IMPROVE. MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hobert Henry Bishop, of Bristol, in the State of
Connecticut, United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES,"
Sealed the 27th September 1860, and dated the 2nd July 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hobert Henry Bishop
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, ou
the 2nd July 1860.
I, HOBERT HENRY BISHOP, of Bristol, in the State of Connecticut, United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
I make use of a needle having an eye near the point carrying a thread,
which passes into the cloth, and is concatenated with itself ora second thread
beneath the cloth, thereby performing sewing.
My Invention consists in moving the cloth along by a sideways motion given
to the needle while terminating its downward stroke, and for this purpose an
armor bent lever moving with the needle bar takes au adjustable stop,and the
continuation of the downward movement communicates the requiredamountof
side movement to the needle for feeding the cloth along, and spacing off cach
successive stitch, the needle returning each stitch to its former position. I
make use of a spring foot holding the goods down to the bed, and communicatea
[Price d

page_text: reciprocating motion to the needle and bar, carrying the same from a vibrating
lever whose fulcrum is in the arm that stands over the bed. The lower end
of this lever is connected to a slide under the bed of the machine, which slide
carries an adjustable looper, having a spring at the side thereof, and eyes for
the second thread from a spool below the machine bed. The looper passes
through the loop of needle thread, theneedle draws up and comes down between
the looper and the spring, these draw back, drop the previous loop of needle
thread around the loop of second thread, and then take a new loop of needle
thread, and so on. A revolving shaft, crank, and connecting rod give motion
to the lever and other parts of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hobert Henry Bishop in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HOBERT
HENRY BISHOP, of Bristol, in the State of Connecticut, United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, A.D. One thousund 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 Hobert Henry
Bishop, Her special license that I, the said Hobert Henry Bishop, my exe.
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Hobert
Henry Bishop, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Chaunel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Hobert Henry Bishop, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 alter the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Hobert Henry Bishop, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
Fig. 1 is a side view of my sewing machine;
"
"
"
-
2 is an inverted plan shewing the parts beneath the bed;
3 is an end view, with the needle at the end ofitsdescending movement;
4 is a side view in full size of the looper; and
5 is an inverted plan of the said looper. Similar letters and numbers
indicate the same parts.
My said Invention relates to a manner of feeding the cloth by the needle,
and for this purpose 1 cause the needle to pass vertically into the cloth, and
then,as it completes its descending movement, I communicate a lateral motion
to the needle that moves the cloth or article being sewed. I also provide a
peculiar looping instrument that concatenates a second or under thread with
that passing through the eye-pointed needle.
I will now proceed to describe the construction and operation.
tent
In the Drawing, a is a metallic bed of any desired size or shape, upon the
surface of which an arm bis attached, said arm overhanging sufficiently to give
the room required for the cloth or work between the needle at the end of said
arm and the base of the arm itself. The arın b is formed with a vertical eud c
that is slotted to receive the needle slide d, and this is vibrated by the lever e,
see dotted lines, Fig. 1; this lever e is on a fulcrum 1, and receives motion from
the connecting rod f to a crank pin 2 on a shaft g, that is revolved by compe-
The needle slide d is connected at its upper end by a screw 3 to
power.
the needle bar h,at the lower end of which is the eye-pointed needlei; and the
needle bar h has a lug projecting under the lower end of the slide d, where it
enters a cross groove, so that the needle bar h and slide d are held to each
other, but the bar h is permitted to vibrate on the screw 3 in a plane parallel
to the end c of the arm b; k is a bent lever introduced between d ande, having
its fulcrum on d, and one end taking a lug on the back of the needle bar (see
dotted lines, Fig. 2); 4 is a fixed stop in the face of e; and 5 is a stop adjust-
able by a screw or other means; is a foot pressed ou to the cloth to keep it
down by the spring m (Fig. 1), and this pressure foot is fitted on to a slide
that extends up into the part c, and has several holes near the upper end. By
placing one arm of the spring m in one of these holes, the other arm resting
against c,the pressure of the foot on the cloth can be varied, according to which
hole the spring is entered into.
Cloth or other material to be sewed being entered between the bed a and
the foot 2, the machine is set in motion. As the needle completes its upward

page_text: movement, the bentlever takes against the stop 4, and swings the needle bar
into a vertical position, the needle, the bar, the slide, and the lever descend
vertically until the lever takes the adjustable stop 5, which causes the needle
to move laterally as the downward stroke is completed, by which movement
the needle slides the cloth along under the foot the required amount, so that
after the needle is returned to the vertical position as it completes its upward
movement, the point again penetrates the cloth on the downward movement at
the distance from the previous perforation required for the stitching, and the
length of stitch is determined by adjusting the stop 5. Instead of having the
needle bar attached by the screw 3, it might be set on a small cross slide
on the needle slide, and at right angles to the same.
り
Having thus described the manner of moving the cloth each stitch, I proceed
to state the manner of looping or concatenating the stitches to perform the
sewing. The thread from the spool n passes a suitable apparatus 6, to regulate
the tension, and to the spring eye 7, thence through the eye-pointed needle i.
Beneath the bed a is an arm o to the lever e, which arm connects to and
vibrates the slide p; 2 is a lever on the fulcrum 8, receiving motion from
the slotted plate 9 on the slide p. At the end of this lever is a looper », in
the back end of which is a pin 10, pressed to the stop plates s by the spring 11,
that acts against the side of the opening in the main iron bed, upon which bed
is a smaller one of sheet metal, having only a sufficient opening for the needle
and the vibration thereof. The other end of this looper r is formed as a
point 12, against the side of which one end of the spring 11 lies. The lower
or second thread from the spool t passes through eyes in this looper 7, as seen
by the blue lines. The plates s are adjusted on the pin 13 by the screws 14,15,
so that as the looping point 12 is projected by the motion of the lever 1, the
said point just clears the needle and enters a loop formed in the needle thread
by the rising of said needle, the needle on again perforating the cloth enters
between the point 12 and the end of the spring 11,behind the eye,carrying the
second thread, so that as the looper draws back it leaves a loop of second
thread around the needle and drops the previous loop of needle thread around
the loop of second thread, and goes forward and takes a new loop of needle
thread, and so on, the loops passing alternately around each other,and being con-
catenated, as set forth. The sewing on the cloth presents a series of stitches on
one side, and interwoven loops on the other. The looper in all instances as it
draws back with the needle between the point 12 and spring 11 opens, because
the spring is very slight, in fact, the only office performed by said spring is to
keep the second thread clear of the needle as said needle descends, and ensure
the taking of a loop.

page_text: What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,operating a vibrating
eye-pointed needle to feed the cloth by means of the lever and stops 4, 5,
as set forth.
I also claim the arrangement of the looping instrument r, spring 11, and
stop plates s, acting in the manner and for the purposes set forth.
And I claim a series of holes in the bar of the pressure foot l, for regulating
the force of the spring m in its action on said pressure foot, as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hobert Henry Bishop, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of August, A.D. One thousand
eight hundred and sixty.
Witnesses,
LEMUEL W. SERRELL,
121, Nassau Street, New York, U.S.,
THO. GEO. HAROLD,
121, Nassau Street, New York, U.S.
H. H. BISHOP. (L.S.)