Improvements in the Propulsion of Boats.
Year: 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Propulsion of Boats.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., The
General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of, London,
Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a, communication
to me by James Boomer Hall, of the City of Toronto, in the County of York, in
the Province of Ontario, Canada, Machinist,) and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in, and by, the following
statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in propelling-powers and the object of the
invention is to design a propelling-motor to be utilized more particularly for pro-
pelling boats, whereby an ordinary propelling screw or wheel may be given a
rotary motion through a reciprocating motion derived from the occupant or
occupants of the boat and with a minimum amount of friction in converting the
reciprocating into the rotary motion and it consists essentially of a spirally threaded
shaft journalled in suitable standards, the said shaft having a right hand spiral
formed on or secured to it from the centre to one end and a left hand spiral formed
on or secured to it from the centre to the other end, two internally spirally
threaded sleeves being provided and correspondingly threaded to co-operate
respectively with the right and left hand threaded portions of the shaft so that
when one sleeve is brought along its portion of the shaft so as to rotate it in one
direction the other sleeve rotates with the shaft as it moves along it, but when this
latter sleeve is brought along its portion of the shaft in the opposite direction
it is held stationary from revolving and continues to rotate the shaft in the same
direction while the other sleeve rotates with the shaft; simple means being pro-
vided whereby the motion of the shaft may be reversed instantaneously, the whole
being arranged and constructed in detail as hereinafter more particularly explained.
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved propelling power.
Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view partially in section and inter-
mediately broken away so-as to shew the parts designed for reversing the..motion
of the shaft.
Figure 3 is a cross section through one of the sleeves and its retaining. block and
friction clutch.
Figure 4 is a detail of the sleeve.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross section of the sleeve.
In the drawings like letters of reference. indicate corresponding parts in each
figure.
A is the main driving shaft which is journalled in the standards B, C and D.
From the standard C. to the standard D, "I secure or form on the shaft A, a right
hand spiral preferably circular in cross section. On the shaft A from, the
standard C to the standard B, I secure or form a left hand spiral c.
E is a guiding and supporting rod extending through the top of the standards B, C
and D. and G are retaining blocks which are connected together at the top by
the bar H, and at the bottom by the connecting rod I. Within the block F, and
designed to operate or to be operated by the spiral on the shaft A, is the cylin-
drical sleeve J which has flanges formed on each side of the lower-or-ring
portion of the retaining block F. The sleeve J has spiral grooves c¹ cut in it
to correspond with the spirals c formed on the shaft A. f is a friction clutch
which forms practically one half of the retaining block and is hinged at the bottom
of the retaining block on the connecting rod 1. The lower portion of the friction
clutch is concentric. with the sleeve and held in position by the bell-crank K

page_text: pivotted on the pin k secured on the end of the block L. One end of the bell-
crank K is pivotted to a lug forming part of the inner end of the upper portion of
the friction clutch, while the long arm of the bell-crank K extends into a notch
made in the rod M.
The rod M extends through the retaining block F to and through the retaining
block G and has another notch m cut in it, inside the retaining block G., The
retaining block G has also a friction clutch g pivotted at its bottom end. on the
rod I and has its lower portion concentric with the cylindrical sleeve N. The
sleeve N also has flanges to prevent it from moving laterally in the retaining
block G and has internal spiral threads & cut in it to correspond to the spirals b.
The upper end of the friction clutch g is held in position by the bell-crank O which
is pivotted on the block P the long arm of the bell-crank O extending into the
notch m in the rod M, and the short end being pivotted on a lug p at the upper end
of the friction clutch g.
Qis a standard secured in the centre of the rod M and extending upwardly
through a slot R made through the bar H and bracket h. The upper end of the;
standard Q has two jaws q formed on it as shewn. S is a sleeve secured on the
spindle T between the uprights of the bracket h, the outer ends of the spindle T
having holes t cut in it to receive the hooked end of the rods s to the outer ends of
which the handles U are attached.
V is a block which is secured to the centre of the sleeve S. The outer ends of,
the block are V-shaped as shewn. X is a lever pivotted at r and connected at
the bottom by the pin y to the standard Q. Y is a slot made in the upper portion
of the lever X. The upper portion y of the slot Y is made narrow while the
lower portion 2 is made much broader as shewn.
It will be noticed that on one end of the shaft A. I secure a balance wheel A',
and at the other end of the shaft which is shewn broken away I secure a screw or
propelling wheel Z..
Having now described the principal parts of my invention in detail I shall now
proceed to describe the means whereby the rotation of the shaft is effected and
the means whereby such rotation is reversed.
When it is desired to rotate the shaft in the direction indicated by an arrow the
handles U are held horizontal, so as to hold the spindle T and the block V beneath
the sleeve S between the jaws y formed at the upper end of the standard Q secured
in the centre of the rod M as hereinbefore described.
