MACHINES "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Smith, of Hackney, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of
MACHINES
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
Scaled the 16th January 1866, and dated the 21st July 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st
July 1865.
I, ALFRED SMITH, of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
IN
My Invention consists in the improvements in sewing machines and in
improved combinations and arrangements of parts of sewing machines, all as
herein-after set forth.
My Invention also comprises an improved method of putting in and out of
gear and preventing the movement lengthways of any secondary shaft in sewing
machines; also an improved method of fixing change cams upon the driving
shaft; also an improved thread grip and guide.
My Invention also relates to improvements on the machine for which
Letters Patent were granted to me the 2nd day of August 1864, No. 1923;
and the improvements consist, firstly, in attaching to the pressing foot or to
the shuttle box a spring opener which divides the cut or hole in the material
to be stitched to form a button hole; also in applying an under feed to the
Price 8d1

page_text: said machine and means for lifting the pressing foot at the proper time to
allow the work to be turned freely on the needle
My Invention also consists in making and attaching to the main shaft a
double time and stitch cam. so that by simply attaching or detaching one of
them the machine can be used as an ordinary sewing, button hole, elastic
stitch, or herring-bone machine.
!
My Invention also consists in placing my double groove
cam wheel,
described in the Specification of the Letters Patent before mentioned, on the
main shaft in conjunction with the ordinary cams which are made double,
that is to say, the needle and shuttle act twice for one or every turn of the
main shaft by placing the double groove cam wheel on the main shaft; in this
manner the machine is much simplified, and the toothed wheels and inde-
pendent shaft or stud in my herein-before mentioned patented machine are
dispensed with.
The first part of my Invention is accomplished by the following means:-
I attach to the frame of the machine below the bed or cloth plate a round or
other shaft which is free to revolve in journals secured to the frame, these
journals are made double, that is to say, there is room for another shaft either
above or below the main shaft, as most convenient Upon one end of the
shaft first mentioned, which I will name No. 1. is fixed the driving wheel or
pulley, the boss of which bears against the outside of one of the journals: next
upon this shaft is fixed an excentric, the boss of which bears against the inside
of the journal, thus preventing the shaft moving lengthways Next on the
shaft is fixed a small toothed wheel so made that one of its teeth is of a greater
or double the pitch of the others, the object of which I shall hereafter describe
Next on the shaft is fixed or turned an excentric or tappet for moving the
feed bar, which is a rod of metal, one end of which carries a serrated plate
which goes through the bed or cloth plate, and the other end is fastened by
a ball or universal joint to the frame. Above or below the main shaft is
another shaft which is free to revolve, and it is caused to revolve by a small
toothed wheel fastened upon it, the teeth of which correspond and gear into
those on the main shaft. Near one end of this shaft, which I shall name
No. 2, is turned an inclined or tapering groove, and a piece of metal that is
hinged to the frame is formed with a tapering tongue to fit this groove and
so prevent the movement lengthways of shaft No. 2; at the other end of this
shaft is fixed a cam or excentric which gives motion to a bracket or a lever
free to oscillate upon a stud by which it is fastened to the bottom of the
journal nearest the needle hole in the bed or cloth plate, this bracket, when
a bracket is used, forms at the top with the assistance of a flat or angular

page_text: piece of metal which is hinged to the frame a shuttle box or cradle and
driver. The heel of the driver is prepared to receive an instrument with an
eye or eyes near the heel and point, and the toe of the driver is prepared to
receive a round rod, one end of which has its point turned to form a hook and
the other end is formed with a long flat prong with a twist or turn in or near
the centre; close to this prong is a plain or forked piece of metal fastened
to the frame of the machine, and it can be shifted nearer to or further from
the twist in the pronged end of the rod by an adjusting screw; this piece
of metal bears against or takes in the twisted prong of the rod before
mentioned.
