IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Warwick at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
February 1875.
do
I, JAMES WARWICK, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows :-
This Invention is principally applicable to that class of sewing
machines wherein spools are employed for carrying the sewing thread,
and consists of a simple arrangement applied to the fly wheel of the
machine, whereby the spools can be wound without either turning the
machine or removing the thread from the needle, and thus saves trouble
and wear and tear of the machine whilst winding spools, but it also at
the same time in some cases prevents the possibility of the machine
being propelled in the wrong direction, which breaks the thread and
injures the machine, and for this purpose it is also equally applicable to
other sewing machines.
The Invention consists, firstly, in mounting the fly wheel by which
the machine is driven loosely upon the driving shaft, but so connecting

page_text: it thereto that when the fly wheel is turned in the ordinary or proper
direction it drives the machine, but when it is turned in the opposite
direction it slips round on the shaft without driving it, so that no
alteration or adjustment is required for spooling. Thus so long as the
fly wheel is turned in the right direction the machine is driven as usual,
but when it is desired to wind thread on to spools the fly wheel is turned
in the opposite direction and drives the spool, but the machine remains
at rest. This arrangement also possesses this advantage, that if a learner
or other unskilful person should by accident or design turn the fly
wheel in the wrong direction it has no effect whatever upon the
machine.
Various methods of connecting the fly wheel to the shaft so that it
will only drive in one direction might be adopted, as will readily be
understood by any competent mechanic, but one of the simplest methods
is to key or fix a disc on to the shaft, and to provide the said disc with
a peg or pegs, which are protected by means of spiral or other springs,
but can be pushed in flush with the surface of the disc. In the boss of
the fly wheel opposite to this peg a circular inclined groove is cut,
which commences flush with the surface, and is graduated down to a
depth of about one-eighth of an inch, or thereabouts. It will be evident
that as the fly wheel is turned in one direction the inclined groove will
merely alternately force in the peg and allow the spring to force it out
again, but on turning it in the opposite direction the peg will catch in
the bottom of the groove and drive the shaft. Of course, if preferred,
the peg or pegs may be fixed in the boss of the fly, wheel, and the
inclined groove or grooves be cut or formed in the face of the disc,
which will have the same effect; or as before mentioned any other
known mechanical arrangements for effecting the engaging and dis-
engaging of the fly wheel by the mere fact of reversing its direction of
rotation without any further adjustment may be employed for this
purpose..

page_text: disc is formed a hole corresponding with the peg in the fly wheel boss,
and this hole is fitted with a screw pin having a milled head.
When it is desired to connect the fly wheel to the shaft this pin is
unscrewed, and the spring peg taking into the hole in the disc locks the
fly wheel and shaft together, but when it is required to uncouple the fly
wheel the pin is screwed in until it forces the spring peg out of the hole
in the disc, and the fly wheel will then revolve without turning the
machine.
In some cases instead of using a screw pin I use a plain pin provided
with a small stud working in a bayonet slot which acts quicker than the
screw.
Another modification consists in dispensing with the pin in the disc
altogether, and having only a hole.
The spring pin in the boss of the fly wheel is provided with a knob or
projection passing out through a bayonet slot in the side of the boss, and
by means of this knob the pin may be drawn in flush with the face of
the boss, so as to disconnect the fly wheel, or released so as to lock the
same fast to the shaft of the machine.