In Figure 1, the mechanism is shewn in the middle of a stroke. By pulling and
pushing on the handles U in the direction indicated by an arrow, it will be seen
that the block V, which is now located between the jaws g of the standard Q. will
push the rod M in the direction indicated by an arrow so as to throw the long arms
of the bell-cranks K and O in the same direction. The bell crank K, will be tilted
on its pivot so as to bring the friction clutch f firmly against the sleeve J, so as to
hold it in such a way that it forms one with the retaining block or in other words
to prevent the sleeve J from revolving. The bell crank O however will be tilted
on its pivot so as to throw the friction clutch g away from the sleeve N thereby
giving the sleeve N perfect freedom to revolve. Cousequently when the handles U
are pulled in the direction indicated by an arrow the sleeve J will remain one with.
the retaining block F and will rotate the shaft A in the direction indicated by an
arrow as it is drawn along the shaft in the direction indicated by an arrow. The
sleeve N however will be caused to revolve in its bearings by the right hand
spiral b when moving in the direction indicated by an arrow. When however the
handles are pushed and pulled in the opposite direction to that indicated by the
arrow the hell crank O will be tilted on its pivot so as to throw the long arm in
the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrow so that the friction clutch
will be brought against the sleeve N and held so that it forms one with the
retaining block G or in other words prevented from revolving. The bell crank K
will be tilted on its pivot so as to bring the long arm in the opposite direction and
thereby throw the friction clutch faway from the sleeve J which will consequently
9

page_text: turn loosely in its bearings and have no effect whatever on the shaft A. It will
now be seen that the sleeve N as it reciprocates in the opposite direction from that
indicated by the arrow will be the means of rotating it or it may be said con-
tinuing the shaft in the same direction by acting on the right hand spiral b of
the shaft A.
It will now be understood that upon the handles U being pushed and pulled in
the direction indicated by the arrow again the sleeve will act upon the left hand
spiral so as to continue the rotation of the shaft in the same direction and that by
pushing and pulling the handles in the opposite direction again the sleeve N will
act upon the right hand spiral of the shaft A. so as to rotate it in the same direction,
and so on, thereby forming the means for the continual rotation of the shaft in the
same direction.
Should it be desired to have the shaft rotate in the opposite direction to that
indicated by the arrow as for instance when it is desired to back up the boat, it
will be merely necessary to turn the handles U around to the perpendicular in the
direction indicated by an arrow and thereby bring the block V around and into
the narrow upper portion y' of the slot Y.
It will now be seen that by pushing and pulling on the handles U in the direction
indicated by the arrow the lever X will be tilted on its pivot and being connected
at the bottom aty to the standard Q the rod M will be thrown in the opposite
direction to that indicated by the arrow, so that the bell-crank O will be tilted on
its pivot and thereby bring the friction clutch g firmly against the sleeve N which
will now remain one with the retaining block G. Consequently as the sleeve N is
one with the retaining block G and is acting on the right hand spiral of the
shaft A (instead of the sleeve J being one with the retaining block F and acting
on the left hand spiral as before described) it will be seen that the shaft A will be
caused to rotate it in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrow.
When the handles U are pushed and pulled in the opposite direction the lever X
will be tilted on its pivot so as to draw the rod M in the direction indicated by
the arrow and thereby tilt the bell crank on its pivot so as to draw the friction
.clutch against the sleeve J and thereby hold it so that it forms one with the
retaining block F. The sleeve J will now be acting on the left hand spiral and
will cause the shaft A to rotate in the opposite direction to that indicated by the
arrow. As the sleeves N and J act upon the right and left hand spirals b and c
respectively it will be seen that the rotation of the shaft A may be continued as
long as the handles U are held perpendicular and the block V retained in the
narrow upper portion y of the slot Y of the lever X. As soon however as the
sleeve S is turned round by the handles U, being brought to the horizontal and
the block V, thrown between the jaws of the standard Q, the sleeves N and J
will have the same effect upon the shaft as before stated, that is to say, will rotate
it in the direction indicated by the arrow.
From this description it will be seen that a very effective means of changing the
reciprocating into the rotary motion of the shaft A is provided and one which on
account of the easy sweep of the spirals reduces the amount of friction caused by
the reciprocating motion of the sleeves, to a minimum.
In making my propelling power it is intended that the shaft A and guiding.
rods E are to be made hollow so that when used for propelling a row-boat it will
be comparatively light and not materially add to the weight of the boat. It will
also be seen that the rotation of the shaft may be reversed instantaneously in the
manner stated and without the slightest danger of any of the working parts
getting out of order or failing to act on the propeller in changing the direction of
rotation.