In place of the rod just described I can use a piece of spring metal with
its point turned into a hook and its heel fastened by a screw to the toe of the
driver; if this is used it has a projection formed at the back of the hook,
which at the proper time meets another projection fast to the frame, and thus
causes the same effect as the twist or turn in the pronged end of the rod. If
instead of the bracket a lever is used for the flat or angular piece of metal, I
substitute a box and driver and an instrument with an eye or eyes near its
heel and point, and the hooks are fixed in the same manner as herein-before
described, the only difference being that one moves in a curved and the other
in a straight line. Above the bed or cloth plate is a hollow or other arm, the
base of which is fastened to the frame; over the excentric on the main shaft
in the horizontal part of this arm is fixed a shaft free to turn, which I will
name No. 3. To one end of this shaft is fixed a circular plate of metal with
a radial slot; in this slot is fixed a crank pin, and to the crank pin is fastened
one end of the connecting rod, the other end of which passes down through a
hole in the bed or cloth plate, and encircles the excentric on the main shaft.
The object of the radial groove or slot in the circular plate of metal is, that
as the excentric on the main shaft will move the connecting rod a positive
distance by shifting the crank pin nearer or further from the centre of the
circular plate of metal, the shaft No. 3 will be moved more or less, or a semi
or complete rotary movement will be given to it, whichever is wanted. To
the other end of the shaft No. 3 is fixed another circular plate of metal, on
the face of which is a crank pin and on the edge a tappet and cam. The
crank pin drives the needle carrier by means of a connecting rod or differential
slot; the tappet raises the pressing foot by striking against a pin in the press-
ing bar, and the cam moves a looper; this looper is free to swing upon a
stud by which it is hung (pendulum fashion) to the arm of the machine. The
needle carrier slide, pressing foot and bar, and check springs are of the
ordinary desciption, and need not be described.

page_text: Having described the machine, I will now show how the different stitches
are produced. Supposing a single thread twisted chain stitch is wanted, one
way of doing it is as follows The looper being moved out of action, the
shaft No. 2 is disengaged from the main shaft by pulling back the tongue
piece of metal that fits the inclined or taper groove, sliding the shaft back
and so ungearing the toothed wheels, then on the end of shaft No. 1 is
fixed a circular hook with about three-fourths of its surface cut away, and
from its point to its base it forms an inclined plane to the left from the out-
side, and a corresponding plane to the right from the inside The needle
Being threaded, the machine is set to work; the needle is caused to descend
through the fabric by means of the excentric connecting rod and crank pin
taking the thread with it, and in returning the thread forms a loop which the
point of the hook as it revolves enters and holds. The excentric raises the
feed bar, and as soon as the needle is out of the fabric moves it a fixed dis-
tance; the needle descends, and it no sooner enters the fabric than the tappet
on the circular plate of metal raises the pressing foot by striking against a
pin in the pressing bar, leaving the work at liberty be turned, the descend-
ing needle acting as the axis or centre; the hook at the same time as it
revolves crosses the thread, and opens it into a loop through which the
descending needle passes. Another loop is formed by the rising needle which
the hook again catches as it revolves, and as it does so throws off its pre-
ceding loop and takes up the slack from the preceding stitch, and so on.
It will be evident to any practical sewing machinist that it does not matter
whether the hook herein-before described is fixed to the end of the shaft No. 1
or No. 2, so that it is made to catch the loop properly.
Another method is as follows -The hook on the end of the shaft No. 1
being moved out of the way, the shaft No. 2 is put in gear, which is done by
turning it round till the teeth before mentioned of double the pitch meet, they
will then go together, and the piece of metal hinged to the frame will spring its
taper tongue into the groove, so keeping the wheels in gear and preventing the
shaft No. 2 moving lengthways; the bracket or shuttle driver is then held
against the cam or tappet by a spring if a spring is used (if an excentric is
used no spring is required), then to the toe of the bracket or shuttle driver
is put the hook first described, free to turn when wanted, but having no motion
without the bracket or shuttle driver. The machine being set to work as
before, a loop is formed by the rising needle which the hook takes hold of, the
hook moving back as the needle is rising; as the needle again descends the hook
is still going back, its turned or twisted prong strikes the plane or forked piece
of metal which turns the hook about 45°. bringing the hook and loop of

page_text: thread from a vertical to a horizontal position, and so exposes the loop for the
descending needle to enter, which it no sooner has done than the book returns
to its first position, leaving its loop on the needle as it passes; the needle again
rises, another loop is formed, which the hook takes as before and pulls up the
slack from the former stitch, and so on, the feed and other parts acting as
before described.
