IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNITURE CASTORS
Year: 1855

page_text: I, JOHN HYDE, of Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FURNITURE CASTORS " to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of
castors, for the purpose of rendering the same more simple and efficient than
heretofore.
The features of novelty which constitute the said improvements consist,
firstly, in connecting the wheel of the castor to the socket in which the pivot
works, by means of pins or points cast with or otherwise fixed into the socket
of the castor. The pivot of the castor to which the ball is connected is also
formed with a conical projection or shoulder, over which the above-mentioned
pins or points are bent or turned after the pivot has been placed in the socket,
and by these means the pivot and the socket of the castor are readily and
effectually connected together at a cheaper cost than heretofore.
Secondly, these improvements consist in constructing castors, as above
described, with a loose collar or washer, or two or more of such said collars,

page_text: upon and against which the socket of the castor rests when in use.
The end
of the pivot is formed pointed, upon which the socket rests and bears as usual.
I propose, however, as an improvement upon the above, to form the said
pivot with the point downwards instead of upwards, as before described, the
end thereof bearing upon the bottom of a hole formed in the forked piece
which carries the ball of the castor. The above inverted pivot may either
be formed with or attached to the socket of the castor, or with a flat plate
only, for screwing the castor to the article to which it is to be applied. I pro-
pose to employ this inverted pivot in combination with the improved mode
above described of connecting the pivot of the eastor to the ball thereof.
Another improvement in castors consists in the use and employment of a
hollow pivot, or long collar passed over the ordinary pivot of the castor, both of
which are pointed at the top; or instead of the continuous hollow pivot or long
collar, above mentioned, two or more short collars may be used, one in the form
of a cap to receive the upper end of the ordinary pivot; or they may be used
with the inverted pivot, before described, and the others as separate collars,
around and upon which the socket of the castor revolves and bears.
I also propose in some instances to use the above improvements in combi-
nation with antifriction wheels, either connected to the claws or forks employed
for holding the ball of the castor, as usually practised; or said autifriction wheels
may be connected to a loose collar, placed in the socket of the castor above the
ball thereof, and when this is the case I fix an inverted pivot into the top of
the socket, and make a conical recess in the top of the collar to receive the
conical end of the pivot, the ball of the castor being kept in position by bending
the claws of the socket over the ball below the diameter thereof, as heretofore
practised in the construction of castors.
Lastly, instead of forming the top of the pivot pointed, I propose as an
improvement to make the end of the pivot flat, and form a recess therein to
receive an inverted point formed in the end of the socket of the castor; or I
form the top of the pivot of the castor round instead of pointed, as heretofore,
and the bottom of the hole in the socket flat.