IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Nive lle, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
Shoemaker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Nivelle at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
October 1859.
I, FRANÇOIS NIVELLE, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Shoemaker, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to sewing machines of improved arrangement and
construction. The first arrangement is distinguished by the reduced number
and small dimensions of the working parts. I employ a needle & hook in this
machine, & form chain stitch. In the second arrangement the needle may be
used in combination with a hook or shuttle so as to be capable of forming
either chain stitch or cross stitch, according to the kind of work under
operation. In this arrangement the number of working parts are slightly
augmented; the substitution of a shuttle for the hook in this machine also
makes it of great value as the work of two machines is obtained in one.
I have represented the first arrangement of sewing machine in the first six
Figures of the Drawing annexed.
Fig. 1 shows a vertical elevation of the machine, the base enclosing the
carriage of the shuttle being in section; Fig. 2 is an under side plan of the
base, showing the working of the shuttle; Fig. 3, detail of the motive cam of
"the work presser," furnished with its accessories; Fig. 4 shows the rod for
transmitting a to-and-fro motion to the shuttle; Figs. 5 & 6 represent a front
[Price 8d.]

page_text: view and section of a new kind of crank. The same letters of reference
indicate like parts in all the Figures.
;
a, foundation plate of cast iron enclosing all the working parts of the shuttle;
b, frame of cast iron bolted to the base a; c, d, supports on the frame b
e, shaft turning in supports c, d, f, cam fixed to shaft e, from which it recieves
motion; it is furnished with two circular recesses, one on its periphery and
the other on the side for giving motion to a pin herein-after described; g, fly
wheel keyed on cam f, which recieves motion from a treadle placed under the
table on which the machine works; h, iron disc of a certain thickness keyed
to the end of shaft e; i, sinuous recess made in disc, forming a cam for
acting on the "work presser; "j, projection on disc h for the purpose of
pressing against the stitch regulator; /, crank on the outside of disc h, which
gives a vertical to-and-fro movement to the needle; %, flat rod or needle carrier
made in one with crank k. This rod slides vertically in a groove made in
frame ; m, ordinary needle held in jaws at the lower part of the needle
carrier; n, iron plate screwed to the end of bracket of frame b, serving to
guide the needle carrier; o, work presser running in a vertical groove made in
the frame b; this presser, in its movement, adapts itself to the shape of the
frame, and is presented to cam i to recieve motion therefrom; p. pin placed
on the work presser running in the recess of cam i; this pin is intended to
disengage the work after it has been penetrated by the needle; q, elliptical eye
made in the work presser; s, spring screwed on a rib of the frame b, and
pressing on a horizontal bend of the work presser for the purpose of bringing
the latter on to the work to be sewn ; t, screw rod traversing the work
presser, furnished at its upper part with a knob and screw; u, spring fixed
on the side of the presser traversed by screw rod t; it is forked at its upper
part in the form of ears; v, roller turning between the ears of spring; the
three parts t, u, v, constitute what is termed the "stitch regulator," Fig. 3;
', small bracket fixed laterally to frame b¹; c¹, screw rod fixed vertically to
bracket ; d, spiral spring on rod c², also resting on bracket b'; e, bobbin
turning on rod c¹, and resting on spring d'; f, f¹, screw nuts for lowering the
bobbin when empty.
I will now proceed to describe the action of the shuttle; g', g', supports
screwed to the under face of the base a; h', rod supported by the brackets
g, g;, first boss on rod h¹; j, hook fixed to the boss i¹ by means of a
screw; k, second boss fixed to the other extremity of rod h³, furnished with a
knob ; m, lever having its centre inovable on frame b; it has at its upper
part a pin taking into a groove in cam f; the lower extremity is connected by
a fork to the hook . An opening is made in the base a for the passage of