To make a single thread open chain stitch the hook is caused to turn the
reverse way by shifting the position of the plain or forked piece of metal so
that the twist or turn in the pronged end of the hook is acted upon the con-
trary side to that in the preceding stitch. The hook may likewise be made
to enter the loop of the upper thread thrown out by the needle by setting it.
near enough.
I
'
The action of the second hook described is as follows:-The needle having
descended and formed a loop in rising as before, the projection on the back of
the hook as it moves back will meet the projection that is fast to the frame,
which will spring the hook and loop into the path of the now descending
needle, which no sooner secures the loop than the hook goes back to its first
position, and so on.
To, form a. double thread chain or embroidery stitch the hook is taken
from the toe of the bracket or shuttle driver, and a grooved instrument with
an eye or eyes near its heel and point is fixed in the heel of the bracket or
driver; this instrument is threaded from a spool or spools of thread and the
machine set to work as before. The needle descends through tho fabric and
in rising forms a loop which the instrument enters as it oscillates with the
bracket or shuttle driver; the needle rises out of the fabric leaving its thread
on the instrument, the feed and other parts acting as before described, and
the needle begins to descend, the instrument at the same time beginning to
return, and in so doing it throws out a loop or loops of its thread, and is
caused if necessary to receive a slight outward movement, that is to say, that.
it is caused to take its forward motion on one side of the needle and its back-
ward' motion on the other; the needle now enters this or these loops of under
thread and the instrument retreats, leaving its thread or threads on the upper
needle, which now begins to rise and form another loop, which the instrument
again enters with its thread, and so on, the needle and instrument succes-
sively entering each other's loops.
To produce a shuttle stitch the instrument is removed and the piece of flat
or angular metal is turned to face the bracket, being held in position by a
catch; the shuttle is put in between the toe and heel of the bracket or driver,
its face bearing against the piece of metal before mentioned; the machine is

page_text: set to work, the needle descends with its thread and enters a slot cut in the
face of the piece of metal, and in rising forms a loop through which the
shuttle is passed by the bracket or driver; the needle rises out of the fabric,
its thread being locked or crossed with the shuttle thread, the feed and other
parts acting as before described, the needle again descends, and in rising
another loop is formed through which the shuttle is again passed, and so on
If an excentric and bracket are used for the foregoing stitch the heel of the
driver is made to spring.
To produce a button hole or sewing over stitch the bracket or driver is
removed and fixed to the bottom of the bed or cloth plate, free to work on a
fixed stud as before, and in its plate is put a needle carrier slide with a needle
working in fixed guides; the needle carrier slide and needle are caused to rise
and fall by a cam, excentric, or tappet on the end of shaft No. 2 by a spring
always keeping a part of the slide or lever that works the slide bearing
against it (the spring can be dispensed with by using a grooved cam), a
separate cam, excentric, or tappet working the bracket or driver which is now
carrying the hook, the under needle being threaded the button hole or cut in
the fabric is placed over the under needle and a small opener, the under needle
and its thread being partly above the fabric, the looper is put into action and
the machine is set to work. When the under needle as it descends forms a
loop, which the looper is made to catch as it swings by means of the cam on
the circular plate of metal on the end of shaft No. 3, the looper being caused
to take a certain motion as it swings by its fice end being kept against a
shaped piece of metal by a spring, this looper as it takes the thread from the
under needle lays it under the descending upper needle, which immediately
secures it, and the looper returns to its former position The upper needle
now begins to rise and forms a loop of its thread, which the hook takes hold
of and lays over the point of the rising under needle, the hook being made to
do so by either of the means described. In the second stitch the under
needle enters the loop of the upper thread thus held open for it and the hook
retreats, the top looper now takes a loop from the under needle and lays it
under the descending upper needle, which secures it as before, and so on.
