IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."-A com-
munication from abroad by Maria Procopé and Bengt August
Stenman, both of Stockholm, Sweden.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 24th October 1871.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES,"
a communication, to be as follows:-
:-
Although the sewing machines hitherto used are ingeniously con-
structed they have essential faults which cause great inconvenience,
loss of time, and expense, particularly to tradesmen. These defects are

page_text: found entirely or partly in all systems of sewing machines, and are as
follows:-
1st. In sewing all kinds of thick and uneven stuffs defective stitches
often arise, because the presser operates alike along its length, by which,
if the stuff is thinner in the middle of the presser, this must then
remain without any pressure; by this means a so-called faulty stitch is
produced. I remedy this difficulty by applying a so-called " support
and press pin," which partly supports the needle during the whole time,
by which means it is not so often broken, and partly presses on the
stuff beside the needle, and at the same moment that the stitch is taken,
and therefore all faulty stitches are prevented.
"
2nd. The embroidering of sharp angles, such as those on the upper
part of the cuffs of a coat, cannot be made without much trouble and
great loss of time, and without a guide. Neither can the so-called
passe poil" seam be made. In order to remedy all these difficulties
a horizontal guide is employed in the first case, with a motion both
curvilinear and rectilinear; the said guide is screwed to the cloth plate,
and is easily managed with the hand. In the second case a vertical
guide is employed, which is screwed between two plates provided for
this purpose, and its position is fixed according to the breadth of the
scam of tho "passe poil."
3rd. In sewing thin stuffs, such as linen, folds often arise, by which
the travel of the stuff at the proper speed is prevented. This difficulty
is relieved partly by the aforesaid "support and press pin" and partly
by applying a chain which is fastened with one of its ends to the
presser and with the other end to a screw, by which the weight of the
presser may be regulated as desired. Instead of the chain a "female
screw may be applied on the upper part of the presser bar, by which
the weight of the presser may be regulated.
"
4th. The thread is not brought in of sufficient length, and therefore
is broken by the shuttle, as is frequently the case for instance in the
"Grover and Baker" machines. By my Invention a vertical bar, called
the "thread conductor," is applied, provided with a hole through which
the thread passes, and fastened to the lever which gives motion to the
needle bar. The thread conductor by this means receives the same
motion as the lever, and also receives relatively to the needle bar a
divergent upward and convergent downward motion, by which a longer

page_text: thread is brought to the shuttle, as will be necessary if thicker stuffs
are to be sewn.
5th. A great wear of the shuttle takes place, because during its
motion forward and backward it is pressed down towards its bed or race.
This is prevented partly by applying two springs operating against each
other and on the shuttle, so that the shuttle lies loose during the whole
passage, and is pressed against the race only at the moment when the
stitch is to be formed, and partly by providing the shuttle carrier with
a bottom, by which the shuttle lying in it is not exposed to wear on its
under side.
6th. The spooling cannot be accomplished by the machine without all
its parts being put in motion, and therefore the different parts of the
machine are uselessly worn. This is prevented by my Invention in a
very simple manner, viz., by applying two pullies, by means of which
the motion from the principal wheel of the machine is transferred to
the thread-spool spindle, so that the spooling may be effected in a simple
and easy manner by adjusting the strap.
These improvements may either entirely or partly be applied to any
of the present systems of sewing machines, but as the parts may bo
arranged in many different ways, according to the peculiar construction
of the sewing machine, I do not limit myself to any particular arrange-
ment.
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 24th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence

page_text: I
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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad by Maria
Procopé and Bengt August Stenman, both of Stockholm, Sweden, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake,
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 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:-
Although the sewing machines hitherto used are ingeniously con-
structed they have essential faults which cause great inconvenience,
loss of time, and expense, particularly to tradesmen. These defects are
found entirely or partly in all systems of sewing machines, and are as
follows:
First. In sewing all kinds of thick and uneven stuffs defective stitches
often arise, because the presser operates alike along its length, by which
if the stuff is thinner in the middle of the presser this must then
remain without any pressure; by this means a so-called faulty stitch is
produced. I remedy this difficulty by applying a so-called "support
and press pin,” which partly supports the needle during the whole time,
by which means it is not so often broken, and partly presses on the stuff
beside the needle, and at the same moment that the stitch is taken,
and therefore all faulty stitches are prevented.
Second. The embroidering of sharp angles, such as those on the upper
part of the cuffs of a coat, cannot be made without much trouble and

