IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES AND APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Jones, Managing Director of the Firm Jones & Co.,
Limited, Sewing Machine Manufacturers, Guide Bridge, near, Manchester, in
"
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES AND APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Jones at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th March 1876.
WILLIAM JONES, Managing Director of the Firm Jones & Co., Limited, Sewing
Machine Manufacturers, Guide Bridge, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES AND APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH."
Firstly. My Invention relates to an improved arrangement of the presser foot
of sewing machines, and is particularly applicable to those machines where the
presser foot has to be slightly lifted after cach stitch, and it consists in securing
a forked piece to the upper edge of the box for the needle slide on the presser foot
side by means of a screw or screws passing through one leg of the forked piece, and
in causing the right angle projection from the presser foot slide to work in this
fork, and in also fitting a sliding picce in the fork which has a slot in it to permit
of end movement, this slide being secured by a screw passing through a hole in one
leg of the fork through the slot in the slide and screwing into the other leg of the
fork. By means of this screw the two legs of the fork can be drawn more or less
together, the legs being elastic, and thus the "play" can be taken away between
the fork and the right angle projection from the presser foot slide as it wears, and
thus the latter can be kept steady. The lower end of the above-mentioned sliding
piece is acted upon by the adjustable projection from the lever, which gives the
slightly lifting movement to the presser foot, and its upper end comes against and
lifts the right angle projection and thus the presser foot. The fork and the screw
between its two legs for preventing "play" is retained for such machines as do not
require the presser foot to be lifted after each stitch, but the sliding piece is
dispensed with. The presser foot is lifted and held up and turned partly round by
the ordinary lever jointed to the upper end of the slide for the presser foot.
Secondly. My Invention relates to the construction, combination, and arrange-
ment of shuttles for sewing machines, and consists, according to one modification
[Price Gd.]

page_text: in mounting the spool in the shuttle and retaining it by a hinged latch in a groove
or slit at the end of the shuttle in the ordinary manner, then in arranging the
thread to pass from the spool, first partly round a bar formed in the lengthway of
the shuttle side, then through a hole in a thin, flat spring lever hinged to the side
of the shuttle so as to be turned up to pass the thread through the hole and
through a hole in the side of the shuttle, and then turned down to press upon the
thread passing between the spring and side of the shuttle, and thus give to it the
required tension, which is varied as required by turning a screw placed at the tip
end of the shuttle with its axis at a right angle to the face side of the shuttle, the
head of the screw being cam shaped and sunk below the face of the shuttle, so that
by turning the screw or cam by a screw driver more or less pressure will be given
upon the end of the hinged flat spring lever.
Another modification of my Invention is the same as that above described, except
that the spool is kept in its place in the shuttle by a bar hinged to the side of the
shuttle, this bar having a bent end that keeps down the pivot of the spool in the
shuttle; the bar is also used to pass the thread partly round after it leaves the spool
and before it is passed through the hole in the flat spring lever.
Another modification of my Invention consists in a similar arrangement of the
shuttle to that herein first described, except that the hinged piece for retaining the
spool in the shuttle is not used, but instead of this a projection is employed from
the flat spring lever at the tip end of the shuttle.
Thirdly. My Invention relates to a system or mode of winding the thread for
the shuttles of sewing machines, and inserting and using such wound thread in
sewing machine shuttles, and consists in a thin shell of cylindrical or other suitable
form having a hole in the axis at each end and a slot in its side parallel to its
longitudinal axis extending nearly to both ends. This shell is placed so as to be
stationary in any suitable holder, so that a cone or taper spindle can rotate in its
axis, which spindle may be driven same as the ordinary winding head for shuttle
spools. When the thread is to be wound its end is passed through the slot in the
shell and through that hole in its end for the smaller end of the spindle, and may
be wound two or three times round the spindle, or its end may be passed through
a slit in the end of the spindle, then the spindle is rotated and the thread is wound
upon it, being distributed in the ordinary manner as evenly as possible until the
shell is full, then the shell is withdrawn from the spindle taking with it the thread
which forms a cop inside the shell. This is then inserted in the shuttle, one end
of the shell passing into a fixed cavity at one end of the shuttle, the other into a
moveable cavity acted upon by a spring which retains the shell in the shuttle.
