IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, FOR SEWING AND OVER- SEAMING SACKS, Bags, and CARPETS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Salter Hall, of Monterey, in the County of Monterey,
and State of California, one of the United States of America, Gentleman, for tho
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, FOR SEWING AND OVER-
SEAMING SACKS, Bags, and CARPETS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
Sealed the 30th June 1876, and dated the 12th May 1876.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Salter Hall at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th May 1876.
JOHN SALTER HALL, of Monterey, County of Monterey, and State of California,
one of the United States of America, Gentleman. " IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINE FOR SEWING AND OVER-SEAMING SACKS, BAGS, AND CARPETS, AND FOR
OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
My said Invention consists in a novel construction and combination together of a
shuttle and needle in one instrument, so arranged with other necessary parts as to
produce an over-hand stitch with a single thread, as will be more fully described
herein-after.
The accompanying Drawing shows in Figure 1 a side elevation of my machine;
Figure 2, a top view; Figure 3, a sido elevation, taken from the side opposite to
that shown in Figure 1.
Figures 4, 5, and 6, views in detail of the shuttle, and needle, and loop spreader;
Figure 7, a view of the stitch.
The shuttle race A has a carrier B whose motions back and forth beneath the
cloth plate Care produced by the slotted lever D, the cam D', and the link D².
The shuttle C' is of the ordinary shape except that it has combined with it a
curved needle c, with an eye at its point. The needle is so arranged that it lies
against the side or face of the shuttle when in its lowest position, with its point
projecting above the line of the shuttle at its front end, the other end of the needle
being pivoted at d to the heel of the shuttle; thus as the shuttle reciprocates the
point of the needle striking against the edge of the needle slot in the cloth plateis
raised and forced through the material to be sewed as it lies upon the plate beneath
the presser foot E. F is the looper that reciprocates up and down through an
opening in the cloth plate, its motion is given by the cam F, through the agency
of the lever F, F'. The office of this looper F is to seize the loop of needle thread
above the material, and draw it down and over the edge of the cloth, and hold it

page_text: in the path of the shuttle so that upon the return movement of the shuttle, it and
the needle c passes through the loop. G is a curved take-up lever operated from
the grooved cam G'; it moves through a slot beneath the cloth plate over the
shuttle, and its point is provided with a horn or finger g to engage with the thread
as it moves over the top of the shuttle.
The motions of the take-up lever are so timed with respect to the movements of
the shuttle, that its point is in contact with the thread at the time the shuttle has
renched its farthest point forward, and as it begins to travel towards the cloth plate
to make another stitch, the lever G is thrown out over the shuttle, drawing with it
the thread; but as the needle arrives at the slot in the cloth plate, and is about to
enter the material the take-up lever is moved backward, to allow the thread to
Blacken as it is carried through the material by the needle. Thus at each move-
ment of this looper enough thread is drawn from the shuttle bobbin to form the
stitch, and all the strain is taken from the needle.
Figure 1 shows the position of the shuttle after the needle has passed through the
cloth, and its loop is about to be seized by the looper F.
When this movement
takes place and the looper is drawing down the loop of thread over the edge of the
cloth a slight return motion is given to the shuttle and its needle that the looper
may pass down in front of the point of the shuttle, this motion being necessary to
allow the looper to clear the point of the shuttle, that it may pass through the loop
without fail. The first position of the shuttle and the take-up lever G, as the
shuttle is moving towards the material is shown in Fig. 2. The feed motion H
is produced by means of the face cain H' and the lever H; the length of stitch
is regulated by means of the thumb screw I. The shuttle is held down within
the race by means of the hinged cradle J upon the carrier, and also by the spline
upon the face of the shuttle race that moves in a slot b in the side of the shuttle C',
thus the pull or strain upon the thread in the process of forming the stitch, cannot
throw the shuttle out of place or its needle out of line with the looper.
Figure 4 shows the arrangement of the shuttlo and needle, also the combination
with these parts of the looper; the first position of the shuttle shows the needle as
it is about to pass up through the cloth, and also the position of the looper; the
second position shows the looper as it has engaged with the loop of thread and is
drawing it down in front of the shuttle point. While this step in the process of
forming a stitch is taking place, the point of the needle rests upon the projecting
ledge or nose e upon the cloth plate (as shown in Fig. 1), whereby the pull or strain
of the thread upon the needle is prevented from bending it or drawing it out of
line.
These several parts as combined in the manner above described and illustrated
operate to produce an overhand or button-hole stitch with a single thread, the
shuttle thread being carried up through the cloth by the needle, and the loop being
drawn over the edge of the cloth and down in front of the point of the shuttle,
that it may pass through its loop upon the return movement.
The needle is pivoted to the side of the shuttle at the heel d, so as to turn freely,
and its shape is made of such a curve that as the two motions of it and the shuttle
take place in carrying the thread through the cloth, the needle may pass into and
out of it with the least possible friction and strain upon the needle.
The stitch formed by the operation of the needle and shuttle as above constructed
is shown in detail in Fig. 7 of the Drawing, the thread being drawn over the edges
of the material is laid in a loop or doubled manner on the top of the cloth, while the
lower thread loops on the under side from the action of the feed in spacing the
stitches is laid singly or separately, the loops of both the upper and lower parts of
each stitch being united with each other on the edge of the material, the advantage
possessed by this stitch is, that when the two parts of the material are pulled apart
the strain upon the stitch tends to force the edges together the more tightly.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention together with the
manner in which the same is to be performed I claim,-
First. In a sewing machine the combination together in one instrument of a

page_text: shuttle and a needle, the former provided with a bobbin and tension, and the needle
pivoted to its face and made of a suitable curve to operate in the manner herein
shown and described to produce an overhand stitch with a single thread.
Second. In a sewing machine the combination with the needle and shuttle above
claimed of the looper F, constructed as shown and described, to carry the loop of
the shuttle thread down below the point of the shuttle.
Third. In combination with the shuttle and needle above claimed the take-up
lever G constructed and operated in the manner shown and described for the
purpose specified.
Fourth. The cloth plate C with its projecting ledge e as support for the needle c
and slot i, to hold and strip the cloth from the needle, when combined with the
needle and shuttle above claimed.
Fifth. The overhand stitch formed of a single thread with its loops laid in the
manner herein-above described and shown, when produced by means of the
mechanism or equivalent herein-above set forth and claimed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Salter Hall, have hereunto set my hand,
the Nineteenth day of April, A.D. 1876.