AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR MAKING SEWING NEEDLES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the
"International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR MAKING
SEWING NEEDLES."-A communication from abroad by Francis
William Mallett, of New Haven, Connecticut, United States of
America.'
33
Sealed the 11th January 1870, and dated the 17th August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th August 1869.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
MAKING SEWING NEEDLES," a communication, to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in a peculiar combination of
mechanism by which two sewing needles are made by one.operation and
at one and the same time in the following manner:
Price 8.1

page_text: In the first place the wires or blanks being cut to the desired length
for two needles are thrown into a hopper, which has in connection with
the same a feeding device; this device conveys one blank at a time to
the first set of a series of progressive carrying rollers, which take up
the blanks in turn and carry them from one to the other; while being.
so carried by the rollers the said needle blanks are stamped, the eyes
punched, and the eyes tested by a feeler which will detect a blank not
properly eyed, and will stop the feed mechanism for its removal.
Second. The blanks being properly eyed and burnished, the last of
the series of progressive rollers will deliver the blank by means of a
conductor to two parallel rotating carrying screws which carry the blank
over needle pointing grinding rollers, the needle blanks at the same
time being rotated during the operation of pointing the same by an
endless friction belt.
Third. The stamping, eyeing, and pointing being performed the said
parallel screws will introduce the blank to two other parallel rotating
carrying screws; these screws aid in carrying the said blank (which
is in like manner rotated by endless belts) up against a cutter wheel,
which cuts the blank between the eyes, separating the needles, at the
same time removing the burr from the needle heads, and finally, the
said screws discharge the finished needles at the end of the machine;
thus produce an automatic machine for making two needles by one
operation and at one and the same time. The driving shaft of the
machine carries a bevel wheel, worms, a spur wheel, and pulley. The
nevel wheel engages with another bevel wheel rotating a short shaft
which carries on its inner end a spur wheel. The latter engages with
another wheel on the end of the feed shaft. The said feed shaft carries
a double acting cam which operates the feed mechanism consisting of
a forked arm (embracing the feed shaft), a pin projecting from the said
arm, a coiled spring, a lever, and a bifurcated feed plate which receives
the needle blanks alternately from the hopper and delivers the same
to progressive carrying rollers, which rotate on stationary shafts sus-
tained in a bearing on the table of the machine. The said rollers carry
toothed wheels which engage with carrying wheels, and with wheels
on the feed shaft, and by this means motion (is imparted to the series
of progressive carrying rollers. The said carrying rollers are furnished
with catches and springs, and are operated by cams on their stationary
shafts, which serve to throw out the catches for the reception of the

page_text: needle blanks, and for the delivery of the same.
A stamp is arranged
to fall on a block for stamping the blank preparatory to punching the
eyes in the same. This stamp is operated by a cam on the end of a
short shaft and a spring, the said shaft being rotated by the first-men-
tioned short shaft and intermediate wheels. Punches and a perforated
block are provided for-punching the eyes in the blank needles. The
punches are carried by a sliding bar which is operated by an eccentric
attached to a shaft geared with the second short shaft.
The detector consists of a long bar swung on a pivot, and having on
its inner end an arm surmounted by points or feelers, which enter the
eyes of the needle blanks and on its outer end a catch so that when a
blank is not properly eyed the end of the detector will be borne down
by the blank, and the catch end raised so as to stop the feed plate until
the imperfect blank is removed. Buffers are provided whose shafts are
belted to a countershaft below the table of the machine, the purpose
of these buffer wheels being to remove the burr from the eyes of the
blanks and burnish the same after the punching operation. The con-
ductors guide the needle blanks delivered by the progressive rollers
to the parallel rotating carrying screws which carry the blanks over
and on a double set of grinding, pointing, and finishing rollers, whereon
the extreme ends of the needle blanks are pointed and burnished, the
said blanks being rotated in their passage by an endless friction belt.
The latter has a tightener composed of a pawl and a ratchet wheel, the
said belt being driven by connections with the main shaft, the carrying
screws being also connected with the said main shaft. Another set of
parallel carrying screws provided with friction belts for rotating the
needle blanks is placed on opposite sides of the first set of carrying
screws for the purpose of aiding them by additional bearings to hold the
blanks during the operation of separating the needles and polishing the
needle heads by the cutter wheel. The threads of this second set
of rotating carrying screws are made of a finer pitch than those of
the other set of screws for the purpose of deflecting the blank from
a straight line, thereby affording the cutter wheel an opportunity to
cut and polish the heads of the needles. The said screws deliver the
finished needles at the end of the machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th February 1870.
[4
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the International Patent Office," No. 8, South-
ampton Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her
special licence, that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Robert Lake, 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 In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR MAKING SEWING NEEDLES," a com-
munication to me from abroad by Francis William Mallett, of New Haven,
Connecticut, United States. of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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,
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 Robert Lake, 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 accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
This Invention relates to self-acting machines for making sewing
needles, and consists of a peculiar combination of mechanism by which
two sewing needles are made by one operation, and at one and the same
time in the following manner:
In the first place the wires or blanks being cut to the desired length

