AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR DRIVING SEWING AND OTHER SIMILAR MACHINES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Hodgetts Stokes, of West Bromwich, in the
County of Stafford, Surveyor, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE
OR APPARATUS FOR DRIVING SEWING AND OTHER SIMILAR MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Hodgetts Stokes at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th October 1876.
BENJAMIN HODGETTS STOKES, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford,
Surveyor. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR DRIVING SEWING AND
OTHER SIMILAR MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object the construction of a machine or apparatus
whereby, in the first place, the labour now necessary for the working of a sewing
machine may be greatly reduced; secondly, by the use of my Invention the
injurious effects upon the constitution by the use of the treadle now generally
employed as a driving power for sewing machines may be entirely obviated;
thirdly, according to my Invention the operator may have the free use of both
hands in the guidance of the work operated upon.
My said Invention consists substantially of a frame supporting a movable shaft
to which is attached a volute or other spring or springs, as required, and as may be
necessary to obtain the motive power needful to drive the machine. To this frame
and forming part thereof is attached a rest having suitable grooves cut therein in
which a sliding carriage moves; and in this carriage is contained one or more coiled
or helical springs (according to the quantity of work the machine is required to do),
which said springs are caused by their uncoiling and assuming their normal position
to act upon the main shaft one at a time and independent of each other in any
suitable manner, it being understood that through the centre of these springs the
said main shaft runs. The said sliding carriage is acted upon by a lever for the
purpose of throwing the said springs in and out of gear, as may be required. On
one side of the said frame there is fixed a projecting shoulder, upon which revolves
a large toothed wheel which is connected to the main shaft when in gear by a

page_text: ratchet toothed wheel or pinion or other suitable mechanical equivalent; and in
connection with the said large toothed wheel runs a smaller one, to which is fixed a
wheel which may be connected to the sewing or other machine, to which my
Invention may be applied by a band, pulley, or cog wheel.
The driving wheel is fitted with a break, constructed substantially similarly to
an ordinary band break, and which can be applied either by hand or foot with the
greatest easc, for the purpose either of controlling the speed or of immediately
bringing the machine to a stand still.
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, by the said Benjamin Hodgetts Stokes in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th April 1877.
"
BENJAMIN HODGETTS STOKES, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford,
Surveyor. AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DRIVING SEWING AND OTHER SIMILAR
MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object the construction of a machine or apparatus
whereby, in the first place, the labour now necessary for the working of a sewing
machine may be greatly reduced; secondly, by the use of my Invention the
injurious effects upon the constitution from the use of the treadle may be entirely
obviated; thirdly, according to my Invention the operator may have the free use of
both hands in the guidance of the work operated upon.
My said Invention consists substantially of a frame supporting a movable shaft
to which is attached a volute or other spring or springs, as required, and as may be
necessary to obtain the motive power needful to drive the machine. To this frame
and forming part thereof is attached a rest having suitable grooves cut therein, in
which a sliding carriage moves, and in this carriage is contained one or more
springs (according to the quantity of work the machine is required to effect) which
are caused to act upon the main shaft independent of each other, and through the
centre of which the said main shaft runs. This carriage is acted upon by a lever
for the purpose of throwing it in and out of gear, as may be required. On one side
of the said frame there is fixed a projecting shoulder upon which revolves a large
toothed wheel, which is connected to the main shaft when in gear by a ratchet
toothed wheel or pinion, or by other suitable mechanical contrivance. In connection
with the said large wheel runs a smaller one, to which is fixed another wheel which
may be connected to the sewing or other machines to which my Invention is applied
by a band, pulley, or cog wheel.
The driving wheel is fitted with a brake constructed similarly in kind to an
ordinary band brake, which can be applied either by hand or foot with the greatest
case for the purpose either of controlling the speed or of immediately stopping the
machine.
That my Invention may be fully understood I have annexed Drawings thereof,
which I now proceed to describe.
Fig. 1 in the Drawing shews a longitudinal section through the centre line of the
machine, and is drawn to about half full size.
A is the main shaft having a handle B by which it is turned; C, C¹, are two
coiled mainsprings, the outer ends of which are secured to the circular hoops D, D¹,
the inner ends being secured to the hollow bosses E, E¹, which embrace the main
shaft A, and are caused to revolve with the said main shaft by means of two arms F
having antifriction rollers G which engage in rectangular grooves G1, G2, (see Fig. 2)
formed within the bosses E, E¹. The main shaft is screwed at one end from a to a¹,
and is a nut through which it advances as it is turned by the handle B, in such
manner that by the time the mainspring C has been sufficiently wound up, the
antifriction rollers G have passed out of the hollow boss E and proceed to enter the

