IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINERY
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nahum Salamon, of Ludgate Street, in the City of
London, Sewing Machine Factor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINERY."-A communication from abroad by the Florence
Sewing Machine Company, of Florence, Massachusetts, United States
of America.
Sealed the 23rd September 1864, and dated the 21st July 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nahum Salamon at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
July 1864.
I, NAHUM SALAMON, of Ludgate Street, in the City of London, Sewing
Machine Factor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain novel arrangements of mechanism for
increasing the efficiency of sewing machines, the chief object being to change
at pleasure the character of the stitch in shuttle machines, and thus to produce
the knot stitch, or the double knot stitch, or the lock stitch, or the double lock
stitch, according to the requirements of the work in hand. These changes are
produced without any displacement of or additions to the working parts of the
machine, and they may therefore be adopted by persons entirely unacquainted
with mechanism; the only thing to be attended to when a change of stitch is

page_text: required being the shifting of the position of a lever, or of a rocking fulcrum, or
of both these instruments. By these means the operation of the roughened feed
plate is affected, and it is by changing the character of the feed that the
different kinds of stitches are obtained. The feed plate receives its motion
from a rock lever having its fulcrum below the table or base of the machine.
This rock lever is fitted at its rear end with a vertical rod ending in a forked
piece, which embraces a cam on the cam or driving shaft of the machine
intended to impart the rocking motion to the lever, a coiled spring giving it
the counter motion. The rock lever is also provided with a horizontal pro-
jection, which is intended to come (on occasion) into contact with a pendent
rocking arm, whereby the motion of the rock lever will be arrested. An
_excentric_pin projecting from a short rock shaft having its bearing in the main
framing serves as a fulcrum for the pendent rocking arm, and a finger pro-
jecting upwards from this arm carries a segment-shaped latch, which enters
concentric coupled grooves on the face of the driving pulley, and which thus
forms a grooved face cam. A spring lever on the end of the short rock shaft
serves to rock this shaft, and thus to lift and lower the pendent arm, while the
rotation of the grooved face cam causes the arm (through the latch) to rock.
The change of position of the rocking arm causes it when rocking to take such
a position that it will arrest the fed movement or restore the feed movement
of the rock lever, as the case may be. The front end of the rock lever,
through which the feed motion is obtained, carries a standard, to the upper
end of which is jointed a link piece carrying a groove on its face. This link
piece is also jointed to a horizontal feed bar, and is intended to impart a reci-
procating motion thereto. Projecting from the base of the machine into the
groove of the link piece is a fixed pin, which forms an adjustable fulcrum for
the grooved link piece to work on when it is rocked by the movement of the
rock lever. When this adjustable fulcrum is set above the axis of the joint
that couples the link piece with the feed plate, the rise of the lever causes the
feed plate to move from left to right; but when the fulcrum is below that axis
the feed will take place from the right to the left by the rise of the rock lever.
The distance this fulcrum is set from the axis will determine the length of the
stitch.
In order to produce the common lock stitch the latch before mentioned
is thrown forward into the inner groove on the face of the driving pulley, and
the fulcrum pin is depressed, and the pendent arm thrown out of action; the
feed is then from right to left. To produce the knot stitch the only change
requisite is to raise the fulcrum pin above the axis of the coupling joint before
mentioned, and the feed being thereby reversed the needle ant shuttle will

