US850616A - Flying-machine. - Google Patents

Description

- No. 850,616. PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

A. P. BLIVIEZN. FLYING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILEIS DEO.17, 1906. 2 SHE'ETs SHE'ET L PATENTED APR. 16, 1907] A. 1 BLIVEN. FLYING MACHINE,

0 APPLICATION FILED DEU.17, 1906.

H2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

v [NYE/(T00 J/Mzo REM e 71 I I A-rra mys wmvzssss "Uisirrian STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO, P. BLIYEN, OF BRooIELYN, NEW YORK.

FLYING-MACHINE.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed December 17, 1906. Serial No. 348,805.

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Be it known that l, ALONZO P. BLIVEN, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn, in thecounty ofdiings and State ject being to provide a flying-machinewhich involves an oblong tapered gas balloon or receptacle which constitutes the chief carrying power and which is provided with or from which is suspended a casing having an engine-room, a saloon, a-ballast-cliainbergyf and illuminating-gas tanks, together with propellers, steering or guiding devices, and other features necessary in the construction and operation of a practical machine of this class and with these and other objects in view the invention consists in a machine of the class specilied constructed as hereinafter described and claimed. i

The invention is'fully disclosed in the following specilication, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are desighated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a sectional side view of my improved llying-n'iachine; Fig. 2, a bottom plan view thereof; Fig. 3, a front end view; Fig. -l, a plan view of a valve device employed in connection with a balloon or gascontainer,- Fig. 5, a vertical section on the line 5 5 01 Fig. l and showing means for operating one of the steering devices which I employ; Fig. 0, a side view,lon an enlarged scale, of one of the propellers with which the sides of the balloon or gas-container are provided; Fig. 7, an end view thereof looking in the direction of the arrow 9/: in Fig. 6; Fig. 8, a partial section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 9 a sectional plan view showing means for operating another steering device. In the practice of my invention, 1 provide a balloon or gas-container a, which is tapered at both ends and the top portion of which,

stantially semicircular in cross-section, while the bottom side portions thereof are prefer ablytapered inwardly in cross-section and provided with a depending longitudinal-lyarranged casing 'tainer a is composed of a main outer shell of The balloon or gas-com as shown in the drawings, is preferably sub- 5 aluminium or aluminium alloy constructed in any desired manner and an inner bag or gas-receiver a, composed of silk orother suitable flexible material and of the same general shape Tas'the main outer casinga,

While the casing I), connected withor suspended froin the main outer casing a, is also composed of aluminium or aluminium alloy constructed many desiredmanner so as to give the desired strength; but fibrous or other material may be usedin the combination of the balloon-casing and easing b.

At any suitable point in the main outer casing a of the balloon or gas-containeris' a manhole at, through which thebag a may.

be passed, and the bag a is provided with a corresponding vlillve device a, through which said bag may be filled with hydrogen gas, and the main outer casing 11 of the balloon or gas-container is also provided atan'y suitable point, preferably at the top thereof, with i valves (1, of any preferred construction, and' one of which s shown in Fig. 4, and which may be manipulated by-means of cords a,

so as to release. the air from the mainyouter casing a of the balloon or'gas-container when the bag a therein is beinginflated The casing b at the bottom of the balloon or gas-container contains a central engine room I; asaloon b aballasL-chamber b and engine-room b is an engine 0, preferably operated by gas from the tank I), and said engine roomalso contains an electrical generator c for operating a search-light c or for any other -,an illuminating-gas tank If, and within the f propeller d and a rear propeller (l and the.

propellenshaft d is geared in connection with thepower-shaft of the enginec by means of a drive-chain d 1 At the opposite sides of the main body of the balloon or gas-container are mounted supplemental, propeller-shafts e, the front ends oiwhieh are supported in brackets e by means of ball-and-socket joints e por similar constructions, and the rear ends or wh ch are mountedhin bearing-blocks e slidably connected with segmental supports e secured in a vertical position to the main body of the balloon or gas-container, as are also the bracket-supports c and connected with the loon or gas-container and carried into the saloon b, from which they may be operated for the purpose of raising and lowering the rear ends of the propeller-shaftse, and said. propeller-shafts e are geared in connection with. the power-shaft of theengine c by means of drive chains or belts e and corresponding wheels'at e on said shafts, v

'Thepro'peller-shafts e are provided with propellers f, and b means of the construction of the said shafts and method of supporting the same as herein described the rear ends of said shafts may be raised or lowered when desired, and the operation of the propellers f may thus be made to help in steering or raising and lowering the flying-machine as well as in the propulsion of said machine.

