US2248930A - Boat propelling mechanism - Google Patents

Description

July 15, V1941. c. w. ALLEN BOAT PROPELLING MECHANISMY Filed April-11., 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 K IN EN TOR.

kdm

@2151 umwm.

A TToRNEx 'lllllllllllllllllm .DI L

July 15, 1941- c. w. ALLEN 2,248,930

BOAT PROPELLING' MECHANISM A Filed April 1l, 1938 l 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- Jv/mz 1J.' www.

' ATTORNEY:

July 15, 1941. c. w. ALLEN 'BOAT PROPELLING MECHANISM Filed April 11, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 uson A TTORN EY July 1 5, 1941- c. w. ALLEN 2,248,930

BOAT PROPELLING MECIIANISM` Filed April 11, 193'58 l 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR. ZJ' afn/ A TTORNEY Patented July 15, 1941 UNITED STATI-:s 'PATENT oFFlcE cartaceov BOAT PRQPE'LLING illECHANIsivr Clarence W. Allen, San Francisco, Calif. amenacen Aprilli, lcsaseriei Ne. 201,337

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a boat propelling mechanism, and particularly.toA a mechanism of,V this character which may be employed not only as a propelling mechanism but also, to steer and reverse the boat. l

The object of the present invention is generally to improve and simplify the construction and operation of boat propelling mechanisms; to provide a propelling mechanism whereby the boat may be propelled, steered and' reversed; toA Drovide a propelling mechanism in which the propeller proper is mounted in a recess formed in the stern of` the boat and, in combination therewith, steeringrmeans whereby the propeller may be swung completely around and in a circle, f/orsteeringl and reversing purposes; torprovide means in combination withfthe steering lmechanism wherebyy the direction in which the boat is being propelled is visually indicated at all times; and further, to provide a drive for the propeller comprising a pair of manually reciprocated rods, an endless chain, to opposite sides of which the rods are connected, a sprocket gear driven by the chain, a drive shaft alternately driven in opposite directions by the 'sprocket and chain, and in conjunction therewithz'means whereby continuous rotation in one directionis transmitted to the 'propeller shaft from the drive shaft. v

The boat propelling mechanism is shown kby way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fig. 1 lis an enlarged side elevation in section of the stern end of the boat and the propelling mechanism mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on line II-II of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken online III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section-of a life boat showing the middle and rear portion-of the same, said view also showing the propelling mechanism in side elevation;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the hand grips whereby the propelling rods are grasped and reciprocated;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the guide rollers;

Fig. 7 is a cross-section of one of the pawl clutches taken on line VII-VII of Fig. l;

Fig. 8 is a plan View of the boat;

Fig. 9 is a perspective View showing the reinforcing `mem-ber interposed between the keel andthe sternpost of the boat;

Fig. 10 isa cross-section taken on line X--Xvof Fig. 9; and y f Fig. 11 isa cross-section taken on line XI--XI oiFg; 9. j v Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 4, A indicates inV general a lifeboat, 2 the seats or thwarts extending crosswise thereof, and 3 the stern seat or deck. The boat may -be planked or. built from metal, but in either instance is shaped to form a propeller recessB, which is vguarded by extending the'keel 4 rearwardly under the recess and thenjupward` ly to form the sternpost 5.0i the boat or to reinforce the same. D sDQsed under the stern seat or deck 3 is a housing C, and forming a support for. one end lthereof is a bearingsleeve 6. The

opposite end of the housing may be sec'uredin' any suitable manner, but is herev shown as `secured orsupported by bolts l.

Extended through the bearing sleeve Slis, aV steering column in the upper; end of which is secured a sprocket gear 9. Thel outer end of then steering column is hanged to` receive and secure a torpedo-shaped housing D in which are formed" Ill-l IlV to receive and support a probearings l e peller shaft Il which is extended at one end'A to receive a propeller I2.

Extending through the steering column is a.d

drive shaft I4. Secured of is a sprocket gear I5, and` secured on the lower. end of the shaftV is a bevel gear 1 6 which inter# meshesl vwith a pair Qf bevel gears-l1 and la which are loosely mountedon the propeller sha Each ofthe gearsY on the upper end there- Y and mounted on each hubA are a plurality ofY pawls i9 (see Fig. 'D which engage teeth 20 formed on the inner face of a. flange ZI, said flange being'secure'd to a hub which in turn' is secur'dto the lpropeller shaft Il. The pawls on one gear hub ride free while the pawls on the. This is due to the fact otherv gear hub engage. that when the propelling mechanism is in operation, shaft lil is rotated alternately in one direction and thenin the other. The gears ll'l and1|8 will thus be alternately rotated andreversed, but as they merely form drivers, and* asfthepawls alternately engage, continuous y.motion in one. diil'ctionjwill Abe transmittedt the propeller shaft Adjustably secured to theforwardrend ofthe housing is a clevis member 24; extending there- Y through is a bearing pin l25, and iournaled mereon is a. sprocket gear Ifia which cooperates with the sprocketgear l5. That is, an endless' chain 2'6 iscarr-ied by the sprockets I1 and I8 is provided with Y l5 ana'lsa, anais divided by said sprockets into two reach portions 2'I and 28.