When my propelling power is at rest and the pressure from the handles removed
it will be seen that the sleeves will be held loosely in their respective retaining
blocks so that the shaft A will revolve freely in the retaining blocks. Conse-
quently when the occupant or operator removes his hands from the handles U.
the shaft will continue to revolve loosely in the retaining blocks F and G until

page_text: the momentum or pressure upon the wheels will cause the shaft to stop. This is
a very important point as it will be seen that the retaining blocks F and G con-
nected by the bar H and rod I and the handles U connected to the sleeves as
described will not move backwards and forwards and 'be an inconvenience to the
occupant or operator in the boat but will remain perfectly stationary, the shaft and
sleeves alone being the only moving parts in the machine when the handles are
released by the operator.
Although I shew in the drawings the right and left hand spiral of the thread'
of practical circular cross-section it will of course be understood that I might
provide a flat bar twisted from the centre to each end into right and left hand
spirals of equal pitch.
It will also be understood that friction rollers might be provided and journalled"
in the sleeves so as to lessen the friction of the side of the spirals on the corre-
sponding threads formed in the sleeves during the reciprocal movement of the
sleeves but as these friction rollers are in common use I do not shew them.
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. As a propelling power the shaft supported in suitable standards and having a
propelling wheel secured on its end, a right hand spiral formed on the shaft from
the centre to one end and a left hand spiral formed on the shaft from the centre
to the opposite end, in combination with a sleeve correspondingly internally threaded
and designed to act on the right hand spiral, and a sleeve correspondingly internally
threaded and designed to act on the left hand spiral, and means for holding one
sleeve fixed so as to rotate the shaft by means of one spiral and further means for
holding the other sleeve loose so that it may rotate with the shaft while the other
sleeve is being pulled along the shaft in order to rotate it substantially as and 'for
the purpose specified.
2. The shaft A supported in the standards B, C and D and having the right
hand spiral formed from 'the centre to the one end of the shaft and a left hand
spiral formed from the centre to the other end of the shaft and a propelling
wheel Z secured on one end of the shaft, in combination with the sleeve N located
on the right hand spiral portion of the shaft correspondingly internally, threaded"
to the right hand spiral supported in the retaining block and designed to be
held fixed to the same by the friction clutch and the sleeve J located on the left
hand spiral portion of the shaft correspondingly internally threaded to the left
hand spiral supported in the retaining block and designed to be held fixed to
the same by the friction clutch and means whereby each sleeve may be held
alternatively in its retaining block so as to rotate the shaft or to revolve loosely
with it as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
3. The shaft A supported in the standards B C and D' and 'having the right
hand spiral formed from the centre to the one end of the shaft and a left land
spiral formed from the centre to the other end of the shaft and a propelling wheel Z
secured
on, one end of the shaft in combination with the sleeve N held in the
retaining block G upon the right hand spiral portion of the shaft and the sleeve
held in the retaining block upon the left hand spiral portion of the shaft, the
said retaining blocks being connected together by the bar H'and'rod'l as and
for the purpose herein before described and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. The shaft A, supported in the standards B, C and D, and having the right
hand spiral formed from the centre to the one end of the shaft and a left hand
spiral formed from the centre to the other end of the shaft aid a propelling
wheel % secured on one end of the shaft in combination with the retaining. blocks
and G, connect
ected together by the bar H and rod 'the sleeves N and J having
bearings in the retaining blocks F and G respectively and the friction clutches J

page_text: and g hinged on the rod I at the lower portion of the retaining blocks F and G
connected at the top portion by the bell cranks O and K respectively, to the
rod M, which is operated as and for the purpose specified, with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
5. The shaft A supported in the standards B, C and D and having the right
hand spiral & formed from the centre to the one end of the shaft and a left hand
spiral formed from the centre to the other end of the shaft and a propelling
wheel secured on one end of the shaft, in combination with the retaining
blocks F and G, connected together by the bar H and rod I, the sleeves N and J
having bearings in the retaining blocks F and G respectively and the friction
clutches and g hinged on the rod 1 at the lower portion of the retaining blocks F
and G connected at the top portion by the bell cranks O and K respectively to
the rod M upon which is secured the standard Q having jaws q between which is
inserted the block V, secured to the sleeve S on the spindle T which is supported
in the bracket hand is slightly adjustable by the handles U connected to the
outer ends by the rods S, as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
6. The shaft A. supported in the standards B, C and D and having the right
hand spiral formed from the centre to the one end of the shaft and a left hand
spiral formed from the centre to the other end of the shaft and a propelling
wheel Z secured on one end of the shaft in combination with the retaining
blocks F and G connected together by the bar H and rod I, the sleeves N and J
having bearings in the retaining blocks F and G respectively and the friction
clutches and hinged on the rod I at the lower portion of the retaining blocks F
and G and connected at the top portion by the bell-cranks O and K respectively,
to the rod M, upon which is secured the standard Q, the lever X pivotted at it,
connected to the standard Q at' y, and the block V designed to be brought to fit
within the narrow upper portion y' of the slot Y, by turning the handles U to the
perpendicular as and for the purpose herein before described and as illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
7. The improved propelling motor hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
T 1
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.