page_text: form the knot stitch. For the production of the double lock stitch the
pendent arm before mentioned is brought into action by shifting the lever,
which changes the position of the fulcrum of the rocking arm, and causes it
to arrest the upward motion of the rock lever, and thus prevent the feed from
taking place after the ascent of the needle. At its next descent therefore the
needle pierces the work at the same spot as before, and the shuttle takes up
the loop of the needle thread; but in drawing this second loop tight the two
stitches made at the same point of the fabric merge into one and form the
double lock stitch. The double knot stitch is formed by changing the direction
of the feed in the manner already described, the last-mentioned position of the
fulcrum of the rocking arm being maintained, so that in like manner the feed
may be arrested at every other descent of the needle. The rise and fall of the
feed plate is effected by a wedge-shaped rocking arm, which passes under the
plate and lifts it to the required height for taking a firm hold of the work.
This rocking arm receives its motion from the shuttle driver through a forked
arm keyed to a rock shaft, which carries the wedge-shaped lever. The rocking
arm is hooked also and serves to take up the slack thread of the shuttle.
The friction on the shuttle thread is produced by a curved hinged plate, which
overlies the bobbin and through which the bobbin thread is threaded. It is
pressed down upon the bobbin by a curved spring coupled to one end thereof.
The shuttle is grooved on its face to receive a rib or feather that projects from
and extends along the greater part of the face of the race. To allow of the
shuttle being readily removed from the shuttle race, the ordinary overlapping
edge of the race is at one part made loose, and kept in position by a spring ;
on pressing it back the shuttle will be free to be removed.
For controlling the supply of thread to the needle the following contrivance
(which is applicable to sewing machines generally) is adopted :-On the end
of the driving shaft is a double flanged disc wheel, which is split nearly
through transversely to its axis. A friction guide pulley takes the thread
from the bobbin and delivers it on to this disc, which being split through a.
greater part of its periphery allows the thread to pass straight or nearly so
through it to a guide arm at the other side. When, however, the solid part
of the periphery of the disc is presented to the thread it will draw it to
tension, and thus drag a given portion off the guide pulley, but in continuing
its rotary motion the thread will slip off its periphery, and thus afford the
requisite supply for the descending needle.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nahum Salamon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st January 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, NAHUM
SALAMON, of, Ludgate Street, in the City of London, Sewing Machine Factor,
send.greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me;
the said Nahum Salamon; Her special license that I, the said--Nahum -
Salamon, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Nahum Salamon, 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 MACHINERY," being a communication from abroad by the.
Florence Sewing Machine Company, of Florence, Massachusetts, United States.
of America, upon the condition (amongst others), that I, the said Nahum
Salamon, 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 Nahum Salamon, 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 Drawings hereunto, annexed, and to the.
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-'
This Invention relates to certain novel arrangements of mechanism for
increasing the efficiency of sewing machines, the chief object being to change
at pleasure the character of the stitch in shuttle machines, and thus to produce
the knot stitch, or the double knot stitch, or the lock stitch, or the double lock
stitch, according to the requirements of the work in hand. These changes
are produced without any displacement of or additions to the working parts of
the machine, and they may therefore be adopted by persons entirely un-
acquainted with mechanism, the only thing to be attended to when a change of

page_text: stitch is required being the shifting of the position of a lever, or of a rocking.
fulcrum, or of both these instruments. By these means the operation of the
roughened feed plate is affected, and it is simply by changing the character of
the feed that the different kinds of stitches are obtained.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1, Sheet I:; is a plan view of the
improved machine as seen from above; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same,'
a portion of the casting forming the base of the machine being broken away
to shew some of the details relating to the working of the feed plate and.
the shuttle; Fig. 3, Sheet II., is a longitudinal section of the machine taken in
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4.is a transverse section taken in the line 3, 4,
of Figures 1 and 2; and Fig. 5 is a plan of the machine inverted to shew the
arrangement of the parts below the table. The other Figures of the
Drawings relate to details which will be hereafter specially referred to.
A, A, is a hollow casting forming the base of the machine; A¹, a bracket
arm carrying at its extremity the presser foot B; A³, A³, are standards
supporting adjustable screw pins which form the fulcrum for the rock lever C,:
to one extremity of which the needle C¹ is secured as usual. The tail of this
lever carries a metal strap which embraces a disc mounted on a crank pin of
the main shaft D, as shewn at D', Fig. 6. This shaft D turns in bearings
in the standards A³, and is fitted with a driving pulley D', through which it
receives motion from a band from any prime mover. The feed plate with its
bar is shown at E (see Figures 3 and 4). This feed plate receives its to-and-
fro motion from a rock lever E³, which has its fulcrum below the table or base
of the machine, as shown at Fig. 5. The rock lever E¹ is fitted at its rear end
with a vertical rod ending in a forked piece, which embraces (see Figures 1°
and 6) a cam D" on the cam or driving shaft D, which cam imparts the
rocking motion in one direction to the lever, a coiled spring Es giving it
the counter motion. The rock lever is also provided with a horizontal
projection E, which is intended to come (on occasion) into contact with a
nen rocking arm F (Fig. 3), whereby the motion of the rock lever
be arrested. In Fig. 7, which is a sectional elevation of a portion of the
rear end of the machine, the rocking arm F is shewn in edge view. It is
supported in position by an excentric pin projecting from a short rock shaft F¹;
having its bearing in the standard A. Projecting upwards from this arm
is a finger which carries a segment shaped latch f (see Fig. 3). This latch
enters concentric coupled grooves 1, 2, cut in the face of the driving pulley D¹,.
which pulley thus forms a grooved face cam D* (see Fig. 6), for the purpose
to be presently explained. G is a spring lever fixed on the end of the short
rock shaft, and serving to rock this shaft, and thereby to lift or lower the

