IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick William Parker, of Sheffield, in the
County of York, Saw Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 31st August 1859, and dated the 5th March 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick William Parker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th March 1859.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM PARKER, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Saw
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
I employ a needle with an eye near the point, and attached to a piece of
metal sliding up and down in a guide, and driven by a crank, or other suitable
neans. The needle moves up and down through the work, which is laid upon
a table with a hole for the passage of the needle, in the usual manner. Below.
the table is a hook or looper, capable of turning on a horizontal axis or spindle,
which has also an end motion. When the needle has passed through the
work and commences to rise again, the thread bends or bows out at its side,

page_text: and the hook is then passed through the loop thus formed. The spindle of the
hook or looper receives an end motion as soon as the looper has passed by the
side of the needle, and the looper is thus caused to hold or present the loop in
a line with the seam so that the needle is sure to pass through it on its next
descent. When the needle has thus entered the loop, the looper slides end-
ways and partially turns on its axis, so as to bring it back to its original
position. The motions are then repeated, and the looper now enters the new
loop, and holds it as before. The notions are communicated to the looper by
tappets or cams, or levers, or springs, or by all combined, and the looper may
be moved by sliding or by rotary..motion, or by both combined as above
described. The work is advanced by a feeding foot, which is. pressed down
upon it by a spring and lever, and pressed sideways by another spring. The
descent of the needle acts on the lever and raises the foot, so as to allow
it to pass back over the work, and it receives the advancing motion from a
cam with an adjustable screw for regulating the amount of the advance and
the length of stitch, or any other feeding apparatus may be employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick William Parker in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd September 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE-PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILLIAM PARKER, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Saw Maker, send
greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of March, in the year of our .Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederick William Pärker, Her spécial licence that I, the said
Frederick William Parker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as 'I, the said Frederick William Parker, 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 tlierein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdoni
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Mau, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I; the said Frederick William Parker, my executors

page_text: or alministrators, 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 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 Frederick William Parker, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
I employ a needle with an eye near the point and attached to a piece of
metal sliding up and down in a guide, and driven by a crank or other suitable
means. The needle moves up and down through the work, which is laid upon
a table with a hole for the passage of the needle in the usual manner. Below
the table is a hook or looper, capable of turning on a horizontal axis or
spindle, which has also an end motion. When the needle has passed through
the work and commences to rise again, the thread bends or bows out at its
side, and the hook is then passed through the loop thus formed. The spindle
of the hook or looper receives an end motion as soon as the looper has passed
by the side of the needle, and the looper is thus caused to hold or present the
loop in a line with the seam, so that the needle is sure to pass through it on
its next descent. When the needle has thus entered the loop, the looper
slides endways, and partially turns on its axis, so as to bring it back to its
original position. The motions are then repeated, and the looper now enters
the new loop, and holds it as before.
Figure 1, Sheet I., of the accompanying Drawings is a front elevation of a
sewing machine constructed according to my Invention, and adapted for
working with a single thread; Figure 2 is an elevation of one side of the
machine; and Figure 3 is an elevation of the other side of the same; Figure 4
is a view of the back of the same with the fly wheel removed; Figure 5 is a
plan of the same; Figure 6 is a front view of the looper and portions of the
needle and the table. The same letters refer to similar parts in each Figure.
The red line indicates the thread.
A is the base, and B, the frame of the machine, which may be cast in one
piece with the base; C is the table, on which the work is placed; D. is the
needle, which is fixed by a clamp to a bar E, sliding in a guide Q on the
frame B. A pin attached to 'the' back of the bar E passes through. an opening
or slot at the back of the guide; and is connected by a connecting rod F to a
crank a on the main shaft or spindle G, which carries the fly wheel E and

