Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Dec., 1888
HERBERT YOUNG DICKINSON 140 Inverness Terrace Bayswater London, W.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
From a rope tightly stretched, one end of which is higher than the other, so as to
form an incline, I suspend a pendulum, the rod of which has two branches which end
in separate points of support a little distant from one another on the tight-rope.
The directions of oscillation of the pendulum are towards the ends of the tight-rope.
It will now be seen that if the pendulum oscillates it will be supported on each arm
of the rod alternately. In one of the arms, which I will call Arm A for distinction,
I make a joint, so that it can bend either way in the plane of oscillation of the
pendulum, and I provide a small weight or spring to keep it bent at the joint, so that
the two points of support are brought closer to one another. If I now set the
pendulum in oscillation, when the point of support is on arm A the weight of the
pendulum bob will cause this arm to straighten, and thus separate the two points of
support, throwing the fixed arm forward, which in the return swing of the pendulum,
will give its support lower down on the tight-rope, and arm A being relieved of
weight will bend again, this movement continuing at each oscillation of the pendulum,
forms a kind of escapeinent, the motive power of the movement being derived from
the descension of the weight down the inclined tight-rope by steps. In some cases I
fix a figure of a man or other animal above the tight-rope, one leg being fixed to
each point of suspension of the pendulum, which when the pendulum is in oscillation,
gives a walking movement to the figure. In other cases I fix a car, which will
descend the tight-rope by steps. I do not confine myself to using a rope, but any
other inclined surface, such as a rod or board will answer the purpose.
Dated this Second day of January 1888.

page_text: I, HERBERT YOUNG DICKINSON, of 140 Inverness Terrace, Bayswater, London, W.
Engineer, 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 :-
From a rope tightly stretched, one end of which is higher than the other, so as to
form an incline, I suspend a pendulum, the rod of which has two branches which end
in separate points of support a little distant from one another on the tight rope.
The directions of oscillation of the pendulum are towards the ends of the tight rope,
it will now be seen that if the pendulum oscillates it will be supported on each arm
of the rod alternately.
In one of the arnis, which I will call arm A for distinction, I make a joint, so that
it can bend either way in the plane of oscillation of the pendulum, and I provide a
small weight or spring to keep it bent at the joint, so that the two points of support
are brought closer to one another. If I now set the pendulum in oscillation, when
the point of support is on arm A, the weight of the pendulum "Bob" will cause this
arm to straighten, and thus separate the two points of support, throwing the fixed
arm forward. which in the return swing of the pendulum, will give its support lower
down on the tight rope, and arm A being relieved of weight will bend again.
This movement continues at each oscillation of the pendulum and forms a kind of
escapement, the motive power of the movement being derived from the descension
of the weight down the inclined tight rope by steps.
In some cases 1 fix a figure of a man or other animal above the tight rope, one leg
being fixed to each point of suspension of the pendulum, which when the pendulum is
-in oscillation, gives a walking movement to the figure. In other cases I fix a car,
which will descend the tight rope by steps. I do not confine myself to using a rope,
but any other inclined surface, such as a rod or board will answer the purpose.
My invention will be understood by the annexed drawings, in which at Figures 1
and 2, I show the figure of a man suspended from a rope L by loops or hooks A, E,
from the hands. The feet are weighted at K, K, to serve as a pendulum "Bob" and
one arm only is jointed to the shoulder of the body, so that as the body oscillates to
the rear, the jointed arm Ę creeps up to the fixed one A and as the body swings to
the front, the hook A of the fixed arm lifts and moves to a fresh place on the rope
and so on in succession.
The jointed arm has a weight G attached, the bulb of which is slightly in
advance of the centre of suspension in order to carry the rear arm forward at
each lift.
At Figures 3 and 4 1 show the figure of a man above the rope L and the positions
the legs of the mau come to while the weighted rod is oscillating, and at Figure 5 1
show the figure of a horse. A, A, are two arms formed by looping a wire, the lower
ends of this loop are bent at right angles backwards as rods B, B, and terminate in a

page_text: curl or eye at C, C, into which the lower ends D, D, of a similar shaped loop E are
passed and form a joint, one of the ends of the loop E stops short but the other has
an extension F bent forward and has a weight G on its end.
One of the lower bars B has either by a return rod H or affixed to it by solder,
a weight I preferably on the upper part of an extension wire J serving as a pendulum,
the lower end of which has a balance or swinging weight K, which when set
swinging or oscillating, causes when in the forward stroke, the loop A to lift from
the cord L and at the same time to travel forward, the other loop E being in contact
with the cord L as a fulcrum, the loop A thus moving to an extent due to the arc
of vibration of the pendulum.
The pendulum J, K, in the return or backward stroke transfers the fulcrum point
from the back loop E to the front loop A and as the pendulum travels through the
return arc of vibration, it causes the back loop E to lift from the cord T. the small
weight G, then by descending causes the back loop E to move towards the front loop,
whereby a succession of steps are made by the two loops, which when the figure of a
man or of an animal is affixed to the two loops, give the legs the appearance of
walking on a stretched cord like that of a tight rope walker.
In the case of an animal, as at Figure 5, I attach the two hind legs to the body
by separate pins, so that when the appliance is fitted on the inclined cord the
swaying to and fro of the pendulum weight causes the loops to move in a similar
manner to that before described, whereby an animal, say, a horse, is represented as
walking down a tight rope by a step by step movement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. As a tight rope walker moving in a step by step manner, a suspension figure,
having one arm only, jointed to the body and the weight G arranged in advance of
the suspension centre as set forth and as shown at Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed
drawings.
2. In connection with an automatic tight rope walker, the appliance, shown at
Figures 3, 4 and 5, composed of two loops A, E. the short weighted lever F, the back
loop E, the pendulum J, K, and the front loop A, all acting in the manner and for
the purposes described.