The thread is unwound from the hole left in the inside of the cop by drawing the
end first attached to the spindle in winding through the hole which was nearest
the smaller end of the spindle, and it is taken to any ordinary or suitable tension
arrangement. A hole or holes in a flat spring jointed to the side of the shuttle
being preferred.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said William Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th August 1876.
WILLIAM JONES, Managing Director of the Firm Jones & Co., Limited, Sewing
Machine Manufacturers, Guide Bridge, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES AND APPARATUS USED IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH."
Firstly. My Invention relates to an improved arrangement of the presser foot of
sewing machines, and is particularly applicable to those machines where the presser
foot bas to be slightly lifted after cach stitch, and it consists in securing a forked
picce to the upper edge of the box for the needle slide on the presser foot side by
means of a screw or screws passing through one leg of the forked piece, and in

page_text: "
causing the right angle projection from the presser foot slide to work in this fork,
and in also fitting a sliding piece in the fork which has a slot in it to permit of end
movement, this slide being secured by a screw passing through a hole in one leg
of the fork through the slot in the slide and screwing into the other leg of the fork.
By means of this screw the two legs of the fork can be drawn more or less together,
the legs being elastic, and thus the " play can be taken away between the fork
and the right angle projection from the presser foot slide as it wears, and thus the
latter can be kept steady. The lower end of the above-mentioned sliding piece is
acted upon by the adjustable projection from the lever which gives the slightly
lifting movement to the presser foot, and its upper end comes against and lifts the
right angle projection, and thus the presser foot. The fork and the screw between its
two "legs" for preventing "play" is retained for such machines as do not require
the presser foot to be lifted after each stitch but the sliding piece is dispensed with.
The presser foot is lifted and held up and turned partly round by the ordinary lever
jointed to the upper end of the slide for the presser foot.
Secondly. My Invention relates to the construction, combination, and arrange-
ment of shuttles for sewing machines, and consists, according to one modification,
in mounting the spool in the shuttle and retaining it by a hinged latch in a groove
or slit at the end of the shuttle in the ordinary manner, then in arranging the
thread to pass from the spool, first partly round a bar formed in the lengthway
of the shuttle side, then through a hole in a thin flat spring lever hinged to the side
of the shuttle so as to be turned up to pass the thread through the hole and through
a hole in the side of the shuttle and then turned down; to press upon the thread
passing between the spring and side of the shuttle, and thus give to it the required
tension which is varied as required by turning a screw placed at the tip end of the
shuttle with its axis at a right angle to the face side of the shuttle, the head of
the screw being cam shaped and sunk below the face of the shuttle, so that by
turning the screw or cam by a screw driver more or less pressure will be given
upon the end of the hinged flat spring lever.
Another modification of my Invention is the same as that above described, except
that the spool is kept in its place in the shuttle by a bar hinged to the side of the
shuttle, this bar having a bent end that keeps down the pivot of the spool in the
shuttle, the bar is also used to pass the thread partly round after it leaves the
spool and before it is passed through the hole in the flat spring lever.
Another modification of my Invention consists in a similar arrangement of the
shuttle to that herein first described, except that the hinged piece for retaining
the spool in the shuttle is not used, but, instead of this a projection is employed
from the flat spring lever at the tip end of the shuttle.
