AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONVEYING ROTATORY MOTION TO AXLES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Kenelm John Winslow, of Montpelier Row,
Twickenham, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONVEYING ROTATORY MOTION
TO AXLES."
Sealed the 21st July 1868, and dated the 25th January 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Kenelm John Winslow
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th January 1868.
I, KENELM JOHN. WINSLOW, of Montpelier Row, Twickenham, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONVEYING ROTATORY MOTION
TO AXLES," to be as follows:-

page_text: worked either by steam manual, or other power.
Two flexible
connecting rods, chains, or bands act upon two hollow drums, inside
each of which are suspended one or more palls. Each pall works on a
cogged or roughened wheel, or a wheel surrounded with a tire of
vulcanized india-rubber fixed on the axle within the drum, and is
kept in position to work by means of a lever attached to a pin at the
end of the pall, the other end of such lever being fastened to a ring
working loose round the axle or bearings of the drum; friction is
applied to this ring by means of a weight or spring so as slightly to
retard its free movement: The drums have the same centre of motion
as the axle to be turned; when the drum is moved backwards the
lever acting from the ring before mentioned on to the pall lifts it just
free of the ratchet and keeps it so until the movement is reversed when
it instantly causes it to cog into the teeth of the ratchet.
By this
apparatus also the noise which would otherwise be. occasioned by the
pall when trailing on the ratchet is obviated. The connecting rods,
chains, or bands, after encompassing the drums to which they are
attached are passed over pulleys placed in some convenient part of the
machine. The upper portion of one rod, chain, or band and the lower
portion of the other are fastened respectively to the piston or other
motive rod. The machine being put in motion alternate action is given
to the palls, which working on the cogged or roughened wheels impart
continuous rotation to the axle.
In applying my Invention to sewing machines where it is only
necessary that the wheel should be turned in one direction, I should
use one pulley only situated between and connected with the drums by a
band, the ends of such band being attached to the foot treadles.
In applying my Invention to velocipedes, invalid carriages, small
river boats, &c., and in some cases to sewing machines, it may be found
desirable to use only one drum, and in such case the drum would be
made to recoil at the end of each stroke, by means of an india-rubber,
spiral, steel, or other spring, and so be brought back in position for the
succeeding forward motion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Kenelm John Winslow in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd July 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, KENELM
JOHN WINSLOW, of Montpelier Row, Twickenham, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in
the thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Kenelm John Winslow,
Her special licence that I, the said Kenelm John Winslow, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Kenelm John Winslow, my 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 Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONVEYING ROTATORY MOTION TO AXLES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Kenelm John
Winslow, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Kenelm John Winslow, 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 :-
My Invention consists of an improved method of rotating axles on the
ratchet principle in all machines, carriages, sewing machines, &c., worked
either by steam, manual, or other power. Two flexible connecting
rods, chains, or bands act upon two hollow drums, inside each of which
are suspended one or more palls. Each pall works on a cogged or
roughened wheel, or a wheel surrounded with a tire of vulcanized
india-rubber fixed on the axle within the drum, and is kept in position

page_text: to work by means of a lever attached to a pin at the end of the pall, the
other end of such lever being fastened to a ring working loose round the
axles or bearings of the drum; friction is applied to this ring by means
of a weight or spring so as slightly to retard the free movement; the
drums have the same centre of motion as the axle to be turned. When
the drum is moved backwards the lever acting from the ring before
mentioned on to the pall lifts it just free of the ratchet, and keeps it
so until the movement is reversed when it instantly causes it to cog into
the teeth of the ratchet. By this apparatus also the noise which would
otherwise be occasioned by the pall when trailing on the ratchet is
obviated. The connecting rods, chains, or bands after encompassing the
drums to which they are attached are passed over pulleys placed in some
convenient part of the machine. The upper portion of one rod, chain,
or band, and the lower portion of the other are fastened respectively
to the piston or other motive rod. The machine being put in motion
alternate action is given to the palls, which working on the cogged of
roughened wheels impart continuous rotation to the axle.
In applying my Invention to sewing machines, where it is only
necessary that the wheel should be turned in one direction, I should
use one pulley only situated between and connected with the drums
by a band, the ends of such band being attached to the foot treadles.
In applying my Invention to velocipedes, invalid carriages, small river
boats, &c., and in some cases to sewing machines, it may be found
desirable to use only one drum, and in such case the drum would be
made to recoil at the end of each stroke by means of an india-rubber,
spiral, steel, or other spring, and so be brought back in position for the
succeeding forward motion.
Figure 1 in the accompanying Drawing is a side view, and Figure 2
a plan of my method of rotating axles; Figure 3 is a side view of the
drum with the outer plate removed, and Figure 4 a sectional end view
of the same.
A is the axle; B, B, are ratchet or cogged wheels fixed on the axle.
These ratchet wheels are enclosed in hollow drums C, C, which drums
work loose on the axle or on separate bearings. In each of the drums
is suspended a pall D which is formed so as to tooth in the indentations
in the ratchet wheel, as shewn in Figure 3. E is a lever attached at
one end in the swivel F at the end of the pall, the other end of such
lever being attached to the swivel G which is fixed to the metal ring H