At thelrear end of the balloon or gas-container is a rudder or steering'device g, comprising four wings or blades connected with a shaft g extending into the rear end of the mam outer casing of the balloon or gas-container and supported. by a ball-arid-socket coupling 9, and the inner end of said shaft is provided with pulleys g*, as clearly shown in 7 Figs. 1 and 5 and over each of which is passed a cord 9 secured at g to the inner side of the main outer casing of the vballoon or gas-com tainer, and said cords are passed outwardly through said casing and over pulleys g and are passed through suitable keepers or eyes g securcdto the main outer casing of the balloon or gas-container and carried forwardly and passed through other keepers or eyes g over the saloon b, from which point they are carried downwardly into said saloon and may .be operated to'control the rudder or steering device 9 in any desired manner.

At the rear end of the casing bis a rudder. 7t, having a tiller-arm h fwhich passes into the rear end of the casing a and with which are connected cords 7t,-as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 9, and said cords are carried forwardly over the gas-tank b and through the top of the engine-room 1) into the saloon b, where they are connected with a drum M, by means of which the rudder it maybe operated in the usual manner. v

The valves e in the top of the main outer casing of the balloon or gas-container are preferably oi the ordinary register type, as shown in F ig. 4;, and are controlled by an arm i, with which is connected spring i and the springs i normally-hold the valves a closed, and the cords a are'eonnected with thearms of said valves, and by pulling on said cords the valves maybe opened when desired.

Atthe point where the drive-chains c", which operate the propeller-shafts 5,. downwardly around the bottom side por tions of the main outer casing of the balloon or container into the casing b are preferably placed antifriction-rollers; as indicatel at j in Fig. 3 but the transverse dimensions of the casing b and the main outer casirg oi the balloon or gas-container may be regulated. so as to render these antifrictionroll- 'ers unnecessary. I

Arranged over the propeller-shaits e and propellers and longitudinally of the main outer shell of'the balloon or gas-container are downwardly and baclrwa-rdly inclined and transversely-curved vanes or wing members 7e, which are preferably about one-fourth the total length of the balloon or gas-container and of a width equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of the propellers over which they are placed, and these wings or vanes imp'art a lifting power by reason of the air-currents that are forced out behind the propellersfin the operation thereof.

'l rom the ioregoing description and accompanying drawings it will be seen that the body of the main outer casing of the balloon or gas-container is approximately cylindrical in form and is pointed at both ends, and in practice its extreme length is about siix times its greatest diameter at the center, and the comparative length of the casing a, which --eontains the engine-room, gas tanlr, and saloon, is about onethird that of the balloon ,or gascontainer, or a little over one-third.

Although I have described the main outer shell or casing of the balloon orgas-container as composed of aluminium, liber board or, other hard waterproof substance may be employed, andin cases where the balloon or container is necessarily of great length the main outer casing or shell may be provided with interior braces to give it the desired strength, and in this event a number of the gas-bags a may beeinployed, if desired.

