IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bateman and Daniel Bateman, all of Bradford,
in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 23rd May 1864, and dated the 27th November 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bateman and
Daniel Bateman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th November 1863.
We, JAMES BATEMAN and DANIEL BATEMAN, all of Bradford, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The primary object of our Invention is by a combination of parts herein-
after described to perform curved or circular work or straight lines of stitches
at any desired angle to each other, dispensing with the necessity of the work-
man altering the position of the material operated upon to suit the required
curves or angles.
Our arrangement consists in placing the spindle which usually contains the
needle, or to which the needle is ordinarily affixed, within a hollow cylinder
having a guide bar for such spindle. The cylinder is placed within a suitable
boss formed by preference on the end of the usual fixed arm of the machine,
and permitting the said cylinder to rotate when required. To the guide bar
within the cylinder just alluded to we affix a centre pin, upon which slides a
slotted bar, to the lower end of which is attached the ribbed foot, ordinarily
used for holding and traversing alternately the material operated upon, and to

page_text: the upper end a cam-shaped piece of metal or other suitable material. To
the needle spindle a cross head is attached, and a vertical motion is imparted
by the ordinary and well-known method of a lever having its fulcrum on the
fixed arm before alluded to, and actuated by the ordinary grooved pulley on
the first motion shaft. Two additional cams placed on this shaft actuate two
levers, also having their fulcra on the fixed arm; the extreme end of the one
lever having a cylindrical washer through which the needle spindle passes, and
which, when depressed, presses on the cam-shaped piece of metal or other
suitable material forming part of or affixed to the slotted bar working within
the cylinder, and carrying the ribbed foot before named, firmly pressing the
said foot when requisite on the cloth or other material under operation. The
extreme end of the second lever by means of a swivel joint is connected to a
cylindrical ring (through which the needle spindle also passes) having its
lower inner edge made conical, or bevilled outwards. The object of this cone
will be apparent when it is known that the before-named cam on the slotted
bar nearly or quite touches the inner surface of the cylinder on the extreme
edge of the cam when the cone is elevated. This cone being depressed by
means of the lever connected with it, the thin or conical edge inserts itself
between the cam and the cylinder and the slotted bar by virtue of the centre
pin on which it works carries the ribbed foot, and consequently the material
operated upon the desired length to receive the next stitch. The various cams
on the first shaft are, of course, so arranged relatively to each other that the
needle spindle and levers work harmoniously together, performing their several
operations as required. By turning the cylinder round, or partially so, during
the process of sewing curved work or lines at an angle to each other, may be
sewn with the same facility as straight work, in consequence of the guide bar
(on which the slotted bar works) being fixed within and to the cylinder, the
"stop" and conical levers not being in any way affected by the revolution of
the cylinder. In other details our machine may be constructed similar to any
of the ordinary ones now in use.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Bateman and Daniel Bateman in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 26th May 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
BATEMAN and DANIEL BATEMAN, all of Bradford, in the County of York, send
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said James Bateman and Daniel Bateman, Her special licence
that we, the said James Bateman and Daniel Bateman, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Bateman
and Daniel Bateman, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES," upou the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
James Bateman and Daniel Bateman, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, 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 months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Bateman and Daniel Bateman,
do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
:-
The primary object of our Invention is by a combination of parts herein-
after described to perform curved or circular work or straight lines of stitches
at any desired angles to each other, dispensing with the necessity of the work-
man's altering the position of the material operated upon to suit the required
curves or angles.
Our arrangement consists in placing the spindle which usually contains the
needle, or to which the needle is ordinarily affixed, within a hollow cylinder
having a guide bar for such spindle. The cylinder is placed within a suitable
boss formed by preference on the end of the usual fixed arm of the machine,
and permitting the said cylinder to rotate when required. To the guide
bar within the cylinder just alluded to we affix a centre pin, upon which slides
a slotted bar, to the lower end of which is attached the ribbed foot ordinarily
used for holding and traversing alternately the material operated upon, and to
the upper end a cam-shaped piece of metal or other suitable material. To

