IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MOTORS
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of the firm of Allison Brothers, of 52. Chancery Lane,
London, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING MOTORS (a communication to mo
from abroad by The Motor Sewing Machine Company, of 261 Broadway, New
York City, United States of America), and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and, by the following
statement:
The nature of said invention consists in the novel application of a strong spring,
which being wound up to its fullest extent will set a train of wheels in motion
whereby rotary power is derived for a limited time for the purpose of automatically
operating small machinery, such as sewing machines, lathes, and dental machinery.
One feature of said invention consists in the arrangement of a pendant lever which
can be actuated upon by the operator by means of his or her foot, while at work,
for the purpose of rewinding the partly or entirely unwound spring, thereby
replenishing the actuating power ad libitum, without leaving, the work on which
the operator is engaged. The spring may also be rewound' by means of a crank.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a front view of the entire machine.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.
Fig. 3 shows in plan view the bearing mechanism, the top plate being removed
in drawing.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the friction device used when winding by the foot
of the operator.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the centre of driving wheel, showing friction pawl
and illustrating the manner of fastening the same to the shaft.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the mechanism by means of which the tension of
the spring may be increased or diminished.
Fig. 8 is a front view, and
Fig. 9 is a side view of the machine, illustrating a modification of the winding
mechanism.
The legs or standards A, A, with the table B constitute the frame of the machine.
In the frame is fixed the bearing frame shown in Fig. 3 upon which are supported
the winding shifts a and b.

page_text: Through the frame below the bearing frame passes the shaft d. On the frame
as shown in Fig. 2 is hung the pendant lever G with a foot rest g at its lower end
and having attached to it two connecting bars I and H. The bar I in connection
with the pendant lever and the mechanism shown in Fig. 4 provides an easy and
noisless method of winding by the foot of the operator or of renewing at intervals
the power already expended in running the machine, and the bar H when connected
with the crank e providing a simple means of running the machine by foot power
when by reason of breakage of the motor or for any other reason it is not desired
to use the motive power of the spring.
The motive power of the machine is a coil spring D contained within the
fusee W and having one end attached to the inside of the fusee while the other is
solidly connected with the shaft d. This shaft d is kept in position by the device
shown in Fig. 7 by means of which also the tension of the spring can be increased
or diminished as may be desired. Upon the fusee or drum is wound a cord which
is fastened at its other end to the winding cylinder E. Said cylinder. E is actuated
by means of its connection by a friction clutch u shown in Fig. 6 to a winding
shaft adapted to bo revolved by a crank fitted upon either end. The winding
cylinder can also be revolved by means of the foot winding apparatus shown in
Fig. 3 and it is prevented from being wound too tightly by means of the safety
stop mechanism shown in Fig. 3, r and p.
The operation of renewing the power by the use of my improvement is as
follows: The foot of the operator is placed upon the foot rest g of the pendant
lever G and the pendant lever is swung toward him. This motion brings the
spring / to bear upon the pin i which is made fast in the friction pawl j, thus
making a connection between it and the inside periphery of the wheel F which is
made fast to the shaft g. The pendant lever Ġ is now swung away from the
operator, thus turning the wheel F, the shaft b, the bevel wheels k and l, the
winding cylinder E, and, by means of the cord, winding the spring contained in
the spring box D. Upon stopping the pressure of the foot against the pendant
lever G the small spring m, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, springs the friction
pawlj forward and away from the inside periphery of the wheel F leaving it free
to turn by the action of the driving wheel.
It is to be particularly noted in this connection that unlike friction clutches now
in use, said device turns the wheel F in one direction and then instantly allows it
to turn back again in the opposite direction, whereas the common friction clutch is
adapted simply to turn a wheel continuously in one direction.
This operation continued gradually rewinds the spring.
The second improvement consists of the crank e on the end of the driving shaft o
and the connection bar H attached to the pendant lever Ɑ and adapted to connect
the crank e with the pendant lever and form a simple method of running tho
machine by foot power, the spring being entirely disconnected. The length of the
bar H is such as to provent the bar I from coming back so far as to form a
connection between the friction pawl j and the wheel F when the machine is being
run by foot power.
Pivoted upon the main shaft d is another pendant lever S. Its upper extremity
is provided with a washer of leather or rubber and bearing upon the outer periphery
of the wheel C acts as a brake to control its speed, whenever the foot of the operator
presses laterally against the lower end of the lever S in the direction of the arrow
as shown in drawing. A retracting spring S¹ serves to remove the face of brake S
from the wheel whenever the foot of the operator releases its hold of the lever.
This arrangement is preferable to the mode of operating brakes by means of
treadles, whereby the operator is subjected to a greater strain than in my improved
form of brakes.
In Figs. 8 and 9 the main features of said machine are repeated but a modified
form of the rewinding mechanism is shown. The pendant lever O is provided with
a pawl G¹ which engages direct with a ratchet wheel G which latter is keyed
unto the shaft b, and transmits by means of the heretofore described bevel

page_text: wheels k, l, the rotary motion to the cylinder E, whereby the same is rewound
with the cord in the same manner as heretofore described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st In a spring motor the combination with the pendant lever of the winding
apparatus, adapted to be operated by means of a friction clutch, substantially as
described.
2nd In a spring motor, the combination of a fusce, containing a spring box, a
spring connected at one end to such box and secured at the other to a shaft, a
winding cord, a winding cylinder, a friction clutch adapted to actuate the winding
cylinder and devices constituting the means for connecting such clutch with a
pendant lever, whereby the whole combination can be operated, substantially as
set forth.
3rd In a spring motor, a connecting shaft having at one end a driving wheel and
adapted at the other end to receive motion from a vibrating pendant lever through
proper devices, constituting the means of connection; a gear wheel, adapted to
revolve said connecting shaft, a winding cylinder, winding shaft, a belt, a fusee or
drum containing a spring box and spring connected thereto, as herein set forth and
described.
4th In a spring motor a pendant lever adapted to be operated by the foot of the
operator and so arranged as to be capable of rotating a winding cylinder whereby
the driving cord or belt may be wound upon said cylinder, substantially as
described.
5th In a spring motor the combination in a spring winding apparatus, of a worm
wheel having notches and teeth so arranged as to allow only the desired number of
revolutions, with a worm for the purpose of revolving said worm wheel, together
forming a stop or safety mechanism, substantially as described.
6th In a spring motor, a friction clutch adapted to hold the winding cylinder so
that it will be actuated by the forward movement of the shaft, substantially as
herein set forth.
7th In a spring motor a device for regulating the tension of the driving spring
consisting of a worm wheel fastened rigidly upon the shaft to which the driving
spring is attached and adapted to be revolved by a worm attached to the supporting
frame so that the tension of said spring may be increased or diminished as herein
described.
8th In a spring motor the combination of a winding shaft adapted to be revolved
by means of a crank, a winding cylinder, a driving belt or cord, a fusee or drum,
u friction clutch, capable of communicating the forward motion from the winding
shaft to the cylinder, and a pendant lever adapted to revolve the said winding
cylinder, as herein set forth.
9th In a spring motor a brake for controlling the speed of the mechanism while
running down, so constructed as to swing freely upon the spring shaft and act upon
the periphery of the driving wheel when pressed laterally toward the right hand
side of the machine by the foot of the operator and being drawn away from contact
with said wheel by a retracting spring when the pressure of the foot is removed.
ليم
1004