US872778A - Aerial vessel. - Google Patents

Description

'PATBNTBD DEG. 3, '1907.-

F. B. ASHLEY. y AERIAL VESSEL. APPLICATION IILED DEO. 28.1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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fave?? tw' MS/Zeg mexpensive construction.

FREELAND B. ASHLEY, OF KANSAS GITY, MISSOURI.

AERIAL VESSEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

' l:animan mea Detente-26.1906. sera1N0.349.397.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREELAND B. ASHLEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Kansas City, in the countyI of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Aerial Vessels, of'which the following is a specilication. This invention relates to aerial vessels of thatl type provided with propellers for propelling the vessel and-With rotary wheels for elevating and sustaining it, and my obj ect is to produce an aerial vessel of the type mentioned which shall be under perfect control of the occupant of the car, and which-is of strong, durable, compact and comparatively To this end the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and or anization as hereinafter described and c aimed and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had' to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1,is aview partly in' side elevation and partly in section on the line I'-I of Fior.'

2. Fig. 2, is a section on the line II-II Vof Fig. 1 and also shows a art broken away which occupiesla position below the plane of Fig. 3, is a section on the line plane of said section in elevation. Fig'. 4, is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2'.

, inthe said drawings', 1 indicates aJ boat-4 sh'aped car having the usual pointed bow Vand square stern anc stifiening the lower part of the boat is a truss-frame consisting of the parallel curved bars 4 and chord-bars 5.

6 indicates thebottom ofthe car, the same underlying the sides of the Vboat and secured at then' inner edges to the outer sides of truss-bars 4, said bottom being curved to correspond with the said truss bars.

7 indicates a horizontal deck extending the full length of the boat or car and from one side of the same to and u on the bar 5 njiost remote from said side andJ secured rigidly to and between bars .5 at the proper oint is a flanged bearing box 8,' the dec 7 'eilgcut away as at 9 to accommodate thelflange of said bearing.

10 indicates a vertical shaft journaled in bearingl 8 and extending down'through the slot formed by and between bars 4 and secured on the lower end of the shaft is cap 11 connecting said bow and sternv and bracing and stiffenin the car is a pair of parallel arched bars 3 anbracing and l for holding the balls 12 in the ball race or channel of an inverted cu 13 secured to bars 4. This culp, cap, and t e interposed balls g forms a bal -bearing between the'lower part of the car and said shaft. v '7 14 indicates a small bevel gear securedon shaft 10 and meshing with a large bevel gear 15 forming a part of or otherwise made rigid otherwise secured rigidly on the transversely extending shaft of an electric or other motor 17, said motor being shown as mounted in the cut away portion 18 of one of the sides of the car and of a longitudinal supporting bar 19 secured to the car in any suitable manner.

2O and 2l respectively indicate the toothed faces of bevel gear 16 -for .driving the vessel forward o r checking its motion as hereinafter explained.

gear 15 and mounted rigidly on a vertical tubular shaft 23 journaled with a'ball bearing relation as at 24 on a vertical shaft25 projecting beyond both ends of shaft 23 and universally connected as at 26 to shaft 10.

Secured rigidly on the upper end of the tu- `hub of wheel' 27. y y

' To'hold the wheel carrying shafts in a vertical position or inclined forwardly or rearwardly from such position, I journal upo'n said bars in f-act form a frame, a collar 3l provided at its frontv side by preference with a socket 32 depending into the slot formed by and Vbetween the bars of said arched frame, said socket having a flaring mouth 33.

across the said arched frame and engaged within said slot and provided with a worm seat 35 engaged by a longitudinally extending worm rod 36 extending through the fla r ing mouth of the socket and provided within the latter with a ball head 37, the worm rod the operator mayl turn the rod and thus swing the shafts 23 and 25 forward or, rearward ofthe position shown in Fig. 1, the umwithv the double bevel gear 16 keyed orl 22 indicates a bevel gear meshing with shaft #23 above the` arched bars or frame 3 as having a handle 38 at its front end whereby bular or outer-shaft 23 is a wheel 27 consistmounted on shaft 25 at the upper side of the 34 is a pivot mounted in and extending versn joint 2c forming' the @for such' 43 journaled in a boxing 44 mounted and boat with a propeller 46..

movement.