page_text: pendent arm, and throw the latch into a position to leave the one groove and
enter the other: This spring lever is.fitted with a pin, which being sprung
into pin holes made in the side of the standard locks the spring lever in its
set position. The rotation of the grooved face cam by acting on the latch
causes the arm F to rock upon its adjustable fulcrum. The change of
position of the fulcrum of the rocking arm F causes the arm when rocked to
arrest the feed movement, or make it intermittent, or by restoring the free
action of the rock lever to leave the feed motion uncontrolled. This operation
of the rocking arm will be clearly seen when the connection of the rock
lever E¹ with the feed bar F is explained. The front end of the rock lever
through which the feed motion is obtained is connected by. a ball-and-socket
coupling with a vertical rod E³, to the upper end of which is jointed a link
piece E³, carrying a groove on its face; this link piécé is also jointed- to the
horizontal feed bar E, and is intended to impart a reciprocating motion thereto.
Projecting from the base of the machine into the groove of the link piece E³
is a fixed pin E, which forms an adjustable fulcrum for the grooved link piece
to work on when it is rocked by the movement of the rock lever. When this
adjustable fulcrum is set above the axis of the joint that couples the link
piece with the feed plate (which is effected by giving it an axial motion), the
rise of the rock lever E¹ causes the feed bar to move from left to right; but
when the fulcrum is below that axis, as shewn in the Drawing, the feed
will take place from the right to the left by the rise of the rock lever. The
distance at which this fulcrum is set from the axis of motion will determine
the length of the feed, and consequently the length of the stitch. To provent
this fulcrum from shifting when set, the arrangement shewn at Figures 6* is
provided. On slackening the clamping screw, which bears on a flat face of
the fulcrum pin E, the pin will be free to turn to raise or lower its bent
point in the slot of the grooved link piece E³..
"
In order to produce the common lock stitch, a diagram of which is shewn
at A, Figures 8, the latch f of the rocking arm F is thrown forward, so that
it may enter and remain in the inner groove on the face of the driving pulley,
as shewn at Fig. 3, at which time the fulcrum pin is depressed and the
pendent arm thrown out of action. The direction of the feed is then from
right to left. To produce the knot stitch shewn at B, Figures 8, the only
change requisite is to raise the fulcrum pin above the axis of the coupling
joint before mentioned, and the feed being thereby reversed, the needle and
shuttle actuated in the usual way will form the knot stitch. For the pro-
duction of the double lock stitch shewn at C, Figures 8, the pendent ar.n F is
brought into action. This is effected by shifting the spring lever and raising

