AN IMPROVEMENT IN CASTORS APPLICABLE TO TABLES AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1820

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HARCOURT, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brass Founder, send
greeting.
"WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-
first day of June, in the first year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said James Harcourt, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Harcourt, my
exors, admors, and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
CASTORS APPLICABLE TO TABLES AND OTHER ARTICLES;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said James Harcourt, shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease,
determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto
had; will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Harcourt, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the following descrip
tion thereof (that is to say):-
"My Improvement in Castors applicable to Tables and other Articles"
consists in the adaptation of antifriction rollers, which are intended to take of
the friction when the castors turn horizontally. The principal novelty of this
Invention, and indeed that alone which I claim, consists in a conductor or
guide plate, by which the action of the antifriction rollers are confined to a
certain course, and enabled to revolve without moving upon poles or axles,
but which improved contrivance will be fully understood by the Drawing
annexed and following description, the same letters respectively referring to
the same parts in every Figure, (that is to say):
Figure 1 is a representation of a round socket castor complete. Figure 2
is a representation of the same sort of castor, the socket being cut in half, so
as to shew it in section, by which the situation of the antifriction rollers are
seen. (a) is the guide plate, an edge view of which without the antifriction
rollers is shewn at Figure 4, and a plan or view looking down upon the same
at Figure 5. The rollers are represented at b, b, b, which in Figure 2 are
seen to be spherical. Figure 6 is the guide plate detached from..tlie-upper
part of the castor, with the balls of the rollers situate in the circular spaces in
which they are intended to work. Figure 7 is one of the balls or spherical
rollers detached: Figure 3 is a. representation. of a castor similar to
Figure 1 and: 2 (but in this a part of the socket, to avoid the bottom;. is
removed, for the purpose of shewing the action of the antifriction rollers
and guide plate. Here the antifriction rollers are seen to be cylindrical,
differing from the form of the roller before described, but either of these forms
are equally applicable to the contrivance above explained, and I use. balls: or
cylinders with scarcely any preference. Figure 8 shews a plan view of a
guide plate-suited to carry cylinders. Figure 9 is the same as Figure 6, with
the cylindrical rollers in their places. Figure 10 is two views of the cylin-
drical roller detached. By the above description, and reference being made
to the Drawing, the construction of my improved castor will be understood,
and its action as follows:-The leg of a piece of furniture being fitted into
the socket, its weight would rest upon the plate of the wheel carriage c, and
as the castor turned horizontally very considerable friction would take place,
but to prevent this the antifriction rollers are so placed that by bearing upon the
bed d, and receiving the whole weight of the socket by its false bottom e, e,

page_text: the antifriction rollers b, b, b, conducted by the moving guide plate a, take off
the friction which would otherwise be produced by the bearing of the socket
upon the pin f, or upon the plate of the wheel carriage c.
Having thus explained fully the construction and action of my improved
castor, and also that I claim simply the manner in which my antifriction
rollers work in a moving guide plate or conductor, Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9,
or letter a, Figure 2 and 3, it is only necessary further to say, that the same
contrivance is applicable to the various kinds of castor with either round or
square socketts, or to any other description of castor for claw or paw furniture,
and indeed of fancy castors of every description, to all of which my improve-
ment may be modified.
And lastly, that I manufacture my said improved castors of such materials
as are generally used for making castors (viz³) principally of brass and iron,
but it may be found advantageous to make the antifriction rollers of such
metal or compound of metals as are least liable to rust or canker.
In witness whereof I affix my signature, this Fourteenth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1820, the aforesaid James Harcourt came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to
the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty.