Improvements in Ball Casters.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 16th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Casters.
I JOHN TOм DICKINSON of Collingham in the County of Nottingham Joiner
and Builder do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
The object of my invention is to provide a ball caster for use with all articles of
furniture and otherwise that shall be extremely efficient and convenient as in this
caster it will be almost if not quite impossible that the ball will become jammed or
will stick but rather on the other hand in this caster the ball will always move very
freely.
To carry out this object I make an ordinary caster of any suitable material and
of any desired shape and size and in the upper part of this caster is the ordinary
socket which receives the end of the leg of the article of furniture or of the other
thing to which this caster is to be applied and in the lower part of this caster is the
ordinary recess or cup which receives the ball of the caster and which ball may be
made of any suitable material and of the desired size and this ball is retained in its
desired position in the cup by the usual ring which screws on or otherwise is secured
to the edge of the cup. In the upper part of the cup I make a concentric annular
groove of a semicircular cross section or thereabouts and in this groove I place
three or more steel or other balls against which the upper surface of the large ball
in the cup bears and through which therefore the weight is carried and to ensure
that these three or more balls are always in their proper and arranged for relative
positions in the groove I interpose between each adjacent two of these balls one or
more other and smaller steel or other balls which are of such a size that while they
do not bear any of the weight which is solely carried by the three or more larger
balls horizontally they so nearly fill up the annular groove in the cup that the
bearing balls are always kept at the desired distance apart and it is obvious that all
these balls aforesaid that so nearly fill up the annular groove must and do help cach
other and therefore the large ball of the caster freely to move as is desired.
Dated this oath of A 1901
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ball Casters.
I JOHN TOM DICKINSON of Collingham in the County of Nottingham Joiner
and Builder 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 :-
The object of this my invention is to provide a ball caster for use with all articles
of furniture or otherwise that shall be extremely efficient and very convenient and
appropriate for such use as in this my caster it will be almost even if not quite
impossible that the ball will become jammed or will stick as is so objectionably
common and prevalent in and with ordinary ball casters but rather on the other
hand in this my caster the ball will always move very freely.
In order the more clearly to explain this my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I refer to the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 1 is a
vertical section of this my improved ball caster and Figure 2 is an horizontal
section of the same taken at a b'in Figure 1.

page_text: The caster A is made in any ordinary manner of any suitable material and of
any desired shape and size and in the upper part of this caster A is formed the
ordinary socket B that receives the end of the leg of the article of furniture or of
the other thing to and for which this caster is to be applied and used and in the
lower part of this caster A is formed the ordinary recess or cup D that receives the
ball E of the caster and which ball E also may be made of any suitable material
and of any desired size proper for the caster and this ball E is or may be retained
in its required and necessary position in the cup D by the ordinary ring F that
screws on or otherwise is secured to the edge of the cup D or any other usual or
suitable arrangement or device may be employed and used to retain the ball
properly in the cup as is desired.
In the upper part of the cup D I create a concentric annular groove H that may
be of a semicircular or any other suitable shape in cross section as may be desired
for the purpose hereinafter stated and may be of such a diameter and of such a
depth and breadth as may be required or may be suitable in each particular case
and in this groove H I place three or more balls K made of steel or other suitable
hard material against which alone the upper surface of the large ball E in the
cup D bears and through which therefore the weight of the article of furniture or
other thing to and for which this caster is applied and used is solely carried and to
ensure that these three or more balls K are always in their proper and arranged for
relative positions I interpose between each adjacent two of these balls K one or
more other and smaller balls M that also may be made of steel or other suitable
hard material and which are of such a size in respect of or in comparison to the
balls K that while they do not bear any of the weight that as is hereinbefore stated is
solely carried by the three or more larger balls K horizontally and annularly they
yet so nearly fill up the remaining portion of the groove H in the cup D that the
bearing balls K are always kept at the desired distance apart from each other
whereby the weight is supported equably fairly and vertically from and by the
large ball E.
The balls E K and M may be of any desired proportionate sizes but it is in most
cases convenient that the balls K should not be of a very large size so that the
groove H need not be very deep and broad whereby the size of the caster is not of
necessity unduly or even at all increased and although any number of balls K not
less than three may be used as is herein before stated it is not desirable to use a very
large number whereby the area of the bearing surfaces and therefore the friction
between the ball E the balls K and the walls of the groove H would be increased
and I may mention that in many cases I consider it is very convenient that five
bearing balls K should be used as is shewn in the drawing so that while these
balls K are not of a very large size and therefore the groove H is not very deep
and broad yet this groove H can be of a considerable diameter whereby the bearing
of the weight is obviously distributed over a comparatively large part of the upper
surface of the ball E to the manifiest advantage of this caster in use and wear and
the balls M whether there be one or more interposed between each adjacent two
balls K may be of any size that may be required horizontally and annularly nearly
to fill up the groove H after the balls K have been properly placed therein provided
they are of such a smaller size that they do not and cannot bear any of the weight.
As also is hereinbefore stated the groove H may be of a semicircular or any other
suitable shape in cross section and I may mention that I consider the shape shewn
in the drawing is very convenient as in and by this shape the area of the bearing
surfaces obviously is diminished whereby the friction between the balls K and the
walls of the groove H is lessened and this is desirable but the groove H may also be
created of any other sectional shape as may be deemed expedient in each and every
particular case.
In this caster therefore the balls K and M when so constructed and arranged as
hereinbefore described in the annular groove H must and do help and cause each
other and therefore also the large ball E always very freely to move as is desired,

page_text: 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
In a caster the combination in and between and with the ball E and the cup D
thereof of the balls K and M in the annular groove H substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described and declared.
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