It will be understood that the bag a is tilled with gas the air in the main outer casing of the balloon or gas-container expelled through the valves a, and after the bag a is fully inflated the'said valves and the manhole a is closed, and any gas that may escape from the bag e is retained in themain outer shell or casing of the balloon or gas-container, and ifa numberof the bags o are employed a corresponding number of manholes will be necessary and corresponding means for filling said bags. It will also be understood thatthe main outer shell or casing of the bal loon or gas-container is separated from the bottom casing b bya horizontal floor as shown in Fig. l,and there isno communication between the casing b and the interior of the main outer shell or casing of the-balloon r gas-container. a

it will beobserved that the rear end of the balloon Orgas-cOntainer ort'he mainouter shell thereof is provided with a chamber-m, into which the end of the shaft or the'rudder or steeringdevice gprojects, and the pulleys and cords by which sai'd'rudder or steering device is operatedare. all located in saidchamber; v I The casing b is of the form ofa' double-ended boat or barge, and the top side walls there of may be provided forwardly of the gas-tank I 6 with any'desired DUIIIDGI or arrangement of WllltiOWS. 1 1 W ln the drawings form ng part Of thlS spec1- fication the arrangement of the casing b and terial hereinspecified a flying-machinelmay' -.te rs Patent, jise the various parts thereof is about midway of the main balloon or gas-container, and by means'of this construction and arrangement the entire flying machine or apparatus- .is substant ally balanced, and m-practice means may be provided in the casing b for carrying.

explosive material or other substances or articles for. use 1n poses.

'By the arrangement of propellers-and steering devicesherein' shown and described complete control of the machine maybef obtained and the necessary power 'fon pro-f pelling the same, and by employin'gtheimabe-made in themanner described'that will be aslight or lighter than the air it displaces and the desired or necessary load of persons or material may be easily carriedto; any "desired height and retained'at a highal-t tude for a, number of days.- i

. Having'fully describedmy invention, what I claim'as" new, and desire to secure by Let 1. A flying-machine, comprising a ;main

balloon or'gas-container consisting of a casing tapereda tbothends {and substantially cylindrical in cross-section and provided at} the bottom thereof with a supplemental casingiwhich is of approximately one-third the length thereof, said casing containing anengine-room,1a: saloon and a gae-tank, an

engine placed in the engine-room, a propeller- I shaft passing betweenthe supplemental casing and "the main casing of the balloon or 355 gas-container andjgeared in connection with said engine, and meansfor guiding'or steering the fiying-machine.-.

l 2. vin a flying-machine; a balloon or gascontamer, comprising a. mam outer casing substantially cylindrical in GI0 SS+S6C131OI1 and tapered at both endsand provided with an ,interio'r-bag adapted to befilledwith gas,

Qsaid casing being provided with valves to I allow of-the'escape of air therefrom and with, s

meansju for the bag therethrough, and

supplemental casing.

waror for any other purla said casing being also provided at the bot- I tom with a supplemental casing approximately one-third thelength thereof and contaming an'en'gine-room; a gas-tank and a saloon, an engine placed in the engine-room, a

main propeller-shaft passing longitudinally between the balloon or gas-container and the supplemental casing and geared in connectio'nrwith said engine, supplemental propeller-shafts mountedon the opposite sides a of the "balloon. orgas-container and geared in connection with'said engine, a main rudder connected with the rear end of the balloo n or gas-container,- means for; operating said rudder from thelsaloonofthe supple-v;

mental casing, a supplemental rudder c0115 'nected with the rear end of the supplemental casing, andmeans for operating said su'p plemental rudder from the saloon ofthe I 3. In a flying-machine, a balloon'or gas container, comprising a mam'outercasingv substantially cylindrical 1n-cross-s ect1on"and tap'ered at both ends'and provided with an interior bag adaptedto befilled-jwith gas, said casing being provided with valves to al- .lowof the escape of air therefrom-and with Emeans forffilling'the, bag therethroug'h, and

- said casing being also provided at torn with j af jsirpplemental casing approxi 'n1a-t ely one-third the length thereof and conthe bot-f ta'ining an engine-room, agas-tank and a saloon, an engineplaced in the engine-room;

between the balloonor gas-container and'then; supplemental casing and geared in connec tion' with saidengine, supplemental propeller 'nection with said epginaia main rudder connectedwith the rear endof the balloon or .a mainpropell-er-shaft passing longitudinally 4 "l shafts mounted on theopposite'sides ofthe iballoon or gasecontainerand geared in *con- 'gas co'ntainer, means for operating said r'udder from thesaloon of the supplemental casing, a "supplemental rudder connected with the rear end of the supplemental casing,v and means for; operating said supplemental 4 rudder from the saloon ofthe supplemental casing, the supplemental propeller-shafts at theoppoSite sides of the balloon or gascontainer being provided with means whereby thefrear end thereof may be swung in a vertical planefrom the saloon of'the supplemental casing.

