Certain Improvements, in Furniture Castors.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Certain Improvements, in Furniture Castors.
I, JOHN PARKER, of 47, Oxford Street, Caldmore, Walsall, Staffordshire,
Ironfounder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
This invention has reference to furniture castors of that kind in which balls are
interposed between the circular top plate of the horn piece which carries the rolier
and the underside of the plate or socket hy which the castor is fixed to the
furniture leg these halls. resting in an annular groove formed in the underside of
the fixing plate.or socket and in the upper side of the plate of the horn piece the
object of the balls being to reduce the friction of the moving parts and diminish
the strain on the central pin of the fixing plate about which the horn piece turus.
Heretofore it has been customary for the fixing plate or socket to be made with an
annular downwardly projecting rib or rim within which the circular plate of the
horn piece fits and rotates. and the said circular plate has been turned on the edge
and the inside of the rim of the fixing plate or socket bored to suit. This has
added somewhat to the expense of making the castors and has also prevented the
horn piece turning freely.
Now according to one part of this invention instead of making the underside of
the fixing plate or socket with the projecting annular rib.or rim as heretofore
I dispense entirely with the rib or rim. making both the underside of the fixing
plate or socket and the upper side of the circular plate of the horn piece perfectly
flat except that they are both made with an annular groove in which the rollers
revolve. I thus considerably cheapen the cost of making the said castors, and
ensure the circular plate and horn piece always working freely about the central
pin. Moreover it is an easy matter to oil the balls in a castor constructed
according to my invention which can only be effected in those as heretofore made
by turning the article of furniture upside down and pouring the oil down between
the inside of the annular rib and the outside of the circular plate of the horn
piece.
According to another part of this invention. I make the fixing plate of rather
larger diameter than the circular plate of the horn piece and I hevel off the edge
of the former so that it has the appearance of an inverted truncated cone.io.the
sides of which are formed the holes for the fixing nails or screws which are thus
driven into the furniture leg.io a direction inclined towards the centre of the same
and the beads.of the screws or nails are perfectly free from .contact with the
moving circular plate of the horn piece.
Dated this 21st day of January 1896.

page_text: Certain Improvements in Furniture Castors.
I, JOHN PARKER, of 47, Oxford Street, Caldmore, Walsall, Staffordshire,
Ironfounder, 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 :-
This invention has reference to furniture castors of that kind in which balls are
interposed between the circular top plate of the horn piece which carries the roller
and the underside of the plate or socket by which the castor is fixed to the
furniture leg these balls resting in an annular groove formed in the underside of
the fixing plate or socket and in the upper side of the plate of the horn piece the
object of the balls being to reduce the friction of the moving parts and diminish
the strain on the central pin of the fixing plate about which the horn piece turns.
Heretofore it has been customary for the fixing plate or socket to be made with an
annular downwardly projecting rib or rim within which the circular plate of the
horn piece fits and rotates and the said circular plate has been turned on the edge
and the inside of the rim of the fixing plate or socket bored to suit. This has
added somewhat to the expense of making the castors and has also prevented the
horn piece turning freely.
Now according to one part of this invention instead of making the underside of
the fixing plate or socket with the projecting annular rib or rim as heretofore
1 dispense entirely with the rib or rim making both the underside of the fixing
plate or socket and the upper side of the circular plate of the horn piece perfectly
flat except that they are both made with an annular groove in which the rollers
revolve.
This will be clear by an examination of the accompanying drawing on which
Fig. 1 is an elevation of a furniture castor constructed according to this
invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same;
Fig. 3 is a plan of the horn piece separately and
Fig. 4 shews a slightly modified form of the castor.
The same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the
figures of the drawings.
A is the fixing plate of the socket or castor and B is the circular plate of the
horn piece turning on a central pin D which connects the plate or socket A and
the horn piece B together. The adjacent surfaces of these plates are made flat
except that both of them have an annular groove in which the balls C of the
castor fit and revolve, the groove in the plate A being marked a' and the groove
in the plate B being marked b. The horn piece B carries the usual roller E
between the horns 63.6. By making the fixing plate or socket A without the
usual annular downwardly projecting rib or rim around the same the cost of
making the fixing plate or socket A and of the horn piece B are reduced as the
edge of the plate B does not have to be turned nor is there any rim round the
plate or socket A to be bored for the plate B to fit into. The horn piece B will
also always turn freely upon its centre pin D and balls C as it cannot become
locked or bound to the plate A as sometimes happens when the latter is made with
the projecting annular rib for the plate B to fit in. Moreover it is an easy matter
to oil the balls Ciu the castor constructed as above described as there is a narrow
space between the upper side of the plate B and the underside of the plate A in
which the oil can be inserted, whereas in the ball bearing castors constructed as
heretofore the oiling can only be effected by turning the article of furniture
up-side-down and pouring the oil between the inside of the annular rib and the
outside of the circular plate of the horn piece.
According to another part of this invention I make the fixing plate A. of rather

page_text: larger diameter than the circular plate B of the horn piece and I bevel off the
edge a of the former as shewn on my drawings and in this bevelled edge are
formed the holes e for fixing the nails or screws which are thus driven or screwed
into the furniture leg G in a direction inclined towards the centre of the same and
the heads of the screws or nails are as shewn perfectly free from contact with the
moving circular plate B of the horn piece.
When the castor is required to be fixed to the leg by upright screws this can
readily be done by making the plate B of the horn piece with a hole 6 for the
screws to be passed through in succession into the screw holes in the socket or
fixing plate A said holes being arranged within the circular path a' of the balls as
shewn in Fig. 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a ball bearing furniture castor the combination of the horn piece B
carrying a roller made with annular path 6' for the balls, the fixing plate or
socket A connected by a central pin to said horn piece and made with an annular
path a' for the balls but otherwise flat underneath so as to expose the balls to
view, and a set of balls fitting in said annular paths between the plate or socket A
and the horn piece B, all substantially as described and illustrated by the
accompanying drawing.
2. In a ball bearing furniture castor the combination of the horn piece B.
carrying a roller made with annular path b¹ for the balls, the fixing plate or
socket A connected by a central pin to said horn piece and made with an annular
path a' for the balls but otherwise flat underneath so as to expose the balls to
view, and made with an outwardly bevelled edge above the horn piece and with
fixing screw holes in said bevelled edge, and a set of balls fitting in said annular
paths between the plate or socket A and the horn piece B, all substantially as.
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1895.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,.
Agent for the Applicant.