39 indicates a bearing'securedon deck? for the longitudinal shaft 40 equipped with a small bevel ear 41 meshingI with gear 15 and unive yconnectedat 42 to theshaft adapted' to slide laterally in the transverse in the stern 2 of the car or boat, said shaft being eq pped rearward of the car or 47 indicates an annularly secured on shat43 within the car, and 48 a ring journalcd in said groove and connected at opposite sides toa pair of cables 49-exopposite sides of the same so thatvvhen the latter is turned one cable will be wound upon and theother unwound'trom the drum, this 'action-resul -in swinging4 shaft 43 to the right or left an thus tending to turn the ship or vessel to the left or right respectively, 1t

of the pro being understood' that any suitable means, not shown, such as a pawl and ratchet mech anism, is adapted to be employed to secure the drum at any desired point of adustment so' that the vessel may be propelled 1n a comparatively straight line Without constant attention to the adjustment o said .gr

pro ller.

o asslst propellingthe vessel I provide v the following 'mechamsm: 52 indicates an bearing swiveled thereon. in an' suitable.

anchorplate securedV to the deck, and 53 a manner. 54 Vis a.j longitudinal journaled` in saidswiveled bearing and 55 collars secured to the shaft at 4oppo 40.`

ment.of the shaft' in the projects beyond the front end o the b'ow of bearing to prevent material endwise movesaid shaft the boator car and at such point is journaled in a bearing 56. 't its lfront end the shaft is .dlsposed in the same direction as the blades ller 46 because it is dpbod to equipped with a 4propeller 57 with its blades i rotatein t e' same direction and secured to the rear end of said shaft 54 is a bevel' gear 58 Which normally meshes with teeth 20. 59 is a sleeve journaled on and pivotallyv connected by a link 601:0 a lever 61 mountedon a sector 62 secured tothe deck, said lever having a catch mechanism 63 to engage one of a series of three teeth'64'insaid -sectoiz Whenr the catch mechanism is en gadfwith the right -hand tooth the gear -58 1s enga ment with the gear teeth 20. To

oscillate s t 54 the lever may be thrown to the left Fig. ,3; this action the bevel gear 58 fromengagement with'the teeth 20 to .throw the .propeller toinoperative position, thelatter secixred in such position by the engagementof tlre'vcatch 'with-tht middlrmwh. Y

' dispose shaft site ends' of the is Apropeller .is swung "1. so that the plane o n it be desired to @heck the speed of the vessel-the Wheel 58 can be thrown into engagementjw'ith gear teeth 21 by throwing the lever'l its full distance-to the left and it.

may be 'locked in this position by engagement of the catch with the left hand notch 64.. ln the construction Vshown the weight `ot the-motor may be counterbalanced approximately by that of the occupant or occupants Who-will ordinarily be stationed on Athe deck 7. The vessel 'is provided with de'- pending bearings '65 equipped with wheels 66 to normally sustain the vessel, which wheels in ugfiractice will be equipped with suitable b er springs to cushion t e shock on alighting after they are common and form no vention, not being shown. occur the operator in the car starts the motor so as to rotate wheel 15 in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig.' 1, this action' causing wheel 27 to rotate iu the direction indicatedby the arart of this inhen light is to after taking position row Fig. 2, and the Wheel29- to rotatein'nthe f opposite direction and furthermore causing ropellers 46 and 56 to rotate in the proper ection to advance the maehine, it being understood ofcourse that the lifting wheels 2? and 29 must attain a very high speed be# 4,forethey will raise the vessel from the ound. lf it be desiredto raise the vessel vertically the lever 61- will be operated to` so 54 that the prope 1ers will Spf poseeach other and thus prevent either vance or retrograde movement. As the vess el attains the desired height if .it has'moved u Wardin a substantially vertical direction, t efront propeller through the medium of lever 61 is vcaused to co crate with lever 26 in ropelling the vesselorward and when it through the manlpulation ofthe drum as hereinbefore ex lamedfI lf it is desire to'ascend in a gradually in# esired to turn 'to theleft or right the rear in the proper direction clinedplane and thus avoid loss of time due y to the ascent in a direct line, the worin rod 36 can be adjusted to'swing shafts 23 andl25 Y rearward of the verticalposition shown'in Fig, 1 and thus cause the plane of Wheels27 and 29 to diverge with. respect to the'longitudinal'axis of the vessel. 1f it is desired to descend at a slight angle said shafts can be .swung forward of the osition shown in Fig. thec Wheels'shall converge with respect to the longitudinal axis of thevessel. It willfthus be seen that means are provided for almost instantly causing the vessel to direct its course. upwardv to 'avoid'V obstructions or'downward to 'effect the de. .scent at a articular point'and withoutothe 1 dela. inci' ent to avertical descent. which- .s wod be accomplished by causing thepro- A. Pll'l's *t0 counteract each OthQIiMhQnmm.

