IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Taylor, of Bridge Street, Driffield, in the
County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 12th February 1867, and dated the 20th August 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Taylor at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th August 1866.
I, WILLIAM TAYLOR, of Bridge Street, Driffield, in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines. In
order to adjust the tension of the shuttle thread of shuttle sewing machines I
combine with the shuttle a bar or roller of small diameter; the thread is led
through a small hole made through this roller across its diameter, and the
degree of tension required is obtained by turning the roller more or less round
by means of a key, so twisting the thread more or less around the roller. The
roller is by preference placed longitudinally of the shuttle inside and close to
the top of the case; one end of the roller passes out through the heel of the
shuttle and terminates with a square end in order that the roller may be

page_text: turned by a key similar to a watch key; upon the other end of the roller a
small screw impinges to make the roller work stiffly in its bearings; the
thread is led off from the bobbin over a wire at the bottom of the shuttle case
as is usual, and is then passed through the hole in the roller, and afterwards led
out through a hole in the case of the shuttle. I also arrange shuttle sewing
machines in such manner that the shuttle works in an elliptical direction or
path, so that a somewhat continuous motion is given to the shuttle instead of
a directly reciprocating to-and-fro motion as is usual, and thus less noise will
be produced than in ordinary shuttle sewing machines; for this purpose the
face of the shuttle is arranged to work against a flat plate or surface, and the
shuttle driver is composed of a lever which at one end supports and give
motion to the shuttle, and at the other end is pinjointed to a link that turns
on a fixed pin or centre; the lever is at a point intermediate of its length
connected to a crank pin, which as the crank is revolved gives an elliptical
motion to the end of the lever that carries the shuttle. In order in sewing
macbines to give motion to the cloth or "work" I connect the serrated feed
bar or plate with the cam that actuates it by means of a lever that is caused
to bear constantly against the surface of the cam, and the length of stitch is
regulated by varying the position of the fulcrum of the lever. I prefer to
place the serrated plate so as to act on the under side of the work; the plate
is then carried by a bar capable of sliding to and fro horizontally, the cam
which is to give the horizontal to-and-fro motion to this bar is below the
table of the machine upon which the work rests, and the cam acts on the
lower end of a lever, which lever at a point intermediate of its length bears
against a surface or edge that forms a fulcrum for it, and at its upper end the
lever is pinjointed to the sliding bar; the sliding bar is constantly pressed in
one direction by a spring in such manner as to cause the lever to bear against
the edge that forms its fulcrum, and also to cause the lower end of the lever to
bear against the face of the cam. The length of movement that the cam
gives to the sliding bar is varied by moving the edge that forms the fulcrum
of the lever either nearer to the end of the lever that is acted on by the cam
or towards the end of the lever that is pipjointed to the sliding bar; the edge
forming the fulcrum is for this purpose carried by a slide capable of being
noved to and fro in guides. In place of the cam acting on the lower end of
the lever it may act on the lever at a point between the fulcrum and the feed-
ing bar, the length of stitch will then be regulated by moving the fulcrum
nearer to or further from the cam. The requisite rising and falling motion
When it is deşired to
is given to the serrated plate. by a separate cam.
arrango sewing machines to be clamped to the edge of a table and to be

