IMPROVEMENTS IN ROASTING JACKS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Chandler, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROASTING
JACKS."
Sealed the 29th February 1856, and dated the 15th September 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Chandler at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
September 1855.
I, HENRY CHANDLER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ROASTING JACKS" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in constructing a roasting jack in the following
manner: I make the spring which actuates the said jack of two or three
times the length of the ordinary spring; the said spring is coiled upon a
horizontal axis, which said axis carries a crown wheel, similar to that of the
old watch escapement, excepting that the teeth are not continuous in the said
crown wheel, toothed and untoothed portions alternating with each other
through the whole circumference of the said wheel, each toothed portion
being opposite to another toothed portion. The said crown wheel engages
with pinions at the opposite extremities of a vertical axis, the said axis and
pinions resembling the axis and pallets of the old watch escapement, excepting
that pinions are substituted for the said pallets. An alternating motion is

page_text: communicated to the vertical axis by the teeth on the crown wheel alternately
engaging with the upper and lower pinions on the vertical axis. The said
motion is transmitted to the axis attached to the silk or cord on which the
matter to be roasted is hung in the following manner:-A drum is situated
on the lower end of the before-mentioned vertical axis, and a cord or band
from the said drum is twisted round the axis hung upon the silk or cord; the
alternating rotatory motion of the first-named vertical axis is transmitted to
and multiplied in the axis hung on the silk or cord. The case of the jack
constitutes the supporting framework of the mechanism.
My Invention consists, secondly, in the use of the ordinary or anchor clock
escapement, for converting the continuous rotary motion produced by the spring
into an alternating rotatory motion, and conveying the same to the axis attached
to the twisting silk or cord by which the meat or other matter is suspended.
I attach to the said escapement a pendulum, which is connected with an
endless cord passing over two pullies;. the oscillating motion of the pendulum
communicates an alternating motion to the said band, which said motion is
communicated to the suspended axis, by the said cord passing round the said
axis; or the said pendulum is made in the form of a sector, and a rack on the
said sector engages in a pinion upon the said suspended axis. The vibratory
motion of the said escapement is thus converted into an alternating rotatory
motion in the suspended axis on which the matters to be roasted are hung.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Chandler, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CHANDLER, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letter's
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Chandler, Her special licence, that I; the said Henry Chandler,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry Chandler, my executors, administrators, and 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 and lawfully might make, use,

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ROASTING JACKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Chandler, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Henry Chandler, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manuer the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in constructing roasting jacks in the manner
herein-after described, and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
Drawing; Figure 1 representing a front view of the jack, and Figure 2 repre-
senting a side view of the same. The spring a which actuates the jack is two
or three times, as long as the spring of the ordinary roasting jack. The said
spring a is coiled upon a horizontal axis b, supported by and working in the
case c. The spring, a is wound up by a winch or key, placed upon the square
end d of the axis b, which end d of the axis protrudes through the case c to
the outside of the said case. The axis carries a crown wheel e, the teeth on
which are not continuous, toothed and untoothed portions alternating with
each other through the whole circumference of the said wheel, each toothed
portion being opposite to another toothed portion.
It will be seen, by reference to the Drawing, that each toothed portion
consists of two teeth, marked respectively f and g, the teeth f being shorter
than the teeth g. The crown wheel e engages with pallets or pinions at the
opposite extremities of a vertical axis h. The upper and lower pallets are
marked respectively i and k, in Figures 1 and 2, and a plan of one of the said
pallets is represented at 1, Figure 1. A rotatory motion is impressed upon the
axis.b by the spring a, which said rotatory motion the wheel e partakes of.
The teeth f, g, alternately engage with the pallets i, k, that is to say, one pair
of teeth f, g, at the top of the wheel e, engages with and communicates motion
to the pallet i; after the said teeth have escaped from the pallet i, a pair of
teeth on the lower side of the wheel e engages with and communicates motion
to the pallet k, and so on, during the rotation of the wheel e.
As the motions of the upper and lower sides of the wheel are in opposite
lirections, an alternating motion is communicated to the axis h; m is a drum,

page_text: on the lower end of the axis h; n is a cord or catgut, fastened to the drum
m at o. The ends of the catgut n are coiled round the vertical axis P, hung
to the suspending cord, silk, or spring . To the lower end of the axis p the
hook 1, carrying the matter to be roasted, is attached, as represented. The ends
of the catgut n are coiled round the axis p in opposite directions, and their
ends are securely attached to the said axis p. By the alternating motion of
the axis and drum m, the catgut n is made to coil and uncoil upon the
axis p, and a rotatory motion thereby communicated to the said axis p. Owing
to the small diameter of the axis compared with that of the drum m, the
partial rotation of the drum m causes the axis p to perform many rotations.
The case of the jack is formed of cast iron in two pieces, marked respectively
c and c' in Figure 2. The teeth fare made shorter than the teeth g, in order
that, acting upon the pallets i, k, after the teeth g have escaped therefrom, the
said short teeth f may act upon the said pallets at a greater distance from the
centre of the axis h. The additional force given to the pallets by the short
teeth f counteracts the resistance of the twisted silk q.
P
My Invention consists, secondly, of the use of the ordinary or anchor clock
escapement, for converting the continuous rotatory motion of the spring of a
roasting jack into an alternating rotatory motion, and conveying the same to
the axis attached to the silk or cord by which the meat or other matter is
suspended. This part of my Invention is represented in elevation in Figure 3.
s is an escapement wheel on the axis of the spring of the jack; t is the anchor
escapement, to which a vibratory motion is communicated by means of the
wheels; u is a rod or wire attached to the escapement t, and to which said
rod or wire an oscillating motion is communicated by the escapement, as in
the pendulum of the ordinary clock. The lower end of the rod or pendulum
u is connected with the cord or catgut wat v. The said catgut passes
over two pulleys a, y, and its ends are coiled around the vertical axis z in
opposite directions, as shown at 1, 9. By the pendulous motion of the
rod u, an alternating rotatory motion is communicated to the axis, on
which the matter to be roasted is hung, in the usual manner. I sometimes
modify the last-described part of my Invention in the following manner:
I attach to the bottom of the pendulum ua sector, the face of which is made
into a rack; a pinion is placed on the axis, in which the teeth on the said
sector engage; the vibratory motion of the rod u is thus converted into an
alternating rotatory motion in the suspended axis z, on which the matters to
be roasted are hung.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner o
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limi

page_text: myself to the precise details herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim as my
Invention,-
Firstly, the method herein described, and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of
the accompanying Drawing, of producing an alternating rotatory motion in
roasting jacks, that is to say, by causing teeth of unequal length on or near
the opposite extremities of the same diameters of a crown wheel alternately
to engage with and communicate motion to pallets or teeth on an axis situated
in a plane parallel to that in which the said crown wheel rotates, the said
crown wheel consisting of toothed and untoothed portions alternating with one
another.
Secondly, the method herein described, and illustrated in Figure 3 of the
accompanying Drawing, of producing an alternating rotatory motion in roasting
jacks, that is to say, by the use of an escapement, similar to the ordinary clock
escapement, the pendulous motion produced by the said escapement being
transmitted to the axis on which the matters to be roasted are suspended, and
converted into an alternating rotatory motion either by a catgut or cord, or
toothed sector and pinion, as described.
Thirdly, transmitting the motion of the escapements of roasting jacks to the
vertical axis on which the matters to be roasted are suspended, by means of
catgut or other flexible cord or line, the ends of which are coiled in opposite
directions round the said axis, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Chandler, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
HENRY CHANDLER. (L.S.)