page_text: grooves of the boss E¹ of the next mainspring. The spring C is prevented from
running back by means of a ratchet wheel H and sliding pawl H₁ pressed upwards
by the spring H².
When the second spring C¹ has been wound up the apparatus is ready to drive
the sewing machine, or where there are more than two springs, the rollers G pass
from one spring to the other, winding them up in succession in like manner, and
leaving them locked by their respective ratchet wheels.
The second pair of arms I with their antifriction rollers I travel within and
carry round the hollow boss K of the toothed wheel L, which gears into the
pinion M upon the shaft M. During the operation of winding up the ratchet
clutch N allows the pinion M to revolve without turning the shaft M, but when
the handle is released and the springs drive the pinion M in the opposite direction,
the ratchet clutch N drives the shaft M¹, the gut pulley O, and the corresponding
gut pulley O¹ of the sewing machine; P is a break pulley which is normally
arrested by the break strap P₁ and spring P. Upon counteracting the force of the
spring P2 by means of any well-known system of levers and rods leading to the hand
or foot of the machinist, the mechanism is released and the wheels revolve under
the influence of the mainsprings. As the mainspring C¹ runs down the main shaft
returns towards its first position, and the rollers G proceed to leave the boss E¹ of
the mainspring C¹. Before becoming quite free however they engage with the
lower end of the spring bolt R, which is attached to the boss of the mainspring C,
forcing it upwards and escaping past it on the first contact, but engaging with it at
the next revolution. The mainspring C now proceeds to drive the main shaft A,
first of all by the spring bolt R, and afterwards by the interior faces of the
grooves G, but before this can take place the ratchet wheel H must be released or
the mainspring C could not revolve.
In order to effect the release a small wheel S is turned round one tooth for every
revolution of the main shaft by means of a single tooth S¹ upon the socket T, which
revolves with but does not travel with the main shaft, and a cam T¹ which is fixed
to the boss of the wheel S draws down the sliding pawl H¹, and thus releases the
ratchet wheel H just at the moment when the rollers G are about to engage with
the spring bolt R of the mainspring C.
The escape of the rollers G past the sliding bolt R at the first contact, causes the
main shaft to lose one revolution in its return, as compared with the number of
revolutions given to the mainsprings in winding up. To obviate this the nut b
instead of being a fixture turns in the cross bar c, and is adjusted by hand for the
before-described lost revolution before every operation of rewinding. The small
catch d entering a notch e, in the milled rim of the nut 6 determines the exact
adjustment on each occasion.
Sometimes instead of the before-described mechanical contrivance I effect the
winding up of the machine by means of a bevel wheel V, pinion V₁, vertical
shaft W, and hand wheel W¹, which I then place above the sewing machine, as
shewn.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is or may be performed, I desire it to be understood that without limiting
myself to the precise details herein-before contained, I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,--
First. Constructing the main shaft, as herein-before described, so that it has a
screw to give it a forward and backward motion or movement as it travels through
any number of springs which may be required having trunnions on which work
friction rollers, so as to avoid any friction which may be caused by its horizontal
motion through the carriages or arbours.
Second. The peculiar construction of the bolt attached to the front of the carriage
or arbour herein-before described, by means of which the springs are engaged as the
main shaft is passing from one spring to the other, whilst they are being wound up
or as they become unwound.

page_text: Third. The arrangement herein-before described, by means of which each spring
is liberated from its ratchet at the proper time, so as to engage with the main
shaft.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Hodgetts Stokes, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
T. EMERY DAVIES,
Clerk to Mr. G. R. Holland,
Birmingham.
BENJAMIN H. STOKES. (L.S.)