page_text: for two needles are thrown into a hopper, which has in connection with
the same a feeding device; this device conveys one blank at a time to
the first set of a series of progressive carrying rollers, which take up the
blanks in turn and carry them from one to the other; while being so
carried by the rollers the said needle blanks are stamped, the eyes
punched, and the eyes tested by a feeler which will detect the blank not
properly eyed, and will stop the feed mechanism for its removal.
Secondly. The blanks being properly stamped, eyed, and burnished
the last of the series of progressive rollers will deliver the blank by
means of a conductor to two parallel rotating carrying screws, which
carry the blank over needle pointing grinding rollers, the needle blanks
at the same time being rotated during the operation of pointing the
same by an endless friction belt.
Thirdly. The stamping, eying, and pointing being performed the. said
parallel screws will introduce the blank to two other parallel rotating
carrying screws; these screws aid in carrying the said blank (which is in
like manner rotated by endless belts) up against a cutter wheel which cuts
the blank between the eyes, separating the needles, at the same time
removing the burr from the needle heads, and finally, the said screws
discharge the finished needles at the end of the machine; thus I pro-
duce an automatic machine for making two needles by one operation,
and at one and the same time.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, I will now
describe its construction and operation by reference to the accompany-
ing Drawing, of which Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of my
improved machine; Figure 2, a front side elevation of the said machine;
Figure 3, a rear side elevation thereof; Figure 4, an elevation of the
feed end; and Figure 5, an elevation of the opposite end of the same;
Figure 6, a transverse section of the said machine taken on line a, a,
of Figure 1. Figures 7, and 9 are views of one of the progressive
rollers removed from the machine, showing the operative mechanism
for taking up, carrying, and delivering the needle blanks to the next
progressive roller as well as to the parallel carrying screws.
A indicates the driving shaft carrying a bevel wheel B, worms C, C,
spur wheel D, and pulley E, forming part of and operating the needle
machine. The bevel wheel B engages with the bevel wheel B' rotating
the shaft F which carries on its inner end a toothed wheel G, which
engages with a toothed wheel H on the end of the feed shaft I. The

