Improvements in Apparatus for Throwing Machinery In and Out of Gear.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 8th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1894
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Throwing Machinery In and Out
of Gear.
I, WALTER BEECROFT, of the Firm of Thomas Beecroft and Company, of
Swinegate, in the City of Leeds, County of York, Sewing Machine Makers, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to construct apparatus which will throw machinery
in and out of gear more speedily and in a more efficient manner than heretofore,
and my invention is particularly applicable to sewing machines which are required
to be automatically thrown out of gear after a given number of stitches håve
been made.
Mechanism hitherto constructed for the above purpose, when employed with
machines running at high speeds, has not acted in an efficient manner, as the
Budden concussion, caused by the employment of clutches hitherto in use, renders
the action of such machines imperfect, whilst at the same time considerable damage
is done to the machines.
:
According to my invention I mount a shaft in bearings in the ordinary way, and
on the said shaft I key or otherwise attach a disc, having a flange and boss on one
side, and a sleeve projecting therefrom on the other side, through which sleeve and
boss the shaft passes. On the sleeve which projects from the outside of the disc,
I mount a loose pulley having a tooth or teeth, or other projection or projections,
on its interior part; and such loose pulley may be driven by any suitable power
and at any required speed. On the boss and within the flange of the disc, I place
a circular box having two segmental perforations in same, and to this box I pivot
a hooked trigger, which is situated on the outside of the disc, the spindle on which
the trigger is mounted passing through a segmental perforation in the disc. A
pin on the arm of the trigger projects up through the segmental recess in the disc,
and a spring attached to the said pin tends to keep the trigger in contact with a
tooth on the loose pulley, whilst at the same time it tends to make the other arm
of the trigger project beyond the periphery of the disc. This latter arm of the
trigger is curved and has a hooked end, the action of which will be hereafter
described. A projection attached to the disc enters the centre of one of the
segmental perforations in the circular box, and on either side of the said projection
are provided spiral or other springs, which abut against the ends of the segmental
perforations, thus elastically coupling the box with the disc. A bolt is mounted
in fixed bearings parallel to the shaft, and in such a manner that when the bolt is
slidden forward it stands between the interior of the loose pulley and the exterior
of the disc.
When the bolt is back away from the pulley and disc, the spring keeps the
trigger engaged with the tooth on the loose pulley, thus the motion of the pulley
is transmitted through the circular box, the springs, and the disc, to the shaft to
be turned.
When it is required to stop the shaft, the bolt is moved between the disc and
the interior flange of the pulley, and as the trigger is brought round, the same
releases the disc from the pulley, whilst the sliding action of the trigger arm along
the bolt acts as a brake, thus helping to stop the shaft, which is finally stopped by
the bolt end coming into the hooked end of the trigger arm, which then recoils a
short distance outwards, thereby locking the box, which latter being connected to
the disc by springs, also stops same, but in an elastic manner.

page_text: When employing the mechanism above described, with sewing machines, or other
machinery where the shaft is required to revolve a given number of times and then
to stop, the following arrangement may be conveniently employed:
The bolt above referred to tends to keep forward by reason of a spring, and by
actuating a lever, situated adjacent to the bolt, the same may be withdrawn. On
the end of the bolt is a collar or other projection, on which rests the arm of a lever
or other catch, which enters behind the collar on the bolt when the said bolt is
drawn back. A screw is situated on the shaft, which screw gears with a toothed
wheel having a wedge projection on same, and the said wedge projection engages
in its turn with a projection on the lever which enters behind the bolt.
By withdrawing the bolt by means of the first lever, the shaft is set in motion,
and the bolt is prevented from returning to its forward position by reason of the
second lever holding same. After the shaft has revolved the required number of
times, the wedge projection on the toothed wheel engages with the second lever,
which thus releases the spring bolt and stops the shaft in the manner hereinbefore
described. It will be seen that if the screw has a single thread, the number of
revolutions performed will be the same as the number of teeth in the toothed wheel
carrying the projection.
Apparatus constructed according to my invention may be employed for engaging
and disengaging machinery with a pulley rotating at a very high speed, and this
without any damage resulting to the parts which transmit the motion, and it will
also be found that there is no backlash experienced by the employment of apparatus
as above described.
Dated this 8th day of May 1893
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicant.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Throwing Machinery In and Out
of Gear.
I, WALTER BEECROFT, of the Firm of Thomas Beecroft and Company of
Swinegate, in the City of Leeds, County of York, Sewing Machine Makers, 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:-
The object of my invention is to construct apparatus which will throw machinery
in and out of gear more speedily and in a more efficient manner than heretofore,
and my invention is particularly applicable to sewing machines which are required
to be automatically thrown out of gear after a given number of stitches have been
made.
Mechanism hitherto constructed for the above purpose, when employed with
machines running at high speeds has not acted in an efficient manner, as the sudden
concussion caused by the employment of clutches hitherto in use, renders the action
of such machines imperfect, whilst at the same time considerable damage is done to
the machines.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will proceed to describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters refer
to like parts in all the figures.
Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view showing apparatus constructed according to
my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of same. Fig. 3 is a similar view with
a portion removed, and Figs. 4 and 5 are views hereafter referred to.
According to my invention I mount a shaft A in bearings in the ordinary way,
and on the said shaft I key or otherwise attach a disc B having a boss C on one
side, and a sleeve D on the other side, through which the shaft A passes. On the

