IMPROVEMENTS IN SWINGING CRADLES OR COTS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki, of the Firm of J.
Brandt and G. W. v. Nawrocki, of 124, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Germany,
Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SWINGING CRADLES
OR COTS." A communication from Johannes Wilhelm Mucks, of Lippehne,
in the German Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von
Nawrocki at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th March
1879.
GERARD WENZESLAUS VON NAWROCKI, of the Firm of J. Brandt and G. W.
v. Nawrocki, of 124, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Germany, Patent Agents. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SWINGING CRADLES OR COTS." (A communication from Johannes
Wilhelm Mucks, of Lippehne, in the German Empire.)
These improvements refer to the combination of a swinging cradle or cot with a
clock work, whereby the cradle, through the means of a constantly revolving crank,
is impelled by spring or weight. The crank pin takes into a slot in a rod or lever
fastened to one of the suspending bars of the cradle. Heretofore such rod or lever
has been made in fixed connection with one of the suspending bars, and in conse-
quence the cradle could only swing so far as the crank would admit; hence if such
a cradle is unequally loaded, the child lying on one side, then the centre of
oscillation is shifted and the cradle will remain still, because the crank has not any
more the power to keep the cradle oscillating, which must swing irregularly if it is
to follow the crank.
To obviate this the inventor makes use of an automatically adjusting regulator,
which gives to the unsymmetrically loaded cradle, and always sets itself so that the
crank can make its revolution also when the cradle, because of unequal loading,
makes unequal oscillations.
The regulator which transforms the revolving motion of the crank into oscillating
motion of the cradle or cot is arranged on one of the suspending bars of the cradle,
and consists of a slotted rod or lever, which by a bolt or pin is jointed to the

page_text: suspending bar. But in order in a certain measure to limit the extent to which one
can swing as against the other, the round eye part of the lever at the fulcrum pin
is provided with a spring washer or similar contrivance, so as to produce a certain
(by a nut on the fulcrum pin) adjustable amount of friction between the lever
and a plate on the suspending bar. The consequence of this arrangement is that
when the cradle swings out much or irregularly the regulator will adjust itself,
and give or slide at its fulcrum, and thus still admit the crank pin its proper
movement in its slot. If for instance the child lies to one side in the cot the
direction of the slot in the lever will not coincide with that of the suspending rod,
but will shift towards that side to which the centre of oscillation of the system has
been shifted.
In this way the cot swings without any jerks, and never stops however the child
may lie in it. It is of no consequence whether the suspending bar, or the lever, or
regulator is moved by the crank pin, or whether the end of the suspending bar is
moved by the intervention of a connecting rod from a crank.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th September 1879.
GERARD WENZESLAUS VON NAWROCKI, of the Firm of J. Brandt and G. W. v.
Nawrocki, of 124, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Germany, Patent Agents. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SWINGING CRADLES OR COTS." (A communication from Johannes
Wilhelm Mucks, of Lippehne, in the German Empire.)
These improvements refer to the combination of a swinging cradle or cot with a
clock work, whereby the cradle, through the means of a constantly revolving crank,
is impelled by spring or weight. The crank pin takes into a slot in a rod or lever
fastened to one of the suspending bars of the cradle. Heretofore such rod or lever
has been made in fixed connection with one of the suspending bars, and in conse
quence the cradle could only swing so far as the crank would admit; hence if such
a cradle is unequally loaded, the child lying on one side, then the centre of
oscillation is shifted and the cradle will remain still, because the crank has not any
more the power to keep the cradle oscillating, which must swing irregularly if it is
to follow the crank.
To obviate this the inventor makes use of an automatically adjusting regulator,
which gives to the unsymmetrically loaded cradle, and always sets itself so that the
crank can make its revolution also when the cradle, because of unequal or unsym-
metrical loading, makes unequal oscillations.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents an end view of a swinging
cradle constructed according to this Invention; Figure 2, a side view of same; and
Figure 3 is vertical section through a part of one of the cot suspending bars and
shewing part connected therewith to an enlarged scale; Figure 4 is an end view of
same.
The cot proper A is suspended in bars a, a, from a spindle working in centres a', a¹;
h is the crank pin, which is constantly rotated by clockwork as heretofore.
bar a.
The regulator which transforms the revolving motion of the crank h into
oscillating motion of the cradle or cot is arranged on one of the suspending bars a
of the cradle, and consists of a slotted rod or lever b, which is shown more clearly
in Figures 3 and 4, and which by a bolt or pin d is jointed to the suspending
But in order in a certain measure to limit the extent to which one can
swing as against the other, the round eye part of the lever at the fulcrum pin
is provided with a spring washer e or similar contrivance, so as to produce a
certain amount of friction between the lever b and a plate f on the suspending
bar a, which friction is adjustable by a nut g on the fulcrum pin d. The conse-
quence of this arrangement is, that when the cradle swings out much or irregularly
the regulator b will adjust itself, and give or slide at its fulcrum, and thus still admit
the crank pin h its proper movement in its slot. If for instance the child lies to
one side in the cot, the direction of the slot in the lever h will not coincide with that
of the suspending rod, but will shift towards that side to which the centre of oscillation
of the system has been shifted.
In this way the cot swings without any jerks, and never stops however the child
may lie it. It is of no consequence whether the suspending bar, or the lever b, or
regulator is moved by the crank pin, or whether the end of the suspending bar a is
moved by the intervention of a connecting rod from a crank.
And having thus described and ascertained the nature of this Invention, I declare
that I claim,
The automatic regulator b, which is not fixedly connected with the cot suspending
bar, and regulates itself according to any unequally or unsymmetrically distributed

page_text: load in the cot, while surmounting a certain adjustable amount of friction, substan-
tially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gerard Wenzeslaus von Nawrocki, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.