page_text: .
handle I. By turning the handle I, the bar E and needle D are caused to
move up and down..
Below the table C is the hook or looper c, which is mounted on a cylindrical
'axis d, which is capable of turning and also sliding endways in its bearings.
It is pressed forward by a spring e against a stop or screw f, which is capable
of being accurately adjusted in the bracket or arin which supports it. On the
opposite end of the spindle or axis d is fixed a short lever or arm g, carrying
a pin h, which enters a hole in the frame B when the spindle d is in its
forward position, as shewn in Figure 1; i is a pin on a lever j, which turns on
pin or fulcrum on the frame. By means of this lever the arm g and
spindle d can be pushed back until the pin h is withdrawn from its hole in the
frame. The spindle d is then free to turn, and is caused to turn to a certain
extent by means of a spring k in the following manner:- is a lever turning
on a pin on the frame, and having a forked end which embraces the pin h;
kis a spring of vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable material, which
draws the lever against a pin or stop m, and consequently draws the pin h
and lever g in the same direction. The lever is moved by a tappet or screw
n on the boss of the fly wheel or on the main shaft G, and the lever j is
moved by another tappet or pin on the same. Thus, on turning the handle
I, the tappet or screw n acts on the lever l, and causes the spindle d to turn,
while the pin g rubs against the frame B until it reaches the hole, into which
it is immediately pushed by the action of the spring e. The looper or hook c
is thus carried from the position shewn in Figure 6 to that shewn in Figure 1,
first entering the loop of thread formed by the needle, as shewn in plan in the
small Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Figure 7 shews the hook of
in the same position as in Figure 6, and ready to enter the loop.
D descends through the work on the table, and carries with it
which is passed through an eye near the point of the needle.
needle begins to rise again, the thread bows out at its side, and forms a loop.
The hook of the looper c moves from right to left and enters this loop, as
shewn in Figures 8 and 9, and the looper then slips forward into the position
shewn in Figure 10. The needle now rises out of the work, which is advanced
by the feeder as herein-after described. The needle now descends through
the loop, as shewn in Figure 11, and the looper then moves back and then to
the right, releasing the loop and resuming its original position, as shewn in
Figure 12. The needle descends, and then begins to rise again, forming a
new loop under the first loop, which has been tightened by the descent of the
needle. The looper then enters the new loop, and holds it while the needle
the looper o
The needle
the thread,
When the

page_text: rises and draws up the stitch, and the motions are all repeated as before, and
A chain stitch is thus produced.
so on.
The thread T is wound on a reel or bobbin K, which is placed on a vertical
or horizontal pin between two smooth cones p and q, which are slightly pressed
together by a nut r and a set nutr¹ screwed on the pin. A piece of felt p
gives elasticity to the pressure on the cone p; the thread passes through a
lateral hole in a pin L, and out through a central hole in the same, and
through a hook at the end of a spring M, and thence through an eye N at the
back of the machine, and through an eye O on the bar E, which carries the
needle. The thread then passes through a hole in the clamp which holds the
needle, and then through the eye of the needle. The eye O being nearly on a
fevel with the eye N, the motion of the bar E and the needle has very little
tendency to lengthen or shorten the thread. The strain upon the thread is
adjusted by screwing down the nuts r and 11 more or less, or by turning the
pin L so as to cause the thread to pass round more or less of its circum-
ference before entering the lateral hole. The spring M accommodates any
slight irregularities in the supply of the thread.
The feeding apparatus is constructed in the following manner:-P is the
feeding claw or foot serrated at the bottom, and forked to allow the passage of
the needle in the ordinary manner. The feeding claw P is at the lower end
of a bar P, which has two flat tongues or projections entering a groove or
two grooves in the side of the guide Q. The upper tongue is kept in the
groove by a spring R, which also tends to press the lower tongue into the
groove, but is capable of yielding to the action of a lever S, the bent end of
which enters a slot in the bar P¹. This lever S is fixed to a spindle S¹, which
is supported on the frame, and carries another lever S³, at the end of which is
a screws fixed by a set nut s'. This screw is acted upon by a cam U on the
main spindle G, and is pushed out more or less by the cam, according to the
distance to which the screws is screwed in. The bar P¹ also receives an up
and down motion in the following manner :-V is a small lever turning upon
a pin t, and having a forked end which embraces a pin u on the bar P. A
loop of vulcanized india-rubber or other suitable spring is booked on this pin
, and on another pin on the guide Q. The bar P¹ and claw P are thus
constantly pressed down on the work and towards the left, when not otherwise
acted upon.
w is a pin fixed on the bar E, which depresses the lever V, and
thus raises the claw P when the needle is near the bottom of its stroke. The
can U then allows the claw to be moved towards the left by the spring R.
As the needle rises the claw again descends on the work, and remains

