IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINERY FOR GIVING A ROTATING MOTION ALWAYS IN THE SAME DIRECTION
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Clark at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st March
1862. A communication from abroad by Mr. Charles Rhodes Goodwin,
of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, Manufacturer.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINERY FOR GIVING A ROTATING MOTION
ALWAYS IN THE SAME DIRECTION," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in sewing machines. The
first of these improvements for transmitting motion to the fly wheel presents
the following advantages, viz.:-No stopping on the dead point,-no loss of
power, the machine being only allowed to turn in one direction,-regularity
of movement, even with an unskilful operator,-the breaking of the threads is
also effectually prevented. These results are obtained by imparting to the
fly wheel a rotary motion through an auxiliary organ keyed upon the shaft
thereof. For this purpose two discs placed upon the fly shaft receive from
the treadle an alternate circular motion from right to left, and from left to
right, but still these movements have no other effect upon the fly wheel than
to drive it always in the same direction; the movement from right to left of
the one, and from left to right of the other being transmitted to it. The
arrangement I make use of for causing the movable dises to always act in one
same direction will be herein-after described.

page_text: The second improvement relates to an organ or device, which I connect to
the cloth and needle arm presser for raising the former at the very moment
when the loop made by the vertical needle has been taken up by either the
hook, revolving shuttle, the circular needle, the shuttle, or any organ used for
tying the lower thread with the upper thread before the rough surface feed
begins to act, thus allowing the work to turn freely upon the needle, which
traverses the cloth, and cause it to serve as a pivot, the cloth presser drops
again in due time, so that the rough surface feed may operate just at the
moment of its action. The said organ is raised by a special motion imparted
by the needle arm or moving organs of the vertical needle. These two
motions being correlative, and the work being liberated in due time from
the cloth presser, it is evident that the article being worked can be easily
turned or guided under the operator's hands, which is of great importance for
embroidering or braiding purposes, or following any designs whatever.
I have represented in the annexed Drawings different devices for lifting the
cloth presser by the motion of the needle itself.
The first arrangement is suitable for machines, the upper needle motion of
which describes the arc of a circle, which machines were invented by and are
known by the name of Grover and Baker's stitch machines.
A second arrangement is applicable to those machines of any system, the
needle motion of which is vertical. I have represented these various improve-
ments in the annexed Drawings, wherein Fig. 1 shows a front view of the under
part of a work-table furnished with all the organs for transmitting motion
to the fly wheel; Fig. 2 shows a sectional side view of the same through
line 1, 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows an inside view of the disc for imparting
rotary motion to the fly shaft; Fig. 4 shows a section taken through the axis
of same disc; Fig. 5 shows another internal arrangement of same disc; Fig. 6
shows the application of the device for lifting the cloth presser in machines,
the needle motion of which is circular, as in the above quoted Grover and
Baker's machines; Fig. 7 shows a top view of said lifting device; Fig. 8
shows the application of the same lifting device to any machine, the upper
needle motion of which is vertical. In all these Figures the same letters of
reference indicate like parts where they recur.
a, cast-iron bearing of work-table; b, fly wheel; c, fly shaft, turning loosely;
this shaft is carried by a cramp d on framing a; e, treadle, placed at the
lower part of framing a; f, connecting rod, receiving motion from treadle e,
guided in support g, screwed to the under part of work-table; h, h, brackets,
fixed at proper distances on the vertical rod f; i, disc, keyed on shaft c of fly
wheel b; on the periphery of said disc i is formed a circular groove j; k, disc,

page_text: turning freely in one direction upon the fly wheel, having a circular groove
on its periphery; m, first cord, wound round in groove j, the two ends of
which cord are each fixed to one of the brackets h; n, second cord, wound
round in groove 1, of disc k, the two ends of this cord being fixed in the
same manner as the foregoing. The cords m and n are wound on the discs
in such manner that they shall always turn inversely to each other; 0, 0,
sleeve keyed on shaft c of fly wheel; p, p, pawls or excentrics in sleeve 0, 0,
they are so contrived as to turn from left to right without the action of
springs q, q, fixed inside the disc, but they are not allowed to turn from right
to left, in consequence of the position of their axes of rotation, as they would
by reason of their excentricity abut against the internal face of the discs.
Thus it will be readily understood that if the treadle c imparts to disc k a
motion from left to right, this will turn freely on shaft c, while in the other
direction the same disc will carry in its motion the excentrics p, p, and con-
sequently the sleeve and fly shaft. From the above arrangement of cords m
and n it will be seen that the discs i and k alternately act upon fly wheel b.
Instead of employing excentrics p, p, I may substitute the arrangement
represented in Fig. 5, in which are ratchets p', p', fixed on disc k, acting on
the periphery of sleeve o in the same manner as the excentrics p, p, of the
foregoing arrangement act on the interior surface of the discs. The stopping
of the fly wheel is easily effected. There is no dead point, the motion being
so regulated that all jerks or sudden pull in starting is avoided, while the
discs, whatever may be their position, will always be ready to work the fly
wheel, and cause it to turn in the same direction.
I will now describe the lifting device as applied to machines represented at
Figs. 6 and 7, the needle motion of which is circular. r represents a lever
imparting to the needle an alternate circular motion; s, iron tongue, fixed to
lever r by means of screw t; u, iron rod, jointed on one side to the end of
tongue s, while the other end slides in guide v, placed on the motion box or
head of the sewing machine, and grooved so as to admit of its being adjusted
to different kinds of work; y, boss formed on rod u; z, knob on cloth
presser 1. It will be easily understood that by its alternate rectilinear motion
in guides v, the boss y raises knob z, and consequently, the cloth presser 1 in
due time allowing it to drop again afterwards, as above described. It is
equally evident that the movement of rod u is obtained through the oscilla-
tions of lever r, which also operates the needle.
I will now describe the lifting device as applied to machines, such as repre-
sented at Fig. 8, the upper needle motion of which is vertical. 2 is the
needle carrier, receiving an alternate vertical motion through an oscillating

page_text: lever 3; 4, elbowed lever, turning at 5 upon the movement box or head of
the machine; 6, stud or pin on the needle carrier, having a groove 7, which
permits of its position being varied; 8, boss on elbowed lever 4; 9, stud on
cloth presser 10. It will be easily understood that in consequence of the
up-and-down motion of the needle carrier 2 the stud 6 will act upon the
boss 8, and that consequently the elbowed lever 4 acting on stud 9' will raise
or lift the cloth presser 10 at the proper and required times.