IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRILLING, CUTTING, GRINDING, AND POLISHING TEETH WHILST IN THE MOUTH
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Fellows Harrington, of Sedgeley House,
Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, Surgeon Dentist, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRILLING, CUTTING, GRINDING,
AND POLISHING TEETH WHILST IN THE MOUTH."
Sealed the 20th October 1864, and dated the 22nd April 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Fellows Harrington
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd April 1864.
I, GEORGE FELLOWS HARRINGTON, of Sedgeley House, Ryde, in the Isle of
Wight, Surgeon Dentist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRILLING, CUTTING,
GRINDING, AND POLISHING TEETH WHILST IN THE MOUTH," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the application and use of any arrangement of
spring clockwork for giving continuous rotatory motion in one direction to
drilling, cutting, grinding, and polishing tools intended to operate upon teeth
whilst in the mouth. The clockwork, which consists of any suitable and
well-known arrangement of a barrel spring and toothed gearing, arranged
according to the speed and power required, is contained within a hollow metal
box, case, or holder of a convenient size to be held in the hand of the
operator. In the arbour or spindle of one of the wheels of the clockwork a
square socket or hole is made, into which the square end of a loose or
detachable spindle is temporarily fitted, the greater portion of such spindle

page_text: being contained within a tube or sheath fixed to the outside of the box or
holder case of the clockwork, whilst its outer end, or that which protrudes
beyond the sheath carries the required tool (the tools being made removable),
so as to be changed to suit the operation to be performed. A small collar
bearing is fitted inside the outer end of the tube or sheath to steady the
spindle in its revolution. When the spring is wound up the clockwork
immediately commences to revolve, and thus imparts a rapid rotatory motion
to the tool. In using this apparatus the clockwork case or holder is held in
the hand of the operator, and the end of the spindle which carries the tool is
introduced into the mouth, and the tool brought in contact with the tooth or
teeth to be operated upon. The essential feature of this Invention is the
substitution of any suitable arrangement of spring clockwork for an archi-
medean screw or bow for giving a rotatory motion to the tools intended to
operate upon teeth whilst in the mouth. The revolutions of the tool are
either arrested or controlled by pressing the thumb or finger against a break
wheel which is fitted on to the arbour or spindle of one of the train of wheels
forming the clockwork, whereby more or less friction or resistance will be
obtained, thereby regulating the speed of revolution of the tool. A catch may
also be employed, fitted to the box, case, or holder, to temporarily arrest the
motion of the clockwork when the apparatus is not in the hand of the
operator.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Fellows Harrington in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FELLOWS HARRINGTON, of Sedgeley House, Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, Surgeon
Dentist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Fellows Harrington, Her special license that I, the said George
Fellows Harrington, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such'
others as I, the said George Fellows Harrington, my executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should

page_text: and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
DRILLING, CUTTING, GRINDING, AND POLISHING TEETH WHILST IN THE MOUTH,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Fellows
Harrington, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Fellows Harrington, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention consists in the application and use of any arrangement
of spring clockwork for giving a continuous rotatory motion in one direction
to drilling, cutting, grinding, and polishing tools intended to operate upon
teeth whilst in the mouth. The clockwork which consists of any suitable and
well-known arrangement of a barrel spring and toothed gearing, arranged
according to the speed and power required, is contained within a hollow
metal box, case, or holder of a convenient size to be held in the hand of the
operator. In the arbour or spindle of one of the wheels of the clockwork a
square socket or hole is made, into which the square end of a loose or
detachable spindle is temporarily fitted, the greater portion of such spindle
being contained within a tube or sheath fixed to the outside of the box, case,
or holder of the clockwork, whilst its outer end, or that which protrudes
beyond the sheath carries the required tool, the tools being made removable,
so as to be changed to suit the operation to be performed. A small collar
bearing is fitted inside the outer end of the tube or sheath to steady the
spindle in its revolution. When the spring is wound up the clockwork
immediately commences to revolve, and thus imparts a rapid rotatory motion
to the tool. In using this apparatus the clockwork case or holder is held in
the hand of the operator, and the end of the spindle which carries the tool is
introduced into the mouth, and the tool brought in contact with the tooth or
teeth to be operated upon. The essential feature of this Invention is the
substitution of any suitable arrangement of spring clockwork for the archi-
medean screw bow or other contrivance hitherto employed for giving a

