Year: 1885

page_text: I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been
communicated to me from abroad by Gaston Eugène Elie Bozérian of 2 Rue
Pigalle, Paris in the Republic of France Assistant head Clerk at the Office of the
minister of Justice to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved mechanical fan or punkah arranged to be
worked by the person to be fanned by means of mechanism combined and
operating as hereinafter described and requiring no attention and practically no
exertion on the part of the person using the apparatus.
In an apparatus constructed according to this Invention a sheet or blade of any
suitable materials forming the fan proper is carried by two supports uprights or
pillars connected at the upper part by a cross bar and is capable of vibrating or
swinging on pivots supporting a rocking shaft forming the axis of oscillation of the
fan. The fan is connected to a counterweight which may be adjusted in such a
manner as to cause the fan to assume a vertical horizontal or any other position
when at rest.
.
A pulley or segment or the like connected to a cord or its equivalent is arranged.
at each end of the rocking shaft and serves to cause the latter to rock or oscillate
upon its pivots and impart the requisite motion to the fan. The cords are attached
to the pulleys or segments in such a manner as to be wound or laid thereon in
opposite directions and are also attached to treadles or pedals arranged in a
convenient position to be worked by the feet of the person using the fan the
parts being so adjusted that a very slight movement of the feet is sufficient to cause
the fan to swing or vibrate upon the axis to the extent required to produce the

page_text: requise fanning action. A desk or table may be placed between the two uprights
the cords being arranged alongside of the uprights and passing through the table or
being carried inside hollow uprights so as to be almost entirely concealed or
arranged in any other suitable manner.
In place of the two cords a single rigid connecting rod may be employed being
capable of operating the fan in its ascending and descending motions. In this
case only one treadle is required. Or the same result may be obtained by means
of a single cord by employing a counterweight or a spring to produce the return
motion of the fan. The fan may be arranged to work in front of the person using
it or in any other convenient position and may be carried by a single upright or
pillar being operated either by the foot or hand of the person using the apparatus.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Working Fans or Punkahs.
Working
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been
communicated to me from abroad by Gaston Eugene Elie Bozerian of 2 Rue
Pigalle Paris in the Republic of France Assistant head Clerk at the Office of the
Minister of Justice and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to an improved mechanical fan or punkah arranged to be
worked by the person to be fanned by means of mechanism combined and operating
as hereinafter described and requiring no attention and practically no exertion on
the part of the person using the apparatus.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings represent in front and side
elevation respectively a mechanical fan constructed according to this Invention.
Figure 3 represents a side elevation and Figure 5 a plan of a modified form of
the apparatus and figure 4 illustrates a detail of the same.
The apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is provided with a fan A made of
paper or of fabric stretched on wire or in any other suitable manner. This fan is
suspended from a horizontal bar E so as to be capable of vibrating or swinging on
pivots d in the upper extremities of two vertical pillars or supports B B¹ the said
bar E forming the axis of oscillation of the fan A. A pulley or segment of a
pulley G is formed upon each extremity of the rocking shaft or bar E and serves
to impart motion to the fan A. With this object the pulleys Gare connected to
cords h h¹ which are attached at one extremity to opposite sides of the peripheries
of the corresponding pulleys G in such a manner as to be wound or coiled thereon
in opposite directions to an extent corresponding to the required amplitude of the
oscillations of the fan A. The other extremity of each cord is attached to a
treadle K whereby motion is imparted to the bar E and fan A. the length of
the portion of the cord wound upon each pulley being dependent on the vertical
displacement or travel of the corresponding treadle.
A desk or table L may be placed between the two uprights as indicated in
figures 1 and 2 or the latter may be simply supported on a transverse board or
base as shown in figures 3 and 5. Figure 4 drawn to a larger scale represents the
fan and rocking shaft used in combination with the latter arrangement.
In using the apparatus the treadles K are alternately depressed so that the
cords h h are alternately coiled upon and uncoiled from the corresponding
pulleys G on the shaft E to which an intermittent rotary motion in opposite
directions alternately is thus imparted. The fan A is thereby caused to oscillate
and the desired fanning action is produced with a minimum of exertion.
Figures 3, 5, and 4 illustrate modifications in the details of the construction
which will be readily understood by referring to the drawing without further
5

page_text: explanation the action being similar to that hereinbefore described with reference
to figures 1 and 2 and the same letters of reference being used to distinguish the
several parts.
The drawing represents the apparatus as being constructed chiefly of wood but
it is evident that any other suitable materials may be employed such for example
as tubular angle or other forms of iron this being especially suitable for apparatus
intended for out door or garden use. The proportions, dimensions, and accessory
arrangements of detail may evidently be modified in various ways according to
circumstances.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is,
An oscillating fan or punkah in which the fan is suspended from an axis forming
the axis of oscillation in combination with a pair of treadles for imparting motion
to the apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawing.
1
1000