Year: 1886

page_text: I LEON LEWIS of Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, Merchant do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a method of attaching casters to furniture and the
like by means of a spring catch arrangement or arrangements whereby the casters
can be applied to or removed from articles of furniture in a simple and expeditious
nanner and are much less liable to become detached than casters fixed in the
ordinary manner.
In carrying out my invention I take an ordinary socket caster the said socket
being provided with one or more holes similar to the ordinary screw holes. In the
leg of the article of furniture horizontal holes are provided corresponding with the
holes in, the socket the holes in the said legs being adapted to receive spring
catches in such a manner that when the caster is placed on the leg the said catches
will project into the holes of the socket and hold the same firmly.
In some cases I find it advantageous to apply a spring to the interior of the
socket of the caster acting as a catch to take into a groove in a pin or stud passed
through the hole in the caster and the leg of the article. Or the spring may be
adapted to a pin or stud to be passed through the socket of the caster and the leg
of the furniture or the said pin may be split so as to act as a spring.
Dated the 0th of Mamah 1000

page_text: Improvements in Attaching Casters to Furniture and the like.
I LEON LEWIS of Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, Merchant, 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 relates to a method of attaching casters to furniture and the like,
by means of a spring catch arrangement or arrangements, whereby the casters can
be applied to or removed from articles of furniture in a simple and expeditious
manner, and are much less liable to become detached than casters fixed in the
ordinary manner.
In carrying out my invention I take an ordinary socket caster, the said socket
being provided with one or more holes similar to the ordinary screw holes. In the
leg of the article of furniture horizontal holes are provided corresponding with the
holes in the socket the holes in the said legs being adapted to receive spring
catches in such a manner that when the caster is placed on the leg, the said catches
will project into the holes of the socket and hold the same firmly.
In some cases I find it advantageous to apply a spring to the interior of the
socket of the caster, acting as a catch to take into a groove in a pin or stud passed
through the hole in the caster and the leg of the article. Or the spring may be
adapted to a pin or stud to be passed through the socket of the caster and the leg.
of the furniture, or the said pin may be split so as to act as a spring.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 représents
a sectional elevation of the lower end of the leg of an article of furniture shewing
my improved spring catch arrangement applied thereto. Figure 2 represents an
inverted sectional plan of the same on the line A, B, of figure 1. Figure 3.
represents a sectional elevation of an ordinary socket caster, but adapted so as to
engage with the spring catch arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 4 is
an inverted sectional plan of the same on the line C, D, of Figure 3. Figure 5
represents a sectional elevation of the end of the leg of the article of furniture
shewn in Figure 1, engaging by means of the spring catches, the caster shewn in
Figure 3. Figures 6 to 18, represent views illustrating various modifications of
the arrangement- shewn in Figures 1 to 5 as hereinafter described. Similar
reference letters refer to similar or corresponding parts throughout the several
figures of the drawing.
Referring to Figures 1 to 5, a, represents the holes formed in the socket caster b,
as shewn in figures 3 and 4, which are adapted to engage with the spring catches c,
shewn in figures 1 and 2. The spring catches c, are formned of short pins as shewn
and are mounted in tubes d, fixed in horizontal holes at right angles to each
other in the end e, of the leg A of an article of furniture the said end being
reduced and tapered so as to fit the caster b; coil springs f, are placed between the
spring catches c, so as to cause them to project beyond the ends of the tubes, for
the purpose of engaging with or into the holes a, in the caster, the catches c,
having pius g, engaging with slots , in the tubes d, thereby limiting the outward
11.ovement of the said catches. When it is required to engage the caster b, with