The method of fixing change cams on shafts when such are used is as
follows. There is a slot or groove formed near the end of the shaft, and in
this slot or groove one end of a spring catch is fastened; the other end of
this catch is formed similar to a right-angled triangle, the boss of the cam has
an internal recess formed in it, and the cam is kept from turning by an ordinary
key fixed to the shaft fitting in the key-way in the boss of the cam
To put
the cam in its place it is only necessary to push it on the shaft, when the

page_text: end of the boss striking the hypothenuse of the triangle forces the catch down
to a level with the shaft, and when the cam has been pushed home the catch
springs up into the recess, preventing the cam coming off. To take the cam
off, the catch is pressed downwards by a small button placed for the purposo
and the cam is pulled off.
The second part of my Invention is accomplished in the following manner :-
The head of the machine, that is to say, that part which carries the needle
carrier slide and pressing foot and bar, is swung on a joint that it may be set
to any angle required, and a set screw is provided to fasten it in any given
position. To this head is fastened a small grip and guide, of which the
following is a description:-The part that is fast to the head carries at its lowest
end a small eye, through which thread or cord is passed to lay what tailors
term the bar round the button hole; the other part of this grip is hinged to
the part just described, the whole being similar to a small pair of plyers,
that part forming the jaws being lined with cloth or any soft substance of the
like description; and these jaws are caused to open and shut by the top end
of the jointed part of the grip being acted upon at the proper time by the
needle carrier slide or the lever that works it in conjunction with a spring.
On the bed or cloth plate there are two needle holes and two feed gaps, and
beneath the bed or cloth plate there are two feeds, or one shifting feed that
can be used in either of the gaps. Beneath the needle hole and feed gap
nearest the right-hand side of the machine is a shuttle and shuttle box of the
ordinary description, and beneath the other needle hole and feed gap is a kind
of circular hook fixed either excentrically or concentrically on a small round
rod with which it works; this rod has a semi-rotary movement given to it in
journals by which it is fastened out of a horizontal line to the frame by means
of one end of a short slotted lever being fastened to it, in the slot of which is
fixed one end of a connecting rod, the other end of this connecting rod
working in or against a cam. The needle carrier slide, shuttle, and feed are
worked by any of the well known means.
Having described the machine, I will now describe its working :-Supposing
a button hole is about to be stitched, the head of the machine is inclined to an
angle of about 60° (I do not confine myself to any angle), and fastened in
that position by a set screw, and a pressing foot to suit the angle is fixed to
the pressing bar; the cut in the cloth is now put over a small opener as
before, and the machine is set to work; the upper needle descends with its
thread and rises a little to form a loop, which loop is under the cut in the
cloth by reason of the angle of the upper needle; the under needle now rises
with its thread and passes through the loop of the upper thread, through the
.

page_text: cut in the cloth, between the jaws of the grip, and over the cord or bar which
the grip guide is now paying out; the upper needle now rises out of the cloth,
leaving its thread on the under needle: the feed now moves the cloth, and the
thread grip is released and its jaws closed by a spring on the now retreating
under needle, causing it to throw out a loop of its thread, which the descending
upper needle enters and secures, and at the same time opens the jaws of the
grip and releases the under needle, another loop is formed by the rising upper
needle which the under needle enters as before, and so on. The object of the
rod in which the under needle works being canted out of a horizontal line is
their line of motion is crossed, that is to say, when both needles are beneath
the cloth the under needle is in the rear of the upper needle, and when both
needles are above the cloth the under needle is in the front of the upper
needle. It is preferred to effect this object as herein-before described, but it
can be done by giving to the rod that carries the under needle a slight move-
ment at the proper time To produce a shuttle stitch it is only necessary to
put the under needle and thread grip out of motion, bring the head of the
machine to a vertical position, change the pressing foot, and put the feed to
work in the gap nearest the right-hand side of the machine, when the needle
with its thread will descend and enter a slot in the shuttle box, and in rising
form a 'loop as before, through which the shuttle with its thread is passed, the
needle will then rise out of the fabric, its thread being locked or crossed with
the shuttle thread, the feed now moves the fabric, the needle again descends,
and in rising forms another loop, through which the shuttle is passed as
before, and so on.
