal box rim in
lawn mowing machines, working in the manner and for the purpose described,
whether the same be fitted in the manner set forth or otherwise.
<<
And, Fifthly. I claim the employment of spheres, lugs, and an unequal box rim in
"combination in any and every machine, mechanism, or appliance to which they are
available, substantially as herein-before described."
." In witness whereof, I, the said James Theodore Griffin, have hereunto set my
"hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March, One thousand eight hunderd
" and seventy-five"
I hereby grant my Fiat, giving leave to the above-named Thomas Coldwell,
President of the Chadborn and Coldwell Manufacturing Company, of Newburg, in
the United States of America, the assignees of the above-mentioned Letters Patent,
to file in the Great Seal Patent Office, with the Specification to which the same
relates, the above-written Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration.
JOHN HOLKED

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Theodore Griffin, of Upper Thames
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS
IN LAWN MOWERS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER
MECHANICAL APPLIANCES IN WHICH A ROTARY MOTION IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY
IS REQUIRED." -A communication from abroad by George L
Chadborn and Thomas Coldwell, of Newburg, United States of
America.
• !
ealed the 5th March 1872, and dated the 12th September 1871.
:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Theodore Griffin
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th September 1871.
•
I, JAMES THEODORE GRIFFIN, of Upper Thames Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LAWN MOWERS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
APPLICABLE TO OTHER MECHANICAL APPLIANCES IN WHICH A ROTARY MOTION IN ONE
DIRECTION ONLY IS REQUIRED," to be as follows :-
mi
1

page_text: compact, and more efficient in action than those at present in use, some
of the special parts being applicable to cranes, windlasses, ratchet braces,
boring tools, and other mechanical appliances.
The side frames which carry the rollers and cutters are cast with
recesses or grooves, in which leading wheels or rollers and revolving
cutters are adjustable. The cutters are strips of steel curved into a
spiral form for securing upon a cast-iron skeleton frame. The
mechanism by which the cutter frame is actuated is composed of
toothed band or frictional gearing, one wheel or disc of which has one or
more eccentric lugs on one face, the lug or lugs being grooved for the
reception of spherical bodies, which are free to roll into narrow parts of
the grooves to effect the working of the cutters when the machine is
travelling in one direction, and to stop the working when the travel of
the machine is reversed. One of the advantages in using the sperical
bodies in this manner is that a constant and effectual bite is obtained
without slip, and a cutting close up to a wall or other fixed object can be
accomplished. By simply giving a sudden impulse to the handle the
cutters continue to rotate after the machine is at rest, a speciality
possessed by no other mower at present known. The lug wheel is
pivotted on an axle pin and the spheres roll in or upon a cap or cover,
which prevents the entrance of cut grass to the mechanism.
The spheres and lug wheel are applicable to other mechanical
appliances to which a rotation (whether continuous or intermittent) in
one direction only is required, particularly to cranes, ships' windlasses,
ratchet braces, and boring tools. When the motion is continuous the
spheres form antifriction rollers.
The handle or draw bar is jointed to the main frame, and its height
can be regulated by means of clips on a rod.
The machine can be tilted to run upon the main roller when being
moved from place to place without cutting, or it can be turned up or
over to run upon the leading wheels for the same purpose, which wheels
may be at the side of or in advance of the rotating cutters.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Theodore Griffin in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
THEODORE GRIFFIN, of Upper Thames Street, in the City of London,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Theodore Griffin, Her special
licence, that I, the said James Theodore Griffin, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Theodore Griffin,
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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LAWN MOWERS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER
MECHANICAL APPLIANCES IN WHICH A ROTARY MOTION IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY IS
REQUIRED," (communicated to me from abroad by George L. Chadborn
and Thomas Coldwell, of Newburg, in the United States of America,.
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Theodore
Griffin, 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 Theodore Griffin, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :—
These improvements relate to the construction of lawn mowers and to
special parts of the same, whereby they are rendered lighter, more

page_text: compact, and more efficient in action than those at present in use, some
of the special parts being applicable to windlasses, ratchet braces, boring
tools, and other mechanical appliances.
3
The side frames which carry the rollers and cutters are cast with
recesses or grooves, in which leading wheels or rollers and revolving
cutters are adjustable. The cutters are strips of steel curved into a
spiral form, for securing upon a cast-iron skeleton frame. The
mechanism by which the cutter frame is actuated is composed of
toothed band or frictional gearing, one wheel or disc of which has one
or more eccentric lugs on one face, the lug or lugs being grooved for the
reception of spherical bodies, which are free to roll into narrow parts of
the grooves to effect the working of the cutters when the machine is
travelling in one direction, and to stop the working when the travel of
the machine is reversed. One of the advantages in using the spherical
bodies in this manner is that a constant and effectual bite is obtained
without slip, and a cutting close up to a wall or other fixed object can be
accomplished. By simply giving a sudden impulse to the handle the
cutters continue to rotate after the machine is at rest, a speciality
possessed by no other mower at present known. The lug wheel is
pivotted on an axle pin, and the spheres roll in or upon a cap or cover,
which prevents the entrance of cut grass to the mechanism.
The spheres and lug wheel are applicable to other mechanical
appliances to which a rotation (whether continuous or intermittent) in
one direction only is required, particularly to ships' windlasses, ratchet
braces, and boring tools. When the motion is continuous the spheres
form antifriction rollers.
The handle or draw bar is jointed to the main frame, and its height
can be regulated by means of clips on a rod.
The machine can be tilted to run upon the main roller when being
moved from place to place without cutting, or it can be turned up or
over to run upon the leading wheels for the same purpose, which wheels
may be at the side of or in advance of the rotating cutters.
The accompanying Drawings, Figures 1 and 2, represent how the
Invention is applied to a lawn mower; Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 being
detailed views of some of the parts for which special claim is made, as
indicated in the foregoing description.

