IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Sellers, of Airedale Works, Keighley,
in the County of York, Sewing Machine Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
Scaled the 20th December 1875, and dated the 14th August 1875.

page_text: According to present arrangements when it is desired to wind on to a
spool the whole of the sewing machinery is also set in motion, by which
unnecessary wear and labor are occasioned.
The object of the Invention is to remedy these evils. For this purpose
the balance or band wheel is applied loosely on its shaft, but capable of
being readily locked thereto or released therefrom when required.
The locking means I employ consists of a plate lever, which is capable
of turning in a groove formed for it in a boss affixed to the shaft, so as
to lock when desired into a corresponding recess formed for it in the
boss of the band or balance wheel. This locking lever is formed with
square parts at its axis, acted upon by a spring for the purpose of
retaining it as set for locking or unlocking.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Sellers in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th February 1876.'
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SELLERS, of the Airedale Works, Keighley, in the County of York,
Sewing Machine Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Sellers, Her special
license that I, the said William Sellers, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Sellers, 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
thercin 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Sellers, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,

page_text: a is the band or balance wheel which by a band passing over a groove
formed on or applied to it, or by a handle, has motion given to it for
effecting the required movements to the various parts of the machine.
These movements vary in different machines, but it has been the practice
to fix this wlieel a to the main shaft b, so that in giving motion to such
wheel motion is of necessity given to the main shaft or axis, and when
the surface of the band or balance wheel employed in its rotation is
made use of as a means of giving motion to the spool winder for the
purpose of winding on to spools or bobbins, all the other motions of the
machine are then usclessly put in operation, thereby creating unnecessary
labour and wear to them.
According to my Invention the balance wheel is applied loosely to the
main shaft, so as to be connected to that shaft only when required by
locking, and as shewn the locking is effected by the use of a plate
lever c, which is supported so as to turn upon a fixed axis d, carried by
the collar e, and so that it may freely move in and be guided by a
groove formed in that collar. The collar e is fixed to the axis by a
pin passing through both or otherwise. One edge of the collar e bears
against the outer end of the boss a¹ of the band or balance wheel a, and
that end of this boss a¹ is also formed with a recess a³ adapted to receive
the outer end of the lever c, and thereby connect the collar e with the
boss a', as shown by Figures 1 and 2, and when so connected any rotary
motion given to the band or balance wheel a will of necessity com-
municate a like rotary motion to the shaft or axis ; but when it may
be necessary to use the surface of the wheel a in its rotary motion to
give motion to the spool winder as represented by dotted lines, in
Figure 3, or otherwise, and when any motion to the needle and other
parts of the apparatus (as when sewing) would not only be unnecessary
but a useless wear of the parts and an unnecessary expenditure of
labour or power, then by raising the lever c so as to disconnect it with
the boss a' as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, the balance or band
wheel will then simply freely turn on the shaft or axis & without turning
that shaft. A spring 9, indicated by the red lines in Figure 1, acts on
the square end of the lever c with a tendency to retain it in either of
the positions as it may be set.
Having thus described my Invention, and means which I adopt in
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise arrangements of parts, as shewn and

page_text: described, as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar
character of my Invention; but what I do claim is, the arranging or
combining parts of sewing machines, whereby the band or balance.
wheel may be readily locked to or disengaged from the main or driving
shaft, so that such wheel may be caused to rotate for operating the spool
motion without necessarily giving motion to the needle and parts acting
therewith as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Sellers, have hereunto sct
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
WILLIAM SELLERS. (L.S.)