Improvements in Tops or Toys.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1991-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tops or Toys.
I THOMAS SAUNDERS of 38 Wyndham Road Cardiff in the County of
Glamorgan Engineer, 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 :-
My present invention relates to spinning tops or like toys and has for its object
the utilization of the centrifugal force created during the spinning of the top for
the production of magic or comic effects.
For this purpose I arrange the top with a body portion preferably circular in
form and having at its under part an ordinary peg for the top to spin with.
The said
peg
is the lower end of a stem or spindle which extends axially through
the said body portion of the top and upon which the said body portion is free to
revolve.
The upper part of the stem above the body receives a ferrule or cylinder the
lower end of which is made in the form of a ratchet and engages with a pawl fixed
to the top of the body by which means the top is only free to revolve upon the
spindle in one direction.
My improved top may be spun by means of a string being coiled or wound round
the said ferrule or cylinder and the loose end of said string being pulled with one
hand during the holding of the top of the spindle with the other or where preferred
the said ferrule may be arranged with a clock spring which may be wound up in
order to store energy for the spinning of the top by turning the ferrule.
The body of my improved top is arranged with one or more deep annular grooves
which receive any number of segmental or other formed pieces which are kept
closed within the groove towards the axis of the top when the body thereof is only
revolving at a slow rate by means of suitable springs but when the top revolves
with speed the said segments are thrown outwards by centrifugal force which over-
comes the power of said springs and as the top diminishes in speed the said
segmentally or other formed pieces gradually disappear thus producing a magic effect.
The upper portion of the stem of my improved top may have made therewith or
fitted thereto a threaded or spiral spindle which receives a figure such for instance
the representation of a monkey or bear whose legs and arms are pivotted and are
made at their joints with threads on the spindle.
As the spindle revolves the legs and arms aforesaid are thrown outwards by
centrifugal force and the threaded portions thereof engage with the thread on the
spindle thus causing the figure to ascend and as the top or spindle diminishes in
speed the said figure descends and this raising and lowering and throwing outwards
of the limbs of said figure produces a comical effect.
In order that my said invention may be more fully understood I hereunto attach
a sheet of drawings which represent a typical illustration of the application of my
said invention but not the only and final form inasmuch as the tops may vary in
shape and size and construction without departing from the essential particulars of
my said invention.
Fig. is a cross sectional elevation of my improved top when stationary and
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken on line a a of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the top illustrating how it appears when spinning
and Fig. 4 is a perspective view thereof as the said top appears when almost
stationary or spinning at a very low speed.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view,
The top is arranged with a body portion B which may be composed of wood tin
glass woodite rubber or other suitable material and the said portion B is preferably
circular in form and has arranged at its under portion a peg C which is made with
Γ

page_text: or attached to the stem or spindle c. The said spindle extends vertically
through the body B. A suitable tube & surrounds the stem e¹ and acts as a bearing
when the top is spinning.
The upper part of the stem or spindle el receives a ferrule or cylinder D the
lower end of which is made in the form of a ratchet and engages with a pawl E
which may be fixed to the body B or made in one with the bearing 6. By means of
the said ratchet d' and pawl E the body B can spin on the spindle in one direction
only. The top may be spun by means of the string S being coiled or wound round
the ferrule 1 and pulled with force by one hand during the holding of the head of
the spindle with the other hand or within said ferrule D may be arranged a clock
spring which may be wound up by turning said ferrule with one hand and holding
the body B with the other as will be well understood.
The body B is arranged with one or more deep annular grooves which receive
any number of segmentally or other formed pieces the faces or portions of
which may be coloured or otherwise decorated or designed to produce special
effects. The said pieces are kept closed within said groove towards the axis of
my improved top by means of the elastic band or spring J. Each said segment
or piece is pivotted at 2 and as the top revolves and increases in speed the said
pieces swing outwards by the centrifugal force overcoming the power of the
spring until they attain the position shown by the dotted lines at Fig. 2 and the
top appears as shown at Fig. 3. As the top diminishes in speed the pieces H
gradually disappear until the top appears as shown at Fig. 4 and the said apparently
increasing and decreasing in the size of the top produces the magic effect.
Where desired the upper portion of the stem may have made therewith or
fitted thereto a threaded or spiral spindle 2 which receives a figure K whose legs
and arms are pivotted at and the inner ends thereof are formed with threads
or serrations corresponding to the threads on the spindle ².
As the said spindle revolves with the top the legs and arms are thrown
outwards by centrifugal force and the threaded portions of the same engage with
the thread on the spindle and the figure K thereby ascends and when the top is
revolving at its greatest speed the figure K attains the position shown at Fig. 3.
As the top diminishes in speed the figure K descends until the top is at its lowest
speed when it appears as shown at Fig. 4. It will be obvious that this travelling
upwards and downwards of the figure K and the throwing out and closing of its
limbs produce a comical effect.
I would have it understood that a separate spring may where preferred be
arranged to each piece H and such spring may be made of steel or other suitable
metal instead as shown at J Fig. 2 of rubber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed declare that what 1
claim is :
1. In a spinning top or toy the use of segmentally or other shaped pieces H the
ends of which are thrown outwards by the centrifugal force during the quick spinning
of the top and drawn into a groove or grooves formed in the top by means of a spring
or springs during the diminished speed of the top substantially as described.
2. In a top the use of a spiral or threaded spindle which receives any suitable
figure Karranged with pivotted limbs in such a manner that as the spindle
increases in speed the jointed ends of the limbs engage with the threads of said
spindle thus causing the figure K to ascend and the limbs to extend to horizontal
position and as the top decreases in speed the limbs fall and the figure K descends
substantially as described.
Dadhi 7h dan at
1901
H. F. BOUGHTON, M.I. Mech. E.,
London, Sheffield, and Barnsley, Agent.