IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OPERATING SEWING MACHINES, LATHES, AND OTHER MACHINERY BY FOOT POWER
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR OPERATING SEWING MACHINES, LATHES, AND OTHER MACHINERY
BY FOOT POWER" 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 this Invention is to provide a new and improved foot power to be
used in place of the usual treadle, crank and connecting rod, or like devices for
operating sewing machines, lathes, and other machinery by foot power.
The Invention consists in the arrangements, combinations, and constructions of
parts as will be fully set forth and described hereinafter.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying Drawings forming part of this
Specification in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a side view of the improved foot power. Figure 2 is a vertical cross
sectional view of the same. Figure 3 is a detail side view of the elbow lever, the
pivots being shown in section. Figure 4 is a front view of the device showing a
modified construction, parts being shown in section.
Two standards A united by top rods A¹ and a bottom central shaft or rod B,
form the frame of the machine.
A foot plate C is pivoted to rock on the above mentioned shaft or rod B, and
the ends of the said foot plate are pressed upward by springs D, held between the
underside of the foot plate C and the upper surface of a cross bar E, held rigidly
on and below the shaft B, at right angles to the same by means of a binding
screw a which permits of adjusting the bar E, so as to be inclined more or less
according to the inclination of the foot plate in its normal position.
An upwardly projecting bar F is loosely mounted to rock at its lower end on
the shaft B, and a fork F' is formed on its upper end from the outer edge of each
prong of which fork apertured lugs or eyes dg project at the top and bottom
respectively through which eyes d, g, rods G pass which project downward from
the bottom of a slightly curved longitudinal frame I, in the opening of which ♣

page_text: friction wheel H is located the said friction wheel being rigidly mounted on the
driving shaft J on which a belt pulley K or a combined belt pulley and fly wheel
is rigidly mounted.
The wheel H is provided with a rubber rim H¹. The diameter of the wheel H
including its rim H¹ is slightly less than the width of the opening in the frame I.
Spiral springs L surrounding the rods G, are held between the bottom apertured
lugs or eyes y, and nuts M screwed on the rods G and press the frame I upward.
The frame I is provided at the centre of its bottom bar with a downwardly
projecting arm N on the lower end of which the angle pivot h of an elbow lever Ŏ
is held, the end of the upper arm of the said lever O being pivoted to one of the
prongs of the fork F1 at or near the lower end of the said prong. The downwardly
projecting arm of the lever O is provided with a longitudinal slot P through which
a pintle passes which also passes through a longitudinal slot R formed in a
standard S projecting upward from the foot plate C adjoining the standard F.
The pintle is provided with a nut T for locking it in place.
The springs D press up the ends of the foot plate C, and bring the same back to
the normal position. The pressure of the top and bottom bars of the frame I on
the rim of the wheel H can be regulated by adjusting the pintle Q higher or
lower.
In the machine just described which is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 a rocking
treadle is used but in the construction shown in Figure 4 a lever b-is hung on its
top to adapt it to rock, the elbow lever O is pivoted to the arm N of the frame I
and to the swinging lever b.
The operation is as follows: If the lower end of the foot plate C that is toward
the operator, is depressed, the swinging part of the device is moved in the direction
of the arrow a', and the standard S, which is independent of the arm F¹ swings
the lower end of the elbow lever O slightly in the direction of the arrow a¹ thereby
moving the angle pivot h of the angle lever O upward thereby raising the frame F¹
and bringing the inner edge of the bottom bar of the same, in contact with the rim
of the wheel H, which is thus revolved by friction in the direction of the arrow b¹.
If the opposite end of the foot plate C, that is, that end farthest from the
operator, is depressed, the swinging part of the machine is moved in the inverse
direction of the arrow a¹ and the upper end of the standard S moves the lower end
of the angle lever O in the inverse direction of the arrow a¹ thereby moving the
angle pivot h, of the angle lever O and the frame I connected therewith downward
and bringing the edge of the top bar of the frame I in contact with the rim of the
wheel H thus revolving the wheel H in the direction of the arrow b¹. If the angle
lever is pivoted to the other prong of the fork F¹ the motion is reversed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1 The combination with a pulley or wheel of a rocking or swinging frame
surrounding it, a swinging rod or lever, and an elbow lever connected with the
swinging rod or lever and with the frame, substantially as herein shown and
described.
2nd The combination with a pulley or wheel of a rocking or swinging frame
surrounding it, an elbow lever connected with the frame and with a rocking
standard, and of a swinging standard supporting the rocking frame surrounding
the wheel, substantially as herein shown and described.
3rd The combination with a pulley or wheel of a rocking or swinging frame
surrounding it, a rocking arm or standard on or by which the said frame is
supported in such a manner that it can have a slight vertical movement, an elbow
lever pivoted to the frame to the arm holding the frame, and to a rocking standard
substantially as berein shown and described.
4th The combination with the wheel H of the rocking frame I surrounding it
and provided with downwardly projecting rods G, the rocking arm F on the
shaft B, the fork F' formed on the upper end of the arm F in the prongs of which

page_text: fork the rods G, projecting from the frame I are held to slide, the standard S on
the rocking foot plate C and of the angle lever O pivoted to the lower end of an
arm N of the frame I to the fork F1 and to the standard S substantially as herein
shown and described.
5th The combination with the wheel H of the frame I having the downwardly
projecting rods G and the arm N, the rocking arm F on the shaft B, the fork F¹
on the upper end of the arm F, the springs L, the nuts M, on the rods G, the angle
lever and the standard S on the rocking foot plate C, substantially as herein
shown and described.
6th The combination with the rocking foot plate C of the cross bar E, held on
the shaft B, and below the plate C, and of the springs D, interposed between the
foot plate C and the bar E, substantially as herein shown and described.