US625059A - William ran kin - Google Patents

Description

No. 625,059. Patanted May I6, |899. W. RANKIN.

PBUPELLING MECHANISM FOR BOATS.

(Application led Dec. 15, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(N0 Model.)

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No. 625,059. Patented may le, |8199. w. RANKIN. PBOPELLING MEGHANISM FR BOATS.

(Application ld Dec. 15, 1897.)

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(No Model.)

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NiTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM RANKIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO MATTHEW RANKIN, OF SAME PLACE;

PRoPsLLlNG MECHANISM FOR BOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,059, dated May' 1G, 1899.

Application liilefl December 15, 1897. Serial No. 661,934. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM RANKIN, ofY

by a boat may be readily and convenientlyv propelled by hand-power.

To this end my invention consists in certain novel'features,which I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

In `the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a plan view of a boat having my improved propelling mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig.` 3 is a plan viewof the propelling mechanism detached from the boat. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same, the propeller and rear portion of the propeller-shaft being omitted; and Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

In the said drawings I have shown my invention applied to the propulsion of a boat or launch A, it being adapted for the propulsion 'of boats of this general type and character.

B indicates a screw-propeller, which may be of any approved type and which is mounted on the end of a propeller-shaft C, which is itself mounted in bearings C and C2 within the boat. The rear bearingCis located near the rear end of the shaft, while the front bearing C2 is located near the front end thereof and mounted on orforminga part of aframework or support D, which carries a portion of the actuating mechanism. The bearings C' C2 are preferably ball-bearing, as shown, for the purpose of reducing the friction and end thrust to a minimum. The shaft C is provided witha bevel-gear C3 on its front end within the frame D.

F. indicates a transverse shaft mounted in the framing or support D and provided with a bevel-gear E', which meshes with the bevelgear Cson the shaft C, said shaft E being also provided with a pinion E2, which meshes with a gear F on a second transverse shaft F', also mounted in suitable bearings in the framing D. The shaft F is' provided with a fly-wheel F2 for giving steadiness and continuity ot' motion and also has secured on it a crankwheel F3, provided witha crank-pin F4,wl1ichy is connected by a pitman G to a hand-lever I'I, fulcrumed at its lower end in a suitable bearing 72, and provided at its upper end with a suitable handle h', by means of which it may be vibrated. The boat A is. provided with a seat A adjacent to and in the rear of the lever II, whereby the operator, occupying said seat, may be in convenient reach of said lever.

It will be seen that when the lever I'I is vibrated or moved back and forward upon its fulcrum rotary motion will be imparted by the pitman G and crank-wheel F3 to the shaft F', and thence at an increased rate of speed to the shaft E, which latter in turn causes the propeller-shaft Cto rotate at a still higher rate of speed. In practice I prefer to provide the shafts E and F with ball-bearings e of anysuitable construction-such, for instance, as that shown in detail in Fig. 3 of the drawlngs.

In order to provide continuity and smoothness of movement, I provide a spring-equalizing mechanism constructed in the following manner: One of the rotating parts, in this instance thev fly-wheel F2, is provided with an eccentric-pin I, which engages a block J, mounted to slide horizontally in a guideway or cross-head K. The block .I is provided with projecting arms j, and on these arms, between said block and the respective ends of the cross-head K, are mounted springs J. The cross-head K is in turn provided with two pairs of upward and downward extending guide-rods k,V which pass through suitable apertured guide-plates or keepers L, mounted respectively at the top and bottom of a supporting-standard L'. K represents springs mounted on the guide-rods k between the cross-head K and the guides or keepers L. It will be seen that as the shaft F rotates the several springs J K are successively compressed and expanded, and by this operation they serve to give continuity and smoothness to the rotary motion of the shaft F. As a further and auxiliary device for this purpose I provide in connection with the lever H springs M, mounted on a suitable standard M and having their free ends connected by links m to the lever H, these springs being each .alternately contracted and expanded by the reciprocation of the lever and serving, further, to insure continuity and. smoothness of Inovement and to carry the parts past the deadpoint. By means of the mechanism above described a boat may be conveniently and readily propelled by manual ypower at a high rate of speed with a minimum amount of exertion.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself strictly to the precise details of construction hereinbefore described, and shown in the drawings, as it is obvious that the structuremay be modified Without departing from the principle of my invention.

I claim- 1. A propelling mechanism for boats, comprising a propeller-shaft provided with a screw-propeller, a transverse shaft connected therewith by suitable gearing and provided with a crank, a vibrating hand-lever connect ed with said crank by a pitman, an eccentricpin connected with a rotating part on said shaft, and a vertically-reciprocating springcontrolled cross-head, provided with a horizontally-reciprocating sprin g-controlled block Y therein with which said eccentric-pin engages, substantially as described.

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