Extending into the housing are a pair of rods 30 and 3|. These are disposed one on each side of the sprocket chain 26 and adjacent the reaches 2'I and 28l thereof. On the inner end of each rod is secured a drive arm, one being indicated at 33a and the other at 3io. These arms each carry a roller 32 which engages the other side of the angle iron track 33. Also, eachV arm carries a guide roller 34 which rides on and is guided by a rod 35. That is', there is one rod and roller 34 for each of the arms 30a and 3Ia., and there v is a roller 32 and guide track 33 for each Aof the arms. It may furthermore be stated that the inner end of the arm 3Ia. is secured as at 28a to the reach 28 of the chain, while the op-posite arm 30a is secured as at 21a to the reach 21 of the chain.

Reciprocal movement is transmitted t-o the rods 30 and 3| as will hereinafter be described, when the propelling mechanism is in operation. This reciprocal movement is transmitted to the chain to alternately pull it back and forth, and vthus movementis in turn transmitted to alternately rotate the drive shaft I4 first inone direction and then in another, said moti-on, however, being converted into continuous rotation in one direction vat the propeller shaft, through the pawl clutches, as previously described. The rods 30 and 3l, together with the chain 26, the sprocket gear I5, the drive shaft I4, gears I6, I1 and I8, togetherwith the pawl clutches, f-orm the driving mechanism whereby lthe propeller is driven.

Means are also provided for swinging the torpedo-shaped housing D, together with the pro-- peller shaft and propeller, about the vertical axis of the drive shaft I4, so that Vthe propelling mechanism may be employed not only for propelling 'purposes but also for steering and reversal of the boat. To permit steering and reversing, a vsprocket gear 40 is secured on a shaft 4I which will hereinafter be referred to as the indicator shaft, as an indicating finger or pointer 42 is secured on the upper end thereof. Shaft 4I is journaled in the housing as shown. A similar shaft is also journaled in the housing shown at 43. This shaft is provided with 'a steering crank 44 at its upper end, the lower end carrying a gear pinion 45, and this meshes with a gear 4B which is secured on shaft 4I. By rotating shaft 43 through means of the-steering crank 44, rotary motion will be transmitted to the shaft 4I through means of the gears 45 and 46, and as the sprockets 4U and 9 are* also secured-thereon, motion will be transmitted to rotatethe steering column, asthe sprockets 40 and 9 are connected by an endless'chain 41. When motion istransmitted to the steering column, housingD which carries the propeller will swing with it, and the propeller may thus be pointed in any direction from full ahead to full reverse, and as shaft 4I rotates when shaft 43 is rotated, an indicator 42 may-be employed, which indicates the direction in which the boat is being propelled; That is, its pointer end always assumes a position opposite to that assumed by the propeller. If the propeller is driving the" boat ahead, it will point rearwardly, as shown in Fig.l 1, while the pointer 42 will point ahead. If the propeller is swung 90 towards the left side of the boat, the pointer will point directly inthe opposite direction, as that is the direction in 'which the steering end of the boat will be propelled or pushed by the propeller. gain, if

the propeller is swung to reverse position, or that indicated by dotted lines at I2a in Fig. 1, the pointer would point directly astern, showing that the boat is being reversed. Hence the pointer always points in -a direction in which the boat is being propelled.

While different types of manually controlled mechanisms may be employed for the purpose of imparting a reciprocal movement to the rods 30 and 3|', a type of mechanism such as shown in Figs. 4 and 8 is preferable, as it permits the maximum number of men or individuals in the boat to operate the same. Two rods such as indic-ated at 50 and 5I are employed. These are disposed above the seats or thwarts of the boat,

and are supported by guide rollers 52, so as to reduce friction .to a minimum. Sleeves 53 having a pair of handles 54 affixed .thereto at each end are applied to the rods 50 and 5I, and secured'thereto. With three sets of hand grips secured to each rod, it becomes possible to employ eighteen men, six in the middle between the rods.' and six on the exterior side of each rod. Thus considerable man-power may be used if required, the men standing between lthe rods using both hands to push and pull on the rods, while the men standing on the outer sides of the rods use only one hand to push and pull. The reciprocal movement thus transmitted to the rods-50 and 5I may be directly transmitted to the rods -30 and 3|, if they align properly; on the other hand, if they do not, the movement maybe transmitted from one set of rods to another, .through link and bracket connections such as shown at 60, Bland 62. Suice it to say that the dir-ect push and-pull action of the crew or other 'occupants of the boat which is transmitted to the rods is in turn transmitted to the chain 25 through the arms 30a and 3Ia. This in turn transmits motion through the drive shaft I4 tothe propeller shaft II, and transmission lost through friction is reduced to a minimum. The propelling mechanism permits propulsion, steering and reverse, and a rudder and reversinggmech-anism may .thus be entirely eliminated.