page_text: a, a, represent the two side frames of cast metal, provided with
grooves or recesses b, b, in which the axes c, c, of the front or leading
wheels or rollers d, d, are adjustable by the nuts and screw bolts e, e,
the naves of the wheels being fitted over ferrules or collars, which are
upon the bolts, to give them freedom of action in turning at whatever
part of the grooves the bolts are fixed. These wheels are arranged one
on each side of the framing and in such a manner that they, with the
portions ff, in which they are fitted, can be thrown round, as shown
by the dotted lines, to enable the cutters to be worked, close up to a wall
or the border of a grass plot with facility, thus dispensing with the use
of the hand shears or the scythe to trim up those portions, as is usually
the case.
The revolving cutter axes 9, 9, arc arranged in socket
plates h, h, one of which is seen in Figure 3, the socket being free to be
moved between cheeks i, i, on each side of the plate, and in which they
are adjustable by screw bolts j, j, to determine the closeness of contact
with the fixed cutter blade k, which is secured to a transverse tie bar/
on the under side of the frame a, which cutter blade is of steel with an
upward chamfered edge for working in combination with the edges of
the revolving cutter blades m, m, these being arranged upon a skeleton
frame with two, three, or more ribs n, with the axes projecting from
cross bars o, o, at the ends, as seen in the detached perspective view,.
Figure 4. The socket plates h, h, work between cheeks, as before
mentioned, on the frame to preserve their vertical action, and they are
held to the frame by bolts being passed into slots .p, p. The revolving
cutters are driven in this case by toothed gearing through an inter-
mediate wheel and pinion 7, which receives its motion from a kind of
clutch box with spheres s, 8, arranged in the curved hollow portions of
lugs t, t, as seen in Figures 5 and 6, the lugs being on the inner face of
the first tooth wheel u for the purpose of obtaining the necessary grip
of the spheres in the hollows of the lugs when the rotation of the main
roller brings a narrowed portion of its box into contact with the spheres.
This clutch box with its lugs and spheres is an essential feature in this
Invention, not only from its special adaptability to lawn mowers, in
which the revolving cutters should travel in one direction only, but from
its adaptability to all kinds of machinery, mechanism, and appliances in
which ratchet toothed wheels and pauls are used for maintaining a
motion in one direction only, intermittent or continuous, among which
may be mentioned windlasses, ratchet braces, boring and drilling, tool
holders, riggers and strap pulleys of shafting, driving wheels of lathes.

page_text: and sewing machines, barrels or winding-up portions and other parts of
clocks and watches and keys, for such and other pieces of mechanism,
the spheres being free to rotate in the deeper parts of the lug curves
when the wheel or the handle as the case may be is rotated in a con-
trary direction. By the use of the spheres, lug wheel, or disc, and the
box with its unequal side walls, a positive and instant bite is obtained
when moving in one direction, and a silent or non-clicking action when
moving in the opposite direction, there being no springs, detents, or
pauls, or ratchet teeth, as in machinery and mechanism at present
known and constructed; thus all liability to get out of gear or becoming
deranged under changes of climate or of temperature are entirely
obviated. For machinery in or to which endless chains, ropes, or cords
are employed, such as for hoisting and lifting, the clutch box will be
found of great service as by no unforseen circumstances save the breaking
of the parts under excessive strain, can a retrograde movement take
place without the will or the desire of the attendant. Some examples
of the foregoing pieces of mechanism to which the clutch is applicable
are shown in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, the first of which is a view of a
traversing jack to the upper part of whose vertical screw a sphere clutch
is fitted, thus dispensing with the ordinary ratchet wheel, paul, and
spring by which its rotative movement is obtained, a corresponding
box or sphere clutch being upon the square on the left of the horizontal
screw for traversing the jack in one direction, the other end of the screw
being also arranged for receiving the clutch, which is removable on to
that end in the other direction, the clutch being so made that it can be
put upon either end for working the screw. In some cases the vertical
screw could have two sphere clutches upon it to work in opposite
directions, when by removing the handle from one to the other and
moving it to and fro in a circular direction the screw could be caused to
rise or to descend as required. I have not shown two sphere clutches
in position, but it will be understood that they can be arranged in the
same cap upon the head or the neck of the screw, both set of lugs
being on the opposite faces of the same disc or otherwise, and with their
curves in the opposite direction.
Figure 8 is a view of a capstan or windlass with the spheres and lugs
arranged at the lower part in a horizontal manner, the spheres being
preserved from contact with foreign bodies by the overlapping edge or
lip of the capstan head, and into which the unequal faced rim of the box
takes