page_text: driven by hand I give motion to the axis of the machine from a band driven
by the wheel below the surface of the table; this wheel being turned by the
operator by means of a crank handle upon it, the axis of the wheel is carried
by a frame pinjointed to the framing of the machine; this frame both carries
the wheel and is also formed to pass below the top of the table and to carry a
screw to clamp the machine to the table. When the machine is not in use
this frame can be turned up on its binge so as to bring it and the wheel
within the framing of the machine, the machine will then not occupy more
space than an ordinary sewing machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Taylor in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
February 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
TAYLOR, of Bridge Street, Driffield, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Taylor, Her special licence that I, the said William
Taylor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the
said William Taylor, 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 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Taylor, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly 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 I, the said William Taylor, do hereby declure
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 thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: This Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines. In
order to adjust the tension of the shu tle thread of shuttle sewin
machines
I combine with the shuttle a bar or roller of small diameter; the thread is
led through a small hole made through this roller across its diameter, and
the degree of tension required is obtained by turning the roller more or less
round by means of a key, so twisting the thread more or less around the
roller. The roller is by preference placed longitudinally of the shuttle inside
and close to the top of the case; one end of the roller passes out through the
heel of the shuttle and terminates with a square end in order that the roller
may be turned by a key similar to a watch key; upon the other end of the
roller a small screw impinges to make the roller work stiffly in its bearings,
the thread is led off from the bobbin over a wire at the bottom of the shuttle
case as is usual, and is then passed through the hole in the roller and after-
wards led out through a hole in the case of the shuttle. I also arrange shuttle
sewing machines in such manner that the shuttle works in an elliptical or
curved direction, or path, so that a somewhat continuous motion is given to
the shuttle instead of a directly reciprocating to-and-fro motion as is usual;
and thus less noise will be produced than in ordinary shuttle sewing machines,
for this purpose the face of the shuttle is arranged to work against a flat
plate or surface, and the shuttle driver is composed of a lever which at one end
supports and gives motion to the shuttle, and at the other end is pinjointed
to a link that turns on a fixed pin or centre; the lever is at a point inter-
mediate of its length connected to a crank pin, which as the crank revolves
gives a curved elliptical motion to the end of the lever that carries the
shuttle. In order in sewing machines to give motion to the cloth or "work
I connect the serrated feed bar or plate with the cam that actuates it by
means of a lever that is caused to bear constantly against the surface of the
cam, and the length of stitch is regulated by varying the position of the
'fulcrum of the lever. I prefer to place the serrated plate so as to act on the
under side of the work; the plate is then carried by a bar capable of sliding
to and fro horizontally, the cam which is to give the horizontal to-and-fro
motion to this bar is below the table of the machine upon which the work
rests, and the cam acts on the lower end of a lever, which lever at a point
intermediate of its length bears against a surface or edge that forms a fulcrum
for it, and at its upper end the lever is pinjointed to the sliding bar. The
sliding bar is constantly pressed in one direction by a spring in such manner
as to cause the lever to bear against the edge that forms its fulcrum, and also
to cause the lower end of the lever to bear against the face of the cam.
The length of movement that the cam gives to the sliding bar is varied by

page_text: moving the edge that forms the fulcrum of the lever either nearer to the end
of the lever that is acted on by the cam or towards the end of the lever that
is pinjointed to the sliding bar, the edge forming the fulcrum is for this purpose
carried by a slide capable of being moved to and fro in guides. In place of the
cam acting on the lower end of the lever it may act on the lever at a point
between the fulcrum and the feeding bar, the length of stitch will then be
regulated by moving the fulcrum nearer to or further from the cam. The
requisite rising and falling motion is given to the serrated plate by a separate
cam.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn so much of a shuttle
sewing machine as is necessary to illustrate the manner in which I prefer to
carry out the improvements above described.
Figure 1 is an end view of the machine; this view shews the way in which
the shuttle is driven; Figure 2 is a transverse section shewing the manner
of giving motion to the cloth or work; Figure 3 is a plan view of so much of
the machine as is represented in Figures 1 and 2; and Figures 4 shew the
shuttle separately, the shuttle being provided with the above-lescribed
arrangement for putting tension on the thread. This tension arrangement is
applicable to the shuttles of other descriptions of shuttle sewing machines.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, a is the axis of the machine, on the end of which is
a dise with an excentric pin projecting from it which passes through a
hole in the lever c; the upper end of this lever supports the shuttle d, and the
lower end is pinjointed to a link c, the opposite end of which turns on a fixed
pin; the face of the shuttle bears against the face of the upright plate g,
which at its lower end is fixed to the bed or frame of the machine, and at
its upper end it carries the table or plate upon which the work to be sewn
rests; the shuttle is held by two forks c¹ on the lever caud by a small spring
bolt which passes up behind the back end of the shuttle; the shuttle can
be removed by drawing back this bolt by the pin c; the face of the shuttle is
constantly pressed against the plate g by the spring c.
I have not thought it necessary to shew in the Drawings any arrangement
for transmitting motion from the axis a to the needle ali le h, any suitable
arrangement may be employed for the purpose.
In Figure 1 the needle is shewn in its lowest position; when the needle
rises a loop of thread is thrown out from it in the ordinary manner; the
shuttle during this time is first somewhat raised by reason of the crank pin b¹
moving upwards, and then the shuttle is moved forwards to be passed through
the loop of thread thrown out from the needle. As the shutile is being passed
through the loop of the needle thread it is moving in a downward direction in