page_text: stationary until the needle has risen out of the work. The cam U then moves
the levers S and S, and thus moves the claw P and the work towards the
right through a space equal to the length of a stitch, which is regulated or
varied by adjusting the screw 8. The claw P then remains stationary while
the needle descends through the work until it approaches the bottom of its
stroke, when the same motions are repeated, and so on. Any other description
of feeder may be employed in lieu of this one, if preferred. W is a guide for
the work, which may be fixed by a screw x.
Figure 18, Sheet II., is a front view of another machine constructed
according to my Invention, and adapted for working with two threads
Figure 14 is a side view of the same; Figure 15 is a front view of the
looper and needle in a different position to that shown in Figures 18 and
14; Figure 16 is a plan of the same.
.
The needle D is mounted on a bar E, which is driven up and down by. a
crank a on the main shaft or spindle G, which carries the fly wheel H and
handle I, as before. The thread T is wound on a reel or bobbin K, which is
placed on a horizontal pin between two cones p and q, which are pressed
together more or less by the nuts r, 71, as before. The pin which carries the
bobbin is mounted on the bar E, and moves up and down with it. The thread
passes through a loop or hook at the end of the spring M, which is also
mounted on the bar E, and then through a hole in the clamp which holds the
needle, and then through the eye of the needle. By this arrangement the
bobbin moves with the needle, and there is no necessity for any means of
accommodating or taking up the slack.
The looper c is mounted on a spindle d, which is pushed forward by a
spring e, and carries an arm g and pin h, which is moved by a forked lever 1,
turning on a pin on the frame. The lever is moved by a cam n on the
shaft G, and is kept in contact with the cam by a spring k acting on a pin
or lever on the spindle d, or by winding up the spring e a little, and fixing
one of its ends to the base A, and the other to the spindle e. The arm 9
works against an inclined surface at the back of the frame, so that the
spindle e advances as it turns in one direction, and recedes as it turns in the
other direction; or the spindle e may have a screw cut upon it to effect
the same object. The hook of the looper c is inclined or curved, as shown in
the plan, Figure 16, and it thus moves or glides along close to the needle.
The hook is longer than in the looper shown in Sheet I., and its bend or elbow
does not pass beyond the needle. An eye is formed at the point of the looper
through which passes the second thread X. This thread comes from a bobbin

page_text: X, and passes through a hook or eye at the end of a spring a, and through a
guide and eye a² to the eye of the looper.
The action of the looper is as follows:-The needle D descends, and in again
ascending its thread T bows out into a loop, into which the looper passes with
its thread X. The needle rises, and leaves its loop on the looper. The work
is then advanced the space of one stitch, and the needle descends again through
it, and passes between the second thread ✗ and the looper, as shown in
Figures 15 and 16. The looper then moves back, and thus releases the loop,
but leaves a loop of the second thread round the needle and in the loop of the
first thread, which is drawn tight by the descent of the needle. As the needle
rises again, it forms a loop of the first or needle thread as before, and the
looper enters this loop, and the same series of motions are repeated, and so
on. Thus each thread is looped into the other thread, forming a sort of
double chain stitch on the under side of the work, and a single thread-like
plain stitching on the upper side. This stitch has an advantage as compared
with the single chain stitch, inasmuch as it cannot be pulled out by cutting
the thread and pulling the end of the thread.
As already mentioned, any convenient feeding apparatus may be employed,
and in the Drawings of this machine I have shown one which will be found
suitable. The bar P', which carries the claw P, works in guides or grooves in
the guide Q, into which it is pressed by a spring R, as in the first machine,
shown in Sheet I. V is a forked lever turning on a pin t, and embracing a
pin u on the bar P¹, and acted on by a pin won the bar E, and a spring,
between a pin u¹ on the lever and a fixed point v. The advance motion is,
however, given in a different manner to that employed in the first machine.
Y is a bent lever, turning on a piny on the guide Q, and having on one end
a pin or small roller z, which acts against the bar P¹. The other end of the
lever Y is moved or raised by a pin Z on the bar E, when the needle is near
the top of its stroke, and therefore out of the work. The length of the stitch
is regulated and adjusted by means of a screw s, which is fixed by a set
nut s', and forms a stop for the bar P¹ when it is pushed back by the spring R.
When the bar P is pushed out by the levor Y, the pin or roller is brought
to the same level as the fulcrum y, and it remains in this position until the
pin w comes in contact with the lever V. The bar P¹ has a projection under
the roller or pin z, so that when the bar P' is raised by the lever V, the pin or
roller is also raised, and the action of the spring R then pushes the bar P¹
back to the stop s. Or the lever Y may be pushed back by another pin on

page_text: the bar E coming in contact with the lever at or near to the bottom of the
stroke of the needle.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what
I claim is, the construction and application to sewing machines of a looper
having the peculiar motion or motions, and acting in the manner or manners
berein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Parker, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Second day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
FREDERICK WILLIAM PARKER. (L.S.)
Witness,
JAMES A. MONKS,
Fitzwilliam Street,
Sheffield.