page_text: lever m. For the purpose of forming a tight knot, the shuttle alternately
passes in front of and behind the needle, which motion is effected by means of
parts next hereinafter described. n¹, iron plate soldered horizontally to rodh¹,
o, vertical rod (Fig. 4) consisting of two parts connected by a screw; the
upper part is furnished with a pin which takes in the lateral recess of cam f
p', forked piece of iron in which lodges the plate ; this piece is fixed to rod l
by means of screw q'. It will be understood that the rod o', when raised or
lowered according to the form of the cam, the part p¹ being in one with this
rod will communicate a vertical to-and-fro movement to the plate n¹, the rod h¹
will then turn on its axis, and the hook j' will pass first to the right and then
to the left of the needle, which motion produces the stitch before mentioned,
Instead of the crank k, which transmits motion to the needle carrier l, the
arrangement represented at Figs. 5 & 6 may be used; s¹, cup cast on the
disc h; t', steel plate or spring wound half a turn on cup s; u³, screw for
connecting the two parts of spring t; v, covering plate fixed to cups; a¹,
screw fixing the plate v' to cup s¹. The whole being mounted as represented
in the Drawing, the apparatus acts as follows:-A rotatory movement is given
to pulley by means of the treadle, which motion is communicated to shaft e,
and thus to disc h mounted thereon; this disc, which forms the cam i, puts in
motion the work presser i 0, whose course is regulated by the needle
regulator, Fig. 3. The crank / being placed eccentrically on disc h gives a
vertical to-and-fro motion to needle carrier l. On the other hand the lever m³,
which receives motion from the cam f works from right to left, transmitting it
to knob , rod 1, and the shuttle ", which closes the loop formed by the
neeele m. The shuttle j then passes alternately at front and back of the
needle for the purpose of producing a tighter knot in conjunction therewith.
This movement is imparted to it by the parto', Fig. 4, hereiu-before described.
In the second arrangement of sewing machines, I employ the doublesystem
of shuttle and hook, which may be actuated separately to form either a chain.
stitch or a cross stitch, according to the kind of work required. This
improved arrangement, which I believe to be new, may be applied to all kinds
of known sewing inachines, which general application forms one of the claims
for protection in the present application.
"
Further, I claim as new the application of several parts different to those
made use of in my first arrangement, (viz., 1st, a graduated stitch regulator;
2ndly, a new arrangement for raising the work presser; 3rdly, an improved
form of bobbin for supplying the thread to the needle and the shuttle. This
second arrangement of machine is represented in the five last Figures of the
annexed Drawing in which Fig. 7 is a vertical elevation, the base being in

page_text: section, in order to show the action of the shuttle and hook; Fig. 8 is a side
view of the same; Fig. 9 is a plan of the shuttle box; Fig. 10 is a section of
the bobbin, and, lastly, Fig. 11 shows the stitch regulator.
It will be unnecessary to repeat the description of those parts which belong
to the first machine, and I will now only describe the additional ones. The
same letters of reference indicate like parts in all the Figures. 1, heart-
shaped cam mounted on shaft c, and recieving motion therefrom; 2,p. lever
placed at one end of the frame b, having a pin at its upper part, which recieves
motion from cam i; 3, second lever moving horizontally in base a, recieving
motion from lever 2; 4, small rectangular box in which is contained the
shuttle 5; this box has a to-and-fro motion imparted to it by lever 3, and is
held in guides cast in the base plate; 6, Fig. 10, represents a hobbin resting
on a spring which consists of a strip of steel folded together, and soldered to
the support 6. This bobbin may be either of cast iron or of wood, in which
latter case it should be furnished with a socket of iron to prevent the wear of
the wood; 7, Fig. 8, is a crank giving vertical motion to the needle carrier /.
When the needle pierces the work, the crank 7 is at the lowest part of its
stroke, and being furnished with a stop, abuts against a lever turning on a
centre S, at the extremity of which lever is fixed the head of the work
presser O, thus causing it to rise; 9, (Fig. 11), shows the stitch regulator
consisting of an octagon, the eight faces of which present different angles to
the centre progressively; this regulator is fixed to the lower part of the needle
carrier l, so that the stop of the work presser o abuts against one of its faces,
and according as that face is more or less wide of the centre, a stitch of greater
or less length is produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said François Nivelle in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th April 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANÇOIS
NIVELLE, of Paris, in the Empire of France, Shoemaker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight bundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said François Nivelle, Her special licence that I, the said François
Nivelle, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as 1, the

page_text: said François Nivelle, 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
François Nivelle,my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, 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 I, the said François Nivelle, do hereby declare
the nature of the 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say): -
My Invention relates to sewing machines of improved arrangement and con-
siruction, which in their simplicity and small number of parts of which they con-
sist,differfromallothersheretoforeused. Thefirstarrangementisdistinguished
by the reduced number and small dimeusions of the working parts. I employ
a needle and hook in this machine and form chain stitch. In thesecondarrange-
ment the needle may be used in combination with a hook or shuttle, so as to
be capable of forming either chain, stitch, or cross stitch according to the kind
of work under operation. In this arrangement the number of working parts
are slightly augmented, the substitution of a shuttle for the hook in this
machine also makes it of great value, as the work of two machines is obtained
in one, I have represented the first arrangement of sewing machine in the first
six Figures of the Drawing annexed.
Fig. 1 shows a vertical elevation of this machine, the base enclosing the
carriage of the shuttle being in section; Fig. 2 is an under side plan of the
base, showing the working of the shuttle; Fig. 3, detail of the motive cam &
of the "work presser" furnished with its accessories; Fig. 4 shows the rod for
transmitting a to-and-fro motion to the shuttle; Figs. & 6 represent a
front view and section of a new kind of crank. The same letters of reference
indicate like parts in all the Figures.
a,foundation plate of castiron enclosing all theworking partsofthe shuttle;
b,frame of cast-iron bolted to the base a; c,d,supports on the frame b; e, shaft
turning in support c, d ; f, cam fixed to shaft e from which it receives motion,

page_text: it is furnished with two circular recesses, one on its periphery, and the other
on its side, for giving motion to a pin herein-after described; g, fly-wheel
keyed on camf, which receives motion from a treadle placed under the table
on which the machine works; h, iron disc of a certain thickness keyed to the
end of the shaft e; i, sinuous recess made in disc h, forming a cam for acting
on the "work presser ;"j, projection on disc h for the purpose of pressing
against the stitch regulator; k, crank on the outside of disc, which gives a
vertical to-and-fro movement to the needle; l, fat rod or needle carrier made
in one with crank k. "This rod slides vertically in a groove made in frame b;
m, ordinary needle held in jaws at the lower part of the needle carrier; n,iron
plate screwed to the end of bracket of frame & serving to guide the needle
carrier ; o, work presser running in a vertical groove made in the frame b;
this presser in its movement adapts itself to the shape of the said frame, and
is presented to cam i to receive motion therefrom; p, pin placed on the work
presser running in the recess of cam i, the pin is intended to disengage the
work after it has been penetrated by the needle; q, elliptical eye made in the
work pressers, spring screwed on a rib of frame b. and pressing on a hori-
zontal bend of the work presser for the purpose of bringing the latter on to
the work to be sewn; t, screw rod traversing the work presser, furnished at
its upper part with a knob and screw nut; u, spring fixed on the side of the
presser traversed by screw rod t, it is forked at its upper part in the form of
ears; v, roller turning between the ears of spring u. 'The three parts t, u, v,
constitute what is termed the stitch regulator, Fig. 3.
1, small bracket fixed laterally to frame b; c¹, screw rod fixed vertically
to bracket 61; d¹, spiral spring fixed on rod c', also resting on bracket b₁;
el, bobbin turning on rod c¹, and resting on rod df, f¹, screw nuts for
lowering the bobbin when empty.
I will now proceed to describe the action of the shuttle. g', g', supports
screwed to the under face of the base a; h¹, rod supported by the brackets
g', g, first coupling piece on rod h';', hook fixed to the boss i by means
of a screw; c', second coupling piece fixed to the other extremity of rod ',
furnished with a projecting knuckle l'; m', lever, having its centre movable
on frame b, it has at its upper part a pin taking into a groove in cam f; the
lower extremity is connected by a fork to knuckle . An opening is made
in the base a for the passage of lever m¹ for the purpose of forming a tight
knot, the shuttle alternately passes in front of and behind the needle, which
motion is effected by means of parts next herein-after described; iron plate
soldered in a position horizontal to rod '; o, vertical rod (Fig. 4), consisting
of two parts connected by a screw, the upper part is furnished with a pin

