IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David McConnel Smyth, of Orange, in the State
of New Jersey, United States of America, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 20th May 1873, and dated the 18th February 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David McConnel Smyth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th February 1873.
I, DAVID MCCONNEL SMYTH, of Orange, in the State of New Jersey,
5 United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
In Letters Patent granted to me in Great Britain, November 22nd
1871, No. 3166, and April 16th 1872, No. 1131, a feed mechanism is
shewn in which an ornamental stitch can be made in a zig-zag or
O undulating line. This does not provide for producing a line of stitching
at right angles to the regular line of sewing.
In my present improvements there are two feeding movements, the
first is the regular or ordinary feed movement in one direction, and the

page_text: second is a lateral feed movement at right angles to the first. These
two movements when acting at the same time produce a diagonal line
of stitching, first in one direction or the other, but to produce what is
known as the Grecian pattern it is necessary to use, first, the longitudinal
feed, then the lateral feed in one direction, while the longitudinal feed is
stopped, then the longitudinal feed is again brought into action, and
afterwards the lateral feed is brought into action in the other direction.
The mechanism is constructed so as to effect these movements, one class
of feed being locked out of action during the action of the other, the
different feeds being brought automatically into operation at the proper
time, according to the character of the line of stitching. The cam that
effects these various actions is to be rotated once during a given number
of stitches, and with a wheel feed suspends its revolving mechanism
while it receives a movement endwise of the shaft, and the reverse, and
with a reciprocating feed mechanism the cam brings into action the
lateral feed in either direction, and simultaneously suspends the longi-
tudinal feed for a given number of stitches, or allows both to act for
diagonal sewing. This device is especially adapted to ornamental
stitching for gaiters, shoes, or similar articles, and by varying the cam a
great variety of stitching can be produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David McConnel Smyth in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
McCONNEL SMYTH, of Orange, in the State of New Jersey, United States 2
of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said David McConnel Smyth
Her special licence that I, the said David McConnel Smyth, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as. I, the said David
McConnel Smyth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
k

page_text: 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 David McConnel Smyth, 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 per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David McConnel Smyth, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 made to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
In Letters Patent granted to me in Great Britain, Nov. 22nd. 1871,
No. 3166, and April 16th, 1872, No. 1131, a feed mechanism is shown
in which an ornamental stitch can be made in a zig-zag or undulating
line.
In my present Invention there are two feeding movements; the first is
the regular or ordinary feed movement in one direction, and the second
is a lateral feed movement at right angles to the first. These two
movements when acting at the same time produce a diagonal line of
stitching, first in one direction, and then in the other; but to produce
what is known as the Grecian pattern, it is necessary to use one feed at
a time, the other being locked out of action so that the longitudinal feed
is used, then the lateral feed in one direction (while the longitudinal
feed is stopped), then the longitudinal feed is again brought into action,
and afterwards the lateral feed is brought into action in the other
direction. The mechanism is constructed so as to effect these move-
ments, one class of feed being locked out of action during the action of
the other, the different feeds being brought automatically into operation
at the proper time, according to the character of the line of stitching.
The cam that effects these various actions is to be rotated once during a

page_text: given number of stitches, and with a wheel feed suspends its revolving
mechanism while it receives a movement endwise of the shaft, and the
reverse, and with a reciprocating feed mechanism the cam brings into
action the lateral feed in either direction, and simultaneously suspends
the longitudinal feed for a given number of stitches, or allows both to.
act for diagonal sewing. This device is especially adapted to ornamental
stitching for gaiters, shoes, &c., and by varying the cam a great variety
of stitching can be produced.
action the facial cu
апсспондили
the longitudinal feed for a given number of stitches, or allows both to
act for diagonal sewing. This device is especially adapted to ornamental
stitching for gaiters, shoes, &c., and by varying the cam a great variety
of stitching can be produced.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of the feed wheel of a sewing
machine fitted with my improvements; Fig. 2 is a section of the same at
the line x, x.
Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the feeding mechanism adapted to a
sewing machine with a reciprocating feed; Fig. 4 is a side view of the
same; Fig. 5 is a section at the line y, y, Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a separate
view of the cam and fingers; and Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11, represent
some of the lines of stitching that may be produced in this machine.
a is the feed wheel with its clamps b, springs c, and actuating lever d,
all of any usual character, and e is the revolving shaft with the cam f,
that gives motion to the feed lever d. The link o from the crank pin 4
to the oscillating pawl plate p and pawl n¹ that act upon the teeth 3 of
the cylinder 1, and rotate the same progressively one complete revolution
while the sewing mechanism makes a given number of stitches. There
is a tubular bearing at one end of the cylinder for the pawl plate p,
and the ratchet wheel 3 is secured by a nut 5. This cylinder is mounted
upon the sleeve i that is upon the fixed gudgeon h, and confined thereto
between a shoulder and the nut 6. The feed wheel has a tubular
bearing around h, and upon this the cylinder or grooved cam n is
attached or made as one piece. This cam n is made as a groove in a
cylinder, and the cylinder is within the cylinder 2, and there is
opportunity for the cam n to slide with the feed wheel in the line of the
axis of such feed wheel and within the cylinder 1, when there is a lateral
movement given to the feed wheel by the screw that passes through 1,
and the end is within the cam groove of n. It will now be understood
that as the cylinder is revolved progressively it will give a lateral feed
by the movement of the wheel a endwise of its axis, and according to
the shape of the groove in n so the line of stitching will be more or less
zig-zag or waving.