'The propeller` and housing, regardless of its position, is protected by the keel While in shallow water, as it is positioned above the bottom of the boat. This isl an important feature when beaching a boat. Also the propeller housing, being substantially under the stern within the recess and above the keel, is protected from imp-act'with other objects such as boats or wharves, etc.

There is also a special casting 63 (see Figs. 1 and 9) to provide a reinforcement for the recess formed in the stern of the boat. This casting is secured .to the keel and sternpost to insure a rigid foundation for the mounting of the bearing sleeve or -tube 6, said sleeve or tube in turn supplying support for one end of the housing C. The reinforcing casting is provided with a flange r64 on each side to which the Flanking of the boat is riveted or otherwise secured. The casting conforms in shape to the contour of the recess formed in the stern of the boat, and a portion of the casting shown at 65 is substantially V-shaped in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 1=1, to permit the stern portion of the boat adjacent the recess to be tapered off so that there will not be any appreciable drag. It should be clearly understood that the recess is built '2,248,930 within the lines ofthe :boat and is not formed by an extension of the keel and the sternpost.

While these -and other features of the present invention have been more or less s'peciflcallyvdescribed" and illustrated, I wish it understoodthat various changes may be resorted to within'the scope of the appended claims, and that the ma;- terials and finish of the several partsk employed may be such as the judgment. and experience of the manufacturer lnay dictate or other conditions may demand.

Having thus described'and illustrated my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Y 1. A boat propelling mechanism comprising a support, a vertically disposed drive shaft, a sprocket gear journaled in the supportV at one end thereof, a sprocket gear secured to the drive shaft and disposed adjacent the opposite end of the support, an endless chain carried by'said sprocket gears, said chain presenting two reach portions, a pair of reciprocal members in the support, one adjacent each reach of the chain, and a connection between each reciprocal member and the adjacent reach of the chain, whereby the chain may be vpulled back and forth, and rotary `movement is transmitted to the sprocket and the drive shaft to alternately rotate the shaft in opposite directions.

2. A boat propelling mechanism comprising a support, a vertically disposed drive shaft, a sprocket gear journaled in the support at one end thereof, a sprocket gear secured to the drive shaft and disposed adjacent the opposite end of the support, an endless chain carried by said sprocket gears, said chain presenting two reach portions, a pair of reciprocal members in the support, one adjacent each reach of the chain, a connection vbetween each reciprocal member and the adjacent reach of the chain, whereby the chain may be pulled back and forth, and rotary movement is transmitted to the sprocket and the drive shaft to alternately rotate the shaft in opposite directions, a steering column adapted to be journaled in the boat, through which the drive shaft extends, a housing secured on the lower end of said column, a propeller shaft journaled in the housing and projecting through the same to support a propeller, a driving connection lbetween the drive and propeller shafts, and means for transmitting the alternate rotations of the drive shaft to rotate the propeller shaft in one direction.

3. A boat propelling mechanism comprising a support, a vertically disposed drive shaft, a sprocket gear journaled in the support at one end thereof, a sprocket gear secured to the drive shaft and disposed adjacent the opposite end of the support, an endless chain carried by said sprocket gears, said chain presenting two reach portions, a pair of reciprocal members in the support, one adjacent each reach of the chain, a connection between each reciprocal member and the adjacent reach of the chain, whereby the chain may be pulled back and forth, and rotary movement is transmitted to the sprocket and the drive shaft to alternately rotate the shaft in opposite directions, a steering column adapted to be journaled in the boat, through which the drive shaft extends, a .propeller shaft journaled at the lower end of the steeling column and driven by the drive shaft, a propeller on the propeller shaft, and means for rotating the steering column and the propeller shaft about the drive shaft to point the propeller shaft and propeller in any direction from 'ahead to reverse to steer and tov lreverse the boat.

I4. A' boat propellingmechanism comprising a support, a sprocket gear journaled at each end ofthe support, an endlessV sprocketr chain carried bythe sprocket gears, said gears separating the chain into twoI reach portions, a pair of reciprocal rods mountedin the support, one adjacent eachireach of the chain, a drive shaft driven by one ofthe sprockets, and a connection between. each rod and the adjacent. reach of the chain whereby reciprocal movement; of the rods is .transmitted to impart a back and forth movement ofthe chain and alternate rotation of the drive shaft in opposite directions.

