Improvements in Motors in which Manual Power is Stored for Driving Sewing Machines and other Apparatus.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 26th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by GAETANO CASPANI, of Milan, in the
Kingdom of Italy.]
Improvements in Motors in which Manual Power is Stored for
Driving Sewing Machines and other Apparatus.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to motors for driving sewing-machines and other
apparatus.
It comprises a spring-motor provided with a regulating brake which is also
applicable to any other motor in which manual power is stored up for driving
purposes. It appears to be altogether useless to provide a motor having springs
or counterweights for actuating a sewing machine with a regulator, which is
generally complicated and expensive, in order to maintain uniformity of the move-
ment. As the sewing machine must always be attended to by an operator the
automatic regulator is altogether superfluous. By means of a brake actuated by
a pedal or by hand the operator may reduce the velocity of the machine to the
proper degree at any moment.
Another feature of the improved spring motor consists in the employment of
springs formed of plane bands or strips of steel wound to a spiral. Continuous
and regular movement is obtained by using several thin springs, each wound in
the interior of a separate drum, all the drums being mounted upon the same
shaft and operating in conjunction to effect the rotation so that their combined
action obviates the stoppages and shocks caused by very long springs.
The table upon which the sewing machine is mounted is provided with vertical
sides which serve to carry the apparatus as hereinafter described.
Upon the driving shaft of the motor are arranged several drums containing
flat spiral springs acting together on the said shaft, but each independently of the
other. The said drums are prevented from turning by a rod fixed to one of
the aforesaid vertical sides and which passes through lugs on the peripheries of the
drums. The gear wheel which is used to transmit the movement of the driving
shaft to the rest of the apparatus is mounted loosely upon this shaft, but carries a
pawl which acts upon a ratchet wheel keyed upon the said driving shaft.
When the said driving shaft is turned by the action of the springs as they
unwind it carries with it the motor wheel which is used to transmit the power from
the spring drums to the other mechanism through the medium of a suitable ratchet
and pawl movement. The winding up of the springs takes place through the
medium of a hand lever upon which is pivoted a pawl acting upon another ratchet
wheel keyed upon the driving shaft. During the winding up of the apparatus the
pawl upon the aforesaid motor wheel rides over the teeth of its ratchet without
carrying it round, and the said motor wheel remains stationary. The transmission
of the power to the sewing machine is effected through the agency of suitable
toothed wheels and driving drums.
Against the side of one of the said drums a roller bears which is preferably
covered with indiarubber. This roller is carried by forked journals fixed at the
extremity of a bell-crank lever adapted to turn upon an axis at the base of the
apparatus. Upon one arm of the bell-crank lever acts a spring to keep it depressed
so as to maintain the roller firmly pressed against the side of the aforesaid drum.
A pedal is provided one arm of which acts upwardly upon the arm of the said bell-
crank lever.

page_text: In proportion as the pedal is depressed the arm of the bell-crank lever is raised
against the action of the above-mentioned spring whereby the roller is removed
from the drum.
When the apparatus has been wound up it remains quite inactive if left to itself,
for the said spring is strong enough for forcing the roller against the drum with
sufficient power to prevent any rotary movement of the driving shaft. The move-
ment commences when the operator depresses the pedal and its velocity increases
in proportionately to the power exerted upon the pedal. It will be seen that under
these circumstances the operator can optionally vary the velocity of the machine,
and that the latter will automatically stop as soon as the operator leaves it.
Dated this 16th day of May 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Motors in which Manual Power is Stored for
Driving Sewing Machines and other Apparatus.
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to motors in which manual power is stored for driving
sewing machines and other apparatus. It comprises a spring motor provided with
a regulating brake which is also applicable to any other motor in which manual
power is stored up for driving purposes. It appears to be altogether useless to
provide a motor having springs or counterweights for actuating a sewing machine
with an automatic regulator, which is generally complicated and expensive, in order
to maintain uniformity of the movement. As the sewing machine must always be
attended to by an operator, the automatic regulator is altogether superfluous. By
means of a brake actuated by a pedal or by hand, the operator may reduce the
velocity of the machine to the proper degree at any moment.
Another feature of the improved spring motor consists in the employment of
springs formed of plane bands or strips of steel wound to a spiral. Continuous and
regular movement is obtained by using several thin springs, each wound in the
interior of a separate drum, all the drums being mounted upon the same shaft and
operating in conjunction to effect the rotation so that their combined action obviates
the stoppages and shocks caused by very long springs.
In the accompanying drawing
Figures 1 and 2 represent by way of example a front elevation and a side
elevation of my motor arranged under the table of a sewing machine which it is
designed to actuate.
Figure 3 is a section of a driving spring and case, and
Figure 4 is a detail view of part of the speed regulating gear.
A A denote the vertical sides of the table upon which the sewing machine B is
mounted.
Upon the driving shaft a of the motor are arranged several drums C containing
flat spiral springs (see the sectional view of one of these drums in Figure 3) acting
together on the shaft a, but each independently of the other. One extremity of
each spring is attached interiorly to the side of the drum and the other extremity
is attached to the shaft a. The said drums C are prevented from turning by a rod Ď
fixed to one of the aforesaid vertical sides A and which passes through lugs g on
the peripheries of the drums. The gear wheel E which is used to transmit the
movement of the driving shaft a to the rest of the apparatus is mounted loosely upon
this shaft, and carries a pawl & which acts upon a ratchet wheel e keyed upon the
said driving shaft.

page_text: r
When the driving shaft is turned by the action of the springs as they unwind it
carries with it the wheel E through the medium of the ratchet and pawl b. The
winding up of the springs is effected through the medium of a hand lever F upon
which is pivoted a pawl d acting upon another ratchet wheel e keyed upon the
driving shaft a. During the winding up the pawl & rides over the teeth of the
ratchet without carring it round, and the wheel E remains stationary. The
transmission of the movement to the sewing machine is effected through the
agency of the toothed wheels E, E' G, G' H, H and the drum I.
Against the side of the drum I bears a roller K which is preferably covered with
india-rubber (see Figure 4 which is a side view of the drum 1).
This roller is carried by journals at the extremity of a bell crank lever L M.
adapted to turn upon an axis fat the base of the apparatus. Upon the arm M of
the bell-crank lever L M acts a spring N to keep it depressed so as to maintain the
roller K firmly pressed against the side of the drum I. P. O. designates a pedal
one arm O of which acts upwardly upon the arm M of the bell crank lever L. M.
In proportion as the pedal P is depressed by moving it from the original position
to that shown in dotted lines at P Figure 1 the arm M of the bell crank lever L. M.
is raised against the action of the spring N whereby the roller K is removed from
the drum I.
When the apparatus has been wound up it remains quite inactive; if left to itself,
the spring N being strong enough to force the roller K against the drum I with
sufficient power to prevent any rotary movement of the shaft a. The movement
commences when the operator depresses the pedal P and its velocity increases
proportionately to the power exerted upon the pedal. It will be seen that
under these circumstances the operator can vary the velocity of the machine
at will and that the latter will automatically stop as soon as the operator
leaves it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The employment, in combination with any motor in which manual power
is stored up, of a brake acting by friction upon one of the parts for transinitting
the movement, this brake being sufficiently powerful for stopping the motor
when it is left to itself, and being placed under the direct control of the person
attending to the motor, who moderates the action of the brake for putting the
motor in action and for regulating its velocity at will substantially as hereinhefore
described.
Second. In spring motors the employment of a number of spiral springs which
are placed in separate drums and act in conjunction but independently of each
other, for producing motion, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 5th day of February 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.