AN IMPROVEMENT SEWING MACHINEB
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Sneath, of Derby Road, in the Town of
Nottingham, Mechanic, for the Invention of AN IMPROVEMENT
SEWING MACHINEB."
Sealed the 27th March 1855, and dated the 29th September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Sneath at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th September 1854.
I, WALTER SNEATH, of Derby Road, in the Town of Nottingham, Mechanic,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
SEWING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the employment in a sewing machine of one
needle only which carries one thread. The needle having an eye near its
point, is inserted about half its length into the cloth or other material, and
when it recèdes to make another stitch it forms a loop, which loop is held by
a catch until the needle returns and the stitch is completed. This process is
repeated until the whole length of cloth or other material is sewn. The
machine may be worked by hand labour or by steam power. By using two
such needles I can do two-fold the quantity of work in the same period as one
needle would perform.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Walter Sneath in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALTER
SNEATH, of Derby Road, in the Town of Nottingham, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Walter Sneath, Her special 'licence that I, the said Walter Sneath, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Walter
Sneath, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Walter
Sneath, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Walter Sneath, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
:
My Invention consists in the employment in a sewing machine of a single
needle carrying a single thread in an eye near its point, which needle is inserted
about half its length into the material to be sewn, and when it recedes to make
another stitch it forms a loop, which is held by a catch until the needle returns
and the stitch is completed.
Figure 1 of the accompanying. Drawings represents an end elevation of a
machine constructed with my improvement; and Figure 2, a front view of the
same, with certain portions removed. These and the Figures mentioned here-
after are all drawn one-quarter of the full size, and have their parts lettered
alike.

page_text: a, a, is one of three standards, to which are screwed brackets b, which carry
the driving shaft; this shaft has keyed on it the fast and loose pulley d, d, and
the cams 2, 3, and 4, which communicate the requisite movements to the
various parts of the machine. e is a shaft, carrying the arms f, which support
a spur wheel g and a ratchet wheel h, to the back catch of which a spring h' is
attached. The spur wheel y gears into a wheel i, which is screwed to the
arms of a drum j on the shaft e, which is free to revolve. k is a shaft, which
is free to move to the right or the left, and to revolve as required, and has
keyed on it the arms ', to which are screwed the hooks ¹. 1, 1, are two
arms which support the needle rods ', the needle being inserted into a hole
drilled into the lower end of the latter, and secured by a screw. These rods are
depressed by means of the cam 4, acting upon an arm and link working upon
the axle m, each needle being raised again by a spring fitted on its own rod.
The arms have screwed to them a plate and boss, which carry a bolt n; this
bolt being drawn towards the front, holds the link that depresses the needle
rod clear of the rod, thereby allowing the link to move up and down without
depressing the rod, so that one or more of the needles may be stopped without
involving the necessity of stopping the others. The lower end of a link o is
attached to the needle rod, and the upper end of it to a lever which moves the
driver o', which drives the ratchet wheel and spur wheel g, and thus causes
the wheel i and drumj to be moved round the length of a stitch. p is another
drum similar to j, but having two flanges; one end of a broad belt or taper is
fastened to the drum p, and the other end to the drum j, and the drum p has a
cord and a weight thrown over it, by which the belt r is kept tight. q is a boss
and pin, carrying a bobbin of the cord, to be inserted when it is required to
insert a cord in bands or other articles to be stitched. t is a lever, which is
moved by the cam 2, and which causes the shaft k, the arms k, and hooks ",
to move to the left and right. u is another lever, which is moved by the cam
3, and which causes the hooks " to move towards the needles and back. The
stitches may be lengthened or shortened by taking away the wheel p, and
substituting for it another, with a greater or less number of teeth. Figure 3
shews the shape of cam 3, Figure 4 that of cam 4, and Figure 5 that of cam 5.
Cam 2 is a disc, having three pieces projecting from one side, causing the
right and left movement of the shaft k. vis another shaft running the length
of the machine, and is free to revolve in the bracket v¹; this shaft has a
ratchet wheel w keyed on it, which is forced round by the driver w¹, moved by
the cam 5 on the driving shaft c. is another cam on the shaft v, which
revolving with it gives a right or left movement to the platform v", there being
a similar cam and platform to each needle. The cams will cause the

page_text: material to be stitched in a vandyke form; by removing these cams and using
(in their places) others, having their circumferences cut in different shapes, a
variety of patterns may be stitched. The belts must be placed over the
moveable platforms when they are used, or the belts may be taken away and
the material wound round the drum p, and one end fastened to the drum j.
DESCRIPTION OP MOVEMENTS.
In manufacturing corded bands with the machine above described, the
calico, silk, or other materials of which the bands are to be made, being folded
over the cord, the band is secured to the belt r, and the stitching material is
supplied in the usual way, the ends being passed through the eye of the needle
in the rod l. The machine being set in motion, the needle carries the thread
through the band by means of the cam 4; the needle is next drawn out by the
spring of the rod l, a loop being made by the withdrawal of the needle, into
which loop the cam 2 passes the hook k", which holds it, and prevents it from
being withdrawn froin the band until the needle returns and passes through
the loop, after which it is again withdrawn, the hook loosing the first loop.and
hooking the second. Between each two successive stitches the rising of the
needle rod moves the rod, lever, and driver o³, which causes the ratchet
wheel' h and spur wheel g to move the wheel i, drum j, and belt, the length
of one stitch. The movements are then repeated.
i.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is, the
employment in sewing machines of needles formed and operated as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Sneath, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Nottingham.
WALTER SNEATH. (L.s.)