page_text: The before-mentioned parts may be used alone in performing orna-
mental sewing in zig-zag or waving lines, but when it is necessary to
arrest the ordinary longitudinal feed movement during a certain number
of stitches while the lateral feed only is operative then I make use of
the locking lever t, that is made with a latch at 15, that holds the stud
of the feeding lever d in such a position that the cam ƒ does not act
upon said lever d; hence the feed wheel will not be rotated upon its
axis until one of the cams or projections v upon the cylinder presses
back the lever t, moving and holding the latch 15 out of contact with
the stud of the lever d, and the projection v or the arc 8 upon the lever t
is of the length required to keep the latch 15 out of action while the
desired number of stitches are being taken and the feed wheel is moving
the fabric longitudinally. In place of revolving the cylinder by a
/
ratchet wheel and pawl a pinion might might be employed and act con-
tinuously to rotate the cylinder 1, and I remark that the screw » may be
withdrawn to throw out the laterally opérative parts when the machine is
used for straight sewing.
Figs 3, 4, 5, & 6 show a reciprocating feed, the bed a of the sewing
machine, the actuating shaft 6 and its cam, shuttle lever d and its race:
way e, are of any usual character. The feed bar f is provided with a
diagonal spring g to draw the said bar toward the adjusting screw h, and
also to move the same towards the cam 7 that gives the feeding surface
an up and down movement, and the cam k gives an end movement to
This
the said bar f except when it is locked by the spring lever m.
lever m has a projection 3 that takes against a pin 20 upon the bar 18,
and arrests the endwise movement of said feed bar fat the time the
cam has given the extreme movement, thereby the projection 3
The lever m is
prevents the return of the lever toward the cam l.
brought into action periodically by a revolving cam 4 that is upon a stud
or shaft i, and is operated by a ratchet wheel 5, pawl 6, and sliding or
swinging bar n. This bar n is moved by the lever o and connecting
The roughened
rod p to the crank pin 7 on the end of the shaft b.
surface 8, Fig. 5, of the feed is upon a bar 18 that is carried by the
lever f, and this bar allows the feed to be moved laterally without regard
to the longitudinal feed movement derived from the cam k. A pin upon
a projection from 18 enters a slot in a transverse slider that is operated
by the rocking levers that vibrates upon the center 10, and has a slot
for the pin 11 upon said slide r. The bar 18 vibrates upon the lever ƒ,

page_text: and the slide is provided with springs that bring the parts to a central
or normal position when not otherwise operated upon. The rocking
lever 8 is jointed at its ends to the two fingers t, t, that are drawn
toward each other and toward the cams 15 and 16 by a spring 17.
The cams 15 and 16 are connected with and revolved by the ratchet
wheel 5, and these cams are revolved once during the proper number of
stitches of the sewing mechanism, the wheel 5 being moved one tooth
each stitch. The cams 15, 16, and 4 are shaped in such a way as to
bring into action the fingert or t¹ or the lever m at the proper time.
Upon the sliding bar n is a set screw v that moves with said bar n, and
gives motion to either the finger t or t¹, and through it to the rocking
lever 8, slider, bar 18, and roughened feed surface 8. The cams 15 and
10 in their revolution may open the fingers t, t¹, so that the end of the
screw passes in between them and does not move either, in which case
the ordinary longitudinal feed movement only is given from the bar f
and cam k. If however the cam 15 or 16 allows the fingert to be
moved by the spring 17 into the path of the screw v (scc Fig. 6) an end
movement will be given that produces a lateral feed in one direction, or
if the screw v comes into contact with the finger t¹ the lateral feed will
be in the opposite direction. If the lateral feed is operative at the same
time as the longitudinal from the bar fand cam k the sewing will be in
a diagonal line, and the inclination will be either one way or the other,
and when alternated will produce a zig-zag. If the cam 4 releases the
lever m so as to lock the longitudinal feed f, k, out of action the lateral
feed will alone be operative, and by shaping and arranging the cams 15,
16, and 4 the sewing may be made in a variety of patterns, as seen in
Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11, and the length of the stitches may be varied by
adjusting the screws and h. The cams 15, 10, and 4 may be made to
produce stitching in the curved zig-zag line, or the line of stitching may
be a compound of straight and curved lines.
The lateral feeding movement in some machines can be more easily
given by moving the needle; to illustrate this movement I have shown
a machine of this character.
Fig. 12 is a side view of the machine; Fig. 13 is a front view;
Fig. 14 is a horizontal sectional view through the needle bar; and a
Fig. 15 is an inverted plan.
The noodle has in