page_text: and which swivel works in a slight slot in the side of the drum, as shewn
at G; the ring H surrounds the axle and works on a separate bearing
as shewn or on a bearing at the side of the drum, its free movement
being slightly retarded by some convenient means, as for instance by
the spring K which presses on its outer edge. When the drum is moved
backwards the lever E being pressed against the friction ring H lifts the
pall just free of the ratchet, suflicient play being given to the swivel G
in the slot before mentioned to admit of this. In some cases I might
connect the pall D directly with the ring H in which an elongated slot
would be cut so as to lift the pall on and off the ratchet without using
the lever E, but I prefer in general using the latter as the action is thus
made more effective. The pall is thus kept free of the ratchet until
the movement is reversed, when the ring and lever acting as a drag
cause it instantly to cog into and work upon the ratchet. It will thus
be seen that the noise and wear caused by the pall trailing on the
ratchet is obviated, and its action on the ratchet made instant and
effective.
The method of rotating the axle is as follows:-A flexible rod, chain,
or band is passed over each of the drums and fastened to them centrally.
They are thence carried over pulleys M, M, the upper part of one band
and the lower part of the other being respectively attached to the piston
or other motive rod as at N, N. The piston or other motive rod being
put in motion rotates the drums alternately backwards and forwards,
and thus the axle impelled by the action of the palls on the ratchets
revolves continuously. It is obvious that by having another pair of palls
suspended in the drum so as to work the contrary way on the ratchet
or cogged wheels when required, the reverse movement may be com-
municated to the axle by letting these down and suspending the first
pair.
Figure 5 is a front view, and Figure 6, a side view of my Invention
as applied to the sewing machine. A, A, are treadles to which are
attached bands B, B. These bands are passed several times round and
fastened to the spindles C, C, which are attached to the sides of the
drums D, D. The bands are so arranged in order to give sufficient
rapidity of revolution direct to the upper axle of the machine without
using two axles as is usually done. The drums are connected by the
band E working over the pulley F; motion being given to the treadles
an alternate forward motion is given to the drums, and thus the axle

page_text: revolves in one direction by the means previously described; G, G, shews
the lever and friction ring apparatus for lifting the pall as previously
described in Figures 3 and 4.
I do not confine myself to this arrangement of bands for the sewing
machine as it is obvious that this would differ according to the nature
and requirements of the machine. In some cases, for instance, it
would be convenient to carry the bands round a roller pulley as H
fixed beneath the table instead of using the pulley F, alternate motion
being communicated from such roller to the drums as described in
Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 7 is a side view, and Figure S an end view of a two wheel
velocipede shewing the method of rotating the axle by my Invention.
O, O, are india-rubber springs attached at one end to the framework
of the carriage and connected by a cord which is coiled in a groove cut
in the side of the drum. The velocipede is propelled by a motion similar
to that of a man walking, P being the guiding handle, S, S, the treadles
or footboards, and U the seat; the treaddles are fastened at one end
to the straps R, R, which encircle and are attached at the other end
to the drums. When the treadles are put in motion by the person
propelling the drums V, V, revolve alternately forwards, and thus as
previously described motion is given to the axle.
One or more
revolutions may be given to the wheel at each stroke of the leg
according to the size of the drum. At the end of each stroke the
springs 0, 0, being stretched recoil the drums quickly backwards into
position to receive the next forward movement.
I claim as my Invention,―
First. The method of using a self-acting apparatus to lift the pall
on and off the ratchet so as to avoid the noise and wear caused by its
constantly trailing thereon.
Second. The hollow drum with interior appliances for rotating axles
and interior and exterior apparatus for lifting the pall on and off
the ratchet as described substantially and illustrated in Figures 3
and 4.
Third. The method of connecting the said drums by means of bands
or chains as described substantially and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 5,
and 6, so that a backward movement of one drum, and forward move-
ment of the other are simultaneously caused at each action of the motive

page_text: rod or rods without the aid of any other machinery or gearing, and
thereby giving a continuous rotatory motion.
Fourth. The said drum used singly as described substantially and
illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, including the india-rubber spring fixed
to the side of the drum so as to cause the recoil movement.
In witness whereof, I, the said Kenelm John Winslow, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-eight.
K. J. WINSLOW. (L.S.)