page_text: the fulcrum of the rocking arm F until that arm takes the dotted position of
Fig. 3, when it will hang above the back end of the rock lever E¹, and arrest
its upward motion produced by the counter pressure of the coiled spring.E,
and thus prevent the feed from taking place at every other ascent of the
needle. At the next descent therefore of the needle following the arrest of
the feed the needle will pierce the work at the same spot as before, and the
shuttle in taking up the loop of the needle thread, and drawing this second
loop tight will cause the two stitches made at the same point of the fabric to
merge into one and form the double lock stitch. The double knot stitch
shewn at D, Figures 8, is formed by changing the direction of the feed in the
manner already described, the last-mentioned position of the fulcrum of the
rocking arm F being maintained, so that in like manner the feed may be
arrested at or between every other descent of the needle.
•
The varying kinds of traverse motion of the feed bar having been explained,
I will now proceed to show how the rise and fall of the feed plate is effected,
such movement being required as is well known in order to enable the 'feed
plate to rise in the slot of the plate M, Figures 9 and 10), on which the
fabric to be. sewn is placed, and take hold of the fabric before giving the
fabric a traverse motion, and after the feed is given to enable the feed plate
to leave the fabric and return to its former position. In Figures 1, 2, and 4,
His a wedge-shaped rocking arm which passes under the feed plate in its
forward vibration, and lifts it to the required height for taking a firm hold of
the work. This rocking arm receives its motion from the shuttle driver I,
through a forked arm H', keyed to a rock shaft H³, which carries the wedge
shaped lever H. The rocking arm vibrates through a horizontal slot-formed
by the plate M and an adjustable bracket (see Figures 4*); it. has a hook at
its extremity, and serves at its back vibration to take up the slack thread of
the shuttle, as shown by dots in Fig. 1. The shuttle driver I receives its
motion from a connecting rod I¹, which is jointed to the driver, and connects
it with a crank pin on a disc K, keyed to the driving shaft D.
"
As an improvement in the mode of obtaining the requisite friction on the
shuttle thread, a curved hinged plate a is applied to the shuttle (see the face
view and cross section, Figures 11), so as to overlie the bobbin b. Through
this plate the bobbin thread is threaded, and the friction is produced by
pressing the plate a down upon the bobbin 6 by a curved spring c, which is
coupled to one end of the plate, and made fast at its other end by-a transverse
pin d projecting from the shell e of the shuttle.
b
A further improvement in the shuttle is the grooving its face to receive a
rib or feather that projects from and extends along the greater part of the

page_text: face of the race (see the cross section, Fig. 4), which rib enables the shuttle
to run freely. To allow of the shuttle e being readily removed from the
shuttle race. I³, the ordinary overlapping edge of the race is at one part made
loose, so that it is free to turn on a swivel pin (as shewn at I, Fig. 1). It
is kept in position by a spring. On pressing it back with the finger until its
edge no longer overlaps the race the shuttle will be free to be removed from
the machine for the purpose of charging it with a fresh bobbin. In order to
give out the thread to the needle as required and take up the slack thread,
the following contrivance (which is applicable to sewing machines generally)
is adopted :-On the end of the driving shaft D is keyed the double flanged
disc wheel K, which besides serving as a crank, as above explained, forms also
the thread controller. This disc is split through transversely to its axis, as
shown at Figures 1 and 12, the latter of which Figures exhibits in section
the remaining central part that couples the two portions of the disc together.
A friction guide pulley K', which determines the tension to be put on the
thread, takes the thread from the bobbin and delivers it on to this disc wheel,
which being split through the greater part of its periphery allows the thread
at certain positions of the solid central part of the disc wheel to pass straight
or nearly so through it to a guide arm at the other side, and thence along the
rocking arm C to the needle. When, however, the solid part of the periphery
of the disc wheel by the rotation of the disc wheel is brought to bear upon the
thread, as shown by the dotted red lines in Figures 1 and 12, it will lift
the thread on to the periphery of the pulley, thus taking up the slack and
drawing the thread to a sufficient tension to drag a given portion off the guide
pulley, but as the disc wheel continues its rotary motion, the thread will slip
off its periphery, and thus afford the requisite supply for the descending
needle.
I would here remark that the timing of the action of the disc wheel K
must be such that it will give off the slack at the proper time for forming the
loop below the cloth, and take up the slack on the rising of the needle. The
crank pin being a fixture on the disc, will determine the relative action of
the shuttle, the traverse of which is effected as before explained by the move-
ments of the rod I³, connected to the crank pin of the disc and to the shuttle
driver. In order that the proper timing of the parts for actuating the needle
and feed plate may be clearly understood, I have shewn at Figures 6 the
relative positions of the crank, the excentric, and the cam grooves on thọ.
shaft D.
. Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in
Sewing Machinery," as communicated to me, and explained the manner of

page_text: 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 varying the character of the stitch,
produced by the sewing machine.
Second, the improvements in the shuttle and shuttle race above described.
And, lastly, the means above described for controlling the supply and
taking up the slack of the thread of eye-pointed needles.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nahum Salamon, have hereunto set my,
hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
N. SALAMON. (L.S.)