A NEW OR IMPROVED HAnd Power FOR DRIVING SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christopher Lockman, of the City of Hamilton,
in the County of Wentworth, in the Province of Ontario, Canada,
Machinest, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED HAnd Power
FOR DRIVING SEWING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Christopher Lockman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th December 1872.
I, CHRISTOPHER LOCKMAN, of the City of Hamilton, in the County
of Wentworth, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, Machinist, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for “A NEW OR IMPROVED HAND
POWER FOR DRIVING SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows :—
According to this Invention I key on the inner end of the drive wheel
shaft the drive wheel, and on the outer end are placed two loose double
pulleys separated by a small pin in the shaft. The use of these pulleys
will be shown hereafter. There is a perpendicular lever pivotted to the

page_text: iron frame, the said lever being provided with two arms which pass
downwards, and to the ends of which belts of leather or other suitable
material are secured; one belt is fastened to and winds around the inner
groove of one pulley and the other belt to the outer groove of the other
pulley. On the outer groove of one pulley and the inner groove of the
other pulley are fastened strong steel clock springs, the outer ends of
the said springs being fastened to a bracket (projecting from the side of
the stand) by means of pins or rivets. The use of the springs will be
shewn herein-after.
On the outer disc of one pulley and the inner disc of the other pulley :
are constructed projections to act as ratchets, and small pins or bars
operate as pawls to catch in the said ratchets; the projections forming
the ratchet are bevilled on one side so that the square pawl can slide
over them, and square at the other so that the pawl can catch. The
pawl is held in its place in the slot in the end of the shaft by means of
a coiled concealed spring in a chamber in the end of the said shaft and
fastened to the pawl, which causes it to adapt itself to the elevations and
depressions of the ratchet. The pawl and ratchet on the inner pulley
are constructed in much the same manner as the outer.
There is a slot cut in the top of the stand to admit the hand lever so
that the handle of the said lever may be convenient to the hand of the
operator so as to be easily moved back and forth to drive the machine
when the treadle is not employed.
The device is for the purpose of enabling an operator to change from
the treadle motion to the hand motion when he or she finds the change
necessary, and the operation of the device is as follows:-The operator
moves the handle back and forth; motion is imparted at once to the
pulleys by the belts; the pulleys run in opposite directions; when one
belt is driving the shaft the other is reeling on the opposite pulley, and
when one spring is tightening on its pulley the other is slackening; they
serve to take up the slack of the belts.
By means of the ratchets and pawls the drive wheel and shaft cannot
go backwards, and they also revolve independant of the hand power
when the treadle motion is applied, or they both can be used together if
it is found to be convenient to do so. The hand lever can be upright,
horizontal, slanting, or any other convenient manner, but I prefer to
have it perpendicularly.

page_text: Physicians have condemned the excessive use of the treadle in driving
sewing machines as hurtful to an operator, and the advantages of my
device are,
1. When the muscles of the feet and legs of an operator becomes tired
with the use of the treadle the operator can use the right hand to drive
the machine, and the leverage obtained by means of the device is so
great that the machine runs extremely easy.
2. The machine cannot be turned backwards to break the thread,
SPECIFICATION filed in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, and of an Order by the Lord Chancellor, by the said Chris-
topher Lockman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th July
1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRIS-
TOPHER LOCKMAN, of the City of Hamilton, in the County of Wentworth,
in the Province of Ontario, Canada, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Christopher Lockman, Her special
licence that I, the said Christopher Lockman, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Christopher Lockman,
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 Invention for "A NEW
OR IMPROVED HAND POWER FOR DRIVING SEWING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Christopher Lockman, 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

page_text: Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Christopher Lockman; 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, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
Bay :-
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a perspective view of
sewing machine with the power attached according to my Invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the device enlarged; Figure 3 is an end view
of the same.
A represents the drive wheel shaft passing through the frame B of
the machine. On the inner end of said shaft is keyed the drive wheel C,
and on the outer end are two loose pulleys D, D³, separated by a small
pin in the shaft. The use of these pulleys will be shewn hereafter.
G represents a perpendicular lever pivotted to the iron frame at the
point K. The said lever has two arms G³, G³, respectively, which pass
downwards as shewn, and to the ends of which are secured belts E, F,
of leather or other suitable material. The belt E is fastened to and
winds around the inner groove of the pulley D, and the other belt F to
the outer groove of the pulley D¹. On the outer groove of the pulley D
and the inner groove of the pulley D¹ are fastened strong steel clock
springs, shown at H, H³, Figure 2. The outer ends of the said springs
are fastened to a bracket J projecting from the side of the stand by
means of the pins or rivets I, I. The use of the springs will be shewn
herein-after.
On the outer disc of the pulley D¹ and the inner disc of the pulley D
are constructed projections S to act as ratchets, and the small pin or bar t
operates as a pawl to catch in the said ratchet. The projections forming
the ratchet are bevilled on one side (so as the square pawl t can slide
over them) and square on the other so as the pawl can catch. The
pawl t is held in its place in the slot in the ends of the shaft by means
of a coiled spring concealed in a chamber in the shaft and secured to
the pawl, which causes it to adapt itself to the elevations and depressions
of the ratchet S. The pawl and ratchet on the inner pulley are con-
structed in much the same manner as the outer one.

page_text: There is a slot cut in the top of the stand, shewn in Figure 1, to
admit the lever G, so as the handle of the said lever may be convenient
to the hand of the operator so as to be easily moved back and forth to
drive the machine when the treadle is not employed.
It will be observed that the device is for the purpose mainly of
enabling an operator to change from the treadle motion to the hand
motion when he or she finds the change necessary, and the operation of
the device is as follows:-The operator moves the handle back and forth,
motion is imparted at once to the pulleys by the belts, the pulleys run
in opposite directions, when one belt is driving the shaft the other is
reeling on the opposite pulley, and when the spring H is tightening on
its pulley the other one H³ is slackening; they serve to take up the
slack of the belts.
By means of the ratchet and pawls the drive wheel and shaft cannot
go backwards, and they also revolve independent of the hand power
when the treadle motion is applied, or they both can be use:l together if
it is found to be convenient to the operator to do so. The lever G can
be upright, horizontal, slanting, or in any other convenient manner.
It will be observed that I do not confine myself to the arrangement
of the parts as shewn, but I can arrange the pulleys, belts, &c., on the
inside of the drive wheel under the stand on a solid or hollow shaft cast
to the wheel, and fasten the ends of the belts E, F, to the treadle in the
same way as they are to the lever arm, to be operated by the feet. To
make it more plain I will construct a solid collar attached to the drive
wheel, through which passes a stud on which the wheel revolves, and to
which a bracket is secured for attaching the springs. The said stud may
be fastened to the machine by means of a nut. This arrangement of
the device can be placed on either side of the stand to be operated either
by hand or foot.

page_text: 5. The motion imparted to the machine is uniform, and may be quick,
medium, or slow, as an operator wishes.
6. When the machine is operated the natural walking motion is
applied to the treadle, which is much easier.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what i
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First. The arrangement and combination of the loose pulley D, D¹, on
a solid or hollow driving shaft at outside or inside of the stand, with
springs H, H', bracket J, ratchet and pawls S, t, operated by the lever
arms G³, G³, and lever G, as shewn, or by a treadle or treadles for driving 1
sewing or other machines to which it may be applied, substantially as
described and shewn in the accompanying Drawings.
Second. The arrangement of the slot C in the stand for the admission
of the lever G, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Lockman, have here- 1
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Ab TAMA
CHRISTOPHER LOCKMAN. (L.S.)