page_text: The
the needle spindle a cross head is attached, and a vertical motion is im-
parted by the ordinary and well-known method of a lever having its fulcrum
on the fixed arm before alluded to, and actuated by the ordinary grooved
pullie on the first motion shaft. Two additional cams placed on this shaft
actuate two levers, also having their fulcra on the fixed arm, the extreme end
of the one lever having a cylindrical washer through which the needle spindle
passes, and which when depressed presses on the cam-shaped piece of metal
or other suitable material forming part of or affixed to the slotted bar working.
within the cylinder and carrying the ribbed foot before alluded to, firmly
pressing the said foot when requisite on the cloth or other material under
operation. The extreme end of the second lever by means of a swivel joint is
connected to a cylindrical ring through which the needle spindle also passes,
and having its lower inner edge made conical or bevilled outwards.
object of this cone will be apparent when it is known that the before-
mentioned cam on the slotted bar nearly or quite touches the inner surface of
the cylinder on the extreme edge of the cam when the cone is elevated, this
cone being depressed by means of the lever connected with it, the thin or
conical edge inserts itself between the cam and the cylinder, and the slotted
bar by virtue of the centre pin on which it works carries the ribbed foot, and
consequently the material operated upon the desired length to receive the
next stitch. The various cams on the first shaft are of course so arranged
relatively to each other that the needle spindle and levers work harmoniously
together, performing their several operations as required. By turning the
cylinder round or partially during the process of sewing, curved work or lines
at any angle to each other may be sewed with the same facility as straight
work, in consequence of the guide bar on which the slotted bar works being
fixed within and to the cylinder, the stop and conical levers not being in any
way affected by the revolution of the cylinder. In other details our machine
may be constructed similar to any of the ordinary ones now in use.
Results similar to those above described may be obtained by a simplified
arrangement of details shown on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings and
herein-after described, the chief feature of our Invention, namely a rotary
cylinder carrying the feed motion, being retained.
In order that our Invention may be better understood reference is made
to the afore-named accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of our Invention. The part lettered a is
a fixed cylindrical boss secured to the arm 6 of the machine. Within this

page_text: fixed cylinder is placed the rotating cylinder c.
Partial sections of these
cylinders a and c are shown in Fig. 5 as well as the guide bar d having the
pivot pin upon which works the slotted bar f, a side elevation of which, as
well as a plan of the cam f', are shewn in Fig. 6. The lever g, Fig. 1, is pro-
vided with a cylindrical washer 9' at that end nearest the rotating cylinder,
whilst the lever h is provided with a washer h', the lower part of which is
conical internally, as may be seen in the sectional view Fig. 5. The bottom
of the slotted bar f, Figs. 1 and 6, it will be seen is provided with an ordinary
ribbed foot f¹ to retain and propel alternately the material under operation.
The operation is as follows:-
i
The pulley (grooved internally in the customary manner) being put in
motion a vertical motion is imparted to the needle spindle ; by means of the
lever k working on a fulcrum . The cylindrical washer g¹ being depressed
through the lever g by means of the cam g" on the main shaft x exerts a
pressure on the cam at the top of the slotted bar f, and consequently through
the ribbed foot f¹ on the cloth, leather, or other material under operation,
during the period of the formation of the stitch by the needle j¹ and the shuttle
within the box j". This being effected the lever h is now depressed by
means similar to those used for depressing the lever g, and the conical part of
the washer h' inserts itself between the inside of the rotary cylinder c and the
cam on the top of the slotted bar f, causing such bar to swing on its fulcrum,
and in so doing to propel the material previously held by the ribbed foot on
its lower extremity. During the operation above described the rotary cylinder
is turned by the attendant as desired, carrying with it the slotted bar, and thus
giving any required direction to the lines of stitches. The remaining details
of our machine not previously described, and some of which are not shown,
are those in ordinary use, and present no particular features of novelty. Side
elevation, Fig. 2, shows our simplified arrangement whereby we are enabled
to dispense with several parts shown in Fig. 1. On the lower end of the
needle spindle a is formed a cone b. The spindle a ascending the cone b
strikes against a tappet c (shown more fully in Figs. 3 and 4). This tappet
being thrown outwards compresses the spring d, Fig. 4, by a familiar arrange-
ment of parts for feeding known as Howe's (and usually worked under the
table in an expired Patent), causes the opposite corners of the two loose
catches e, e, to press upon the ledge f of the fluted disc g, making the same
rotate the required distance and thus propel the material under operation.
In this arrangement, as in the first one, as will be seen by reference to
Fig. 3 (which is a section of the fixed and rotating cylinders h and i, together
with a side elevation of the feed apparatus 9 and tappet c), the feed motion is

page_text: connected with and depends from the rotating cylinder i by means of the
sliding bar bearing on the spindle guide k, such feed motion being raised or
lowered by means of the handle 1, Fig. 2, having a cam on its extremity m,
Fig. 3. In the action of raising the motion the india-rubber ring n is distended
and its elasticity acts as a spring to lower the motion when the pressure exerted
by the cam is removed. In other respects the second arrangement, like the
first one, presents no special features of novelty. In both arrangements for
convenience sake we place the shuttle boxes transversely.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we would have it distinctly understood that although
we do not confine ourselves to the precise mechanical details shewn, what we
claim as of our Invention, is, effecting the circular or angular work in
sewing machines by means of a rotating cylinder carrying its own feed motion,
such feed being operated upon by an arrangement of levers, washers, and
cams, as shown in Fig. 1, or the application of Howe's feed motion (before
alluded to) to our rotating cylinder, substantially in the manner shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Bateman and Daniel Bateman,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-sixth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
JAMES BATEMAN. (t.s.)
JAMES BATEMAN. (L..S.)
DANIEL BATEMAN. (L.S.)