IMPROVEMENTS IN TREADLE MOTIONS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREADLE
MOTIONS." -A communication from abroad by George Byron
Kirkham, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America.
Scaled the 29th July 1873, and dated the 6th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th February 1873.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lanc, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREADLE
MOTIONS," to be as follows:-
'The purpose of this Invention is to provide a foot power or treadle
motion suitable for sewing machines, jig saws, land lathes, and other

page_text: light machinery which require the driving shaft or fly wheel always to
be turned in the right direction, and with a noiseless and positive
motion. To this end a friction wheel is keyed to the driving shaſt, and
this wheel is embraced by a forked driver, the prongs of which are
so shaped and arranged with respect to each other that they will alter-
nately bear against the periphery of the friction wheel (on opposite sides
thereof) when a reciprocating motion is imparted to them, and thereby
rotate the wheel continuously in one and the same direction. This forked
driving piece is made fast at any desired inclination to the rod or pitman
leading up from the treadle, and as the treadle is rocked by the foot of
the workman the rod or pitman in rising will press one prong of the
driver into contact with the friction wheel, and in its descent will draw
the other prong into contact, whereby the friction wheel will be caused
to rotate by the backward and forward motion of the forked driver.
In order to steady the rod or pitman in its up-and-down motions it is
embraced either above or below the point of its connection with the
treadle (or it may be both above or below) by a friction clip connected
with the treadle. These clips may be adjusted by screws, and springs
may be employed to enable them to put an elastic pressure on the pitman.
To prevent the friction wheel escaping from between the prongs of the
driver the prongs are connected at their ends by a strap piece to ensure
proper contact being maintained between the forked driver and tho
friction wheel. The wheel may be divided at right angles to the plano
of its axis to receive filling discs between the divided halves of the wheel.
This will allow of the wheel if grooved on its periphery being contracted
in thickness as the forked driver wears away to grip the driving surfaces,
or of being increased in thickness if chamfered to fit against grooved
driving surfaces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by tho said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Scal Patent 30
Office on the 6th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 60, Chancery Lanc, in tho
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent
Newton, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TREADLE MOTIONS," being a communication to
me from abroad by George Byron Kirkham, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 bo filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the 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 Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :—
The purpose of this Invention is to provide a foot power or treadle
motion, which is applicable to sewing machines, jig saws, hand lathes,
and other light machinery, which will always turn the driving shaft or
fly wheel of the machine in the right direction with a noiseless and
positive motion.
Fig. 1 is a diagram representing the general principle of the Invention
with the treadle going down'; Fig. 2 is a similar diagram representing

page_text: Fig. 3 shows the Invention in perspective under one form of the
bearing arms.
Fig. 4 shows a modification of the bearing arms and a double
pitman.
Fig. 5 shews the bearing arms as covered with leather or any similar 5
substance.
Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 show different modifications of the wheel and
bearing arms.
The principle on which this Invention works is shown in Figures 1
and 2. In Fig. 1 the pitman C and treadle D are descending when tho 1
upper bearing arm B strikes against the wheel A, causing it to revolvo
in the direction of the arrow. In Fig. 2 the pitman C and treadle D
are ascending, causing the under bearing arm B' to strike against tho
under side of the wheel A to continue its revolution in the same direction.
These bearing arms B, B', may be made either rigid or of flexible 1
material, but if of the latter they must be kept tightly stretched by
screws or other suitable means.
A general perspective view of the Invention, when applied to any
machine, is shewn in Fig. 3. Here the bearing arms B, B', are bevilled,
and work in a groove in the wheel A. Said arms are set at an obtuse 2
angle to the pitman C by means of the set screw a, a. Of course this
angle may vary to any extent from the greatest obtuse to the smallest
acute angle, but the position represented in full black lines is about the
best angle in practice. The dotted lines show different angles at which
the bearing arms may be set. This disposition of the bearing arms is 2
in contradistinction to their arrangement in line or parallel with the
pitman.
To keep the pitman C steady, and in order that it may offer some
resistance to the backward and forward motion of the bearing arms B, B¹,
on the wheel A, attached to said pitman C and the treadle D are various 3
friction clutches or devices E, F, and H, I, K. These can be used or
not, but if used may be employed either together or separately, as may
be most expedient. In operation they act as a shifting apparatus, and
increase the friction of the arms B, B', on the wheel A. The friction
clutches E, F, are hinged to the treadle, and press on either side of the 3

page_text: pitman C, their pressure being regulated by a screw and spiral spring G.
The device H is a prolongation of the pitman G; K, a prolongation of
the treadle, and I a slide pressed against H by the spring J; I and K
being on opposite sides of H produce considerable friction, which is.
what is requisite to steady the pitman.
When it is necessary to give to the wheel A a uniform motion with
no slipping the bearing arms B, B', must be curved somewhat, as
shown in Fig. 4; L is a strap to keep the bearing arms from running off
the wheel.
It is evident that in constant use the wheel A and bearing arms B, B',
would wear, and thence there would arise an objectionable thumping
and noise. To prevent this and keep the bearing arms always snug to
the wheel there are two methods resorted to; that is, either by bringing
the bearing arms B, B', close together occasionally by means of the set
screws b, b, b, b, and employing two pitmen C, C', or the wheel A can
be in two parts or halves, as shewn in Figures 6, 7, 8, and 10, and
between these two halves A, A¹, discs O, O, of pasteboard, leather, or
any suitable material may be placed. By slackening or removing
screws c, c, c, c, one of the discs O can be taken out, and thus tho
two halves A, A', may be screwed up closer together.
In Fig. 5 the bearing arms B, B', aro shewn covered with leather,
rubber, or any suitable material. This is sometimes necessary in order
to increase the bite or friction of the arms on the wheel A.
It is evident that the bearing surfaces of the wheel A and bearing
arms B, B', can be varied. Thus there may be used either a deeply
grooved wheel and correspondingly bevilled arms, as shewn in Fig. 6, a
less deeply grooved wheel and correspondingly shaped arms, as in Fig. 7,
a curved construction of said parts, as in Fig. 8, a flat construction of
the same, as in Fig. 9; or the wheel may have an outward bevil, and
the arms be grooved, as in Fig. 10. It is not necessary to represent all
the changes that can be made in this respect, but merely to indicate a
few modifications.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements
in Treadle Motions," as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I

page_text: wish it to bo understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim, the application to sewing machines, jig saws, hand
lathes, and other light machinery of treadle motions constructed and
operating as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.