Improvements in Machines for Testing Muscular Power.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1886.
Complete Left, 4th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 6th Sept., 1887
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Testing Muscular Power.
I, PERCIVAL EVERITT, of No. 47, Cannon Street, in the city of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of a machine adapted for testing the
muscular power exerted by a person in the act of pulling in a horizontal or nearly
horizontal direction and whilst in a sitting or reclining position, the object of the
invention being to provide a machine which will allow of bringing into play muscles
which cannot be brought into play by the use of known machines.
For this purpose I provide a seat which may advantageously be a sliding seat such
as is used in rowing boats in connection with a foot rest or stretcher which may be
adjustable. The handle or handles of the machine is or are arranged in the line of
the draft so as to allow of obtaining a direct pull: these handles which are adjustable
are suitably connected by means of rods, levers or otherwise to a spring or weight
which forms the resistance, the said handles being also connected to an indicating
apparatus. Or an arrangement may be added whereby the indication of the power
exerted is only disclosed on the application of a coin or token to be placed in the
apparatus.
Dated the 3rd dox of Dessous 1000
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Testing Muscular Power.
I, PERCIVAL EVERITT, of No. 47 Cannon Street, in the City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to the construction of a machine adapted for testing the
muscular power exerted by a person in the act of pulling in a horizontal or nearly
horizontal direction and whilst in a sitting or reclining position, the object of the
invention being to provide a machine which will allow of bringing into play muscles
which cannot be brought into play by the use of known machines.
For this purpose I provide a seat which may advantageously be a sliding seat such
as is used in rowing boats in connection with a foot rest or rests or stretcher or
stretchers which may be adjustable. The handle or handles of the machine is or are
arranged in the line of the draft so as to allow of obtaining a direct pull: these
handles which are adjustable are suitably connected by means of rods, levers, or
otherwise to a spring or weight which forms the resistance, the said handles being
also connected to an indicating apparatus. Or an arrangement may be added whereby
the indication of the power exerted is only disclosed on the application of a coin or
token to be placed in the apparatus in a manner similar to that described in the
Specification of Page's Letters Patent dated the 20th October 1885, No. 12576.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawings in which figure 1 represents a
front elevation of a machine for testing muscular power constructed according to my
invention and adapted to indicate the power exerted only on the insertion in the
apparatus of a coin or token; figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section, and
figure 3a sectional plan of the same; figure 4 is a front elevation drawn to a larger
scale of part of the apparatus a portion of the casing being removed in order to shew
the indicating mechanism; figure 5 is a horizontal section on line A B of figure 4,
and figure 6 is a vertical section on line CD of figure 4. Similar letters in all the
figures represent similar parts.
a, represents the seat on which the person testing his muscular power sits, the said
seat being shewn arranged to slide on a pedestal or stand b, in a similar manner to
the sliding seat of a rowing boat; c, is a platform on which the pedestal or stand b, as
well as the muscular power testing and indicating mechanism is mounted; d, d, are
the foot rests or stretchers; e, e, are the handles of the machine which are arranged
in the line of the draft as shewn clearly in figures 2 and 3 so as to allow of obtaining
a direct pull; the handles e, are carried by a screw threaded rod f, working in the
hollow rod or tube which slides in a cylinder h, fixed to the pillar or standard i, of
the machine; by means of this screw-threaded rod the handles e, can be adjusted to
suit the person who grasps them in order to test his muscular power; j, is the spring
to which the handles e, are connected by means of the rod or tube g, the said spring

page_text: forming the resistance to the power applied to the handles e; a flange k, on the inner
end of the rod or tube y, forms a kind of piston between which and the cap or
cover 1, of the cylinder 1, the spring j, is compressed. To the inner end of the rod
or tube g, is attached a cord m, passing over a pulley n, and up through the pillar or
standard i, into the casing o, containing the indicating mechanism shewn in figures 4, 5,
and 6; the cord m, there passes around and is attached to a grooved wheel P: fixed
upon a hollow shaft or sleeve 9, which turns upon an arbor q', having its bearing in
the framer, of the mechanism, and carrying the index s, which moves over a dia! t,
placed outside the casing o, of the apparatus and serving to indicate the said muscular
power; pinions u, and u¹, are respectively fixed on the sleeve q, and arbor q', and
gear into quadrants e, and v¹, on arms w, and wl, pivotting at a, and ', and provided
with counter-weights y and y; the arm we, carries the receptacle or bucket, for the
coin a (shown in dotted lines at figure 4); the bucket, has an open top and is
normally situated immediately below a shoot b', extending from a slit c', in the
casing o, of the apparatus as shewn in figures 4, 5, and 6; the bottom of the bucket,
is provided with an opening d', (shewn in dotted lines at figure 5) which is partly
closed by a pivotted block e, carrying an arm or counterweight f; the opening d', is
just of sufficient length to allow the coin a', to pass through when the block el, is
rotated clear thereof as hereinafter described; to the bucket, I pivot at g¹, an
arm, which is normally kept in position across the opening d¹, by an arm, having
a counterweight but which is moved out of this position by the weight of the coin
entering the bucket 2,
the counter-weight then being brought immediately over the
arm w, so that when the arm w, is depressed by the grooved wheel p, rotating when
the handles of the machine are operated, the arm w¹, will be caused to descend also
and operate the index s, so as to indicate the force exerted; the shoot b¹, is formed
with an opening ', in its bottom of such a size that any coin smaller than the size of
the predetermined coin will pass through the said opening into the apparatus without
operating the parts.
