IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Stephen Rintoul, of Edinburgh, North Britain,
but temporarily of 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 27th January 1874, and dated the 9th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Stephen Rintoul at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th August 1878.
I, STEPHEN RINTOUL, of Edinburgh, North Britain, but temporarily
of 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for “ IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER," to be as follows, that is to say :-
-
The object of this Invention is to obviate the great loss of power
which is now incurred in transmitting motion by means of cranks, and
the Invention consists in a peculiar construction of apparatus or
mechanism to be employed as a substitute for the crank in changing a
rectilinear motion to a rotary motion, and is applicable to steam, gas,
and other engines, and to machinery generally.

page_text: The improved apparatus or mechanism is constructed of two racks
fixed on the end of the piston rod of the engine or other rod having an
alternate rectilinear motion; these racks are connected together at top
and bottom, and are placed on opposite sides of the shaft to which a
rotary motion is to be given; the inner edges of the said connecting
pieces are made of a semicircular form; on the said shaft, and between
the racks, is keyed or otherwise suitably fixed a wheel having teeth on
half its circumference only. On the shaft is fixed an arm having a
projection, which projection, at the end of the up-and-down strokes of
the piston rod, comes against a suitably placed elliptical shaped cam
piece for passing the dead points.
The apparatus acts as follows:-The piston rod moving upwards, one
of the racks gears into the teeth of the herein-before described wheel,
and thereby moves the shaft half a revolution, the piston rod then
moving downwards, the rack on the other side of the shaft will gear into
the teeth of the said wheel and complete the revolution of the shaft, and
so on for each up-and-down stroke of the piston.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Stephen Rintoul in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th February 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, STEPHEN
RINTOUL, of Edinburgh, North Britain, but temporarily of 4, South
Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of August, in the year :
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Stephen Rintoul, Her
special licence that I, the said Stephen Rintoul, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Stephen Rintoul, {
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

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING MOTIVE POWER," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Stephen Rintoul, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument 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 Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Stephen Rintoul, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :—
The object of this Invention is to obviate the great loss of power
which is now incurred in transmitting motion by means of cranks, and
the Invention consists in a peculiar construction of apparatus or
mechanism to be employed as a substitute for the crank in converting a
reciprocating rectilinear motion into a rotary motion applicable to steam,
gas, and other engines, and to machinery generally.
The improved apparatus or mechanism is constructed of two racks
fixed on the end of the piston rod of the engine or other rod having a
reciprocating rectilinear motion; these racks are connected together at
top and bottom, and are placed on opposite sides of the shaft to which a
rotary motion is to be given; the inner edges of the connecting pieces
of the said racks are made of a semicircular form; on the said shaft,
and between the racks, is keyed or otherwise suitably fixed a wheel
having teeth on half its circumference only. On the shaft is fixed an
arm having a projection or friction wheel, which projection or friction
wheel, at the end of the up-and-down strokes of the piston rod comes
against a suitably placed elliptical shaped cam piece or parabola for
passing the dead points.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, I will now proceed
to more particularly describe the same and the manner of carrying it
into effect by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1
is a front elevation of my improved apparatus or mechanism for changing
a reciprocating rectilinear motion into a rotary motion; Figure 2, side

page_text: elevation of same. A, A, are the two racks connected together at top
and bottom, the inner edges of the connecting pieces being semicircular,
as shewn at B, B; C is a piston rod of an engine (or other rod having a
reciprocating rectilinear motion). The racks are connected to one end
of this rod; D, is the shaft to which a rotary motion is to be given, and 1
which is placed between the racks A, A; E is the wheel keyed on the
shaft D, and having teeth on half its circumference only. On the shaft
D is also fixed the arm F, having a friction roller G at its outer end.
This friction roller G works against the outer edge of the elliptical
shaped cam or parabola H fixed outside the racks. The outer edges I, I,
of the racks move in suitable guides.
The apparatus acts as follows:-The piston or other rod O being moved
upwards, one of the racks A, A, gears into the teeth of the wheel E and
causes it; and thereby the shaft D, to rotate a half revolution; the piston
rod C, having completed its upward stroke commences its downward :
stroke, and the cam or parabola H moving with it will by means of the
friction roller G and arm F carry the shaft D over the dead point,
whereupon the other rack A will take into the teeth of the wheel E and
complete the revolution of the shaft, the dead point being passed by the
action of the cam or parabola H as before described, and so on for each
up-and-down stroke of the piston or other rod.
Having thus described my said Invention, and the best means I am
acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to bo under-
stood that I lay no claim to the herein-before described racks and partly
toothed wheel, but what I do claim is, the combination with a double
rack and partly toothed wheel of an arm having a friction roller or
projection working against a cam or parabola for converting a recipro-
cating rectilinear motion into a rotary motion, substantially as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof I, the said Stephen Rintoul, have hereto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.