CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF POWER EMPLOYED MECHANICALLY, ESPECIALLY AS ADAPTED TO THE USE OF CRANKS AND FLY WHEELS OR OTHER CONTRIVANCES PRODUCING EQUIVALENT OR SIMILAR EFFECTS
Year: 1806

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SAMPSON, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Wheelwright, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twelfth day of
February, in the forty-sixth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said William Sampson, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His especial licence,
that I, the said Willian Sampson, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, during the
term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exer-
cisc, and vend, within England, and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE APPLICATION OF POWER
EMPLOYED MECHANICALLY, ESPECIALLY AS ADAPTED TO THE USE OF CRANKS AND FLY
WHEELS OR OTHER CONTRIVANCES PRODUCING EQUIVALENT OR SIMILAR EFFECTS;" in
which said Letters Patent there is contained a provisoe obliging me, the said
William Sampson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, to
to cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within one calendar month after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had,
may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said provisoc, I, the said
William Sampson, do hereby declare, that my said Invention of Certain Im-
provements in the Application of Power employed Mechanically, especially as
adapted to the Use of Cranks and Fly Wheels, or other Contrivances produc-
ing equivalent or similar Effects, is particularly described and ascertained by

page_text: the following description thereof, together with the Drawings of the same in
the margin hereof :-
This Invention is distinguished by various advantageous dispositions of
mechanic agency. The improvements principally consist in the division of
any power which turns a reciprocating axis between two or more arms inter-
secting that axis, and communicating their motion to corresponding cranks,
wheels, or other suitable contrivances, for the purpose of uniting to work one
and the same shaft, the arms by this combined process transmitting to such
shaft with great advantage the power impressed on them, for the action of
each arm assists that of the rest; and if the power be equally divided between
the two arms, the action of the one exactly balances that of the other. If
(as exemplified in the marginal Drawing No. 1,) two equal and opposito
transverse arms C and D, by means of two rods and cranks E and F, com-
municate any motion impressed on then (whether by impulse on A or in
any other manner) to a shaft G, and consequently to its attached fly wheel H,
à simple operation of this kind will be effected. The arm A being moved to
and fro, the arins C and D will turn the cranks E and F, which again will
turn the shaft G and fly-wheel H; thus one equable circular motion, capable
of being applied to various mechanical purposes, is obtained by the joint action
of the two arms C and D. The arms may also be made to act immediately
with considerable advantage in some cases, that is, without being employed
to turn a common shaft, the operation of each arm being balanced by that
of the other or others. Their situation upon the axis may be varied indefi-
nitely according to circumstances. Quarter cranks, as I, I, to act with
correspondent ones by means of rods, may very conveniently be worked on
the shaft G; also toothed or cog wheels, as K, or any other suitable
inachinery.
If, as in the Drawing No. 2, a second shaft M, be added to the first now
designated N, and they be mado to communicate with each other by means
of four additional cranks O, on each, with proper connecting rods between
them, a farther improvement will be obtained, the shaft nearest the axis of
primary motion receiving therefrom the impulse, transmits it thro' the addi-
tional rods and cranks to the second shaft, to which is transferred the fly-
wheel II; or, instead of two shafts in this form, two shafts, both similar to N,
may be used, each standing in a line paralel to the axis, which is suitably
lengthened out, and equally works both shafts by means of their respective
arms C and D, and rods and cranks E and F, the four additional cranks on
each shaft. with their connecting rods, establish the communication between
them laterally instead of longitudinally; a fly wheel, as before, is attached to
one of the shafts, which thus finally receives the whole impulse transmitted

page_text: by the axis, but one half of it in a direction at right angles from the other.
These compound machines may be considerably varied, and more shafts and arms,
and more or fewer cranks may be used, according to the nature of the work to
be performed and other circumstances. Machines constructed upon any of
the principles may be made of any size, and worked by any power capable of
giving sufficient impulse to the axis, or different machines impelled by diffe-
rent forces may be made to act at right angles to each other, or otherwise, so
as to combine in one common operation. Small machines may be worked
with great advantage by a handle suspended from the axis, and aided by a
pendulum. The motion of the shafts in one uniform direction either way, is
preserved by means of proper ratchet wheels and catches; horizontal wheels
are to be preferred when the shaft is vertical. The machines particularly
described may be worked in any position, upright as in the Drawings, or
reversed or laid laterally with little or no alteration of their relative parts; the
ratchet wheels must of course be suited to the change of position. The im-
provements generally are capable of a great variety of application even the
relative situation of the different parts of the machine No. 1 might be
variously changed, and the power transferred in any direction; the power
may also be divided variously, and its balance still preserved entirely or par-
tially as the case may require. If it be originally impressed by alternation on
two opposite arms turning on one axis (as A and B), it will act with the
greatest advantage. It must be evident, that machinery constructed upon
these principles of improvement is liable to a very small degree of friction.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Sampson, have hereunto set
and affixed my hand and seal, this Tenth day of March, in the year