A NEW OR IMPROVED PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTARY MOTION TO VARIOUS APPLIANCES, WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE METHOD of Sup- PORTING IT AND MAKING IT EASY OF MOVEMENT IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS OR NOT, AND FIRM WHEN REQUIRED
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Mabson at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 8th May 1876.
JOHN MANSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "A
NEW OR IMPROVED PORTABLE APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTARY MOTION
TO VARIOUS APPLIANCES, WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE METHOD of Sup-
PORTING IT AND MAKING IT EASY OF MOVEMENT IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS OR NOT,
AND FIRM WHEN REQUIRED."
My Invention relates to portable apparatus for transmitting rotary motion to
various appliances, such as horse grooming, hair brushing, and dock scrubbing
machines, drills, washing machines, sewing machines, and other like appliances, and
it relates more particularly to supporting the apparatus by the human body and
making it easy of movement in various directions when required, and firmn when
necessary.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a plate which is connected to a belt for
passing round the waist or other part of the human body. To the plato a disc
is attached by means of a swivel joint or other attachment which allows of tho
disc moving in various directions. The disc carries a bracket, between which and
the disc the inner end of a stem which carries the driving mechanism is received.
The bracket has projections which fit into recesses in the stem; a bolt passes
through the stem and through the bracket, and on this bolt is a spring which
clamps the stem to the bracket and holds the two firmly together while the pro-
jections in the recesses prevent the stein being raised or lowered in the bracket
when the apparatus is being worked In some cases I fit a spring catch on the
plate to take into the disc and prevent it moving when so required. At a con-
venient distance from the body the stem carries a driving wheel provided with
one or more crank handles for turning it, and a band from this wheel passes over
a pulley at the outer end of the stem to which the appliances to be driven aro
connected.
In the case of a grooming machine, for example, the grooming brushes may be
attached directly to the axle of this pulley; the same with a hair brushing machine,
but in this latter case the stem should be arched or bowed so as to pass round the
head, and it should carry an additional pulley to guide the band. Or the brush
may be held by an elastic band passing from an overhead shaft over the spindle
of the brush to support its weight at one end.

page_text: For driving a drill or boring tool the band from the driving wheel in the stem
passes over a pulley on the outer end of the stem, which pulley is mounted on the
same shaft as a bevel wheel in gear with another wheel on the tool shaft.
For driving the dolly of a washing machine a similar arrangement is adopted,
but for the purpose of steadying the dolly in the centre of the tub an upright is
added with a horizontal bar in or against which the dolly works.
For driving a hay making machine the outer end of the stem is forked, and
cach prong carries a wheel mounted on a spindle which passes through a hollow
axle or sleeve, which carries curved prongs or forks, the wheels keep these prongs
from the ground, and the prongs are caused to revolve quickly and scatter the
hay by the motion transmitted from the driving wheel on the stem to a pulley on
thoir axle.
For sewing machines the belt from the driving wheel on the stem is passed
over the pulley of the machine, and thus gives motion to the working parts of the
machine, the stem prevents the machine being drawn towards the operator.
In some cases the bracket may for convenience of movement be made without
the projections before described, a spring being, however, still employed to clamp
the bracket and stem together. Although I prefer the mode described of fastening
the stem to the body other modes may be adopted, such, for example, as ratchets
and pauls.