AN IMPROVED WHEEL FEED FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Hose, of Leicester, Mechanic, for the Inven-
tion of "AN IMPROVED WHEEL FEED FOR SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 6th March 1866, and dated the 9th September 1865.
C
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Hose at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th September
1865.
eth
I, JOHN HOSE, of Leicester, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED WHEEL FEED FOR SEWING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:
The object of this Invention is to simplify the construction of the wheel
feed motion of sewing machines. To this end I turn a groove on the smooth
part of the periphery of the feed wheel, and lap around. it a metal band or
wire, the ends of, which I connect to a reciprocating lever, which, when set
in.action will tighten the band, thereby causing it to bind upon the wheel,
and then turn it a regulated distance on its axle. The rock lever is jointed
to an arm, which is supported by and loose upon the axle of the wheel. One
end of the band may be secured to a fixed hook on the lever, and the other
to a hook carried by an adjusting screw, and fitted with regulating nuts,
which will serve to regulate the length of stitch made. This plan will be
suitable for the." Howe" machine; or both ends of the band may be secured
to fixed hooks on the lever when the Invention is applied to the. "Singer "
machine. The lever carrying the adjusting screw is acted upon by a cam,
. ."

page_text: which depresses its extremity, tightens the band, and causes it to pull round
the feed wheel a distance equal to the length of stitch required. In the
arrangement for the Singer machine, the motion of the feed cam will be com-
municated to the lever through a rock shaft provided with arms, and with
one of which the lever is connected. There are stops as usual for limiting
the back motion..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Hose in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th
March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HOSE, of Leicester, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of September, in the year of 'our 'Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the: twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Hose, Her special licence that I, the. said John
Hose, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Hose, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "AN IMPROVED WHEEL
FEED FOR SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I;
the said John Hose, 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 monthis next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Hose, 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say): -
The object of this Invention is to simplify the construction of the wheel
feed motion of sewing machines, while at the same time a ready means of

page_text: adjusting the feed 'motion to the length of stitch required is provided.
Hitherto the gripping action of wedges or dogs which bore against the
periphery of the feed wheel: has: been relied upon for ensuring the moving.
round of the feed. wheel on its axis to feed the work under the needle: I now,
however, propose to introduce a metal band, which I connect with the rock
lever that now imparts the motion to the wheel, and by means of that band
to grasp the wheel and move it round in a more certain manner than-here-.
tofore;
this band may be a round' or flat band of copper, or other metal,
and it may bind! against the flat periphery of the wheel, or be: let into. a
groove turned therein. In each case the action-will be precisely similar.: ..
In the accompanying Drawing. I have shewn, in order to illustrate.my.<
Invention, the metal band applied to the wheel feeds of the Howe and the
Singer machines, they being the most generally used in the sewing machine
trade.
.
Fig. 1 shews in side elevation the Howe wheel feed improved according to
my, Invention; and.Fig. 2.is a plan view of the same; Figure 3 shews in side*
elevation the Singer wheel. feed with my Invention adapted thereto; and
Figure 4 is a plan view of the same.
.;
A,.A, Figures 1 and 2, is the feed wheel, roughened on: its periphery as
usual, to give it a good hold on the work, and provided with a flange, which-
projects from the side of the wheel, and has a groove turned in itito receive
aband of copper or other metal wire B which is lapped around it; this
band or wire I connect at its ends to a reciprocating crank: lever C, which
when set in action will tighten the band, thereby causing it to bind: upon the
wheel, and then turn it a regulated distance on its axle. The crank, lever C
is jointed to a rock lever D, which is supported by and is loose upon the axle
of the wheel. A.: One, end of this rock lever is pressed upon by a coiled
spring d, and at its other end it abuts against the under side of the table of
the machine, and acts as a stop for resisting the downward pressure of-the-
spring. This spring serves to return the rock lever together with its lever C.
to the normal position (as shewn at Fig. 1).after every repetition of the feed
motion. One end of the band B is secured to a fixed hook c on the lever C,
and the other to a hook c¹ which passes through the lever C, and is screwed
at its outer end to receive regulating nuts c, which serve to regulate the
length of feed and the consequent length of stitch made. The tightening of
the band B is effected by the action of the cam or excentric E upon the
rocking arm. As the enlarged radius of the excentric bears upon the crank
lever C it will thrust it outwards until the band firmly grips the wheel; it will
then cause it to rise, and in rising the lever C will pull round the wheel to

page_text: the required extent. The adjusting nuts serve to bring the lower limb of the
allow of its: standing further off it,
By this means therefore the amount
crank lever: nearer to the excentric, or
assisted by the pressure of the spring F.
of effective action of the excentric on the crank lever C, and consequently on
the feed wheel, may be determined at pleasure.
In Figures 3 and 4 it will be seen that the arrangement suitable for the
Singer machine is substantially. the same as that above described. There
are, however, some slight modifications. Thus both ends of the band B are
secured to fixed hooks c, c, on the lever C, and that to the lower end of the
lever is attached the screwed hook c .carrying the adjusting nuts c. This
screwed hook c¹ passes through the pendent. arm G of a rock shaft. G¹,
another arm G² from which is acted upon by a cam or excentric E on the
driving shaft; this cam or excentric-as-it-revolves depresses, the-arm-G³,-and-
thereby rocks the shaft G¹ and the arm G, and thus tightens the band, and
causes fit-to-pull roundithe feed wheel a distance equal to the ilength of stitch
required, as in the arrangement:first described. There is, as will be seen,, a
stop in this arrangement, as usual; for. limiting the back motion produced by
the pressure of the coiled spring d.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of an improved
wheel feed for sewing machines, and. explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I. wish it to be.understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim, the combination of parts above described for
working the feed wheels of sewing machines.
"In witness whereof, I, 'the said John Hose, have hereunto set my hand
.
and seal, the 7th day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.