Marles steering gear was an hour-glass-and-roller steering gear for mechanically propelled vehicles invented by British inventor and businessman Henry Marles (1871-1955) who also gave his name to his joint-venture Ransome & Marles a major British ball-bearing manufacturer. Aside from ease of use Marles' steering's great appeal to drivers was its lack of backlash.
Invented in 1913 it became common from the 1920s until the mid 1950s. In USA when power-steering becoming popular in the 1950s it was mainly replaced by worm and recirculating-ball nut steering —which incorporated ball-bearings. In Europe Marles' design was replaced by a general move to rack-and-pinion steering gear.
