Improvements in Fan Attachments for Chairs.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Fan Attachments for Chairs.
We, MARGARET ELIZABETH STRETCH, Housekeeper, ELIAKIM STRETCH, Painter,
and PAUL SERGE-KISSLOW, Painter all of 68 Ashland Avenue, East Orange,
County of Essex, State of New Jersey, United States of America, 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:-
Our invention consists in improved mechanism for working a fan on a chair,
whether the latter be a rocker or otherwise, and one of the principal objects of
the within described improvements is to equip the chair with a simple and
compactly arranged spring motor and winding connections, whereby the occupant
can conveniently restore or renew the energy of the motor without necessarily
vacating the chair.
The construction of the fan and its actuating devices are such as to be readily
adaptable for most of the existing lines of chairs. Novel provision for storing the
spring power through the rocker movement, for varying the rapidity in which the
spring is wound and means for relieving the parts from strain or injury due to
continuous working of the winding devices after the spring is completely wound,
constitute important features of our invention.
In the drawings accompanying this specification.
Figure 1 is a side view of a rocking chair provided with a fan and operating
means embodying my improvements.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the construction shown in Figure 1, the view
being taken in a plane below the arm rests of the chair to more clearly disclose
the position and relative arrangement of the fan shaft spring motor and winding
means for the latter.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an edge view showing most of the essential portions of the spring
motor and immediate winding connections.
Figure 5 is an inverted plan view of the essential portions of the spring motor
and immediate winding connections.
The fan, spring motor and winding devices are in the form of a chair attachment
as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3; the motor being contained in a suitable frame or
housing 1, having a bracket extension 2, perforated to admit of attachment to
the underside of a chair seat to support said motor at the rear of the latter.
The motor comprises the familiar barrel 3 containing a convulute spring having
one end internally secured therein, while the other is connected to the central
arbor 4, bearing in the frame or housing and on the lower projecting part of which
is keyed a ratchet wheel 5.
Loosely journalled on the lower extremity of the arbor 4 is an arm 6 carrying
at its upper side, a spring pawl 7, in engagement with the teeth of the wheel 5.
As will be generally understood, the throw of the arm 6 in one direction will
occasion the positive rotation of the ratchet 5, and arbor 4, to the extent of such
throw of the arm, the reverse movement of the latter resulting in the pawl riding
•

page_text: over the ratchet teeth. All tendency of the arbor to reverse rotation is prevented
by a spring locking pawl 8 located on the inner face of one of the sides of the frame
or housing and which engages a ratchet wheel 9 positively connected to the arbor
and the teeth of which are disposed similar to those of the wheel 5.
Under such, conditions, the action of the motor spring is to rotate the barrel 3,
which is of relatively greater diameter and is peripherally provided with an
angular series of gear teeth 10, which mesh with a pinion 11 secured on a spindle 12
bearing in the frame or housing as shown most clearly in Figures 4 and 5 and
which has its upper projecting end transversely perforated and of such shape as
to adapt it to enter and be secured by a cotter pin 13, to the lower end of the
vertically extended fan shaft 14, supported near its top in a bearing bracket 15,
attached at the upper rear part of the chair back. Secured to the rear leg 16,
of the chair farthest from the motor, is a bearing loop or bracket 17, located in
the required horizontal plane and pivotally attached to which is the outer end
of a transverse link 18, the other end of which is connected, to the ratchet carrying
arm 6, by means of a sliding connection 19 working in a slot 30.
A rod 20, of the configuration shown in Figure I, has its rear end 21, pivoted
in the slot 22 of the link 18, so as to afford an adjustable pivotal connection with
said link by means of a pivot bolt and locking nut or nuts. Screw eyes 23 and a
rod 24 constitute a readily adjusted hinged connection for a supplementary limb
rest 25 with the chair proper. This rest is shown in Figures 1 and 2, and has near
its inner edge, a lower depending loop 26 engaging the forward end of the rod 20.
