Improvements in Spring Motors.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1891-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Spring Motors.
I, JAMES ANSLEY ADAMS, of 117 West Fair Street, in the City of Atlanta,
State of Georgia, United States of America, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MOTORS" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the class of motors in which the power is stored in
springs to be applied at the will of the operator, the object being to simplify such
devices and reduce friction therein to a minimum, the details of construction
whereby these ends are attained being hereinafter fully specified and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device with the upper half of cover of the
casing removed, showing the interior construction.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the device as seen in Figure 1 further illustrating
the elements therein shown.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the centre of the springs and the gears
on the spring shafts.
In these figures like reference marks indicate corresponding parts in all the
views.
The casing A' may be made of any form desired and of wood or metal it being
preferable that it he adapted both in form of construction and material to the duty
which the motor is to perform and the position it is to occupy. The shafts A
and A' are journalled in suitable bearings in or on the casing and have loosely
fitted thereon the gears a and a' respectively; to which are attached the spring
barrels B having secured thereto in any suitable manner, the outer ends of the
springs b, their inner ends being secured to the shafts A and A¹. In the construction
shown the ends of the barrels B opposite the gear a and a¹ are journalled on the
shafts by means of cross-bars 6', which are secured to the said barrels each having
a hole for the insertion of the shaft. The gears a¹ and a mesh respectively with
other gears a' and a on the shafts A and A' respectively which gears a' and a³ have
a greater number of teeth than the gears a and a¹. The gear a³ is tight on the
shaft but the gear a² is loose thereon, but revolves with the shaft A in one direction
by reason of the engagement of the spring-pressed pawl a on said wheel with the
teeth of the wheel a which is secured to the shaft A beside the wheel a³. The
pinion c on the shaft C which shaft is journalled in the casing is caused to engage with
the gear a in winding the motor the shaft D and the wheels a¹ and a³, carrying the
spring actuated pawl at of the motor being held stationary by the application of
the hand to the wheel d while the operation of winding takes place. The shaft C
is adapted to move endwise in its bearing and is, together with the gear, held
normally withdrawn from contact with the gear a' by a spring c¹ one end of which
is confined to the shaft C and the other bears on the box wherein the said shaft is
journalled. The said shaft C is adapted to receive on its outer end a key or crank
for purpose of winding.
A shaft D is carried in bearings on the casing or other suitable position having a
fly-and-band-wheel d thereon, and a pinion d engaging with the gear a² or other
wheel as may be found most convenient, the size of the said wheel d¹ being governed,
as are all the others, by the spring power and speed it is required to obtain.
The operation of this device is as follows:-
To wind up the motor, the shaft C is pressed inwardly so as to cause the gears a
and to mesh, by a crank previously placed on its end and, while the motion of the
gears a' and a is prevented, the said shaft C together with the wheel c is revolved

page_text: so as to turn the wheel as in the direction of the arrows / in Figure 1 or in other
words, to be more specific, the revolution of the shaft C, carrying gear e meshing
with the gear on the shaft A will apply force to the springs on said shaft A,
through which springs and their drum and the gear a secured to said drum, the
power will be transmitted to the gear a secured on the shaft A' which will 5
obviously wind the corresponding springs on the said shaft; the outer ends of the
said springs being held stationary by means of their attachment to drum, the said
drum being held by the engagement of the gears a' and 'the latter of which is on
the band wheel shaft, which should be held by the application of the hand to the
band wheel d. Thus both sets of springs will be wound and kept at a balance 1
which balance is retained until both are exhausted. After the winding shall have
been accomplished to the desired extent the shaft C is allowed to be returned by
the spring c¹ to its normal position when the motor is free to run as follows:-
The power which it is possible to obtain from this device is governed by the
differentiality of the gears a and a³ a¹ and a' the power being exerted by the
springs through the gears a and a' which are attached to the spring barrels and
mesh with the gears a² and a³ and are slightly smaller in diameter than said gears a²
and a³, and hence will revolve said gears and the shafts A and A' at a slower
speed thus winding back into the springs part of a gross power exerted thereby
and by means of a gear d' meshing with the desired one of the other gears the
power extensively exerted forming the remainder after the subtraction of the
proper ratio of differentiality.
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 :-
1st. In a device of the class specified, the shafts A and A', the two gears of
larger diameter each secured to one of the said shafts and two gears of smaller
diameter each running loosely on one of said shafts, the barrels B B, secured to
the said smaller gears, and the springs winding on each of the said shafts and within
the said barrels and attached at their outer ends to the said barrels substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
2nd. In a device of the class specified, as a means for utilizing a multiplicity of
springs, the combination of the shaft A carrying loosely mounted thereon a gear a,
the shaft A' having a gear a secured thereto and a gear a¹ loosely revolving, the
barrels B, B, secured to the gears a and a¹ and the springs secured to and adapted
to be wound on said shafts and within the barrels B, B, their outer ends being
secured to the said barrels, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
433
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.