Another part of my Invention is effected as follows.--I take a piece of
spring metal, the top of which I form into a looper or hook with an eye at its
point and heel, and give it a right-angled twist in or near the centre (this
might be a piece of round wire), this at the bottom is fastened by screws to
the frame; a stud that is in one part of this piece of metal bears against a
cam that gives it motion; the other parts of this machine are of the ordinary
description. The action of this machine is as follows-If a single thread
chain stitch is wanted the needle with its thread is caused to descend through
the fabric, and in rising forms a loop which the hook or looper enters and
holds, the hook or looper moving as does so in a kind of horizontal elliptical
course, the major axis of the ellipse being in a line with the feed, the needle
striking in the centre of the conjugate axis of this imaginary ellipse, from
which it will be seen that the looper or hook moves forward and takes the
loop on one side of the needle, which it no sooner has done than the needle
rises out of the cloth, leaving its thread on the hook or looper; the needle

page_text: now begins to descend, by which time the hook or looper is at one end of the
major axis, and the loop of thread on it is thus laid in the path of the
descending needle, which enters it; the hook or looper now returning on the
opposite side of the needle, leaving its thread as it passes on the needle, which
now rises and forms another loop, which the hook or looper enters and holds
as before, and so on. To form a double thread chain stitch it is only necessary
to put thread in the eyes of the hook or looper, when the action will be as
before. The other parts of this machine are of the ordinary description.
In place of the top feeding foot, as shewn in the Specification of my herein-
before mentioned Patent, an ordinary pressing foot and bar is used, and to
the foot one end of a small spring is fastened, the other end of this spring has
an opener fixed to it which is formed with an inclined plane, and a small
opening is made in the shuttle box lid and box for the opener to go into.
When a button hole is to be stitched the cut is placed under the foot and the
opener springs into the slit or opening in the cloth, the machine is set to
work, and one side of the button hole being stitched, the opener keeping the
slit open.
While such is being done the end of the slit or opening in the
cloth comes against the inclined plane of the opener and raises it out of the
button hole, which is now turned round to stitch the opposite side, and as
soon as it is turned round the opener again springs into the slit or hole and
opens it as before, and so on. If the opener is attached to the shuttle box it
works in a small groove provided for it; when one side of the hole is stitched,
as before, the end of the button hole forces the opener beneath the cloth by
means of the inclined plane, the opener being kept down by a small catch till
the button hole is turned round to stitch the opposite side, when the pressing
foot is lowered and the opener released, which again springs up into the slit or
hole, opening it as before, and so on. The feed mentioned in this part of my
Invention is as follows:-Beneath the arm which carries the shuttle box a
lever moves universally in a crutch carried by a stud, by which it is suspended
to the arm herein-before mentioned; to one end of this lever is fastened a
stitch screw, and this end of the lever is acted upon in the ordinary manner
to move the fabric; the other end of this lever moves a serrated plate which
works in guides.
My time and stitch cam mentioned in this part of my Invention is formed
in the following manner:-It is first made like an ordinary cam, then a slot
is formed in the stitch part of the cam and a pin hole in the boss, to which
can be secured at pleasure an extra time and stitch cam.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th January 1866
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. ALFRED
SMITH, of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Ilerself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me.
the said Alfred Smith. Her special licence that I, the said Alfred Smith,
my executors, administrators. and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred
Smith. 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) that I. the said Alfred Smith.
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 Alfred Smith. do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed. to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say :-
My Invention consists in the improvements in sewing machines, and in
improved combinations and arrangements of parts of sewing machines, all as
herein-after set forth; also in an improved thread grip and guide.
My Invention also relates to improvements on the machine for which
Letters Patent were granted to me the Second of August One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four, No. 1923; and the improvements consist, firstly. in
attaching to the pressing foot or to the shuttle box a spring opener, which
divides the cut or hole in the material to be stitched to form a button hole:
also in applying an under feed to the said machine.
My Invention also consists in making and attaching to the main shaft a

page_text: double time and stitch cam, so that by simply attaching or detaching one of
them the machine can be used as an ordinary sewing, button hole, elastic
stitch, or herring-bone machine.