page_text: sleeve D I mount a loose pulley E having a flange E' on its inner side, and the said
pulley E may be driven at any required speed and by any convenient power.
On the disc B I fulcrum two segmental friction pieces F F, having taper
end F' F' best seen at Fig. 3. A wedge G is situated between the taper ends F¹ Fi
of the friction pieces FF, and a projection G¹ is provided on the said wedge G.
I pivot a hooked arm H to the disc B, and a slot H is formed in the arm H, in
which slot H¹ the projection G¹ works. A pin J is situated on the disc B and a
spring K tends to keep the arm H in an outward position, so as to project beyond
the edge of the flange E'. A bolt L is mounted in fixed bearings parallel to the
shaft A, and in such a manner that when the bolt L is slidden forward, it stands in
the interior of the loose pulley.
When the bolt L is back away from the pulley and disc, the spring K keeps
the arm Houtward, causing the wedge G to be kept tight between the taper
ends FF by reason of the projection G¹ being held out by the slot H'. The
taper ends F1 F1 being thus forced apart, the segmental pieces F F are held
against the interior of the flange E¹, thereby clamping the loose pulley E to the
shaft A through the medium of the disc B, and causing the shaft A to be turned.
When it is required to stop the shaft, the bolt L is moved forward, and as the
arm H comes round, the same releases the disc B from the pulley E, by loosening
the wedge G and thus loosening the segmental pieces F F. The sliding action of
the bolt L against the arm H, as the latter is forced forward, acts as a brake, thus
helping to stop the shaft, which is finally stopped by the bolt L coming into the
hooked end of the arm H, and the said arm H then recoils a short distance,
thereby locking the disc B.
When employing the mechanism above described with sewing machines, or other
machinery where the shaft is required to revolve a given number of times and
then to stop the following arrangement may be conveniently employed (shown.
at Fig. 5).
The bolt L tends to keep forward by reason of a spring M, and by actuating a
bell crank lever N situated adjacent to the bolt L, the same may be withdrawn..
On the end of the bolt L is a collar L' or other projection, behind which the
arm P' of the lever P rests, when the bolt L is in the back position. A worm R
is situated on the shaft A, which gears with a toothed wheel S having a wedge
projection S¹ on same, and the said wedge projection S₁ engages in its turn with a
projection P2 on the lever P, which enters behind the collar L of the bolt L.
By withdrawing the bolt L by means of the bell crank lever N, the shaft A is
set in motion, and the bolt L is prevented from returning to its forward position
by reason of the lever P holding same. After the shaft A. has revolved the
required number of times, the wedge_projection S' on the toothed wheel S engages
with the projection P on the lever P, which thus releases the spring bolt L and
stops the shaft A in the manner hereinbefore described. It will be seen that if the
worm R has a single thread, the number of revolutions performed will be the same
as the number of teeth in the wheel S carrying the projection S'.
I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to any particular
method of actuating the bolt L, as the same may be operated automatically from
the shaft A, or by hand in any convenient way.
Apparatus constructed according to my invention may be employed for
engaging and disengaging machinery with a pulley rotating at a very high speed,
and this without any damage resulting to the parts which transmit the motion, and
it will also be found that there is no backlash experienced by the employment of
apparatus as above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :

page_text: projection G', arm H, spring K and bolt L substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
2. The employment of engaging and releasing apparatus of the type described
herein, in combination with mechanism for releasing a bolt for actuating the said
.clutch, substantially as set forth.
3. The employment of a clutch of the type described herein, in combination
with the bolt L'having collar L', spring M, bell crank lever N, arm F¹, lever P,
projection P³, wedge projection S', toothed wheel S, and worm R, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
4. The general arrangement construction, and combination of the various parts
forming apparatus for throwing machinery in and out of gear, substantially as herein
set forth.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicant.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicant.