IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SEWING
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SEWING."-A com-
munication from abroad by Amasa Howe, of New York, in the United
States of America.
Sealed the 28th November 1861, and dated the 9th August 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th August 1861.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SEWING," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the use of an adjustable needle bar guide
box, by means of which the vertical needle of the sewing machine, whether it
be coarse or fine, can be brought to any required proximity to the shuttle and
shuttle race; secondly, to the use of a needle guard, by means of which the
needle will be protected from being struck by the shuttle in its forward
movement; and thirdly, to the throwing out of action of the presser foot.
The needle bar guide box instead of being rigidly affixed to the bracket arm
of the machine, is connected therewith at its upper part by a screw, and at the
bottom by a second screw, around the stem of which a strong volute spring is
coiled. This spring is contained in a socket formed for it in the end of the

page_text: bracket arm, and is made to bear against the back of the box, by which means
the needle bar box receives a tendency to stand out from the bracket arm.
The guide box may however be drawn up firmly against the arm, but the
rigidity of the spring being considerable, the machine will work equally well if
the lower part of the box does not bear against the arm. The distance which
it may be required to move or deflect the box and needle bar is so slight, that
no joint or hinge is required at the top, the yielding of the upper holding screw
being quite sufficient. The object of this arrangement is to enable a fine
needle to be brought into as close proximity with the shuttle race and shuttle
as a coarse one, and to allow it to play flush in the face of the shuttle race,
and also in case the needle is not perfectly straight, to ensure its acting in
proper proximity to the shuttle race.
It is well known that in sewing over uneven surfaces the needle is frequently
deflected into the shuttle race, when it is liable to be broken or injured by the
shuttle in its advance movement. To prevent this, a guard fitted to a rock
shaft is employed, which rock shaft receives its motion from a pendent arm
carrying a bowl that works in a cam groove. At the moment the needle, after
completing its downward movement, has receded to form the slack loop, the
end of the guard moves against the needle just above its point, and presses it
back laterally, holding it in that position until the shuttle has passed through
the loop. The cam is mounted on the main cam shaft, and its movement is so
adjusted relatively to the needle and shuttle movement, that it will always
ensure the proper deflection of the needle before the shuttle advances.
The object of the last improvement is, when the presser foot is out of action
to throw it laterally from the needle bar out of the way of the needle. This is
effected by forming in the guide box in which the stem of the presser foot
works, a slot on a level with the thumb piece of the presser foot stem when in
the raised position. By means of this slot, the thumb piece of the presser foot
when raised may be thrust aside, and thus an axial motion will be imparted to
the stem, which will throw out the presser foot as desired.
SPEC
ION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, nied
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th February 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 "IM-
PROVED MACHINERY FOR SEWING," being a communication from abroad by Amasa
Howe, of New York, in the United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, relates,
firstly, to the use of an adjustable needle bar guide box, by means of which the
vertical needle of the sewing machine, whether it be coarse or fine, can be
brought to any required proximity to the shuttle and shuttle race; secondly,
to the use of a needle guard, by means of which the needle will be protected
from being struck by the shuttle in its forward movement; and, thirdly, to the
throwing out of action of the presser foot.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews a side elevation of a shuttle
machine with the improvements applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is an end elevation
with the cap or front of the needle bar guide box removed. This guide box is
made in pieces B', B, see the detached view, Fig. 3, and separate from the
bracket arm or support A. The back part of the guide box B is held at its
upper part to the arm A by a screw q, and at the bottom by a second screw p,
around the stem of which a strong volute spring Q is coiled. This spring is

page_text: contained in a socket formed for it in the end of the bracket arm A, and is
caused to bear against the back of the box B, by which means the box and
needle bar receive a tendency to stand out from the bracket arm. The guide
box may, however, be drawn up firmly against the arm A, but the rigidity of
the spring is so great that the machine works equally well when the lower part
of the box B', B, does not bear against the arm A. The distance which it may
be required to move or deflect the box and needle bar is so slight that no joint
or hinge is required at the top; the yielding of the upper holding screw q
being quite sufficient to allow for the requisite movement. The object of this
arrangement is to enable a fine needle to be brought into as .close proximity
with the shuttle race and shuttle as a coarse one, and to allow it to play flush
in the face of the shuttle race, and also in case the needle is not perfectly
straight to ensure its acting in proper proximity to the shuttle race.
The second part of the improvements relates, as before stated, to the needle
guard, which I will now proceed to explain. It is well known that in sewing
over uneven surfaces the needle is frequently deflected into the shuttle race,
when it is liable to be broken or injured by the shuttle in its advance move-
ment. To prevent this, a guard or finger c, keyed to a rock shaft d, is
employed. This rock shaft receives its motion from a pendent arm e, carrying
at its lower end a bowle f, which works in a cam groove 9. This guard or
finger c operates in the following manner:-At the moment the needle (after
completing its downward movement) has receded to form the slack loop, the
guard c moves against the needle, its end bearing upon the needle stem just
above its point, and it thereby presses back the point holding the needle in
that position until the shuttle has passed through the loop. The cam g, which
effects this movement through its operation on the pendent arm e, is placed
upon the main cam shaft, and its action is so adjusted relatively to the needle
and shuttle movement, that it will always insure the proper deflection of the
needle before the shuttle advances.
The object of the last improvement is (when the presser foot is not required
to be in action) to enable the operator of the machine to throw it laterally
from the needle bar out of the way of the needle. The mode of effecting this
will be readily understood by reference to Figures 3 and 4. The vertical slot u,
Fig. 3, provides for the upward movement, and the horizontal slot t leading
therefrom provides for the lateral movement, and forms a catch for holding the
presser foot in suspension; s is the thumb piece for lifting the stem r of the
presser foot.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improved machinery

page_text: for sewing, as communicated to me from abroad, and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood, that under the
above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First, the means above described for adjusting the position of the needle
relatively to the face of the shuttle or shuttle race, for the purpose above set
forth.
Secondly, the guard or finger operating upon the needle, in the manner and
for the purpose above described.
And, lastly, providing for the lateral movement of the presser when raised,
in the manner above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
5 Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)