The first part of my Invention is accomplished by the following means:-I
attach to the frame of the machine below the bed or cloth plate a round or
other shaft which is free to revolve in journals secured to the frame; these
journals are made double, that is to say, there is room for another shaft either
above or below the main shaft as most convenient, according to the position
of the main shaft. Upon one end of the shaft first mentioned, which I will
name No. 1, is fixed the driving wheel or pulley, the boss of which bears
against the outside of one of the journals; next upon this shaft is fixed an
excentric, the boss of which bears against the inside of the journal, thus
preventing the shaft moving lengthways. Next on the shaft is fixed a small
toothed wheel, so made that one of its teeth is of a greater or double the
pitch of the others, the object of which I shall hereafter describe. Next on
the shaft is fixed or turned an accentric or lappet for moving the feed bar,
which is a rod of metal, one end of which carries a serrated plate which goes
through the bed or cloth plate, and the other end is fastened by a ball or
universal joint to the frame. Above or below the main shaft is another shaft
which is free to revolve, and it is caused to revolve by a small toothed wheel
fastened upon it, the teeth of which correspond and gear into those on the
main shaft. Near one end of this shaft, which I will name No. 2, is turned
an inclined or tapering groove, and a piece of metal that is hinged to the
frame is formed with a tapering tongue to fit this groove, and so prevent the
movement lengthways of shaft No. 2; at the other end of this shaft is fixed a
cam or excentric which gives motion to a bracket or a lever free to oscillate
upon a stud, by which it is fastened to the bottom of the journal nearest the
needle hole in the bed or cloth plate; this bracket, when a bracket is used,
forms at the top with the assistance of a flat or angular piece of metal
The heel of the
hinged to the frame a shuttle box or cradle and driver.
driver is prepared to receive an instrument with an eye or eyes near the heel
and point, and the toe of the driver is prepared to receive a round rod, one
end of which has its point turned to form a hook, and the other end is formed
with a long flat prong with a twist or turn; in or near the centre close to this
prong is a plain or forked piece of metal fastened to the frame of the machine,
and it can be shifted nearer to or further from the twist in the pronged end
of the rod by an adjusting screw; this piece of metal bears against or takes in
In place of the rod just
the twisted prong of the rod before mentioned.
described I can use a piece of spring metal with its point turned into a hook,

page_text: and its heel fastened by a screw to the toe of the driver; if this is used it
has a projection formed at the back of the hook, which at the proper time
meets another projection fast to the frame, and thus causes the same effect as
the twist or turn in the pronged end of the rod. If instead of the bracket a
lever is used, for the flat or angular piece of metal I substitute a box and
driver, and the instrument with an eye or eyes near its heel and point, and
the hooks are fixed in the same manner as herein-before described, the only
difference being that one moves in a curved and the other in a straight line.
Above the bed or cloth plate is a hollow or other arm, the base of which
is fastened to the frame over the excentric on the main shaft, in the hori-
zontal part of this arm is fixed a shaft free to turn, which I will name No. 3,
to one end of this shaft is fixed a circular plate of metal with a radial slot,
in this slot is fixed a crank pin, and to the crank pin is fastened one end of
a connecting rod, the other end of which passes down through a hole in the
bed or cloth plate, and encircles the excentric on the main shaft; the object of
the radial groove or slot in the circular plate of metal as that as the excentric
on the main shaft will move the connecting rod a positive distance by shifting
the crank pin nearer or further from the centre of the circular plate of metal, the
shaft No 3 will be moved more or less. To the other end of the shaft No. 3
1> fixed another circular plate of metal, on the face of which is a crank pin,
and on the edge a tappet and cam, the crank pin drives the needle carrier by
means of a connecting rod or differential slot; the tappet raises the pressing
foot by striking against a pin in the pressing bar, and the cam moves a looper;
this looper is fice to swing upon a stud, by which it is hung (pendulum fashion)
to the arm of the machine; the needle carrier slide, pressing foot and bar, and
check springs are of the ordinary description, and need not be described.
