US984019A - Vaudeville apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

J. E. NICHOLSON. VAUDEVILLE APPARATUS. APPLIQATION FILED AUG. 17, 1910.

984,01 9., Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

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JOHN E. NICHOLSON, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ACSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO M. R. SKILLIVIAN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

VAUIDEVILLE APPARATUS.

seams.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. NiorioLsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vaudeville Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is an appara tus, the stand of which is to be located upon a vaudeville stage, and which is to have a means of carrying the vaudeville performer out above the heads of an audience, and a means of moving the performer from one place to the other and of changing his position relative to the audience. The opera tion is to be performed in a darkened house, with a light thrown upon the vaudeville performer, thereby giving him the appearance of walking unsupported through the air. This object is attained by the means described in the specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying my invention, the shaft and the cables being partially broken away, and the ends being brought together to economize space. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the pipe or shafting and the band for holding the performer, the actuating rod being shown in elevation and the parts being broken out, and the ends being brought together. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the band, showing the manner of engaging it about the waist of the performer. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the end of the shaft and the plate which couples the band to the shaft. Fig. 5 is a detail view upon amuch enlarged scale of the band.

Referring to the parts: Stand A has standards a, a, which support a horizontal rod 13, upon which a truck D is mounted by means of Wheels d cl. Truck D has a chain d which supports a collar 6, within which a pipe E is reciprocably mounted. Within pipe E a second pipe E is reeiprocably mounted in suitable bearings G, which are provided within the pipe E, and are located at intervals along it. Within pipe E an actuating rod E is rotatably mounted. A collar 6 is mounted on the outer end of the pipe E by means of a pin 7, which extends through the collar and the pipe. A plate 6 is secured to the outer end of the collar by Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. August 17, 1910.

Patented Feb. it, 1911.

Serial No. 577,650.

any suitable means, such for example as rivets 8, which extend through the plate and a flange formed on the collar which has the same amount of curvature as band F and is adapted to slide between flanges of band E, which is to be placed around the performers waist. Band F has flanges F and F the latter of which terminates in teeth f, which mesh with the teeth of a pinion 6 The pinion e is suitably mounted on the outer end of the rod T2 and is located within the collar 6. A slot 9 is provided in the collar, so that a portion of the pinion e is exposed, for the purpose of meshing with the teeth f, formed on the flange F. The outer end of the rod E projects a short dis tance through the plate 6 and is journaled in the plate, so as to provide a bearing immediately adjacent to the pinion.

By means of the sliding pipes, E, E, the performer may be projected out above the heads of the audience, and by rotating the rod E the ring F may be caused to rotate,- and thus to,turn the performer in any direction desired. The pipes E are made preferably in sections, one of which is screwed into the other, leaving the exterior of the pipe smooth, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The ends of the separate sections of the pipe E form the bearing for the rod E and are indicated by G on the drawings. The pipe E has a cable 6 attached near its ends, which passes over pulleys mounted upon the upper ends of the standards a. The outer end of the pipe E has attached to it a cable 6 which is wound about a shaft A, which is mounted between the standard a, and has upon its end a crank A The piping may be pushed outward, so as to project the performer above the heads of the audience, by an attendant located at the end of the piping adjacent to the crank 6 since the pipe E is reciprocably mounted in the pipe E, and the pipe E is slidably mounted within the collar 6, and the truck D is reciprocably mounted on the horizontal rod 13. Inasmuch as the apparatus is designed to support a comparatively light performer, the operator at the crank end of the pipe, E, may employ his own weight in counterbalancing the weight of the performer, or he may employ the weight of additional as sistants, or he may allow the rod to bear against the apex formed by the standards, a, a. This attendant likewise may operate the crank 0 for the purpose of turning the performer in either direction desired. The crank A may be turned for re-turning the performer to the stage.

For the purpose of swinging the performer from one side of the house to the other, the frame is provided with casters a so that the attendant may swing the performer to any position 011 the stage. Upon the platform of the stand, weights Gr may be placed to counter-balance the weight of the performer.

The band F is made of sheet .metal, and is split at and provided on the edges with overlapping lugs f 7 and f", which are perforated to receive screws. By the removal of the screws, the band may be opened out su'liiciently to permit the performer to step within the band and to draw it up over his body to a position around his waist. The screws would then be screwed in place, to hold the band about him, and straps F and I, which are attached to the band, would be utilized to secure the band from slipping upward on his body.

\Vhat I claim is:-

1. In a device of the character described a frame, a shaft reciprocably mounted on said frame, a band for supporting a performer mounted 011 said shaft, and means for rotating said band about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said shaft.

2. In a device of the character described, a frame, a shaft reciprocably mounted on said frame, a band for supporting a performer rotatably mounted 011 said shaft, an actuating rod, andmeans actuated by said rod for rotating said band about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said shaft. v

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a frame, a hollow shaft reciprocably mounted on said frame, a plate mounted on the outer end of saidshaft, a band having a turned-down flange adapted to engage said plate and a series of teeth, an actuating rod located within said shaft, and a pinion mounted on the outer end of said rod and engaging the teeth of said band.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a frame, a rod supported by said frame, a truck reciprocably mounted on said rod, a collar carried by said truck, a hollow shaft slidably mounted within said collar, a band rotatably mounted on said shaft, an actuating rod rotatably mounted within said shaft,a pinion mounted on the end of said rod, engaging teeth on said band, for the purpose of rotating said band about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said shaft.

JOHN E. NICHOLSON. lVitnesses M. ZARTH, WALTER F. MURRAY.

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