will
When the force exerted on the handles e, ceases the counterweights y, and y',
raise the arms w, and w³, whereby the bucket z, will be raised and the index s, carried
back to zero; 1, is a finger or catch working loosely within the pivot m', of the
block el, and resting upon a bar or projection n³, on the block in such a manner that
when the bucket 2, with a coin therein, is lowered by the handles e, being operated
the finger or catch , will by coming in contact with a series of pins or catches o¹, on
a curved bar pl, fixed to the frame r, of the mechanism, be raised and pass by the
pins o; when however the bucket, is raised by the release of the handles E the
finger or catch, will be brought into contact with the underside of the pins o', and
being thereby pressed down will press down the bar or projection n', and rotate the
block e, out of the opening d', into the position shewn in dotted lines in figure 4;
the coin will then be free to pass out of the bucket, into a drawer ¹, or other
suitable receptacle; s¹, is a loose marking hand or pointer which is carried along by
the index s, and remains at the point to which it has been so moved until replaced at
zero by a person using the machine or otherwise; by this means the muscular power
exerted by the person using the machine remains indicated upon the dial t, after the
index s, las returned to zero which it does directly the handles e, are released.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the arm w, can operate
independently of the arm w¹, and therefore if the grooved wheel p, be rotated by a
person pulling the handles e, when no coin has been inserted in the apparatus the
arm w, would be depressed without carrying with it the arm w¹, and the force exerted
would not therefore be indicated.
In a machine of this construction if a person desire to test his muscular power a
coin or token of predetermined value or size must be passed through the slit c', and
will fall into the bucket, and by its weight will move the arm h³, from across the
opening d', in the bottom of the bucket, and the counter-weight will be thereby
moved immediately over the counterweighted arm w', as shewn in figure 4. The
person then sits upon the seat a, places his feet on the foot rests or stretchers d, and
pulls the handles e, towards himself in a horizontal or nearly horizontal direction ;

page_text: the spring, will by this means be compressed to a certain extent according to the
force or power exerted and the hollow rod or tube g, with the piston k, will be moved
outwards to a corresponding degree; this extent of movement will be communicated
by the cord m, and grooved wheel p, to the counter-weighted arms w, and w¹, and to
the index s, and loose marking hands, which in this manner will indicate on the
dial t, the power exerted by the person using the machine, and at the same time
the bucket, will have been lowered. Upon the person releasing the handles the
hollow rod or tube g, will resume its normal position and the arms w, and w¹, as they
are raised by their counterweights y, and y', will respectively raise the bucket z, and
carry back the index s, to zero; the bottom of the bucket as the latter rises will be
fully opened by the finger or catch, coming against the pins o¹, as herein before
described and illustrated by the dotted lines in figure 4 and the coin will be discharged
into the drawer. If a smaller coin or token than that predetermined should be
dropped through the slit c', it would simply pass through the opening ¹, in the
shoot, into the drawer, without operating the mechanism and the slit c', is of
such a size as will not admit of the introduction of a larger coin or token than that
required.
Although I have described and illustrated my improved machine for testing
muscular power provided with mechanism whereby the indication of the power
exerted is only disclosed on the insertion in the apparatus of a coin or token I do not
in all cases desire that the indication shall be dependent on such a condition and it
will be obvious that in such cases it will be only necessary to dispense with the coin
bucket and parts for operating the same or connected therewith..
It will be obvious that instead of using a fixed dial and a moveable handle or
pointer that a rotating dial can be used which will act in a similar manner to the
finger but that the dial itself will rotate and a fixed point or opening in the machine
will show the indication, which dial may be made to return to zero when the person
using the machine leaves off pulling, or may be so arranged as to return to zero by
means of a knob carried to the front of the machine.
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. A machine for testing muscular power such as is herein described so arranged
that by its use those muscles are brought into play which are exercised in the act of
pulling in a horizontal or nearly horizontal direction and whilst in a sitting or
reclining position.
2. In a machine for testing muscular power the combination with the hereinbefore
described pulling mechanism of a sliding seat and foot rests or strotchers and
mechanism for indicating or disclosing the muscular power exerted with or without
an arrangement for operating the machine on the introduction of a coin or its
equivalent.
3. The machine for testing muscular power such as is herein described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 4th day of August 1887
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.