page_text: rotatory motion to tools intended to operate upon teeth whilst in the mouth.
The revolutions of the tools are arrested or controlled by the pressure of the
thumb or finger, or of a break lever against a break wheel, which is fitted on
to the arbour or spindle of one of the train of wheels forming the clockwork,
whereby more or less friction or resistance will be obtained, thereby regulating
or controlling the speed of revolution of the tools, or stopping the same when
not required for use.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all
the Figures.
Fig. 1 of my Drawings is a full-sized elevation of my apparatus showing
the mode of using the same; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3
is a similar view with the cap removed, to show the train of gearing; Fig. 4
is a side view corresponding to Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section
of the spring box and first driving wheel; Fig. 6 is a front view of the same
with the top plate removed; and Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged details, which I
shall berein-after more fully refer to.
A is a hollow metal spring box, within which is fitted a barrel spring B, the
inner end of such spring being connected to the axis C of a ratchet wheel D,
such axis turning freely in the large toothed driving wheel E; F is a spring
pall or detent secured to the face of the wheel E, and taking into the teeth of
the ratchet wheel, so that on the axis C being rotated by the barrel spring a
rotatory motion will be imparted to the toothed wheel E through the ratchet
wheel and pall F; G is a square shank on the end of the axis C, by which
the spring B may be wound up; H is a plate or cover, which is screwed on
to the spring box A, and conceals the main wheel E and its attachments.
Through an opening in this plate or cover passes the small pinion I fast on
the axis of the toothed wheel K, which wheel gears into another pinion L
fast on the axis of the toothed wheel M, and this latter wheel gears into a
third pinion N fast on the axis of the friction or break wheel O; the several
wheels and pinions K, L, M, N, and O are concealed by a cap or cover P,
which is attached by screws or otherwise to the plate or cover H; Q is a tube
or sheath, which is screwed at one end into a boss R formed upon the cap P.
Within this tube is placed the spindle S, provided with a pivot or journal at
its inner end, and having formed or fitted thereon a small pinion T, which
when the tube and spindle are adjusted gears into the teeth of the spur
wheel K, and consequently receives a rapid rotatory motion therefrom.
A

page_text: small collar bearing U is formed in the outer end of the tube 'or sheath Q,
within which works the outer end of the spindle S, and consequently this
spindle is maintained perfectly steady and free from vibration whilst rotating.
A small shoulder or collar V is formed upon the spindle which bears against
the inner end of the collar bearing U, and so keeps the spindle S in its proper
place within its tube or sheath. The outer end of the spindle which protrudes
beyond the tube or sheath may be squared and slightly tapered, as shewn in
Figures 1 and 4, on to which tapered square portion may be fitted any
required rotatory cutting, grinding, or polishing tool or wheel W. Or if
preferred the protruding end of the spindle S may have a tapped hole or
socket made longitudinally therein, into which the stem of the tool W having
a screw thread made thereon may be inserted, as shewn in the enlarged detail
of the tube and spindle at Fig. 7. When required for drilling purposes the
drill may be formed on the end of the spindle itself. Each apparatus may if
desired be furnished with two or more loose spindles S, according to the
requirements of the operator, it being simply necessary in order to change
a spindle to unscrew the tube or sheath Q, withdraw the spindle, and replace
it by another. In cases where it would be found more convenient to have
the axis of rotation of the tool at an angle with the axial line of the spindle S,
the arrangement shown by the enlarged detail, Fig. 8, may be employed. In
this case a small bevel pinion a is fitted on to the outer end of the spindle,
which wheel gears into a corresponding bevil pinion 6, the axis of which is
supported in a light frame c on the end of the tube or sheath Q, the stem of
the tool W being screwed or fitted in any other convenient manner into the
axis of the bevil wheel b. In lieu of each spindle S having its actuating
toothed pinion T formed in one piece therewith, or fitted thereon, so as to be
removable with the spindle, this pinion may if preferred be separate and
distinct from the spindle, and remain a fixture in the apparatus, as shewn in
the detail, Fig. 7. For this purpose a central boss d is formed on the upper
side of the pinion, which serves as a journal, such boss fitting a corresponding
hole in the cap or cover P, and having a central square socket made therein,
into which socket the correspondingly squared end of the spindle is to be
inserted when required for use. Or a tapped hole may be made in the boss,
and a corresponding screw thread formed upon the inner end of the spindle
which is inserted therein. When the spring B has been wound up, the train
of wheels are prevented from rotating by the pressure of a spring break
lever X on the periphery of the break wheel O, as shewn clearly in Fig. 2,
where a portion of the cap or cover is broken away, to shew the parts inside.
Or any other well-known form of detent or catch may be used. When held

page_text: in the hand the thumb or finger of the operator is placed over the protruding
end of the break lever, as shown in Fig. 1, so that by depressing that lever
the break will be partially or entirely removed from the break wheel, thereby
controlling or regulating the revolution of the tool at pleasure.
Although the apparatus herein-before described and illustrated by my
Drawings is specially intended to be used for operating upon teeth whilst in
the mouth, it is obvious that by increasing the power of the spring B the
same apparatus might be employed in operating upon "pieces" at the work
bench. And I may observe that although I have described and illustrated a
.certain arrangement of wheelwork for driving the tools, I do not confine or
restrict myself to such arrangement, so long as the essential feature of my
Invention be retained, namely, the driving of. such tools by means of a barrel
or volute spring.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of apparatus
for drilling, cutting, grinding, and polishing teeth whilst in the mouth,
substantially as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use to and in the driving or actuating of
drilling, cutting, grinding, and polishing tools intended for operating upon
teeth whilst in the mouth, of a barrel spring in combination with any
suitable train of toothed gearing, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Fellows Harrington, have to this
my Specification hereunto set my hand and seal, the Seventeenth
day of October, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
GEORGE FELLOWS HARRINGTON. (L.S.)