Thirdly. My Invention relates to a system or mode of winding the thread for
the shuttles of sewing machines, and inserting and using such wound thread in
sewing machine shuttles, and cousists in a thin shell of cylindrical or other suitable
form having a hole in the axis at each end and a slot in its side parallel to its
longitudinal axis extending nearly to both ends. This shell is placed so as to be
stationary in any suitable holder so that a cone or taper spindle can rotate in its
axis, which spindle may be driven same as the ordinary winding head for shuttle
spools. When the thread is to be wound its end is passed through the slot in the
shell and through that hole in its end for the smaller end of the spindle, and may
be wound two or three times round the spindle, or its end may be passed through
a slit in the end of the spindle, then the spindle is rotated and the thread is wound
upon it, being distributed in the ordinary manner as evenly as possible until the
shell is full, then the shell is withdrawn from the spindle, taking with it the thread
which forms a cop inside the shell. This is then inserted in the shuttle, one end of
the shell passing into a fixed cavity at one end of the shuttle, the other into a
moveable cavity acted upon by a spring which retains the shell in the shuttle.
The thread is unwound from the hole left in the inside of the cop by drawing the
end first attached to the spindle in winding through the hole which was nearest
the smaller end of the spindle, and it is taken to any ordinary or suitable tension

page_text: arrangement. Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a front elevation, shewing part of
a sewing machine, illustrating the first part of my Invention. a is the table; a¹, the
stand part or jib; b, the needle slide; c, the presser foot slide; c¹, the presser foot; c²,
the ordinary lever for lifting and holding up the presser foot and turning it partly
round when up; c³, a projection from the side of the presser slide which works in the
slot in the side of needle and presser foot slide box. To the fast side of this box
the forked piece (c) (shown detached by Fig. 3 a side, and Fig. 4 an edge view) is
attached by two screws d¹ passing through one leg of the forked piece; e is a small
slide with a slot in it (shown detached by Fig. 5 a side, and Fig. 6 an edge view),
and e¹ is a screw which passes through one leg of the forked piece through the slot
in the slide, and screws into the other leg of the forked picce d. By the last
named screw the fork can be made to fit close to the projection as it wears,
so as to provent "play;" f is the lever having its fulcrum at f¹ for giving the
lifting movement to the presser foot to release it from the fabric being sewn after each
stitch. The, descending arm carries a bowl which is acted upon by a cam surface on
the side of the driving pulley g, the horizontal arm has a right angle piece f2, which
can be adjusted and secured in the arm by a screw f³ as shown, so as to act upon
the slide e and give more or less lift or no lift at all as may be required to the
presser foot. f is a small helical spring, secured to the table at one end and to the
arm at the other end, to keep the right angle piece f² against the slide e. Fig. 7 is
a view looking at the face of the shuttle, Fig. 8 one side Fig. 9 the other side, and
Fig. 10 a longitudinal section of a shuttle, illustrating one modification of a shuttle
forming the improvements under the second head of my Invention. h, shell of
shuttle, spool, one end of which fits a hole at the tip end of the shuttle, the other
end of the spool fits a slot at the other end of the shuttle, and is secured by an hinged
piece in an ordinary manner. The thread passes from the spool round the bar
formed out of the side of the shuttle by making a slot h² as shown, and then crosses
to a hole in a flat spring (), hinged to the side of the shuttle at j¹, and then passes
through a hole h³ in the side of the shuttle. The thread is thus pressed between
the spring j and side of the shuttle. The spring can be turned up to "thread" the
shuttle as shown in Fig. 10 in dotted line; when pressed down its end comes
against a cam or excentric headed screw jx, which is screwed at the tip of the shuttle
as shown. By turning this screw by a screw driver more or less pressure is put
upon the spring as required. The end of the spring also acts as a pawl to prevent
the screw from being turned more than is necessary. Fig. 11 is a face view, and
Fig. 12 a longitudinal section of another shuttle according to my Invention. The
arrangement for putting pressure upon the thread is the same as that shown by
Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10. The spool is held in its place by the cross end of a bar k,
hinged to the side of the shuttle as shown. This bar also acts as a bar for the
thread to pass round, and it can be turned up as shown in dotted line in Fig. 12.
