IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lewis Matthews Becker, of Peckham, in the
County of. Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINES, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 13th June 1874.
I, LEWIS MATTHEWS BECKER, of Peckham, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be
as follows: -
My Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines,
and apparatus connected therewith, and is designed to render cotton pre-
viously wound upon perforated card or other material, or upon bobbins,
or otherwise wound up or spooled in lengths, available for use in sewing
machines of various constructions, so as to obviate the necessity of
expressly winding each fresh supply of cotton, thread, or sewing material

page_text: My Invention furthermore relates to means for guiding the cotton,
thread, or sewing material as it leaves the reel on the sewing machines
so as to equalize the tension or strain in such manner as to prevent.
breakage, and also to guard against waste arising from breakage, and
from cotton, thread, or sewing material slipping or falling from the
rccl.
.
To enable the ready wound cotton, thread, or sewing material to be
used in spool machines I use an improved spool, in which the two dises
or plates can be readily separated, and the ready wound sewing material
placed upon the shank or body of the spool between the two discs.
One disc is formed with or attached to the shank or body, the other disc
is made removeable by a screw or otherwise, so that it can be removed at
will by a couple of turns or so, and as readily replaced after the sewing
material has been placed upon the shank or body. The cotton, thread,
or sewing material is previously wound upon pieces of card or other
material formed with suitable orifices, through which the spool shank
or body passes when the sewing material is placed in position foruse.
For shuttle machines the cotton, thread, or sewing material is ready
wound upon bobbins, each of which when emptied is replaced by a fresh
bobbin, having cotton, thread, or sewing material ready wound thereon.
I secure these bobbins in the shuttle by a spindle, which passes through
one end of the shuttle, through the hole in the bobbin, and thence into
the other end of the shuttle, in which position it is retained securely, so
that the bobbin may freely rotate upon it, or the spindle may be
arranged to rotate with the bobbin. In lieu of this arrangement I some-
times use a spring holder or carrier in conjunction with the bobbin and
shuttle. This holder is made with a longitudinal part having two
spring arms or branches projecting from it at right angles, or nearly so.
Each arm has at one side a pivot or projection arranged to enter the.
hole in the end of the bobbin, so that the bobbin may, rotate upon the
inner pivots or projections of the two arms as upon a spindle, and at
the other side of each arm is another pivot or projection taking into a
suitable recess formed in the shuttle, so that by these two outer pivots or
projections the holder carrying the bobbin is properly retained in the
shuttle.

page_text: To equalize the tension or strain upon the cotton used from the reel
on sewing machines wherein the reel rotates upon a stationary spindle, I
use in combination with the spindle and reel a guide, which is held in
place by the spindle, or by the reel, or by both. This guide is formed
with an eye, orifice, or guiding device, through which the cotton, thread,
or sewing material passes, so that the point towards which the cotton,
thread, or sewing material is drawn from the reel shall be constantly the
same relatively to the extremities of the reel, namely, by preference about
midway between the extremities of the reel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Lewis Matthews Becker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEWIS
MATTHEWS BECKER, of Peckham, in the Country of Surrey, Engineer
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Lewis Matthews Becker, Her special license
that I, the said Lewis Matthews Becker, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Lewis Matthews Becker, 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, AND APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Lewis Matthews
Becker, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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

page_text: 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 Lewis Matthews Becker, 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 thereof, and the Drawings therein
referred to (that is to say):-
My Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines
and apparatus connected therewith, and is designed to render cotton,
thread, or other sewing material previously wound upon perforated card.
or other material, or upon bobbins, or otherwise wound up or spooled in
lengths, available for use in sewing machines of various constructions,
so as to obviate the necessity of expressly winding each fresh supply of
cotton, thread, or sewing material upon a special spool or bobbin for the
machine, as is now commonly necessary.
My Invention furthermore relates to means for guiding the cotton,
thread, or sewing material as it leaves the reel on the sewing machines
so as to equalize the tension or strain in such manner as to prevent
breakage, and also to guard against waste arising from breakage, and
from cotton, thread, or sewing material slipping or falling from the
reel.
To enable the ready wound cotton, thread, or sewing material to be
used in spool machines I use an improved spool, in which the two discs.
or plates can be readily separated, and the ready wound sewing. material
placed upon the shank or body of the spool between the two discs.
One disc is formed with or attached to the shank or body, the other
disc is made removeable by a screw or otherwise, so that it can be
removed at will by a couple of turns or so, and as readily replaced after
the sewing material has been placed upon the shank or body. The
cotton, thread, or sewing material is previously wound upon pieces of
card or other material, formed with suitable orifices, through which the
spool shank or body passes when the sewing material is placed in
position for usc.
Fig. 1 shews in central vertical cross section a ready wound spool of
cotton, thread, or sewing material with the two discs or plates of the
metal spool apart.

