US1014346A - Roundabout. - Google Patents

Description

L. B. STEWART.

- ROU NDABOUT.

- 1911. f 1,014.1 34:6. Patented'Jan. 9, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. B. STEWART.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET .3.

, COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.,W/\sNmaTON, D. c.

LAWSON B. STEWART, 0F RIMERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROUNDABOUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1911.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

Serial No. 608,093.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWSON B. STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rimersburg, in the county of Clarion and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roundabouts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in toys, and more particularly to the class known as roundabouts, and my object is to provide a device of this character, which may be easily set up in the home, or on the surrounding campus. v

A still further object is to provide a device of this character which will accommodate several persons, and which may be easily operated by children.

A further object is to provide means for the operation of the device which may be manipulated by those using the same.

A further object is to provide an improved means of propulsion for the device, and a still further object is to provide a revolving frame which is driven forwardly by means of clamps engaging a friction disk operated from seats on the frame.

With these and other objects in, view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the device as seen on line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the leverage connecting the operating handles with the clamping members; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of one of the clamping members removed from its operative position; and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the friction disk employed in my device.

In carrying out my invention. I shall refer to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which 1 indicates a base, which is adapted to be fixed to a floor, ground or the like,

' 22. These levers 22 are by inserting stakes or the like through members 2 at the ends of said base, and extending upwardly therefrom is a mast or center pole 3, which is securely held in position by means of the braces 4., v

A frame composed of the head piece or sleeve 5, the radial arms 6 and braces 7 extending from the head piece to the arms, is revolubly mounted upon said mast by providing said mast adjacent its upper end with a shoulder 8 upon which the lower face of said sleeve 5 rests after having re ceived the upper end of said mast, and by providing said mast adjacent its lower end with an additional shoulder or collar 9, upon which is adapted to rest the lower faces of the radial arms 6. The inner ends of the radial arms 6 are secured to the bottom face of a circular plate 10, which plate is provided with an opening 11 for the insertion therethrough of the mast 3, and mounted upon the outer ends of said arms are seats 12. As so described, it will be seen that the frame with the seats thereon is adapted to revolve on the mast or center pole, and to propel the device from the seats on the frame, I provide my improved means which will be hereinafter described.

A metal friction disk 13, having a collar 14L thereon, isvmounted upon the mast 3, a short distance above the plate 10 so as to be non-rotatable thereon, said disk being provided with a depending annular flange 15. A pair of clamping members 16, which rest upon the upper face of the plate 10, are provided with slots 17 which receive the annular depending flange 15 of the disk 13, and the inner ends of said members are provided with integral shanks 18, disposed along one side edge of the same, and engaging the central pole or mast 3. The

plates 19 are secured at one end to the upmembers in position on said disk. The outer ends of said members are split, as at 20, to

receive the reduced ends of the links or pitmen 21, the opposite ends of said links being engaged with one end of L-shaped levers mounted on thejsupports 23 carried adjacent the ends of the arms 6, and the free ends of said levers are provided with handles 24 positioned adjacent the seats so that the occupants thereof may easily grasp the same.

It will be seen that by having the occupant-in any one of the seats draw inwardly, or toward said seat, the handle 24, the clamp linked to that particular handle will be swung in an arc so that the portion 25 of the outer wall of the slot 17 will be forced into frictional engagement with the outer face of the flange 15 of the friction disk,

thereby causing the frame to revolve for-' wardly about said mast. The bearing face of the outer wall of said slot 17 is provided with a friction reenforcing face 25, and the point which is adapted to' engage the disk when said clamp is moved in an are, as clescribed, may be provided with serrations, and as it is essential to the propulsion of the device that the clampsbe engaged wit-h the friction disk alternately, I provide the additional link 26, which connects the linkengaging end of one of the clamps with the link-engaging end of the opposite lever22. It will be seen that with this'construction, one of the handles will be swung inwardly while the other is being moved outwardly, so that the clamps 16 will be alternately engaged with the friction disk, and a smoother movement of the frame gained.

In the drawings as disclosed, I have shown only two clamping members with their respective leverage, but it will be understood that as many clamps may be provided as there are seats, if so desired. In a device of this kind in which there are merely four seats provided, it has been found sufiicient to provide but two propelling clamps, and itmay be stated that one occupant may propel the device by the use of only one lever, as the leverage is such as to give great power with slight manual operation.

I From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a device having a frame revoluble on a mast, and adapted to be propelled by means of frictional devices operated by persons carried on the frame. It will still further be seen that I have provided an improved friction means for the propulsion of my device comprising a sta tionary disk and friction clamps adapted to be forced into engagement therewith. It will still further be seen that I have provided a device of this character which consists of few working parts, and which is practically inexpensive to manufacture. It will still. further be seen that by providing the connecting link 26, as hereabove described, the clamps will be alternately engaged with the friction disks, so that the lever 24 may beeflectively operated, both in its outward and its inward movement from and to the seat, respectively. Hence it will be seen that one person may operate the device effectively.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a fixed base, a mast thereon, a frame revolubly mounted on said mast, a disk fixedly mounted on said mast, levers carried by said frame, clamping members also carried by the frame in a position in close proximity to said disk, links connecting each clamp with a lever, and an additional link connecting one of said clamps with the opposed lever, whereby said clamps may be alternately forced into frictional engagement with said disk to revolve the frame on said mast.-

2. A device of the character described, comprising the combination with a fixed base, a mast thereon, a frame carrying seats thereon revolubly mounted on said mast, a circular plate carried by the frame through which said mast extends and a disk fixed on said mast provided with a depend ing flange, said disk being spaced a short distance above said plate; of clamping members resting on said plate provided with slots to receive the depending flange of the disk, operating means carried by the frame and disposed adjacentthe seats for forcing the clamps into frictional engagement with the disk, and additional means connecting the operating means of the respective clamps, whereby the effective engagement of the clamps with the disk will be alternate.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a fixed base, a mast thereon, a frame revolubly mounted on said mast, said frame being provided with a circular plate through which said mast extends and a disk fixed on said mast and spaced a short distance above said plate, said disk beingprovided with an annular depending flange; of a pair of clamping members resting on said plate provided with slots to receive the annular flange of said disk, the walls of said slots being serrated to provide eflective engaging faces, plates removably engaged with said clamping members and contacting with the upper face of said disk to retain said clamping members in position thereagainst, and means carried on said frame for alternately forcing the engaging faces of said clamping members into frictional engagement with the flange of said disk.

4:. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a fixed base, a mast thereon, a frame revolubly mounted on said mast and a disk fixed on said mast; of a pair of clamping members carried by the frame and adapted to revolve with the frame about id. i a pair of.- l ers m nt d. n id frame at diametrically opposite points thereon, a link connecting each of said In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my clgmping members with a lever, and an signature in the presence of two witnesses. a ditional linkin member connecting one m of said clamping ilembers with the lever of LAWSON STEWAR the opposed clamping member, whereby the Witnesses: v levers may only be operated alternately to S. H. STEWART, force the clamping members into frictional JOHN W. HULL. engagement with the disk.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D; G."

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