IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING, PRESERVING, AND REGULATING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Samuel Daniels at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 19th November 1880.
"E
SAMUEL DANIELS, of Leigh, in the County of Lancaster. IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING, PRESERVING, AND REGULATING
MOTIVE POWER."
My Invention consists of a novel arrangement of machinery or apparatus for
obtaining, preserving, and regulating motive power, and making it applicable for
turning machinery by the combined action of the wind and gravitation.
In carrying out my Invention I construct a vertical chamber to a desired height
in the air with a framework near the top, fitted up with pulleys set one behind.
the other. At the bottom there is a weight inside the chamber with pulleys
attached to it also set one behind the other and an endless hoist chain stretched
several times from the top pulleys to the bottom pulleys, so as to form what is
known as a "pulley block" or "tackle."
There is a breech or hole in one side of the chamber to admit of the endless
chain passing out and round a hoist pulley, keyed on a shaft which gives motion to
the working parts of the machinery.
"
This shaft is fitted up with a hoist pulley and toothed wheels and pinions like
clock work, and it is governed on the working shaft with two bevil or spur wheels,
which give motion to a "governor " of any suitable known construction, in connection
with which is a lever working a spring break acting against a pulley on the same
shaft. On this shaft there is also keyed a toothed wheel from which the machinery
may be driven direct. At the top of the chamber above the clock work before
mentioned there is a hoist pulley round which the endless hoist chain passes,
this chain being the same which passes round the block below. Fixed on the
same shaft is a toothed wheel gearing with a pinion which serves to wind up the
clock work below. The toothed wheels with pinions reach to the centre of the
frame and the centre of the chamber. The shaft on which the last pinion is keyed
has a bevil or spur wheel on it, and a ratchet wheel and a catch to prevent it from
running down again. At the top of the chamber above the framework before
mentioned there is a horizontal wind mill placed on a vertical shaft mounted in
the centre of the frame above the middle of the chamber, and near the bottom of

page_text: this vertical shaft there is placed a sliding catch with a groove in the middle which
always revolves with the wind mill, and under this sliding catch there is a bevil
wheel which has two notches formed on the back thereof. This bevil wheel fits
quite loosely on the vertical shaft, and gears with the bevil wheel on the horizontal
shaft mounted in the frame below it. These bevil wheels do not revolve until the
sliding catch driven by the wind mill falls on the first one and takes it round with
it. By this means the weight is raised by the winding up of the clock work or
tackle by the wind mill, and thus the power of gravitation of the weight is
stored up or preserved for future use.
The sliding of the catch is effected by a spring lever which extends nearly the
length of the frame, and has a hole formed in the middle of it to fit in the groove
in the middle of the sliding catch. The spring lever works on a stationary fulcrum
at one end, and in the middle it fits loosely round the slide catch, and at the
other end of it is suspended a rod which goes down below the frame work, and as
soon as the weight has been raised to the point of the suspended rod it will force
the sliding catch out of gear and stop the raising up of the weight, and let the
wind mill go free.
This brings the toothed wheel into action, and the catch connected therewith
prevents the weight from running down again till the gravitation or working part
of the apparatus is set in action and lowers the weight down below the point
of the suspended rod, and the wind-mill will then be put in gear again.
Thus it will be seen that the gravitation of the weight on the endless chain will
always be keeping the machinery in motion, and that as soon as the weight in
descending falls below a certain point it puts the windmill into gear with the
hoist pulley and winds the weight up again, so as to keep the power preserved.
When the weight is raised to the top of the chamber it is held there, and if there is
sufficient wind to work the machinery the weight remains stationary, and the
machinery is turned by the wind alone, but as soon as the force of the wind
diminishes the gravitation of the weight comes into action and keeps the machinery
in motion, and thus the power is maintained by the combined action of the air
upon the windmill and the gravitation of the weight on the endless chain.