page_text: Figure 9 represents a perspective view of the crank axle of say a
sewing machine or a lathe with the band pulley or driving wheel fitted
with four spheres and lugs in a vertical position.
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a hand brace for drilling holes in
metal plates, the brace being held with the cutting tool in a vertical
manner by the contact top and bottom between the arms of the frame,
on the table of which the plate to be drilled is laid.
There is no limit to the number or the sizes of the spheres and lugs to
be employed in each box or clutch, but three or four of such as shewn
is Figures 5, 6, 11, and 12 are preferable, as in practice these have been
found to answer every expectation, but it will be understood that I do
not limit myself to those numbers. The arrows in Figures 6 and 11
indicate the direction in which the box travels to take one or other of
the spheres into the curved grooves of the lugs, or into which it or they
fall so that it or they become nipped between or are caused to bite the
two surfaces against which it impinges. for the purposes before explained.
The next part of the Invention, referring to the draw bars of mowing
machines and their regulating clips, is shown in Figures 1, 2, and 13.
The draw bars or arms are bent into the form shown in Figure 1, where
they are connected or tied by a casting w and also by the handle,x, by
which the machine is moved about as required. The lower ends of the
bar z are pivoted at A and the height is determined by the clips B,
which are upon the tie rod C across the back of the machine, the clips
having arms with slots or forks in them at different distances from the
tie, so that the arms can be adjusted into either of them to suit the
angle at which they are to be placed. In Figure 13 I have shewn only
one slot or fork to each arm of the clips, but others can be arranged
thereon if desired, the clips being retained in position by screw
pins D, D, as seen in Figure 2, the inner ends of which are caused to
bite the tie rod C. The main roller E is arranged between and is carried
by lugs F depending from the side frames, the height of the cutting
being determined by the height at which the wheels d, d, are arranged
in the grooves or recesses b, b, that is to say the lower the wheels d, d,
are set the higher will be the cutting and the higher they are set in
the grooves the closer to the ground will be the cutting. Thus the grass
may be left one, two, or three inches high or be only tipped by the.
machine, or the cutting may be so close to the ground that the grass

page_text: may be termed shaved clean off. The handle with the bars can be
turned over the machine to the front, so that it can be drawn along or
they may be set to the rear for the machine to be pushed along as
required, or the whole of the machine may be turned over, when the
leading wheels d, d, become the bearing wheels.
There is of course no limit to the size of the machine, it not being
restricted to the one shown for hand purposes, as it can be made large
enough for ponies, horses, or other animals, the main feature being the
construction of lawn or grass mowers containing the several parts
herein-before referred to, by which great advantages are gained over
those at present in use and in which there is a total absence of springs
or other weak parts, which have proved so detrimental to the use and
working of such machines hitherto.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
Firstly. The construction of lawn mowing machines and the arrange-
ment of the parts in the manner described and shown in the Drawings.
Secondly. I claim the formation of grooves or recesses in the side
frames of lawn mowers, when such are employed for facilitating the
fixation of the revolving cutters and of the leading wheels, in the
manner and for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly. I claim driving the revolving cutters direct and from the
same side of lawn mowing machines as that from which the main power
is derived, as shown and described, and whether by tooth or frictional
gearing.
Fourthly. I claim fitting to the front of the frames of lawn mowing.
machines appliances for enabling the leading wheels to be swung round
to the rear so that the revolving cutters can operate close up to a wall
or other obstacle, substantially as described and shown.
Fifthly. The employment of revolving cutter frames of skeleton form
with curved blades attached in or to lawn mowing machines, substan-
tially as described and shown in Figures 1 and 4 of the Drawings
annexed.
Sixthly. I claim the clutch appliances hercin-before described and
shown with reference to lawn mowers, whereby a positive motion only a
in one direction is obtained, for the purposes set forth.

page_text: Seventhly. I claim the combination of spheres, lugs, and an unequal
box rim in lawn mowing machines, working in the manner and for the
purpose described, whether the same be fitted in the manner set forth or
otherwise.
Eighthly. I claim the employment of spheres, lugs, and an unequal
box rim in combination in any and every machine, mechanism, or
appliance to which they are available, substantially as herein-before
described.
And, ninthly. I claim the means or appliances for regulating the
incline or height of the handle by which lawn mowers can be moved,
particularly the forks of the adjustable clips, as described and shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 13.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Theodore Griffin, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of March One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.