Improvements relating to the Driving of Sewing Machines by Electricity.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements relating to the Driving of Sewing Machines by
Electricity.
I, HENRY LEA, of 38, Bennetts Hill, in the City of Birmingham, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of improvements relating to the driving of sewing
machines by electricity, my object being to construct and arrange a convenient
electrical apparatus which can be readily applied to any existing sewing machine,
whether it be a hand machine to be used upon an ordinary table, or a treadle
machine mounted upon its own table or frame.
In carrying out my invention I fix a small electric motor upon a flat base,
preferably of wood, and I secure the motor by means of screws passing through
slots, so that the position of the motor may be readily adjusted nearer to or
farther from the sewing machine for the purpose of tightening the driving cord.
Upon the end of the motor spindle I secure a small driving pulley from which
by means of a cord or leather or other suitable material the usual pulley on the
sewing machine is driven. Upon the motor spindle I also secure a brake wheel
of considerably larger diameter than the driving pulley, and to such wheel I
apply a brake consisting of a lever preferably shod with leather where it bears
against the brake wheel, under the action of a spring. At the outer end of the
brake lever I arrange an electro magnet which when excited draws the brake
lever towards the poles of the magnet against the pressure of the spring, and
thereby releases the brake. I connect the electric motor in series with the
electro magnet so that whenever the motor is started the brake is released. To
two terminals on the motor base I connect a twin flexible conductor which I lead
to a portable press-switch placed upon the floor underneath the machine. To
other two terminals I connect another twin flexible conductor which I lead to any
convenient wall socket or lamp holder from which electric energy at suitable
pressure can be obtained.
When all the connections have been made as above described and the work
to be sewn has been placed in position under the pressure plate of the sewing
machine, it is only necessary to press the floor switch with the foot. when the
brake will he released and the machine will be set in motion and kept in motion
as long as the foot is held down upon the floor switch. Upon raising the foot
the electric current will be interrupted, the brake will be automatically applied
and thus the machine will be instantly stopped. By means of two metallic
tongues projecting from the wooden base of the motor, and entering two suitable
mortices in the wooden base of the sewing machine, and secured by a pin passing
through each tongue, I readily attach or detach the electric driving apparatus

page_text: to or from any sewing machine. I may however use any other suitable means
for attaching or detaching the apparatus.
Dated this 14th day of March 1898.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
3, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements relating to the Driving of Sewing Machines by
Electricity.
I, HENRY LEA, of 38, Bennetts Hill, in the City of Birmingham, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention consists of improvements relating to the driving of sewing
machines by electricity, my object being to construct and arrange a convenient
electrical apparatus which can be readily applied to any existing sewing machine,
whether it be a hand machine to be used upon an ordinary table, or a treadle
machine mounted upon its own table or frame.
In the two accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter
referred to. -
Figure 1 is an elevation, with part in section, and Figure 2 a plan representing
a sewing machine having my invention applied thereto.
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan showing the electrical connections.
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation showing, to a larger scale, the dowel like con-
nections between the sewing machine and my electrical driving apparatus.
The same reference letters in the different views indicate the same parts.
In carrying out my invention I fix a small electrical motor as A upon a flat
base B, preferably of wood, and I secure the motor thereto by means of screws
passing through the slots a, so that its position may be readily adjusted nearer
to or farther from the sewing machine (for the purpose of tightening the
driving cord 1). Upon the end of the motor spindle I secure a small driving
pulley E from which, by means of a cord D of leather or other suitable material,
the usual pulley F on the sewing machine is driven. Upon the motor spindle I
also secure a brake wheel G of considerably larger diameter than the driving
pulley E, and to such wheel G I apply a brake consisting of a lever H preferably
shod with leather where it bears against the brake wheel under the action of the
spring H¹. At the outer end of the brake lever H I arrange an electro-magnet M
which when excited draws the brake lever towards the poles m m¹ of the magnet
against the pressure of the spring H¹ and thereby releases the brake. I con-
nect the electric motor A in series with the electro magnet M so that whenever
the motor is started the brake is released. To two terminals N N' on the motor
base I connect a twin flexible conductor which I lead to a portable press-switch
placed upon the floor underneath the machine, consisting preferably of the spring
pedal P fitted with a metallic contact piece P¹ which when the pedal is depressed
by the foot, makes contact with the two terminals P2 P3 thus completing the
electric circuit. To the two terminals QQ of the plug Q I connect another
twin flexible conductor (which I lead to any convenient wall socket or lamp
holder from which electric energy at suitable pressure can be obtained.
When all the connections have been made as above described and the work

page_text: to be sewn has been placed in position under the pressure plate of the sewing
machine, it is only necessary to press the floor switch with the foot, when the
brake will be released and the machine will be set in motion and kept in motion
as long as the foot is held down upon the floor switch. Upon raising the foot
the electric current will be interrupted, the brake will be automatically applied
and thus the machine will be instantly stopped.
The flow of the electric current on the depression of the floor switch is indicated
by the arrows and lines at Figure 3.
By means of one or more metallic tongues (one of which, R, is shown in detail
at Figure 4) projecting from the wooden base of the motor, (or from the base C¹
of the sewing machine) and entering suitable mortices or sockets, (one of
which, R', is also shown at Figure 4) in the wooden base of the sewing machine,
(or in the base B of the notor) I readily attach or detach the electric driving
apparatus to or from the sewing machine. When the tongues as R are pushed
into the socket as R' the two bases B and C are sufficiently and correctly united
together; the tension of the driving belt or cord D) prevents the separation of
the two bases when the machine is in service. I may however use any other
suitable means for attaching or detaching the apparatus.
When a sewing machine is fixed upon a table of its own and has no base as C¹
the tongue R is screwed to the table by means of a suitable flange or base as r
forming a part of the tongue itself as shown by dotted lines at Figure 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
The combination of parts whereby an electric motor can be readily applied to
any existing sewing machine and controlled by a pedal switch, substantially as
described and as illustrated.
T
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicant.