IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frederick Thomas, of No. I, Cheapside,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES.""
Sealed the 8th June 1869, and dated the 18th December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frederick
Thomas at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 13th December 1868.
WILLIAM FREDERICK THOMAS, of No. 1, Cheapside, in the City
of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be follows:-
One part of my Invention has reference to an arrangement of sewing
machines for which Letters Patent have been granted to A. M. Clark,
bearing date the 20th June 1867, No. 1798.
According to one of my present improvements, in place of arranging
the awl so as to enter the leather or other material on the same side
as that on which the needle enters it, I cause the awl to enter on the
[Price 8d.1

page_text: opposite side, that is, on the same side as that on which the shuttle or
equivalent contrivance is situated. Or I arrange the needle and awl
on the same side of the material, in combination with a shuttle on the
other side, and I carry them by a slide or by two separate slides to
which a reciprocating lateral motion is imparted, so that by such motion
the awl and needle are consecutively brought over one and the same
place.
Or in another arrangement I carry the needle and awl in one and
the same plate or arm attached to a spindle to which a reciprocating
rotary motion is imparted so as to bring the needle and awi alternately
over one and the same place.
Another improvement consists in imparting to the awl while per-
forating the leather-in-machines working with an awl, needle, and
shuttle or equivalent contrivance-a -lateral-motion so as to feed the
work forward and thus dispense with a separate feed motion.
Another improvement consists in holding the presser in machines
working with an awl, needle, and shuttle or equivalent contrivance
by means of an arm, cam, excentric, inclined plane, screw, or other
contrivance for holding, in addition to the ordinary spring, and caused
to act against the side or top of the presser at the required moment
for counteracting the opposite pressure of the needle or awl, or I effect
an intermittent pressure either by increasing or decreasing the action of
the ordinary spring or by bringing a second spring into action at the
required moment.
Another part of my Invention consists in substituting the arrangement
of shuttle and parts connected therewith described in the before-
mentioned Specification for the shuttle and parts connected therewith in
the machine described in the Specification to Brookes' Patent, dated
30th June 1864, No. 1684.
I
Another part of my Invention relates to machines for sewing straw
plait. In such work it is desirable that the sewing should not appear,
or only slightly so, on one surface of the straw plait. To effect this
object cause the two pieces of straw plait to pass between two holding
plates, one of which has a slot in it through which passes a curved
needle, so formed and arranged to move in a curved path through the
straw plait that it will pass first through the one piece of straw plait
into the other piece, and theu again through the first piece; the needle
is then drawn back and the loop of the needle thread is operated upon

page_text: to form either the lock stitch, tambour, or double chain stitch by any
suitable know contrivances. In place of an ordinary needle a hook
may be employed for drawing the thread through the material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Frederick Thomas in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FREDERICK THOMAS, of No. 1, Cheapside, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Frederick
Thomas, Her special licence that I, the said William Frederick Thomas,
iny executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Frederick Thomas, my executors, administrators, aud
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 nake, use, exercise, aud 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) that I, the said William Frederick
Thomas, 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
iminediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Frederick Thomas, 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, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-

page_text: One part of my Invention has reference to an arrangement of sewing
inachines for which Letters Patent were granted to A. M. Clark, bearing
date the 20th June 1867, No. 1798.
According to one of my present improvements in place of arranging
the awl so as to enter the leather or other material on the same side
as that on which the needle enters it, I cause the awl to enter on the
opposite side, that is, on the saine side as that on which the shuttle or
equivalent contrivance is situated; or I arrange the needle and awl on
the same side of the material in combination with a shuttle on the other
side, and I carry them by a slide or by two separate slides to which a
reciprocating lateral motion is imparted. so that by such motion the
awi and needle are consecutively brought over one and the same
place.
Or in another arrangement I carry- the-needle-and awl in one and the
samo plate or arm attached to a spindle to which--a-reciprocating rotary
motion is imparted so as to bring the needle and awl alternately over
one and the same place.
Another improvement consists in imparting to the awl while per-
forating the leather in machines working with an awl, needle, and
shuttle or equivalent contrivance a lateral motion so as to feed the
work forward and thus to dispense with a separate feed motion.
Another improvement consists in holding the presser in machines
working with an awl, needle, and shuttle or equivalent contrivance by
means of an arm, cam, excentric, inclined plane, screw, or other cou-
trivance for holding, in addition to the ordinary spring, and caused to
act against the side or top of the presser at the required moment for
counteracting the opposite pressure of the needle or awl; or I effect
an intermittent pressure either by increasing or decreasing the action of
the ordinary spring or by bringing a second spring into action at the
required moment.
Another part of my Invention consists in substituting the arrange-
ment of shuttle and parts connected therewith described in the before-
mentioned Specification for the shuttle and parts connected therewith in
the machine described in the Specification to Brooke's Patent, dated 30th
June 1864, No. 1634.
Having thus set forth the nature of the several parts of my Invention
will
NOW Honood MARL
natioulal
1