page_text: great loss of time, and without a guide.
"
Neither can the so-called
'passe poil" seam be made. In order to remedy all these difficulties
a horizontal guide is employed in the first case, with a motion both
curvilinear and rectilinear; the said guide is screwed to the cloth plate,
and is easily managed with the hand. In the second case a vertical
guide is employed, which is screwed between two plates provided for
this purpose, and its position is fixed according to the breadth of the
seam of the "passe poil."
Third. In sewing thinner stuffs, such as linen, folds often arise, by
which the travel of the stuff at the proper speed is prevented. This
difficulty is relieved partly by the aforesaid "support and press pin " and
partly by applying a chain which is fastened with one of its ends to the
presser and with the other end to a screw, by which the weight of the
presser may be regulated as desired. Instead of the chain a "female
screw may be applied on the upper part of the presser bar, by which
the weight of the presser may be regulated.
"
Fourth. The thread is not brought in of sufficient length, and there-
forc is broken by the shuttle as is frequently the case for instance in the
"Grover and Baker" machines. By my Invention a vertical bar, called
the "thread conductor," is applied, provided with a hole through which
the thread passes, and fastened to the lever which gives motion to the
necdle bar. The thread conductor by this means receives the same
motion as the lever, and also receives relatively to the needle bar a
divergent upward and convergent downward motion, by which a longer
thread is brought to the shuttle, as will be necessary if thicker stuffs are
to be sewn.
Fifth. A great wear of the shuttle takes place, because during its
motion forward and backward it is pressed down towards its bed or race.
This is prevented partly by applying two springs operating against each
other and on the shuttle, so that the shuttle lies loose during the whole
passage, and is pressed against the race only at the moment when the
stitch is to be formed, and partly by providing the shuttle carrier with
a bottom, by which the shuttle lying in it is not exposed to wear on its
under side.
Sixth. The spooling cannot be accomplished by the machine without
all its parts being put in motion, and therefore the different parts of the
machine are uselessly worn. This is prevented by my Invention in a

page_text: very simple manner, viz., by applying two pullies, by means of which
the motion from the principal wheel of the machine is transferred to the
thread-spool spindle, so that the spooling may be effected in a simple
and easy manner by adjusting the strap.
These improvements may cither entirely or partly be applied to any
of the present systems of sewing machines, but as the parts may be
arranged in many different ways, according to the peculiar construction
of the sewing machine, I do not limit myself to any particular arrange-
E

page_text: ance is secured; the lower bent end of the "support and press pin "
inay also be provided with a hole in which the needle may move.
Second. Instead of the usual ruler, that shewn in Figure 5 is applied.
On the old ruler the border standing upwards by e' is taken away, and
instead of that the ruler a³ moving on the hinge dª is applied. When
it is to be employed it is fastened by the screw through the oblong
hole c' to the iron plate C, by which the ruler gets a double motion,
both curvilinear and rectilinear, and may thus be easily applied to all
kinds of seams, even where sharp angles arise. When"
seams are to be made, the ruler shewn in Figure 4 is employed, which
with the end is put between the plates x and y, and is screwed there
by the screw s. The plates x and y are fastened by a double bent
bar a¹ to the presser 6', and may thus at the same time by means of the
lever c³ be lifted up or let down.
ธ
passe poil"
Third. It is clear that the presser must not operate with similar
weight when thin and soft stuff is to be sewn as with thick stuff, for
by applying so great a weight of the presser for bringing forth the thin
stuff it is held two hard, and folds arise in the seam, which when these
folds are afterwards made even with the hand causes the thread to be
torn off, and occasions much trouble. In order to remedy this the
screw is applied, moving in the guide e, and is in the lower end
provided with a button moving in the socket fs, to which one end of
the rod is fastened, while its other end is fastened to the presser.
By means of the female screw h¹ it is thus possible to vary the operation
according to circumstances. Instead of this arrangement there may
for instance be a female screw applied on the upper part of the presser
bar i, by which the same operation is caused, or it may be caused in
any other manner.
Fourth. To remedy this inconvenience the thread conductor is
applied on the lever b, and thus receives the same motion. The needle
conductor a has a hole in its upper end through which the thread is
conducted, and brings to the machine the longer thread which is
required for sewing thicker stuffs.
Fifth. The shuttles are by the present arrangements soon worn out;
this is remedied partly by applying the spring on the wall of the
shuttle carrier, through which it goes, by which means it rests with
its end m¹ on the shuttle, and the spring n¹ is so applied that it operates

page_text: on the spring at the same moment that the stitch is to be made, and
partly by the shuttle carrier being provided with a bottom on which the
shuttle may rest.
Sixth. By lifting the drawing latches from the principal wheel of the
machine to the pulley p' the motion is transmitted by the pullies p*
and to the thread roll sitting on the latter and on the spindle g². By
this means the spooling may easily be accomplished without the machine
being worn.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
EDWARD C. JACKSON.
W”. ROB³. LAKE. ‹(L.S.)