page_text: al
said feed shaft carries a double-acting cam K which operates the feed
mechanism, consisting of a forked arm L (embracing the shaft i)
pin M projecting from the said arm, a coiled spring N, a lever O, and
bifurcated feed plate P which receives the needle blanks alternately from
the hopper Q and delivers the same to the progressive rollers R, 'R, &c.
(see Figures 1 and 2). These progressive carrying rollers rotate on their
shafts S, S, which are stationery and are sustained in a bearing T on the
table U of the machine. Said rollers carry toothed wheels V, V, which
engage with carrying wheels W, W, and with wheels X, X, on the feed
shaft I, by means of which motion is imparted to the series of progressive
carrying rollers as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The said carrying rollers
are furnished with catches Y, Y, and springs Y¹, Y', and are operated by
cams Z on their stationary shafts (see Figs. 7 and 9) which serve to
throw out the catches for the reception of the needle blanks and for
delivery of the same.
a is the stamp which falls on the block b for stamping the blank
preparatory to punching the eyes in the same. This stamp is operated
by a cam c on the end of the shaft and à spring e attached to the
case f, said shaft & being rotated by the shaft F and intermediate toothed
wheels d', d¹. g is the punch, and h a perforated block for punching the
eyes in the blank needles, and it consists of a sliding bar i with
punches j, j, said sliding bar being operated by an eccentric j' attached
to the shaft d³, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. is the detector, consist-
ing of a long bar swung on a pivot attached to the bearing T, and
having on its inner end an arm m surmounted by points or feelers n, n,
which enter the eyes of the needle blank, and on its outer end the
catch o, so that when a blank is not properly eyed the end m of the
detector will be borne down by the blank, and the catch end o raised,
which will catch and stop the feed plate P until the imperfect blank is
removed. p, p, are the buffers whose shafts are belted at to the
countershaft below the table U of the machine, the purpose of these
buffer wheels being to remove the burr from the eyes of the blanks and
burnish the same after the punching operation. S, S, are conductors
which guide the needle blanks delivered by the progressive rollers to the
parallel rotating carrying screws t, t. These screws carry the blanks
over and on a double set of grinding, pointing, and finishing rollers u, v,
on which the extreme ends of the needle blanks are pointed and
burnished, the said blanks being rotated in their passage by an endless
friction belt w having a tightener composed of a pawl x and a ratchet

page_text: are
wheely (see Fig. 3), said belt being driven by connections with the
main shaft A consisting of the shafts 2, z, worm wheels a', a', and
wornis C, C, on the said main shaft, while the carrying screws
connected with said main shaft by a train of wheels c', c', and D, as
shown in Fig. 5. e, e', are another set of parallel carrying screws
with friction belts e, e, for rotating the needle blanks placed on
opposite sides of the carrying screws t, t, for the purpose of aiding the
screws t, t, by additional bearings to hold the blanks during the
operation of separating the needles and polishing the needle heads by
the cutter wheel f'. Furthermore the threads of these rotating carrying
screws e, e', are of a finer pitch than the screws t, t, for the purpose of
deflecting the blank from a straight line, thereby affording the cutter
wheel fan opportunity to cut and polish the heads of the needles.
And finally the said screws with the screws t, t, deliver the finished
needles at the end g¹ of the machine.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim,-
First. The series of progressive carrying rollers R, R, each provided
with a holding device Y, Y, Y', Y, Z, for holding the wires or needle
blanks in position during the operations of stamping, eyeing, and re-
moving the burr from the eyes of the blanks, substantially as described
and set forth.
Second. The detector k, l, m, o, with eye feelers n, n, in combination
with the reciprocating feed p for detecting the eyeless blanks and
stopping the feed, substantially as set forth and specified.
Third. The feed mechanism K, L, M, N, O, P, in combination with
the progressive carrying rollers R, R, substantially as and for the
purposes described and set forth.
Fourth. In combination with the progressive carrying rollers R, R,
the stamping press a and b, punches g, j, j, and block h, substantially
as and for the purposes specified and set forth.
Fifth. In combination with the progressive carrying rollers R, R, the
buffers p, p, for removing the burr from the eyes of the blank needle
after stamping and punching the same, substantially as set forth and
described.
Sixth. In combination with the progressive carrying rollers R, R, the
parallel rotating carrying screws t, t, and e¹, e', for carrying and holding

page_text: the needle blanks in position during the operations of grinding and
pointing the said blanks on the rollers u, u, and v, v, and separating
the needles by the cutter wheel f', substantially as set forth and
described.
Seventh. In combination with the progressive carrying rollers and
'carrying screws the friction belts e, e, and w, with pawl x and ratchet
y for rotating the needle blank in its passage while carried by the
rotating screws, substantially as and for the purposes described and
set forth.
Eighth. The improved automatic or self-acting machine herein
described, constructed, arranged, and operating so as to feed and present
the wires or needle blanks for action of its operative parts whereby the
needles (two at a time) are finished and discharged from the machine,
substantially as described and set forth...
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
H. J. GEDGE,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
S, Southampton Buildings,
London.