page_text: performing the same, for which purpose I shall refer to the Sheets of
Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figures 1 to 4 on Sheet I. of the Drawings show my improved
machine, wherein the awl is arranged to pierce the work from below
while the needle enters from above, and wherein the presser is held
against the upward pressure of the awl by means of a pinching lever.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the machine; Figure shows a plan
of the working parts on the under side thereof; Figure 3 shows a front
elevation of the presser; and Figure 4 shows a part plan of the machine,
shewing the pinching lever. Similar letters of reference indicate similar
parts in each of the Figures.
The general arrangement of the machine is similar to that of the
before-mentioned machines of well-known construction for working
with waxed thread, and need therefore not be described in detail,
beyond what is necessary to explain the nature of my improvements.
The awl A for piercing the leather or other material is carried by a
slide B working in a guide C beneath the table D of the machine, the
awl being arranged in such a position as to be exactly opposite to the
needle E so that as it recedes after piercing the material the needle
passes down through the hole made thereby, and carries the thread
through with it, for forming the loop through which the shuttle is passed.
The awl, carried by the slide B, receives the requisite up-and-down
motion for piercing the material by means of the lever F working on a
fulcrum G, and actuated by the cam H on the cam shaft I. The
needle E is actuated in the usual manner by the lever J and needle cam.
The presser K is held down by a spring L as usual, but in addition, in
order to cause it to withstand the thrust of the awl against the leather
or other material, a pinching lever M turning on a fulcrum at m is
caused to press against the side of the presser so as to hold it while the
awl is acting, such pressure being effected either simply by the weight
of the long end of the lever as shown, or, if requisite, by the additional
action of a spring or by a cam. When the leather is required to be
fed forward the long end of the lever M is raised by the cam N, thus
removing the short end of the lever from the presser and allowing it to
rise and fall according as thicker or thinner material is passed under it.
Instead of causing the lever M to press against the side of the presser
it may also be made to act upon the top thereof, or it may be arranged
to press upon the spring L so as to give this increased power at the

page_text: required moment; or again, it, may be made to act upon a supplemental
spring arranged to press upon the top or side of the presser.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 on Sheet II. show respectively a front elevation,
a plan, and a side elevation of one of my improved arrangements for
actuating the awl and needle when both are situated on one and the
same side of the material. For this purpose a slide O carries both the
needle bar P and the awl bar Q, sliding vertically iu- the same plane, and
is caused itself to slide to and fro laterally upon the pins R carried by
the frame S by the rod or link T actuated by a suitable cam on the
driving shaft; by this motion the awl and needle are alternately brought
over one and the same point, so that by first causing the awl A to move
downwards and to pierce the leather, which is effected by the lever U,
and then, after raising the awl, causing the slide to move laterally
the needle E actuated by the lever V is made to pass down through-the-
hole previously made by the awl. The levers U and V are connected to
the awl and needle bars by studs on the latter fitting into slots in the
former in order to allow of the lateral motion of the awl and needle.
The presser and other parts of the machine are similar to those of the
-first-described arrangement, and are therefore not shown on the Drawing.
For causing the awl to feed forward the leather according to another
of my before-mentioned improvements the awl A while in the leather
has additional lateral motion imparted to it, the cam actuating the rod
or link T being suitably formed for this purpose. The motion of the
two instruments would in this case be as follows:-The awl A first
penetrates the leather, then carries it forward, then rises out of the
leather, after which the backward motion of the slide O brings the
needle E over the hole made by the awl, and the needle then descends
through such hole. If desired the slide can be placed at right angles to
the position shown in the Drawings and the feed will then be at right
angles to the arm of the machine.
Figures 8, 9, and 10 on Sheet II. shew respectively a front elevation,
a plan, and a side elevation of another of my improved arrangements
for actuating the needle and awl when both are situated on one and
the same side of the material. In this arrangement the awl and needle
bars P and Q are carried by arms or plates Y, Y, fitting with a bush on
a vertical spindle W carried by the framing S aud receiving a recipro-
cating rotary motion by means of the rod or liuk X actuated in any
convenient manner by a cam on the driving shaft, whereby the arms

