IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES AND IN. WINDERS FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Willis and George Rice at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on
the 21st November 1864..
We, HENRY WILLIS, of Worcester, Shoe Manufacturer, and GEORGE RICE,
of Worcester, Tailor and Draper, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES AND IN. WINDERS FOR SEWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists of the addition to sewing machines of the mechanical
arrangements or combinations of parts herein-after described, which said
arrangements or combinations of parts: effect the winding of the thread on a
shuttle spool by the action of the machine during sewing, so that while the
thread on the spool in operation. is being used another spool is being wound.
with thread ready to replace the one. in use as soon as it is exhausted. The
said arrangements or combinations may be employed apart.from the sewing
machine so as to constitute a detached winder for sewing machines.
On the table or platform of the sewing machine, and by preference on that
part which is situated on the right hand of the operator, we fix two uprights,
in which are two horizontal centres; between the said centres a spool is fixed
on which the thread is to be wound. One of the centres carries a pulley óver
which a band from one of the wheels of the sewing machine passes, by which
band, when the machine is worked, a rapid rotary motion is communicated to
the said centre and to the spool. On a vertical spindle at a short distance
from the centres carrying the spool, the reel holding the thread to be wound

page_text: on the spool is placed, the end of the thread on the reel being fixed to the
spool the thread is wound from off the reel on to the spool. Between the
reel and the spool or at the back of the reel a friction apparatus is situated for
giving the required tension to the thread as it is wound on the spool. This
apparatus may consist of a metallic or other plate perforated with a series of
holes, through one or more of which holes the thread is threaded, and is thus
tightened on its way to the spool; or the friction apparatus may consist of a
series of hooks or rings over or through which the thread may be made to
pass, and thereby acquire the necessary tension; or the thread may be passed
round a rod situated between the reel and spool; or the thread may be passed
between two surfaces pressed together with a gentle pressure; or the resistance
may be applied to the reel itself instead of to the thread. In this case we
apply a spring or weight to the reel so as to produce sufficient resistance to
its motion to produce the required tension in the thread.
We do not, however, limit ourselves to any particular means of producing
tension in the thread. Several of the vertical spindles described may be
employed, each one carrying a thread of different kind or different colour to
be used as occasion may require. A separate series of holes in the friction
plate or a separate series of hooks or other means of resistance may be
employed for the reel on each spindle.
By the arrangements or combinations described the sewing machine is
supplied with bobbins for the shuttle without the loss of time which occurs in
the ordinary method of providing the machine with bobbins. Our improve-
ments may be applied to all kinds of sewing machines.
When we employ the arrangements or combinations described apart from
the sewing machine so as to constitute a separate winder we prefer to multiply
the parts described so as to wind several spools at the same time, and we
actuate the spools from one band wheel and winch. This arrangement con-
stitutes a separate winder which may be employed to wind spools for several
sewing machines.