of the vessel.

4with the teeth 21, so as to oHer o position to forward movement of themac ne "on the. ground after alighting In caseari' exceedingly quick descentisnecessary at anyl time the motor may be reversed for the purpose of reversing wheels 27 and 29 and causing them to cooperate with the gravitat-ve tendency y Fromthe above description it will beapparent that I have produced an aerial vessel possessing the features of advantage enu- .merated as desirable. and I wish it to be understood that I do lnot desire to be limited to the exact'details of construction shown and described as 'obvious-modications will sug.-

-gest themselves to one skilled in theart.

Having thus described the invention what .I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters .Patent is 1. An aerial vessel, comprising "a car, a shaft suitably journaled therein and having a,

f universal joint, a lifting wheel secured to the up r end of said shaft, a tubular shaft journa ed .on the first-named shaft above said universal joint land'provided with a lifting 'wheel at its upper end, and a drive wheelA eared to said lshafts With'its axis' coinci- -universal joint and provided with a'lifting entalwahsaiduniversitijoint.

- An raerial .vessel; comprising a car, a shaft suitably ournaled therein and havin a' -universaljoint a lifting wheel secured tot e up er end of said shaft, a-tubular lshaft jour, na ed on the first-named shaft above said.

Wheel at `its upperend, al drive wheel geared Vto said shafts with its axis coincidental with said universal int, and meansto swing said f shafts -forw-ar or rearward of e vertical plane without throwing them out gearwith said drive Wheel.

3. In an `aerial vessel, a car, a vdriven wheel thereinhaving oppositely dis osed gear"l teeth, a shaft pivoted to swing orizontally and projecting beyond the front end of the car and provided with a pro eller, 'a gear `mounted onthe rea end of sai shaft,.means to swing said shaft, and means to hold it with its gear in vengagement with -one set or the and between and out of engagement 'with said sets of teeth 4. An aerial vessel, -comprising a car, Va

of arallel arched bars extending lon i tudinal y of the ear, a4 vertical shaft suitab y ars and having .a universal-joint below the same, a lifting wheel secured to the uipper .end of said. shaft, Aa drive wheel geare to said so other.l of the gear teeth of said driven wheel ournaled and disposed between said arched shaft with its axis-'coincidental with said universal joint, a collarjournaled on said shaft abovev the arched bars and with a socket portion depending 4intol the space formed by and between thearched bars, a screw suitably mounted in the car and exten .into the socket portion and provided Within the` latter with a ballhead,

means for adjusting -said screw to move the collar toward the bow or stern of tlie car and- -thereby swing said shaft'for-wx'irdly orrearthe same out of wardly without' throwin rovided' gearwith said drive whee and means geared A to said drive wheel forpropelling, the car 'at ari-angle to the movement lmparted to by thelifting wheel. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of. two Witnesses. FREELAND B. ASHLEY. Witnesses:

' H. C. Rone'nns,

G. Y. THoaPE.

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