page_text: a curved course, and it is again raised as it is being moved back to its original
position; a somewhat continuous motion is thus imparted to the shuttle, and
less noise will be produced than when a directly reciprocating to-and-fro
motion is given to the shuttle.
I will now describe the arrangement of mechanism shewn in the Drawing
for adjusting the amount that the cloth or work is fed forwards at each step
or movement by varying the position of the fulcrum point of a lever that bears
constantly against a cam as above described; other arrangements of mechanism
for effecting this may, however, be adopted.
k is a lever, pinjointed at its upper end to the slide that carries the
serrated plate m for feeding forward the work; the lower end of the slide
rests upon the top of a cam on the axis a, and it is pressed down on to the
surface of this cam by the spiral spring ; this spring also presses the slide /
forwards in such manner that the lower end of the lever k is pressed against
a cam on the axis, and also against an intermediate fulcrum point n; this
point is carried by a slide n' which can be slid up or down in guides in the
upright plate g, and can be set fast by a set screw n³. When the axis a is
rotated the cam upon it gives the necessary rising and falling motion to the
serrated plate m, and the cam gives to it the reciprocating to-and-fro
motion, and the amount of this motion is regulated by the position of the
fulcrum point. The arrangement for giving tension to the shuttle thread is
clearly seen in the separate views of the shuttle at Figures 4; in these Figures
o is a small roller placed longitudinally along the top of the case p; one end
of the roller passes through a hole in the back end of the case, and is there
formed into a square head, so that the roller may be turned by a key similar
to a watch key; the other end of the roller is received in a hole in the opposite
end of the case, and the head of the small screw is there caused to press
upon it so that the roller may not turn too easily. The thread from the
bobbin placed in the case is passed under the wires at the bottom of the case,
and is then passed through a small hole made across the roller, and led out
through a small hole in the top of the case. As above described, the degree
of tension put on the thread is regulated by turning the roller o by a key
similar to a watch key, so causing the thread to be more or less twisted
around the roller. When it is desired to arrange sewing machines to be
clamped to the edge of a table and to be driven by hand I give motion to
the axis of the machine from a band driven by a wheel below the surface of
the table, this wheel being turned by the operator by means of a crank handle
upon it; the axis of the wheel is carried by a frame pinjointed to the
framing of the machine; this frame both carries the wheel and is also formed

page_text: to pass below the top of the table and to carry a screw to clamp the machine
to the table. When the machine is not in use this frame can be turned up
on its binge so as to bring it and the wheel within the framing of the
machine, the machine will then not occupy more space than an ordinary
sewing machine.
On Sheet 2 of the Drawings is shewn the frame of a sewing machine so
constructed.
Figure 1 is a side view of the frame when clamped to a table, and Figure 2
a longitudinal section of the frame shewing the position of the parts when out
a is the driving wheel, the axis of which is carried by the clamping
frame b which is pinjointed to the frame of the machine; this frame carries
a screw c, the end of which is screwed up against the under side of the table,
as shewn. It is not essential that the clamping frame which carries the
driving wheel should be pinjointed to the frame of the machine, as a clamping
frame carrying a driving wheel may be otherwise connected therewith, as, for
example, the clamping frame may if preferred be so formed as when in use to
hook over a portion of the frame of the machine, and when out of use be
detached from it.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Taylor, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Eighteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
WILLIAM TAYLOR. (L.S.)