IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTORS FOR FURNITURE
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elijah Atkins, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Brassfounder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CASTORS FOR FURNITURE."
Sealed the 21st January 1876, and dated the 5th August 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elijah Atkins at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th August 1875.
I, ELIJAH ATKINS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Brassfounder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTORS FOR FURNITURE," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists of the improvements herein-after described in
the construction of castors for furniture, the object of my said improve-
ments being so to construct a castor that the whole weight of the article
of furniture to which the castor is attached shall be sustained by a bowl
or roller immediately under the vertical axis on which the horn of
the castor turns, the said bowl being brought into such a position when

page_text: the article to which it is attached is moved that the sides of the said
bowl are parallel to the direction in which the article is moving.
turns.
In constructing a castor according to my Invention I support the axis
of the bowl or roller in bearings formed on the horns, and situated
immediately under the vertical axis about which the horn of the castor
A small guide roller is supported by the horn of the castor, the
said guide roller bearing upon the floor. When the article of furniture
to which the castor is attached is moved the friction between the guide
roller and the floor causes the horn to take a direction parallel to that in
which the article is moving. The principal bowl is thus brought into
and maintained in the most favourable position, the horizontal axis on
which it turns being at right angles to the direction in which the article
is moving.
The guide roller may have a groove in its periphery for the reception
of a ring of india-rubber to give the said guide roller a more secure grip
or hold on the surface on which the castor moves.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Elijah Atkins in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 29th January 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELIJAH
ATKINS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Brassfounder, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Elijah Atkins, Her
special license that I, the said Elijah Atkins, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Elijah Atkins, 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,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for

page_text: "IMPROVEMENTS IN CASTORS FOR FURNITURE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Elijah Atkins, 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 Elijah Atkins, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner 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 of the improvements herein-after described in
the construction of castors for furniture, the object of my said improve-
ments being so to construct a castor that the weight of the article of
furniture to which the castor is attached shall be sustained by a bowl or
roller immediately under the vertical axis on which the horn of the
castor turns, the said bowl being brought into such a position when the
article to which it is attached is moved that the sides of the said bowl
are parallel to the direction in which the article is moving.
In constructing a castor according to my Invention I support the axis
of the bowl or roller in bearings formed on the horn, and situated
immediately under the vertical axis about which the horn of the castor
turns. A small guide roller is supported by the horn of the castor, the
said guide roller bearing upon the floor. When the article of furniture
to which the castor is attached is moved the friction between the guide
roller and the floor causes the horn to take a direction parallel to that in
which the article is moving. The principal bowl is thus brought into
and maintained in the most favourable position, the horizontal axis on
which it turns being at right angles to the direction in which the article
is moving.
The guide roller may have a groove in its periphery for the reception
of a ring of india-rubber to give the said guide roller a more secure grip
or hold on the surface on which the castor moves; or the axis of the
guide roller may be pressed down by springs.
I will now describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.

page_text: Figure 1 represents in side elevation, Figure 2 in front clevation, and
Figure 3 in back elevation a socket castor constructed according to my
Invention.
a is the principal or central bowl or roller of the castor situated imme-
diately under the vertical axis or spindle on which the horn turns, the
said bowl or roller a sustaining the weight of the article of furniture to
which it is applied. The horn is connected to the axis or spindle in
the ordinary way. The horizontal axis a² of the said bowl or roller a
turns in bearings at the bottom of the horn b, as represented. c is the
small guide roller supported by the parts 6º, 6º, of the horn b, and made
in one piece with the direct bearing horn b, the said guide roller c
bearing firmly on the floor or surface. On moving the article of
furniture the friction between the guide roller c and the floor or surface
causes the horn b, b, carrying the two rollers a, c, to take a position
parallel to that in which the article is moving, and thereby to bring the
principal bowl or roller a into and maintain it in the most favourable
position for the motion of the castor, the horizontal axis a² of the bowl a
being situated at right angles to the direction in which the article is
moving.
The manner in which the small guide roller c gives motion in the
required direction to the horn, when the article of furniture is moved, so
as to bring the axis of the principal bowl a at right angles to the
direction of motion of the said article, will be understood by an exami-
nation of the plan with a portion removed, represented in Figure 4.
Supposing the two bowls or rollers a, c, of the castor to have the
respective positions represented, and pressure is put on the article of
furniture in the direction of the arrow A, the guide roller c will turn in
the direction indicated by the arrow B, and carry round the horn b, b²,
supporting the principal bowl a and the said guide roller c to the
position indicated in dotted lines, and thereby bring the axis of the
said bowl a at right angles to the direction of motion of the article of
furniture.
The position of the two bowls or rollers a, c, may be reversed; that is,
the small bowl may be situated immediately under the vertical axis
or spindle of the castor, and the large bowl or roller serve as the guide
roller for turning the horn on its axis or spindle. This modification is
represented in Figure 5, where a is the small bowl and c is the large
guide roller; or the two rollers a, c, may be of the sames iz e.

page_text: In order the more efficiently to secure the "biting" or gripping of
the surface of the floor by the guide roller, the said guide roller may be
acted upon by coiled springs so as to press it downwards. This arrange-
ment of my Invention is represented in side elevation in Figure 6, front
5 elevation in Figure 7, and partly in section applied to a plate castor in
Figure 8. In this arrangement I make the parts 63, 6, of the horn b
supporting the guide roller c of a hollow or box form, and in each of the
boxes I fix a central wire or rod d, through the eye of which the axis c³
of the guide roller c passes. Around each rod d is a coiled spring f, the
said spring taking its bearing at top against the shoulder g on the box 6ª,
and at bottom against the eye of the rod d. The axis c is thus made
capable of yielding vertically, the said axis c³ rising and falling in the
side slots in the boxes be, b². When the castor is applied to the article
of furniture the weight of the said article compresses the springs f, and
the bowl or roller c is forcibly pressed down by the said springs acting
through the axis c² of the bowl or roller c. By this pressure the guide
roller c has a very secure grip or hold on the floor or surface on which
the castor moves, and the swivelling of the horn carrying the principal
bowl a by the action of the said guide roller c when the article of
▸ furniture is moved is rapidly and with certainty effected.
A ring of india-rubber placed in a groove in the guide roller may be
used for a like purpose, but I prefer to use the arrangement last
described.
My Invention may be applied to plate castors and socket castors of
various constructions.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention the improvements in castors
for furniture, hercin-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, the combination of a central bowl or roller
immediately under the vertical axis or spindle on which the horn of the
castor turns, and by which the weight of the article of furniture is
borne, with a guide roller made to have a secure grip or hold on the floor
or surface on which the castor moves, the said guide roller on the motion
of the article of furniture swivelling the horn on its axis or spindle, so

page_text: as to bring the principa! bowl into such a position that its sides are
parallel to the direction in which the article is moving, substantially as
described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elijah Atkins, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.