page_text: which takes into the lateral recess of cam f; p¹, forked piece of iron in which
the plate n is lodged, this piece is fixed to rod ¹ by means of a screw 7'. It
will be understood that the rod o' when raised or lowered according to the
form of the cam, the part p' being in one with this rod, will communicate a
vertical to-and-fro movement to the plate n', the rod h³ will then turn on its
axis, and the hook j¹ will pass first to the right and then to the left of the
needle, which motion produces the stitch before mentioned. Instead of the
crank which trausnits motion to the needle carrier 1, the arrangement
represented at Figs. 5 & 6 may be used; s¹, boss cast on the disc h; t¹, steel
plate or spring wound half a turn on boss s¹; u', screw for connecting the
two parts of spring t¹; v², covering plate fixed to boss st; a. screw fixed
to plate 2 to cups. The whole being mounted as represented in the
Drawing, the apparatus acts as follows:-A. rotating movement is given to
pulley g by means of the treadle, which motion is communicated to shaft c, and
thus to disc h mounted thereon; this disc which forms the cam puts in motion
the work presser o, whose course is regulated by the needle regulator (Fig. 3).
The crank / being placed eccentrically on disc h gives a vertical to-and-fro
motion to needle carrier /. On the other hand the lever mi which receives
motion from the cam f works from right to left, transmitting it to knuckle l¹,
rod h, and the shuttle which closes the loop formed by the needle m. The
shuttle j then passes alternately at front and back of the needle for the pur-
pose of producing a tighter knot in conjunction therewith. This movement is
imparted to it by the part o', Fig. 4, herein-before described
In the second arrangement I employ the double system of shuttle and hook,
which may be actuated separately to form either a chain stitch or cross stitch,
according to the kind of work required. This improved arrangement, which I
believe to be new, may be allied to all kinds of known sewing machines, which
general application forms one of the claims for protection in the present appli-
cation; further, I claim as new the application of the several parts different
to those adopted in my first arrangement, viz., 1st, a a graduated stitch regu-
lator; 2ndly, a new arraugement for raising the work presser; 3rdly, an
improved form of bobbin for supplying the thread to the needle and the
shuttle. This second arrangement of machine is represented in the five
last Figures of the annexed Drawing, in which Fig. 7 is a vertical elevation,
the base being in section in order to show the action of the shuttle and hook ;
Fig. 8 is a side view of the same; Fig. 9 is a plan of the shuttle box; Fig. 10
is a section of the bobbiu; and lastly, Fig. 11 shows the stitch regulator.
It will be unnecessary to repeat those parts which belong to the first
machine, and Iwill now only describe the additional ones, the same letters of

page_text: reference denote like parts in all the Figures. 1, heart-shaped cam mounted
on shaft c, and receiving motion therefrom; 2, first. lever placed at one end of
the frame b, having a pin at its upper part which receives motion from cam i;
3, second lever moving horizontally in base a, receiving motion from lever 2;
4, small rectangular box in which is contained the shuttle 5. This box has a
to-and-fro motion imparted to it by lever 3, and is held in guides cast in the
base plate 6; Fig. 10 represents a bobbin resting on a spring which consists
of a strip of steel folded and soldered to the support 6'. This bobbin may be
either of cast iron or of wood, in which latter case it should be furnished with
a socket of iron to prevent the wear of the wood; 7, Fig. 8, is a crank giving
vertical motion to the needle carrier 7. When the needle pierces the work,
the crank 7 is at the lowest part of its stroke, and being furnished with a stop
abuts against a lever turning on a centre 8, at the extremity of which lever is
fixed the head of the work presser O, thus causing it to rise; 9, (Fig. 11),
shows the stitch regulator consisting of an octagon, the eight faces of which
present different angles to the centre progressively; this regulator is fixed to
the lower part of the needle carrier 7, so that the stop of the "work presser "o
abuts against one of its faces, and accordingly as that face is more or less distant
from the centre, a stitch of greater or less length is produced.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the arrangement of sewing machine with the needle and hook,
herein-before described; as also the particular parts in combination therewith,
and herein-before described.
Secondly, the apparatus for regulating the size of the stitch represented at
Figs. 8 & 11, herein-before described.
Thirdly, the application of parts, herein-before described, to sewing machines
for the purpose of forming a stitch with a needle and shuttle.
Fourthly, I claim the application of this last herein-mentioned arrangement
of parts to all kinds of sewing machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said François Nivelle, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
F. NIVELLE. (L.S.)