When the spool is inserted the end of the thread is drawn over the side of the
shuttle, the bar is then closed down; this secures the spool, and the thread is by
the same movement passed round the bar, thus so much "threading" is saved, the
thread is then passed as before explained in reference to Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Figs. 13 and 14 are views corresponding respectively to Figs. 7 and 10, and
represents a similar shuttle with the following exceptions:-The end of the spool in
Figs. 13 and 14 passes into a hole at the back end of the shuttle and fits a slot at
the tip end, in which it is kept by a cross projection from the flat spring j, which
is arranged in other respects the same as that shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10.
The third part of my Invention is illustrated by Figs. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20.
Fig. 15 is an end view and Fig. 16 a side view of the head for winding thread in
shells, according to my Invention for sewing machine shuttles. Fig. 17 shows a side
view of one of the "shells" detached. They are made by preference of thin metal
cylindrical with hemispherical ends and a slot in the lengthway of one side as
shown. These shells when to be filled with thread are placed in a holder m,
bored out to fit the exterior diameter of the shell and then slit so as to be slightly
elastic, the two halves being drawn together by a screw m², as shown in Figs. 15

page_text: and 16. In Figs. 15 and 10 the shell is shown in the "holder" with its slot
opposite the "gap" in the holder, and the shell is central with the taper winding
spindle m², which rotates inside the "shell." The end of the thread is first passed
through the slot in the side of the shell, then through the smaller hole at the end
of the shell, which is at the small or outside end of the spindle, and is passed into
the slit at the end of the spindle, then the spindle is rotated so as to wind the
thread, beginning at the small end of the spindle, the thread being evenly distributed
as in winding the ordinary spool until the shell is full. Then the shell is withdrawn
from the spindle, taking the thread within it. The thread is drawn from the inside
at the hole at that end of the shell which is the smallest, namely, the end coming to
the smaller part of the spindle. The thread on being withdrawn from the shell
will have one turn of twist either added to or taken from the twist of the thread
for each coil in winding according to the direction of the twist and direction of the
winding and as the thread unwinds best from the shell when in being withdrawn
it reduces the twist, I cause the spindle in winding to rotate in the direction to
effect this object. The direction in which the spindle is to be rotated to accomplish
this depending upon the direction in which the thread is twisted in its manufacture.
Fig. 18 is a face view, Fig. 19 a longitudinal section, and Fig. 20 a cross section,
illustrating a method of arranging and holding the shell in the shuttle. The shuttle
as to the tension arrangement is common and well known. The shell is placed in
the shuttle as shown, and is held by a flat spring p, secured to the side of the
shuttle. This spring is bent to project to hold against the side of shell, the spring
giving way when sufficient force is applied to insert and withdraw the shell, but tho
spring has force enough to keep the shell in its place. The thread goes from the
end of the shell as shown by x, the thread, and then round the pins and under the
tension springs as shown. Any other convenient tension arrangement and mode of
holding the shell in the shuttle may be used as desired.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention and the mode of
carrying it into effect and claim as my Invention.
Firstly. The forked piece d and slide e, arranged in the manner and for the
purpose substantially as herein-before described.
Secondly. The combination and arrangement of a shuttle with the hinged flat
tension spring and cam headed screw and other mechanism substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination and arrangement of the hinged flat spring and cam
headed screw and hinged bar substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
by Figs. 11 and 12 of the Drawings.
Fourthly. The combination and arrangement of the hinged flat spring with
projection from it to hold the end of the spool in its place with the cam headed
screw substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by Figs. 13 and 14 of
the Drawings.
Fifthly. The system or mode of winding thread in metal shells and of arranging
such shells of thread in shuttles substantially as herein-before described and illus-
trated by Figs. 15 to 20 inclusive of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Jones, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-six
Witness to W. Jones' signature,
WILLIAM RIGRY.
WILLIAM JONES. (L.S.)