4. In afflying-machine, a balloon or gas-- container, comprising a main outer casing substantially cylindrical in cross-sectionland tapered at both ends and provided with an interior bag adapted to be filled with gas,

: propeller means for operating said supplemental rud- 'dcr fromthe s'aloon oi the supplemental casing, the supplem tal propeller-shafts at the opposite s des of; no balloon or gascontamer being provided with means whereby the rear end thereof may be swung in a vertical plane from the saloon-of the supplemental casing, and the side of the mainballoon or gas-container being also provided with longitudinal wings or vanes mounted over the supplemental propellensha'l't-s and cxtendin g outwardly thereover.

5. A flying-machine, comprising'a balloon or gas-container composed oi a main outer casing substantially cylindrical in cross-section and tapered at both ends and provided with a manhole and" outlet-valves, a bag placed in said main outericasing and adapted to beinflated through said manhole, said balloon or gas-container being provided with a bottom supplemental casing which ranges longitudinally thereof and is separated therefrom and contains an engine-room, a gastank and a saloon, an engine placed in the en glue-room, a main propcller shaft mounted longitudinally between the balloon or gas-i container and the supplemental casing and provided at its front end with a propeller and geared in connection with said engine, supplemontal propeller-shafts mounted on the opposite sides of the balloon or gas-container and geared in connection with said eng ne, a

' fourblade rudder mounted in the rear end of the balloon or gas-conta ner and having a swivel-support, means for operating said ruddcrl'rom the saloon of the supplemental casing, a supplemental rudder connected with engine laced in said room ro ellersat the" sides the balloon body and at the opposite ends of sa d supplemental casing and gearedv in connection with said engine, rudders at the rear end ofthe balloon-body and the rear and of the supplemental casing, and'mean's for operating said rudders from the supplemental casing. g

'7. A; flying-machine, compris ng a mam balloon-body, having a rigid casing and adapted to be inflated, a supplemental casing jsuspendedlongitudinally of the bottom of the balloon member, an engine placed in said "supplemental casing, a-main propeller-shaft. arranged longitudinally ofthe bottom of then'ia-i'n'bltlloon member and geared in oonnec tion with said engine, and'supplementalpropeller-shafts at the opposite sides of the main balloon member and geared in connection with said engine and ad'aptedto swing in vertical planes. p 8. A flying-machine, comprising a imam balloon memberoonipo'sedoi a'main' casing approximately cylindrical in cross-section and tapered at both ends andhaving an inflatable bag, a supplcmental'casing suspended longitudinally of thebottom of the balloon member, an engineplaced in said supplc mental casing, a main-p1'opellershaft arranged longitudinally of thebottom of the main balloon member and geared in connec. tion with said engine, andsu-pplemental propeller-shafts. at the opposite sidesof the main balloon, member and geared in connectionwrtli said engine and adaptedto swing'in ver-;

tical planes. 4.

9. A flying-machine, comprising a main balloon member composed of a main casing approximately cylindrical in cross-section and tapered'at bothends and having'an inflatable bag, a supplemental casing suspended longitudinally of the bottom of the balloon member, an engine placed in said supplemental casing, a. main propeller-shaft arranged longitudinally of the bottom of the main balloon member and geared in connection with said engine, and supplemental propeller-shafts at the opposite sides of the main I balloon member and geared in connection with said engine and adapted to swing in Ver tical planes, said supplemental propellershal'ts being provided with longitudinallyarranged and inclined shields which are placed thereoverj I In testimony that-I claim the foregoing as my invention 1 have'signedany name, in pres- 'ence of the subscribing'witnessos, this 14th day-of December, 1906;

ALON ZO PBLIVEN; if Witnesses:

-C. E. MU R A Y, ,ALBERT W, Grass.-

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