AN IMPROVED MODE OF DRIVING SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julius Homan, of Milk Street, Cheapside, in the City
of London, Manufacturing Outfitter, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
MODE OF DRIVING SEWING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Julius Homan at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd March
1856.
I, JULIUS HOMAN, of Milk Street, Cheapside, in the City of London,
Manufacturing Outfitter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for AN IMPROVED MODE OF DRIVING SEWING MACHINES, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mode of varying the speed of sewing machines
when driven by a band or strap, actuated by a steam engine or other like
motive power agent. In using sewing machines, it is necessary when sewing
round curves or turning angles to retard for a moment the action of the
machine, and then to proceed as before; but when working the machine by
the aid of steam power, it has been found requisite suddenly to stop the
machine in order to effect the turning, thereby occasioning much delay and
inconvenience. To obviate this difficulty, I propose to connect the machine
with the motive power engine or driving gear, by means of a loose strap, which
will not act efficiently.until tightened by a tension pulley or pullies. This
pulley or pullies I put under the command of the attendant, by connecting the

page_text: same with a treadle, which as long as it is depressed will keep the band at
tension. By removing the pressure from the treadle, the band will be slackened
more or less, and allowed to slip over the pulley on the driving shaft of the
sewing machine, and thus the variable motion required will be produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
.
by the said Julius Homan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULIUS
HOMAN, of Milk Street, Cheapside, in the City of London, Outfitter, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent; bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, and heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Julius
Homan, Her special license that I, the said Julius Homan, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I; the said Julius Ioman, niy
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF DRIVING
SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Július Homan, by an instrument in writing 'under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in
the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months' next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
+
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Julius Homan, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed;
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being liad to tlie 'Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon' (that is. to say):
This Invention relates to a mode of varying the speed or producing a
"dwell" in the action of sewing machines when driven by a band or strap
from a steam engine or other like motive power agent. In sewing by machii-
nery, it is frequently necessary, especially 'when sewing round curves or turning

page_text: angles, to retard for a moment the action of the needle or needles, and then to
proceed as before; but when working the machine by the aid of steam power,
it has been found requisite suddenly to throw off the driving strap, and thus
to stop the machine in order to effect the turning, but by this mode of working
much delay and inconvenience is occasioned. To obviate these difficulties, I
connect the machine with the motive power engine or driving gear by means
of a loose strap, which will not act efficiently until tightened by aitension pulley
or pullies. These pullies I put under the command of the attendant, by icon-
necting the same with a treadle, which as long as it is depressed will keep the
band at tension, and ensure the rotation of the driving pulley of the sewing
machine. By the removal of the pressure of the attendant's foot from the
treadle, the band will be slackened more or less, and allowed to slip over the
pulley on the driving shaft of the machine, and thus the variable.or intermit-
tent-motion required will be obtained, the attendant having, at the same time
both hands free to manipulate the work under the action of the needles.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews, in-side elevation, so much of a
sewing machine, with my improvement applied:thereto, as will serve to sexplain
the manner of carrying the Invention into effect, and Fig. 2 is a partial plan
view of the same. On the driving shaft a is keyed the driving pulley b, as
usual, and over this pulley passes the band or strap/c, which,proceeds from a
pulley having a continuous rotary motion. This band 'c is made:slack, so that
it will not act efficiently-upon the pulley 6 until brought to tension. For this
purpose I arrange on either side of the strap an antifriction pulley d, and
mount the axles of these pullies in a pair of jointed levers e, e. "The levers
e, e, have their fulcrum at f, f, on the guide frame g, and the levers e* are
hinged to a cross head, carried by a vertical.rod h, which works in a guide in
the frame g, and is jointed at its lower end to a pendent rod i, connected to
the treadle k. It will now be understood that the attendant, by pressing with
her foot on the treadle k, will press up the rod h, which by raising the ends of
the levers e, e, will thrust the pullies d inwards, as indicated by the dotted
lines of Fig. 1, and retain the band c at tension. The sewing machine will
thus be set in action by the motive power machinery, but on relieving the
treadle of the pressure of the foot the rod h will fall, and the antifriction
pullies will recede from each other, and leave the band slack upon the driving
pulley. In order to ensure the immediate quiescence of the machine when
the band is slackened, it may be desirable to put a friction brake upon the
driving shaft. A simple weighted cord passed round a grooved pulley, as
shewn in the Drawing, will suffice for this purpose.
Fig. 3 shews in side elevation, and Fig. 4 in plan view, a modification of the

page_text: above-described arrangement for driving sewing machines. In this instance
I use but one moveable or pressing pulley 7, which has its bearing in a sliding
bar m, connected by a pendent rod n to the treadle o. The driving band
passes round a guide pulley p, then over the pressing pulley 1, and around the
pulley on the driving shaft. The action of this arrangement is precisely
similar to that above described, for the attendant by pressing her foot on the
treadle will raise the rod n, and with it the pulley l, which will then hold the
band at tension, and ensure the driving of the machine. As soon; however,
as this pressure is removed, the band will slacken, and it will cease to act, or act
but feebly on the driving pulley. The fly-wheel in this arrangement is shewn
as provided with a handle for starting the machine. This may be used or not,
as thought most desirable.
Having now set forth the nature and object of my Invention of " An
Improved Mode of Driving Sewing Machines," and explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above
in part recited Letters Patent I claim the driving of sewing machines by a
band or cord, which is brought to tension by a pressing pulley or pullies
actuated by a treadle or its equivalent.
In witness whereof, I, the said Julius Homan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
JULIUS HUMAN. (L.S.)