IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNITURE
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Parry, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of
CASTORS."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNITURE
Sealed the 16th July 1872, and dated the 24th January 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Parry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th January 1872.
I, JOHN PARRY, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS ÎN
FURNITURE CASTORS," to be as follows:-.
-
This Invention is intended to be applied principally to what are known
as socket castors such as are used for sofas, tables, and chairs, and is
designed for the purpose of lessening the strain upon the pin or peg..
upon which the castor turns, and also upon the "horn" so as to cause
the castor to turn more freely than heretofore, and also to lessen its.
liability to breakage..

page_text: The Invention consists in casting or forming on the upper part of the
"horn" a vertical or slightly inclined prop, the upper end of which
carries a friction roller or wheel which runs against the lower side of a
This prop
circular projection or flange at or near the top of the socket.
acts as a strut or support between the centre of the bowl of the castor
and the upper part of the socket, and thus neutralizes the leverage that
usually exists owing to the distance of the centre of the bowl from the
centre of the peg, and by these means the peg and the "horn" are both
relieved of the greater part of the strain, the castor turns and runs
much more freely and is not so liable to be broken or wrenched from the
leg of the sofa, table, or chair, as frequently happens with castors made
in the usual way
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of, the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Parry in the Great Seal. Patent Office on the
24th July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
PARRY, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting."
WHEREAS Her most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her, heirs, and successors,,
give and grant unto me, the said John Parry, Her special license

page_text: that I, the said John Parry, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said John Parry, 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 FURNITURE CASTORS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Parry, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Scal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Parry, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to
> say):
*
This Invention is intended to be applied principally to what are known
as socket castors such as are used for sofas, tables, and chairs, and is
designed for the purpose of lessening the strain upon the pin or peg
upon which the castor turns, and also upon the "horn so as to cause
the castor to turn more freely than heretofore, and also to lessen its
liability to breakage.
"
The Invention consists principally in casting or forming on the upper
part of the "horn" a vertical or slightly inclined prop, the upper end of
which carries a friction roller or wlieel which runs against the lower side
of a circular projection or flange at or near the top of the socket. This
prop acts as a strut or support between the centre of the bowl of the
castor and the upper part of the socket, and thus neutralizes the
leverage that usually exists owing to the distance of the centre of the
bowl from the centre of the peg, and by these means the peg and the
"horn" are both relieved of the greater part of the strain, the castor
turns and runs much more freely, and is not so liable to be broken or

page_text: wrenched from the leg of the sofa, table, or chair, as frequently happens
with castors made in the usual way.
The edge of the friction wheel and the under side of the flange may
be either made flat or bevilled as may be preferred, but I prefer to use a
grooved friction wheel running upon a raised rim.
It will be evident that by a very slight modification this Invention is
equally applicable to plate castors, such as are used for bedsteads and
other articles of furniture, the required modification being that the prop
is shorter, and the friction wheel runs on a rim on the plate outside
the screw holes, or if a plain or ornamental rim is used round the plate,
then the friction wheel may run on the said rim.
In a modification of the Invention a pin or peg is attached firmly to
the leg of the table or other article of furniture by means of a plate
provided with a projecting rim, and upon this pin or peg revolves a
socket or cup, the upper part of which carries a grooved friction wheel
or wheels on which the rim of the plate bears, and in the lower part is
mounted the bowl or running wheel of the castor.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Furniture Castors," I will now proceed to describe more in detail
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood
I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and
have marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding
with those in the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawing is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a front
view of a socket castor such as is used for sofas, chairs, and other articles
of furniture made according to my Invention. a, a, is the socket for
fastening it on to the leg of the furniture; b, b, is the horn; c, c, the
peg or pin, and d..d, the bowl or running wheel. I provide the horn
with a forked prop or strut e, e, (by preference cast in one piece with it)
and carrying at its upper end a grooved wheel f, f, running on a raised
rim g, g, cast on the socket a, a. I would here remark that although
in Figs. 1 and 2 this rim is shown as cast at the top of the socket, yet it
may if preferred be placed lower down as shown by the dotted lines, in

page_text: Secondly. With respect to Fig. 4, I claim the combination of the prop
or strut e, e, and grooved friction wheel ff, with the raised rim g, g,
cast with or driven tight on to the leg of the metal bedstead; and,
Thirdly. With reference to Fig. 5 I claim the combination of the
fixed peg c, c, together with its plate i, i, and rim g, 9, with the revolving
socket k, k, carrying the grooved friction wheel f, f, and the bowl or

page_text: running wheel d, d, all substantially as and for the purposes herein-
before more particularly set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Parry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witnessed by
JOHN HUGHES,
Clerk to George Davies, C.E.,
Patent Office,
JOHN AYDON,
Manchester.
Cabinet Maker.
JOHN PARRY. (L.S.)'