5. A boat propelling mechanism comprising .a support, a Asprocket gear journaled at each end ofthe support, an endless sprocket chain carried @by thesprocket gears, said gears. separating the chain intoy two reach portions, a pair of reciprocal rods mounted inthe support, one adjacent each reach of the chain, an larm on each rod, a connection between each arm and the adjacent reach of the chain whereby reciprocal movement ofthe rods is vtransmitted to impart a back and forth movement of the chain and alternate rotation of the sprocket gears in opposite directions, a drive shaft driven by one of the sprockets, and means for guiding thereciprocall rods and `th arms secured thereto.

6. A boat propelling ymechanism comprising a support,y a sprocket gear journaled at each endof the support, an .endless sprocket chain carried by the sprocket gears, said gears separating the chain into two reach portions, a pair of reciprocal rods mounted in the support, one adjacent each reach of the chain, an arm on each rod, a connection between each arm and the adjacent reach of the chain whereby reciprocal movement of the rods is :transmitted to impart a back and forth movement of the chain and alternate rotation of the sprocket gears in opposite directions, a drive shaft driven by one of the sprockets, guide tracks disposed adjacent each reciprocal rod, and rollers carried by the rods and arms and engaging the guide tracks.

7. A boat propelling mechanism comprising a support, a sprocket gear journaled at each end Y of the support, an endless sprocket chain carried by the sprocket gears, said gears separating the chain into two reach portions, a pair of reciprocal rods mounted in the support, one adjacent each reach of the chain, a drive shaft driven by one of the sprockets, a connection between each rod and the adjacent reach of the chain whereby reciprocal movement of the rods may be transmitted to imparta back and forth movement of the chain and alternate rotation of the drive shaft in opposite directions, a steering column through which the drive shaft extends, a housing on the lower end of the steering column, a propeller journaled in the housing and driven by the drive shaft, a sprocket gear secured Ito the steering column, a cooperative sprocket gear 'in the steering column and the housing secured at the l lower end thereof so as to swing the propeller in different directions.

8. A boat propelling mechanism comprising a support, a sprocket gear journaled at each end of the support, an endless sprocket chain carried by the sprocket gears, said gears separating the chain into two reach portions, a pair of reciprocal rods mounted in the support,v one adjacent each reach of the chain,v a driveshaft driven by one of the sprockets, a connection between each rod and the adjacent reach of thechain whereby reciprocal movement of the rodsris transmitted to impart a back-and-forth movement to the chain and alternate rotation of the drive shaft in opposite directions, a second pair of reciprocal rods mounted in the boat and slidably mounted with relation to the :thwarts in the boat, a plurality of spaced sleeve-like members on each rod, a plurality of vertically disposed hand grips on each sleeve whereby reciprocal movement is transmitted to the rods, and means whereby reciprocal movement of said rods is transmitted to the first named reciprocal rods.

9. In a boat propelling mechanism of the character described a rod adapted to extend longitudinally of a boat, means for slidably supporting the rod with relation to thwarts on the boat, a plurality of spaced sleeve-like members secured to the rod, four spaced vertically extending hand grips formed on each sleeve whereby reciprocal movement is transmitted to the rod, and means whereby reciprocal movement of the rod is transmitted to drive the propelling mechanism.

10. A boat propelling mechanism comprising a support, a sprocket gear journaled at each end of the support, an endless sprocket chain carried by the sprocket gears,` said gears separatingthe chain into two reach portions, a pair of reciprocal members disposed in the support one adjacent each reach of the chain, a driving-connection between each reciprocal member andthe adjacent reach ofthe chain, whereby reciprocal movement of the reciprocal members is transmitted to impartA a back-and-forth movement to the chain, and whereby the chain alternately rotates Ythe sprocket gears rst in one direction and then in an opposite direction, a propeller shaft, and a driving connection between one of the sprocket gears and the propeller shaft whereby the alternate rotation of the sprocket gears in opposite directions is transmitted torotate the propeller shaft inone direction.

11. A boat propelling mechanism comprising a support, a vertically disposed drive shaft mounted therein, a sprocket gear secured on said shaft, an idler, a single chain surrounding the sprocket and the idler, said sprocket and idler dividing the chain into two reachfportions, means for exerting a pull first on one reach portion and then on the other to transmit a back-and-forth movement to the chain, said back-and-forth movement of the chain alternately rotating the sprocket gear first in one direction and thenin an opposite direction, a propeller shaft, and a driving connection between thel `drive and the propeller shaft whereby the alternate rotation of the sprocket gear and drive shaft in opposite directions is transmitted to rotate the propeller shaft in one direction. I. l

CLARENCE W. ALLEN.

Images