The rest 25 has a vertical section 27 located at an angle with the upper part of
the rest, and provided with end rollers 28, the projecting corners 29 of the rest
proper likewise carrying rollers. Both the rest proper and its supporting
section 27 may be cushioned to augment the comfort of the chair occupant. From
the foregoing description it will be comprehended that as the chair proper is rocked,
the relative change of position between the same and the limb rest 25, will
occasion the longitudinal reciprocation of the rod 20, causing the lateral vibration
of the link 18 on its pivot to effect the back and forth swing of the arm 6 and the
intermittent rotation of the ratchet wheel 5, and winding of the motor spring.
The relative throw of the arm 6, and consequently the degree of speed with which
the motor spring is wound, may be easily regulated by changing the connection 19
of the arm with the link 18, which may be accomplished in a simple manner by
providing the said ar 6 with a series of perforations. The presence of the slot 30
in the link 18, permits the proper play of the connected parts irrespective of the
changing angle of the link,
With the object of preventing the motor parts and winding devices from being
subjected to strain and probable damage after the spring has been fully wound
and the bar and link continue to work the pawl carrying arm is made in two
members, the outer 31 of which, is enlarged and horizontally recessed at its inner
end 32 for the reception and pivoted connection of the outer extreme part of the
other member.
Now
A stiff leaf spring 33 (compound or otherwise) secured to the side of the
member 31, and bearing against the inner member, normally serves to hold both
members in such relation that they practically constitute a rigid arm.
whenever the ratchet wheel 5 resists further movement the tension of the spring
33 will be overcome and the member 31 will break on its pivot joint and continue
to do so as long as the link 18 vibrates or until the spring requires further winding.
The construction last described constitutes a simple and positive arrangement for
automatically throwing the pawi and ratchet feed out of operation and for relieving
the parts of undue strain, as well as to insure the automatic resumption of the
winding operation whenever necessary. By disconnecting the forward end of the
rod 20 from the loop 26 of the rest 25 the motor spring can be wound without
resorting to the rocking motion of the chair, or the parts may be actuated while
attached to an ordinary chair, by means of a hand lever 34, pivotally secured at
the side of the chair seat convenient for working back and forth, and having its lower

page_text: portion 35, curved under and having a bolt engaging one of a series of openings in
the rod to present an adjustable connection capable of varying the reciprocation
of the rod. By movably attaching the limb rest 25 with its section 27 and
providing both with rollers as explained, the section 27 may be adjusted
substantially parallel with the floor to admit of the rest being lowered to a
depending position at the front of the chair.
The fan 36 secured on the shaft 14, at its upper end may be of any approved
form of the revolving type, the form and pitch of the blades being varied to direct
or disperse the air according to the requirements of the occupant
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
:-
1. In a fan attachment for chairs, the combination with a spring motor attached
at the rear of a chair seat, a fan shaft revoluble by said motor, ratchet and pawl
mechanism for winding the motor spring and actuated by devices extending and
vibrated beneath the chair seat, substantially as set forth.
2. In a fan attachment for chairs, the combination with a spring motor attached
at the rear of a chair seat, a fan shaft revoluble by said motor, ratchet and pawl
mechanism for winding the motor spring, the latter actuated by devices extending
and vibrated beneath the chair through the medium of manually operated means,
substantially as set forth.
3. In a fan attachment for chairs, the combination with a spring motor attached
to the chair, a fan shaft revoluble by said motor, ratchet and pawl mechanism
for winding the motor spring and operated by an arm comprising relatively
yielding spring sections, together with connections for vibrating the arm and
manually controlled from the chair, substantially as set forth.
4. In a fan attachment for rocking chairs, the combination with the spring
motor attached to the chair and carrying the fan shaft and spring winding ratchet
and pawl mechanism, operating connections extending to the front of the chair
and secured to a limb rest pivotally adjustable and having rollers, said rest also
carrying a relatively moveable section 27, also provided with rollers, substantially
as set forth.
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.