IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles James Appleton, of the City of Hamilton,
in the County of Wentworth, Province of Ontario, Dominion of
Canada, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 1st April 1873, and dated the 21st November 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles James Appleton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st November 1872.
I, CHARLES JAMES APPLETON, of the City of Hamilton, in the County
of Wentworth, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
-
According to my Invention the cloth plate is in the form of a parallel-
ogram, which carries a hollow arm to allow of the working of the
lever arm which drives the needle bar. One end of the said lever arm is
fastened to the needle bar and the other to a heart motion (which is
below the cloth plate), from which it receives motion.
All the working parts of the machine are placed below the cloth
plate, and are parallel to the arm of the machine. The shuttle moves

page_text: horizontally and parallel to the arm, and is driven by a connecting rod,
one end of which is secured to the shuttle carrier and the other to the
crank.
There is a small friction roller on the crank pin, which prevents undue
friction when the machine is in operation. A tablet wheel moves or
gives action to the heart motion. Next to the tablet wheel on the same
shaft is an eccentric, with a connecting rod attached to it for driving
the feed, the teeth of which are just above the cloth plate. A screw
regulates the "feed."
That portion of the "feed" which comes in
contact with the cloth operated upon is constructed so as to be on bothol
sides of the needle, which gives a more equal motion to the cloth as
it passes over the feed.
There is a slot in the plate for the eccentric's
connecting rod to pass through for raising or lowering the feed at
pleasure.
There are two slots in the arm lever for lengthening the arm motion. 1
The tension is on the middle of the horizontal portion of the arm, and
consists of a plain face plate with a spring plate over it, arranged so as
to admit the thread passing between them. The tension on the thread
is adjusted by a thumb screw and spiral spring; it is a double spring
tension, as it springs from both sides. The needle bar is secured to the 2
lever arm in any convenient manner. The needle bar plays in steel
bushings set in the head of the machine; they have a diagonal opening
on one side for tightening the needle bar by means of an adjusting screw
when the said needle bar wears loose. The pressure post is provided
with a pressure post foot, which is constructed with a space opposite the 2
needle, so as the operator can readily see the work as it is executed. An
adjustable screw on the top of the pressure post adjusts its pressure.
There is an eccentric lever pivoted to the head of the machine, and
made to catch on a pin on the pressure post to elevate it and hold it up.
A loose shuttle box is fastened on the under side of the cloth plate, it
rests on four adjustable screws, two at each end, which allows it to be
adjustable vertically and laterally.
The head is also constructed so as to be adjustable; it is screwed to
the arm by the two screws at the top and bottom respectively, so as to
be capable of being moved back and forth for the purpose of adjusting
fine or coarse needles in the shuttle race, and being constructed in that
manner also facilitates the manufacture of the machine. The take-up
frame is secured to the head of the machine, having a vertical slot down

page_text: its centre for the purpose of steadying the needle bar by means of a
steady pin, which is fastened to the said needle bar, as well as operating
the thread take-up. The said take-up is fastened to the said frame by
means of a screw. There are two slots in it, the one sliding on the steady
pin, the other is for the purpose of adjusting with a small screw the
extension plate, which has an eyelet for the thread to pass through to
give it more or less slack thread.
The shuttle has a loose bobbin, with a spring tension on the outside
facing upward, and by drawing back either of the slides the operator
can readily adjust the tension by turning the screw either in or out,
according to the tension required, without moving the shuttle from the
race or breaking the thread, and without damaging any piece of sewing
that might be in operation. The advantage of the spring tension is, the
operator can adjust the pressure or strain on the thread from the lightest
to the most severe pressure.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles James Appleton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th May 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
JAMES APPLETON, of the City of Hamilton, in the County of Went-
worth, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles James Appleton, Her special
licence that I, the said Charles James Appleton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles James
Appleton, 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," upon the condition (amongst others)

page_text: that I, the said Charles James Appleton, my executors or administrators,
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 Charles James Appleton, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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
Drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
say:―
The Invention will be best understood by reference to the accom-
panying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a side view of a sewing machine constructed according to
my Invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the head of the machine.
t represents the cloth plate of the form of a parallelogram, upon which
is secured the arm u, the upright portion of which is hollow to receive
and allow the working of the lever arm j, which drives the needle bar;
it is pivotted at the point to the arm u. One end of the said lever arm
is fastened to the needle bar and the other to the heart motion K (which
is seen below the cloth plate), from which it receives motion.
It will be seen that all the working parts of the machine are placed
below the cloth plate, and are parallel to the arm of the machine. The
shuttle W moves horizontally and parallel to the arm, and is driven by
means of the connecting rod n, one end of which is secured to the shuttle
carrier y, and the other to the crank at the point 2.
There is a small friction roller on the crank pin l, which prevents
undue friction when the machine is in operation. Also attached to the
shaft is a tablet wheel m, which moves or gives action to the heart
motion. Next to the tablet wheel on the same shaft is an eccentric o,
with a connecting rod p attached to it for driving the feed z, the teeth of
which are seen just above the cloth plate t. 8 is a screw for regulating
the feed. It will be observed that the portion of the feed which comes
in contact with the cloth operated upon is constructed so as to be on
both sides of the needle, which gives a more equal motion to the cloth as

page_text: it passes over the feed.
represents a slot in the plate 3, through which
the eccentric's connecting rod p passes for raising or lowering the feed at
pleasure.
ff, are two slots in the arm lever; for lengthening the arm motion.
5 bis the tension on the middle of the horizontal portion of the arm, and
consists of a plain face plate with a spring plate over it, arranged so as
to admit the thread passing between them. The tension on the thread
is adjusted by a thumb screw and spiral spring; it is a double spring
tension, as it springs from both sides. The needle bar a¹ is secured to
O the lever arm j, as shewn, or in any other convenient manner. The
needle bar plays in steel bushings d, d, set in the head of the machine;
they have a diagonal opening on one side for tightening the needle bar
by means of the adjusting screw c¹ when the said needle bar wears loose.
d is the pressure post, provided with a pressure post foot 6, which is con-
5 structed with a space c, Fig. 2, opposite the needle, so as the operator
can readily see the work as it is executed. e¹ is an adjustable screw on
the top of the pressure post for adjusting its pressure. a is an eccentric
lever pivotted to the head of the machine, and made to catch on a pin ƒº¹
on the pressure post to elevate it and hold it up. There is a slight error
0 in the Drawing, as when the lever is in the position indicated the
pressure post ought to be elevated. g¹ is a loose shuttle box fastened on
the under side of the cloth plate; it rests on four adjustable screws, two
at each end, which allows it to be adjustable vertically and laterally.
The head h¹ is also constructed so as to be adjustable; it is screwed to
3 the arm by the two screws and at the top and bottom respectively, so
as to be capable of being moved back and forth for the purpose of adjusting
fine or coarse needles in the shuttle race, and being constructed in that
manner also facilitates the manufacture of the machine. g is the take-up
frame secured to the head of the machine, as shewn, having a vertical
0 slot 6 down its centre for the purpose of steadying the needle bar by
means of the steady pin 7, which is fastened to the said needle bar, as
well as operating the thread take-up e. The said take-up e is fastened
to the said frame by means of the screw 8. There are two slots in it, the
one marked 9 slides on the steady pin 7, the other is for the purpose of
5 adjusting with a small screw 11 the extension plate 10, which has an
eyelet for the thread to pass through to give it more or less slack
thread.

page_text: The shuttle has a loose bobbin, with a spring tension on the outside
facing upward, and by drawing back either of the slides the operator can
readily adjust the tension by turning the small screw k¹ either in or out,
according to the tension required, without moving the shuttle from the
race or breaking the thread, and without damaging any piece of sewing
that might be in operation. The advantage of the spring tension is, the
operator can adjust the pressure or strain on the thread from the lightest
to the most severe pressure.

page_text: 12th. The action of the treadle is direct.
13. The shuttle has a loose bobbin without any tension on it
whatever, the tension being always the same whether the bobbin be full
or nearly empty, the very finest or coarsest thread making no difference
whatever. There are no holes to thread in my shuttle.
14th. The machine runs very light.
OHARLES JAMES APPLETON. (L.S.)