IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING. MACHINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frederick Thomas, of Newgate Street, in-
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING.
MACHINES."
Sealed the 4th October 1860, and dated the 5th July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frederick Thomas
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th July 1860.
1, WILLIAM FREDERICK THOMAS, of Newgate Street, in the City of London,..
do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object "Improvements in Sewing Machines."
For these purposes the back of the shuttle race of a sewing machine, and the
back of the shuttle are each made inclined, and the shuttle is of such a width
that the inclined side of the shuttle rests on the inclined side of the race, a
space being left between the bottom of the shuttle and the bottom of the race;
by this means as the shuttle and the race wear away the shuttle will continue
to work in the same vertical plane, and the front of the shuttle will always work
against the front of the race, that is to say, the side of the race from which
the loops formed by the needle is caused to project; the shuttle will by this

page_text: means be prevented from occasionally missing to pass through the loop formed
by the needle thread. The upper presser which holds down the work is
mounted on a lever, the ends of the two arms of which are both on the same
side of the axis on which the lever turns; one of the arms of the lever carries
the presser, and the other arm thereof is arranged to be worked by a cam
surface on the main or driving axis, in such manner as to lift the presser off
the work at intervals. It is preferred that the fabric or work should be
moved by means of a sliding, serrated, or notched plate, moved to and fro
under the fabric or work by a cam, also fixed on the main or driving axis.
The presser, which is carried by the lever before mentioned, may, however, be
serrated or notched on its under surface, and have a suitable motion given to
it to move the fabric or work in place of having the under plate serrated or
notched. The needle, which is bent, is mounted on one of two arms of a
lever; the other arm of this lever is actuated by a cam, also on the main axis.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Frederick Thomas in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FREDERICK THOMAS, of Newgate Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and 'sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Frederick Thomas, Her special licence that I, the said William
Frederick Thomas, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Frederick Thomas, 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," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Frederick Thomas, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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,

page_text: 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 William Frederick Thomas, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines. For
these purposes the back of a shuttle race of a sewing machine and the back
of the shuttle are each made inclined, and the shuttle is of such a width that
the inclined side of the shuttle rests on the inclined side of the race, a space
being left between the bottom of the shuttle and the bottom of the race; by
this means as the shuttle and the race wear away, the shuttle will continue to
work in the same vertical plane, and the front of the shuttle will always work
against the front of the race, that is to say, the side of the race from which the
loop formed by the needle is caused to project; the shuttle will by this means
be prevented from occasionally missing to pass through the loop formed by the
needle thread. The upper presser which holds down the work is mounted on
a lever, the ends of the two arms of which are both on the same side of the
axis on which the lever turns; one of the arms of the lever carries the presser,
and the other arm thereof is arranged to be worked by a cam surface on the
main or driving axis, in such manner as to lift the presser off the work at
intervals. It is preferred that the fabric or work should be moved by means
of a sliding, serrated, or notched plate, moved to and fro under the fabric or
work by a cam, also fixed on the main or driving axis. The presser, which is
carried by the lever before mentioned, may, however, be serrated or notched
on its under surface, and have a suitable motion given to it to move the fabric
or work in place of having the under plate serrated or notched. The needle,
which is bent, is mounted on one of two arms of a lever; the other arm of this
lover is actuated by a cam, also on the main axis.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

page_text: a is the framing of the machine; b, the main or driving axis; this axis is
driven by a cord 'passing around the pulley c; projecting from one side of the
pulley c is a pin c', which works in a curved slot in the end of the arm d' of
the lever d'; this lever turns on the ends of the pins e, e, which screw through
the standards a³, a', of the framing a; the end of the other arm d² of the
lever d carries a curved needle, as shewn. The standards a', a', have also
pins f.f, screwing through them, upon the ends of which a lever g turns; the
end of the arm g' of this lever carries the upper pressing plate h, the other
arm g' is held down by the spring i on to the cam k carried by the axis b;
this cam lifts the pressing plate h when the needle is through the fabric, in
order to allow the serrated plate to be moved forward, so that when the
needle is again raised the fabric may be fed forwards by the serrated plate
being drawn back; the serrated plate is carried by the bar m, which is
capable of sliding in guides in the standard a³ of the framing, which standard
also carries the driving axis 6; on the under side of the bar m is a projection
m', in which there is a hole, through which a pin a projecting from the
standard a passes; on this pin there is a spiral spring, which constantly
presses the bar forwards; the distance the spiral spring-can move the bar
forwards, and consequently the length of stitch made, being governed by the
adjusting screw m², which screws through a projection at the back of the
bar m, the end of the screw coming against a projection on the standard a';
the bar m'is moved backwards by the cam n acting against the lower end of
the projection m' on the under side of the bar m. Projecting from the side
of the cam n is a pin n', which works in a slot in the arm o; this arm turns
at its lower end on a pin carried by the frame a, and on the upper end of the
arm o is a fork, which embraces a pin on the sliding piece p, and this piece is
moved to and fro by the fork in a slot which is parallel with the shuttle race 9;
on this slide there are two projections, between which the shuttler lies, and
the shuttle is moved to and fro by these projections; the back of the shuttle
race 9, and the back of the shuttle r, are each made inclined, as shewn at
Figures 4, which show separate views of the shuttle and shuttle race, and the
shuttle is of such a width that the inclined side of the shuttle rests on the
inclined side of the shuttle race, a small space being left between the bottom
of the shuttle and the bottom of the race. It is not essential that the shuttle
should be made with an incline on the back to correspond with the incline on
the back of the shuttle race, as a shuttle with an ordinary rounded back may
be employed, so long as a space is left between the under side of the shuttle
and the bottom of the shuttle race. The top of the shuttle race is covered by

page_text: a plates, upon which the work rests; a portion of this plate is made to turn
upon a hinge at s', as shewn, in order that the shuttle may be taken out of
the shuttle race to be supplied with thread.
Figure 5 shews a modification of the above machine; in this arrangement
the arm d' of the lever d, which, in the above machine has a curved needle
attached to it, is arranged to give motion to a slide carrying a straight
needle; this slide is carried by a projecting arm from the framing in the
ordinary manner; in other respects the machine is similar to the one above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frederick Thomas, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WF THOMAS (10)