page_text: Y, Y, are turned in such a manner as to bring the needle and awl
consecutively over one and the same point of the work. The needle
and awl bars slide vertically in the arms Y, and have the requisite
vertical motion imparted to them by means of the levers U and V con-
nected thereto by slotted ends into which studs on the awl and needle
bars pass as in the last-described arrangement, such slotted ends being
however curved in this case to correspond with the curvilinear lateral
motion of the awl and needle bars.
Figures 11 to 13, on Sheet III. of the Drawings show the before-
mentioned application of the shuttle and parts connected therewith,
described in Clark's Specification before referred to, to the machine
described in the Specification to Brookes' Patent, No. 1634 of 1864.
Figure 11-shows a sectional front_view of the lower part of the machine.;..
Figure 12-shows-a-sectional-side-view-of-the--same-;-and-Figure-13-
shows a sectional plan.
Only so much of the machine is here shown as is requisite to explain
the nature of my improvements, the other parts being similar to those
described in Brookes' Specification: The shaft fcorresponding-with-the
driving shaft in Brookes' machine, carries a cam 2 serving to impart the
requisite vertical motion of the hook m², also corresponding to the hook in
Brookes' machine. The shaft carries furthermore a cam 4 actuating the
lever 5 and the rod 6, on which is formed a rack in gear with the
wheel 7 on the instrument 3, corresponding with the instrument shewn at
Figures 4, 5, and 6, on Sheet II. of Clark's Specification. The requisite re-
ciprocating motion of this instrument is imparted by means of the cam 8 on
the shaft actuating the bell-crank lever 9, and the motion of the shuttle
is obtained by means of the cam 10 actuating the lever 11 and link 12.
The construction of and movements imparted to the instrument 3 and
the shuttle is the same as in Clark's machine, and need therefore not be
further described. The hook m³ having passed through the hole in the
leather previously made by the awl and drawn down a loop of the top
thread, as in Brookes' machine, the point 11' of the instrument 3 enters
between the loop, and in revolving spreads it until it is sufficiently
large for the shuttle to pass through without touching the thread; -the
upper thread is then drawn tight, the leather, moved the distance of a
stitch, and the operation is repeated.
Having thus described the nature of the several parts of my Invention.

page_text: and in what manner they are to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself myself to the precise details of arrangements
for carrying the same into effect, as shewn on the accompanying
Drawings, as these may be variously modified without departing from
the nature of my Invention; but what I claim is,-
First. Arranging the awl in machines working with an awl and an
eye-pointed needle to enter the leather or other material on the opposite
side to that on which the needle enters it, substantially as herein-before
described.
Second. Carrying the needle and awl in the aforesaid machines side
by side, in a slide or slides, receiving reciprocating lateral motion so as
to bring the needle and awl consecutively over one and the same place
on the work, substantially as described.
Third. Carrying the needle and awl in the aforesaid machines side by
side in one and the same arm or plate, receiving reciprocating rotary
motion so as to bring the awl and needle consecutively over one and the
same place on the work, substantially as described.
Fourth. Imparting to the awl while in the leather or other material in
the aforesaid machines a lateral motión so as to feed the work forward,
substantially as described.
Fifth. Holding the presser against the opposite thrust of the awl or
drag of the needle by means of a nipping lever or equivalent appliance,
substantially as described.
Sixth. The employment of the arrangement of shuttle and parts con-
nected therewith described in the Specification to Clark's Patent, dated
20th June 1867, No. 1798, in place of the shuttle- and parts connected
therewith in the machine described in the Specification to Brooke's
Patent, dated 30th June 1864, No. 1634.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frederick Thomas, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
ning