page_text: with the ready wound cotton,
between them ready for use.
Fig. 3 is a side view of the metal spool.
QETES
I wind the cotton, thread, or sewing material a in quantities upon a
card, tube, or collar b, or upon other analogous receivers, formed with
holes so as to fit upon the boss shank or body c of the metal spool. I
wind the cotton, thread, or sewing material into a form corresponding,
as shewn, to the form of the space between the inner sides or faces of
the two discs or plates of the metal spool which space the ready wound
cotton, thread, or sewing material is to fill up in such manner as to
prevent its slipping out of place or becoming entangled. The ready
wound cotton, thread, or sewing material is held in form until required
for use by any suitable means, as, for example, by strips of paper or
other material embracing the sides and periphery of the spool. The
boss, shank, or body c is formed with or attached to the disc or plate d,
and is screwed to receive a screw e, formed with or attached to the other
metal disc or plate f; but it will be evident that the arrangement shewn
be more or less modified to suit circumstances without departing
from the distinctive character of this part of my Invention, whereby I
am enabled to furnish in quantities and use, in sewing machines ready
wound spools of cotton, thread, or sewing material, thereby obviating
the trouble and inconvenience to the sewing machine operator of having
to wind cach fresh supply of sewing material.
may
For shuttle machines the cotton, thread, or sewing material is ready
wound upon bobbins, cach of which when emptied or otherwise required
is replaced by a fresh bobbin, having cotton, thread, or sewing material
ready wound thereon. I secure these bobbins in the shuttle by a
spindle, which passes through one end of the shuttle, through the hole
in the bobbin, and thence into the other end of the shuttle, in which
position it is retained securely, so that the bobbin may freely rotate upon
it, or the spindle may be arranged to rotate with the bobbin. In lieu of
this arrangement I sometimes use a spring holder or carrier in con-
junction with the bobbin and shuttle. This holder is made with a
longitudinal part, having two spring arms or branches projecting from
it at right angles, or nearly so. Each arm has at one side a pivot or
projection arranged to enter the hole in the end of the bobbin, so that

page_text: the bobbin may rotate upon the inner pivots or projections of the two
arms as upon a spindle, and at the other side of each arm is another
pivot or projection, taking into a suitable recess formed in the shuttle, so
that by these two outer pivots or projections the holder carrying the
bobbin is properly retained in the shuttle.
D
Figs: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 illustrate several forms of ready wound
bobbins g of cotton a designed for use in shuttles according to my
Invention. In all but two of these Figures the bobbins are shewn hollow,
but they may be made solid, according to the arrangement of shuttle they
are intended for.
Fig. 11 is a central longitudinal vertical section of a sewing machine
shuttle containing one of my ready wound metal bobbins I with two
collars, which works on a spindle & passing through one end of the
shuttle i, through the hole in the bobbin, and thence into the other end
of the shuttle. It is held in place by a screw k in the upper part of the
shuttle at its foreward end.
Fig. 12 is a similar view of a modification in which the bobbin is
made without ends, and the holding screw k is in the rearward part of
the shuttle.
Fig. 13 is a like view of another arrangement, in which a separate a
holding screw is dispensed with by screwing. the rearward end of the
spindle itself and the hole through which it passes. It will be evident
that the foreward end of the spindle may be screwed instead of its rear-
ward end, or in some cases both ends may be screwed.
Figs. 14, 15, 16, and 17 shew the application of my ready wound 2
bobbins to ordinary shuttles, and will be readily understood without
farther description.
Fig. 18 is a central longitudinal vertical section of a shuttle having
one of my ready wound bobbins held therein by a spring holder or
carrier. The holder has two spring arms 1, 72, each having at one of 3
its sides a pivot or projection entering a hole in the corresponding end
of the bobbin, leaving the latter free to rotate, and at the other side of
each arm is another pivot or projection taking into a recess in the
shuttle for holding the carrier and bobbin therein.
Fig. 19 shews a modification, which will be readily understood from 3
the Drawing.

page_text: To equalize the tension or strain upon the cotton used from the reel.
on sewing machines wherein the reel rotates upon a stationary spindle,
I use in combination with the spindle and recl a guide, which is held in
place by the spindle, or by the reel, or by both. This guide is formed
with an eye, orifice, or guiding device, through which the cotton, thread,
or sewing material passes, so that the point towards which the cotton;
thread, or sewing material is drawn from the reel shall be constantly the
same relatively to the extremities of the reel, namely, by preference about
midway between the extremitics of tho reel.
Figs. 20 and 21 shew the arrangement in which the guide is held by
the reel, spindle, or pillar of the sewing machine, m being the guide;
m', its cyc, through which the cotton, thread, or sewing material passes;
n, the reel; and o, the spindle or pillar of the sewing machine.
Fig. 22 shews an arrangement in which the guide m is held in place
by the reel n; and Fig. 23 shews another arrangement in which the
guide m is held in place partly by the reel and partly by the spindle or
pillar of the sewing machine.
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I hereby
declare that what I consider to be novel and original and therefore claim
as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is as follows:-
1. The adaptation to and use in sewing machine spools and shuttles of
cotton, thread, or other sewing material ready wound or spooled in
appropriate forms, as herein described, upon perforated card or other
material, or upon bobbins, such perforated card or other material or
bobbins, as the case may be, being arranged to enter and be retained
within the spools or shuttles of such machines, as above set forth.
2. The construction of sewing machine spools in which the two discs
or plates can be readily separated, and the sewing material, previously
wound into an appropriate form, placed upon the shank or body of the
spool between the two discs, substantially as herein-before described.
3. The methods of securing bobbins of ready wound sewing material
in the shuttles of sewing machines, substantially as shewn in and
5 described with reference respectively to Fig. 11, Fig. 12, Fig. 13,

page_text: Figs. 14 and 15, Figs. 16 and 17, Fig. 18, and Fig. 19 of the
Drawings.
4. The application and use in combination with the reel and fixed
spindle or pillar in a sewing machine of a guide for equalizing the
tension or strain upon the cotton or sewing material, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lewis Matthews Becker, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-four.