Improvements in Apparatus for Utilizing the Weight of Living Beings, either Alone or in Combination with their Strength.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by C. H. F. RUSSMANN, Engineer, and A. KOHLSAAT,
Merchant, in Hamburg, Germany.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Utilizing the Weight of Living
Beings, either Alone or in Combination with their Strength.
I, HUGH DONALD FITZPATRICK of 70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Registered
Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention has for its object to construct an apparatus in which the weight
of human beings alone or in combination with their strength, is so utilized as to
produce a motive power. The apparatus is, preferably, so constructed, that the
motive power obtained may be changed, according to convenience, into either
rectilinear or circular motion. It is constructed so as to avoid dead-points.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood, I have here-
uuto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon:-
Fig. 1 is a side view of one form of the apparatus.
Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of the same.
Fig. 4 is a side view of another construction.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4.
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In this invention two levers, plates or platforms are connected by a pair of
Nuremberg-shears or "lazy-tongs," in such a manner that, by the living being
changing the weight from one lever, plate or platform to another, one of the shears
is extended, whilst the other is drawn together.
Referring to the drawings:-
The apparatus consists of two plates, or platforms A, B, which are each connected
with a pair of shears, in such a manner that when one of the plates is pressed down
by the living weight, the shears connected with it will collapse, while the shears
connected with the other plate, will be extended. To enable this to be done, the
plate B is connected with the foundation or bottom plate C, by bending-levers b, b³.
In order that a proper lifting and lowering of the plate B may be obtained, it is, or
should be, furnished with a guide of any suitable form. No guide is shown on the
drawing, as it may be of any suitable and well-known construction. The centre-
points of the bending-levers b. b, are connected, by guide bars c, c, with the lowest
link of the shears, which consists, as usual, of single connectiag links or levers d, d'.
The guide bar is connected to the centre-point of the bending-lever d' of the
shears and the guide bar e' is connected to the centre point of the bending-lever d.
With this arrangement, as will be seen, on pressing down the plate B, the bending
levers, are folded together, and as a consequence, through the medium of the
guide bars c, c', the centre points of the bending-levers dd, are pushed outwards
or away from one another and the links of the shears D are thus, on the principle
of the lazy-tongs, collapsed or compressed together, as shown at Figs. 1 and 2. As
is well understood, the longer the shears D is, the greater will be the distance
travelled by the centre-point of the uppermost link of the shears, when the shears
is compressed or extended.
The upper link of the shears D has a chain, rope or strap E connected to it,
which passes over a pulley or wheel F, to the other pair of shears D', actuated by
plate A. The plate A. is furnished with bending-levers, similar to the plate B.
The collapsing of the shears D pulls down the chain E and thereby pulls up or
extends the shears D¹.
If the living weight now steps from the plate or platform B on to the plate or

page_text: platform A, it thereby presses it down, thus collapsing the shears D', pulling the
chain E in a reverse direction, and extending the shears D.
Now we may suppose that a man stands with one foot on plate A, and the other
foot on the plate B and alternately rests his weight first on one foot and then on
the other. By so doing he will alternately press down the plates A and B and as
a consequence alternately collapse and extend the shears D, D. Each collapsing
of one of the pair of shears, effects a long pull on chain E and consequently, if
the wheel F is connected in such a manner with a machine that the pull of the
chain gives to the shaft a continuous rotary motion, then this rotation will be
maintained by the person merely transferring his weight from the plate A to the
plate 13 and vice versa. As the pull of the chain can be made of any desired length,
since it depends only on the number of links in the shears, the small work given to
the plates is made to produce very great effects and, as the pull acts on the
circumference of a circle, it is easy for the constructor to change every single pull,
by corresponding choice of size of wheel, into a slow or speedy rotation of the
shaft.
The chain wheel may be so connected to a driving wheel or shaft that only the
pull of one pair of shears will produce the rotation of the driving wheel, whilst
the other pair of shears is simply used to re-stretch the first shears; or the chain
wheel and driving wheel may be so connected, by any suitable mechanism, that the
turning forwards and backwards of the chain wheel may be converted into a
continuously turning motion of the driving wheel.