page_text: the end é, of the leg A the spring catches c, must be pressed in by hand or other-
wise and the caster slipped on to the end e, till it abuts against the shoulder i,.
formed by the reduced end e, of the leg A, the spring catches will then engage.
with the holes a, in the caster b, thus securely fixing the same as shewn in
Figure 5. To disengage the castor it is only necessary to press the spring catches.
in, as herein before described and the said caster can be removed.
Although I have shewn two tubes d, in Figures 1 to 5 it will be obvious that.
I can use one only. In Figure 6, which is a similar view to Figure 5 but shewing
only one tube d, I have represented the spring catches c, slightly reduced at their
outer ends so as to form shoulders c¹, the holes a, in the caster b, being made to fit
the said ends. By this arrangement I am enabled to dispense with the pins h and.
slots g, shewn in Figures 1, 2, and 5, for when the caster b, is placed on the end e,.
of the leg A the shoulders c¹, will abut against the inside of the caster, thus
limiting the outward movement of the said catches c. Figure 7 represents a
similar view to Figure 6 but is shewn slightly modified, the tube d, being
dispensed with, and one of the springs catches c, prolonged slightly and hollowed
out as at c², so that the other spring catch c, can slide telescope-wise in it and
abut against the spring f, which is placed in the said hollow part c². I sometimes
arrange three spring catches with hollow parts c², as last described, to fix the
caster to the leg A. To accomplish this, I bore three radial horizontal holes about
equi-distant on the periphery of the end e, of the leg "A, into each of which I put
a coil spring, one end of which abuts against the end of the hole and the other end
into the hollow spring catch, which is also placed in each of the radial holes.
The caster has also three holes bored to correspond with and fit the reduced parts
of the spring catches, and can be fixed to or removed from the leg A as described
with reference to Figures 1 to 5.
In Figure 8 is represented a vertical section of another modification, in which
I dispense with the two spring catches c, and coil spring f, shewn in Figures 1, 2,
5, 6 and 7 and use a pin or stud c, the said pin or stud extending right through
the tube d, and projecting beyond the periphery of the caster b, when fixed in
place. In the pin c I form a longitudinal groove c³, in which I fix one end of a
spring f, the other end being free and slightly curved as shewn. The spring f
thus serves when the caster is placed on the end e, of the leg A to hold the pin or
stud c, in position, by reason of it pressing friction wise on the inside of the tube d,
as shewn. Figure 9, represents a longitudinal section and Figure 10 a cross
section of the pin or stud c, when out of engagement with the tube d. Figure 11
is a part similar view to Figure 8, but shewing the tube d, dispensed with and the
free end of the spring f, as engaging with a recess j, in the hole in which it slides.
Figure 12 is a similar view to Figure 8, and Figure 13 is an end elevation
shewing the pin or stud c, formed with a circumferential groove c, which is
adapted, when the said pin is in place, to engage with a forked spring k, acting as
a catch which is securely fixed to the interior of the caster b. In the drawing
I have shewn the forked spring k, as being fixed above the pin or stud c, but it
will be obvious that it can be fixed below it. Figure 18 represents a longitudinal
elevation of the pin or stud c, shewn detached. Figures 14 and 15 are similar
views to Figures 12 and 13 but shewing the pin or stud c, split as at m, so as to
act as a spring. The pin c, is formed with a head l, the body of the said pin being
made parallel with the exception of a grove l, which is made near the other end
of the pin thus forming a head 1. One of the holes a, in the caster b, is formed
cylindrically of the same diameter as the body of the pin c, the other hole a¹,
however is made slightly oval or having two opposite sides a³, a², nearer together
than the other two as shewn in Figure 15 or in Figure 16, which is a part similar
view to Figure 15 shewing the hole more clearly. The head 1, of the pin c, is so
formed that when the sides of the split m, are compressed the said head will just
pass through the oval hole a¹, in a certain position. By compressing the sides of
the split m, of the pin or stud c, and passing the said pin into the tube d, so that
the end , of the pin c, is adjacent to the hole a, of the caster, the said pin will

page_text: expand and the head 12, rise so as to project beyond the edges a², a², of the hole a¹,
thus preventing the pin c, from being forced out without compressing the split
part m; to permanently secure the said pin however from being taken out, it is
only necessary to turn the pin a quarter turn as will be obvious.
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.:
1. The method herein described of fixing casters to furniture by the use of a
spring catch arrangement, substantially as herein before described.
2. The manufacture and use for fixing casters to furniture, of the various spring
catch arrangements herein before described and illustrated in the several figures of
the accompanying drawing.