IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Howse at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th June
1871.
I, HENRY HOWSE, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London,
Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
•
This Invention relates to improvements in sewing machines, which
improvements are applicable to all kinds of sewing machines.
The Invention consists in the application and use in a sewing machine
of more than one needle, that is, two or more needles are employed,,
working in connection with two or more (but not necessarily a corre-
sponding number of) shuttles; also in a similar application and use in
a sewing machine of more than one needle, when employed, and working,
in connection with hooks in lieu of shuttles.
The shuttles have a reciprocating motion, and the hooks have likewise
a reciprocating, or, if preferred, either a rotating, elliptic, or other
suitable motion imparted to them, as in ordinary sewing machines,
and the needles are also worked as the single needle has been hitherto.

page_text: The object of the Invention is to allow of as many rows (and sets of
rows) of stitches (which may be set any required distance apart, as
lierein-after described) as desired, being made at one operation upon
any desired fabric, so that there is not the necessity for as many times
(as there are rows of stitches) passing the fabric through the machinc,
as there has been hitherto.
I will now proceed to describe one way of adjusting the rows of
stitches to any distance apart required. Each needle is separately
fitted or held in a small adjustable block, through which passes a
screwed rod. These blocks slide (when required to be adjusted) in a
race or races in the needle holder, and are operated by the screwed rod,
which is screwed in such a manner that when it is turned (by hand)
it enables cach needle block and its needle to recede from or approachi
its fellow, and so the needles are brought closer or farther from cach
other to form the rows of stitches as required.
The needles (as many as are required) are arranged (in the needle
holder) in rows running across the work passing through the machine,
so that each needle in the row forms a separate line of stitches.
For example I will describe the general arrangement of the appa-
ratus when the needles are placed in two rows. In this case all the
needle blocks may be adjustable in one race in the needle holder, tho'
the rows will be a slight distance apart, so that the needles of one of
these rows would descend on one side, and tho needles of the other
row would descend on the other side of a middle partition of a double
shuttle race. In each of these two races would travel a shuttle, and
these would face each other, and after the two rows of needles had
formed the two rows of loops the two shuttles would (at the same
time) pass, one through cach row of loops, and so form a stitch in
as many lines or rows of stitches as there are needles to make the
stitches.
By extending parts of the frame of the machine the rows of needles
as above arranged may be placed in separate groups a suitable distance
apart to allow of the traverse of two or more shuttles in each race, that
is, a distance being left between each two groups a little more than
the length of the shuttle; by this means it will be readily seen that
the stitches may be made in sets of rows, and whereas in the method
hitherto practised it was necessary to pass the work through the machine
as many times as there were rows of stitches; by the use of machines

page_text: adapted with these improvements it is only necessary first, to lower and
adjust as many needles (each of which is separately adjustable in its
block, so that it can be used or not) as rows of stitches required, and
then to pass the work once through the machine, which thus effects
an immense saving both in time and labor.
When certain needles are not required in a row they are merely
pushed up in their respective blocks, so as not to pierce the work when
descending, and fastened in the usual way and as when they are when
lowered and in position for working.
The shuttles are adjusted to correspond and work properly with the
needles by means of a projecting rod in connection with the shuttle
holder, which rod is suitably fastened to the rod or bar actuating the
shuttles and adjusted as required to a gauge thereon.
When hooks are used (in lieu of shuttles) in conjunction with the
needles, they are likewise arranged in a similar manner as above
described, so as to be readily made to correspond and work properly
with the needles.