As the conversion or utilization of the motion forms no part of my invention, any
suitable mechanism may be employed for the purpose. I have therefore avoided
describing any special mechanism for converting the motion, so as not to obscure
the important features of the invention, by describing a well-known contrivance.
C
In the description of the apparatus, shown at Figs. 1 to 3, the shears were
collapsed by pressing down the plates A and B and in this way a series of forcible
pulls was effected, but in a similar manner the pressing down of the plates might
be made to extend the shears D, D', instead of collapsing them. To effect this the
guide bar is connected to the centre of the bending lever d whilst the guide bar c
is connected to the centre of the bending lever d. Now, when the weight is put
upon the plate A, or upon the plate B as the case may be, the levers d, d', are
pushed together and the shears consequently extended. In this case the alternate
extension of the shears D, D', may communicate motion to long racks working on
a cog wheel.
As mentioned at the beginning of the Specification, the strength of the living
person may be made to act in conjunction with his weight. When this is desired,
and if a man represents the living weight, it is only necessary to arrange a lever,
such as F, on cach plate A and B. The levers are fulcrummed to the plates, and,
at their lower ends, are connected to either the guide bar c¹ or c. The man stands
with one foot on both plates A and B and places one hand on the lever on plate A and
the other on the lever on plate B. By pressing or pulling these levers, alternately
in the direction of the arrow, and, at the same time, transferring his weight in the
manner hereinbefore described, he increases the power exerted on the shears by
his weight, by the strength he exerts on the levers F¹. As both forces act at the
same time and in the same way, on the shears, his weight and his strength are both
utilized to perform work.
Should it be desired to use the power of beasts in addition to their weight, it is
easily done by putting the animal on moving plates, which, of course, are, as before,
arranged in such a way that the animal acts alternately on both plates.
The mechanism designed for animals is illustrated at Figs. 4 and 5. It consists
of two plates A and B, placed one beside the other. The plates are similar to
those at Figs. 1, 2 and 3 but may be longer, as shown. On the plates A and B are
fitted smaller sliding plates A and B. These plates slide on rollers or balls on
the plates A and B and are, by means of chains or ropes, connected with the centre
points of the bending levers of two pair of shears in a similar manner to the

page_text: contrivance already described, with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. If the animal is
placed so that two of its feet are on plate A' and two on 13, and is urged forward,
he will lean forward in the harness but, as he cannot proceed, his whole force will
be exerted on the rolling plate A' and will push it backwards at the same time
his weight forces down plate A. This motion of the plate A is made to press or
pull a lever, in a similar manner to the lever F of Fig. 1, so that, as before, a
united action of weight and force is applied to the shears.
:
The
The feet of the animal, which were resting on plate A³, go backwards with the
plate and, as a consequence, the animal puts forward the other feet, that is, he
steps forward.
But with these feet he will step on plate B', which is arranged
exactly similar to plate A' and is connected with the second pair of shears.
plate B consequently goes down, and, at the same time,fthe plate B' is pressed
backwards by the feet of the animal standing on it, so that the weight and force
are transferred to the second shears. When the plate B' is pushed back, by the
stepping of the animal, the plate A' is pushed forward. The animal, in stepping
forward, alternately pushes the plates A and B' backwards, and it therefore makes
a stepping movement, without stirring from the spot, as the motion is taken up by
the plates A and B.
In Figs. 4 & 5, two pair of plates A' and B' are shown, so that two horses or
other animals may be made to work the machine.
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 :-
1. A mechanism for utilizing the weight of living beings to produce motion,
consisting of two plates, platforms or levers, on which the living weight presses or
acts alternately, each plate, platform or lever being connected with a pair of
Nuremberg shears or lazy-tongs in such a manner, that, when the weight is
transferred, from one plate, platform or lever to the other, the shears are
alternately collapsed and extended or vice versa, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. In mechanism of the class set forth in Claim 1, the arrangement of levers (F¹)
on the movable plates (A, B) so that, by pulling or pressing the levers, the shears
are acted on in the same manner as by pressing on the plates.
3. The combination with the movable plates platforms or levers (A, B) of sliding
plates A', B', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 12th day of December 1891.
H. D. FITZPATRICK.