page_text: foot is of any desired character; and the shuttle c moved beneath the
bed d is operated by competent mechanism. The feed bar e is at the
end of the lever f, and is operated by a vertical shaft g and cam 9'.
These parts however are all well known and used in machines already in
the market, and hence do not require a more detailed description.
Upon the feed bar lever f I connect an arm h, and introduce a vertical
bolt that is operated as hereafter described. When this bolt / is
allowed to descend and pass behind the arm h, as seen in Fig. 15, the
spring? cannot draw the lever f towards its actuating cam 9', hence said
cam will revolve without operating the feed e. This bolt & hence locks
out the ordinary feeding mechanism when it is allowed to descend, and
then brings into action that feed when the bolt is drawn up. To operate
the bolt k I employ a cam o that is revolved by the pawl n, oscillating
plate r, and link t that receives motion from a pin & that there is in the
needle bar a, and projects through a slot in the front plate of the sewing
machine, and the slot in the link is of such length that the link is
moved sufficiently to cause the pawl n to turn the ratchet wheel 8³,
cam o, and parts connected therewith around one tooth at a time. By
shaping the cam o in the proper manner it will act through the arm u,
shaft v, arm v¹, and link w upon the bolt k, to bring the feed bar e into
action between such stitches as may be desired, and lock it out of action
between other stitches. Adjacent to the cam o is a second cam 5 that
acts against a block 6 that is inserted within the front plate of the
machine, and projects through the same into the path of this cam 5,
and it is preferable that this block project from a loop through which
the needle bar passes, as shown, and this block 6 is made to spring
back and forth and follow the undulations of the cam, and the needle
bar is mounted so as to allow of its swinging as moved by this block,
and hence the needle is moved at right angles to the feed motion from
the bar e. When this block 6 is moved back the needle is swung into a
different position, and the stitch will not be in the usual line but at
right angles thereto, and by arranging to bring into action the lateral
movement of the needle when the usual feed motion is locked out of
action, and the reverse, or to alternate the actions, a great variety of
ornamental stitches can be produced.

page_text: previous to the return movement. This character. of machine is well
known. I improve the same by adding mechanism similar to the fore-
going.
Fig. 16 shows by an inverted plan the mechanism arranged for the
aforesaid feed bar, the side of the bed being partly in section, and Fig. 17
is a plan detached of the feed bar and its actuating parts. The ratchet &²
and pawls n are operated by the swinging plater that is moved by a
crank or eccentric on the shaft of the machine. The ratchet wheel
moves the cams o and 5 progressively, and the former acts to move the
bolt in one direction or the other. This bolt k crosses the end of the 1
bar f, and when it is projected the feed bar ceases to be operative
longitudinally because the spring I cannot draw it back against its cam
(9* not shown in this Figure 16). The feed bar f still receives its usual
rising and falling movement, and in the bed of the machine the opening
through which the feeding points project is made sufficiently wide to 1
allow the feed bar to be moved bodily in a lateral direction. This
movement is given at the proper time by the cam 5 acting through the
lever.6*, link 6³, slide c³, and bar f¹, and at the end of this bar are the
feeding points e, so that the lateral feeding movement is given by this
bar f¹ and feed points at the time the points are raised by the usual cam 1
movement, but when the bolt k is withdrawn so that the bar fis moved
back and forth by the ordinary feed cam and spring the feed is
longitudinal in the usual way. The longitudinal and lateral feed when
acting jointly produce diagonal, zig-zag, or undulating lines of sewing,
as in Figs. 8 & 10, and by shaping the cams 0 & 5 in the proper manner
a great variety of ornamental sewing, such a those represented in
Figs. 7, 9, & 11, can be produced; the feeding mechanism operating
longitudinally being temporarily locked out of action while the
mechanism is operating to give motion laterally to the fabric that is
being sewed in either direction from the ordinary line of sewing and
then the lateral action is suspended while the sewing progresses
longitudinally.

page_text: either of these motions is arrested and brought into action periodically
by automatic mechanism, substantially as set forth.
Second. The bolt k, Figs. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17, and operating
mechanism, in combination with the feeding mechanism of a sewing
machine, to suspend the action of such feed periodically, and the cam 5
for communicating a lateral feeding movement, substantially as set
forth.
In witness whercof, I, the said David M'Connel Smyth, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, A.D.
1873.
Witnesses,
8. A. DANIELS,
Lynn,
Mass.
GEORGE O. CURRIER,
Lynn,
Mass.
DAVID MCCONNEL SMYTH. (L.S.)