IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF CONVERTING RECI- PROCATING OR RECTILINEAR MOTION INTO ROTATORY MOTION
Year: 1853

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Schmollinger and
Edward Grainger Smith at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd August 1853.
We, WILLIAM SCHMOLLINGER, of Gracechurch Street, in the City of
London, Gentleman, and EDWARD GRAINGER SMITII, of Lambeth, in
the County of Surrey, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF CONVERTING RECI-
PROCATING OR RECTILINEAR MOTION INTO ROTATORY MOTION" to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists in a peculiar arrangement of a drum, cylinder,.
or conc, having a male or female screw formed either on the external
or the internal surface, such screw returning backwards into itself, and
furnished with a suitable guide or slide piece working on or within the
thread of the screw in such manner as to convert reciprocating or rec-
tilinear into rotatory motion.
And for the better understanding of our said Invention we will now
proceed to describe the same, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and the letters and figures marked thereon.
Fig. 1, is a top view or plan of the screw grooved cylinder A, B,.

page_text: showing the ends of two grooves, one 13, C, ending at 15, the other
D, a, ending at a, and entering B, C, at the point b. E, is the slide
piece, of which the cud a, may be supposed to have travelled from
D, to B, and is now ready to start reversed with the end b, directed to
the course C.
Fig. 2, is a side view of Fig. 1, showing the groove B. D. curved
from D, to A, on the front side, the other groove being continued in
like manner on the opposite side of the cylinder. E, is the sliding piece
which works in the groove A, D, B; and the opposite groove A, C, B,
not seen in this view. The slide E, is attached by a stem c, to the
block F, moving in proper guides; and it is provided that E, shall
have a semi-rotatory motion, turning on the connecting stem or pillar c,
to the angle of the groove, and easily taking the reversing action at
the proper end of the line C, or D, while the block F, moves continually
in the straight line of the parallel guides G, H, and this motion of F,
may be given by any of the usual applications of steain or other power.
The slide piece E, formed solid in pieces or with friction rollers is of
width sufficient to fill and yet slide freely in the screw grooves, and its
length is so proportioned that, supposing it to trace the course D, to B,
it would be immediately inverted by entering the groove C," B, at the
point b, and thereby be carried to B, ready at the next stroke to slide.
from B, to C, and onward to the under side of A, where the same:
operation would be repeated, but in a reverse course, so as to direct the
slide piece E, into the next channel A, D, B. By these operations of.
the slide piece the cylinder A, B, performs a complete rotatory move-.
ment on its axles A', B'.
:.
The screw grooves A, C, B, and A, D, B, are represented termi-
nating on the upper right-hand side end of the cylinder, and on the.
lower left-hand side end in a permanent cliannel, by which to continue
the slide piece E into the adjoining groove. By such an arrangement
the motion could not be reversed. Therefore, for the purpose of readily.
reversing, we recommend two moveable plugs shown by the circles
A, B, Fig. 1, properly grooved and reversable by tappets at the sides.
We would here observe, that we have thus only shown one. revolution
for thic stroke of the piston rod, but two revolutions may be obtained by

page_text: the thread of the screw crossing and returning into itself. In cases
where there might be great resistance to overcome, and where it was
desirable to obtain more rubbing surface, two parallel threads of screws
may be formed on the cylinder, and also to give a larger bearing to the
slide or roller E, the screw (if female) might be run out beyond its
point of intersection.
Our Invention being one of very general applicability may be con-
siderably modified in its arrangements to accommodate it to the required
object. It may be adapted to the marine engine for propelling pur-
poses, and also to locomotive and stationary engines, as well as to
shafting actuated by water, wind, or animal power. It is suitable
likewise for the action of boring tools, or punching and stamping:
presses, and also for hand drills and the like lesser tools.
Having thus described our Invention, we wish it to be understood
that we do not confine ourselves to cylinders, cones, or other forms of
drums, nor to the kind of screw, whether on the surface or the within
side of the drum; neither do we restrict ourselves to the number or
form or angles of the threads of the screws so made for the purposes
described, nor to the materials or dimensions of the same; and we do
declare that what we claim as our Invention is, namely:-
The converting of reciprocating or rectilinear motion into rotatory
motion by means of cylinders, cones, or drums provided with curved
external or internal grooved or raised guide courses operated on as
described.