Having described the machine, I will now show how the different stitches
are produced. Supposing a single thread twisted chain stitch is wanted, one
way of producing it is as follows.-The looper being moved out of action the
shaft No. 2 is disengaged from the main shaft by pulling back the tongue piece
of metal that fits the inclined or taper groove, sliding the shaft back, and so
ungearing the toothed wheels; then on the end of shaft No. 1 is fixed a
circular hook with about three-fourths of its surface cut away, and from its
point to its base it forms an inclined plane to the left from the outside, and a
corresponding plaue to the night from the inside: the needle being threaded
the machine is set to work, the needle is caused to descend through the fabric
by means of the excentric connecting rod and crank pin, taking the thread
with it, and in returning the thread forms a loop which the point of the hook
as it revolves enters and holds, the excentric raises the feed bar, and as soon

page_text: as the needle is out of the fabric moves it a fixed-distance; the needle again
descends, and it no sooner enters the fabric than the tappet on the circular
plate of metal raises the pressing foot by striking against a pin on the pressing
bar, leaving the work at liberty to be turned, the descending needle acting
as the axis or centre, the hook at the same time as it revolves crosses the
thread and opens it into a loop, through which the descending needle passes.
Another loop is formed by the rising needle, which the hook again catches
as it revolves, and as it does so throws off its preceding loop, and takes up
the slack from the preceding stitch, and so on. It will be evident to any
practical sewing machinist that it does not matter whether the hook herein-
before described is fixed to the end of the shaft No. 1 or No. 2, so that it is
made to catch the loop properly.
Another method is as follows:-The hook on the end of shaft No. 1 being
moved out of the way the shaft No. 2 is put in gear, which is done by turning
it round till the teeth before mentioned of double the pitch meet; they will
then go together, and the piece of metal hinged to the frame will spring its
taper tongue into the groove, so keeping the wheels in gear and preventing the
shaft No. 2 moving lengthways; the bracket or shuttle driver is then held.
against the cam or tappet by a spring if a spring is used (if an excentric is
used no spring is required), then to the toe of the bracket or shuttle driver is
put the hook first described, free to turn when wanted, but having no motion
without the bracket or shuttle driver; the machine being set to work as before
a loop is formed by the rising needle, which the hook takes hold of, the hook
moving back as the needle is rising; as the needle again descends the hook
is still going back and its turned or twisted prong strikes the plain or forked
piece of metal which turns the hook about 45°, bringing the hook and loop of
thread from a vertical to a horizontal position, and so exposes the loop for the
descending needle to enter, which it no sooner has done than the hook returns
to its first position, leaving its loop on the needle as it passes; the needle
again rises, another loop is formed, which the hook takes as before and pulls
up the slack from the former stitch and so on, the feed and other parts acting
as before described.
To make a single thread open chain stitch the hook is caused to turn the
reverse way by shifting the position of the plain or forked piece of metal, so
that the twist or turn in the pronged end of the hook is acted upon the con-
trary side to that in the preceding stitch. The hook may likewise be made
to enter the loop of the upper thread thrown out by the needle by setting it
near enough.
The action of the 2nd hook described is as follows:-The needle having

page_text: descended and formed a loop in rising as before, the projection on the back of
the hook as it moves back will meet the projection that is fast to the frame,
which will spring the hook and loop into the path of the now descending
needle, which no sooner secures the loop than the hook goes back to the first
position, and so on
To form a double thread chain or embroidery stitch the hook is taken from
the toe of the bracket or shuttle driver, and a grooved instrument with an
eye or eyes near its heel and point is fixed in the heel of the bracket or driver;
this instrument is threaded from a spool or spools of thread and the machine
set to work as before; the needle descends through the fabric, and in rising
forms a loop which the instrument enters as it oscillates with the bracket or
shuttle driver; the needle rises out of the fabric, leaving its thread on the
instrument, the feed and other parts acting as before described, and the needle
begins to descend, the instrument at the same time beginning to return, and
in so doing it throws out a loop or loops of its thread, and is caused if neces-
sary to receive a slight outward movement, that is to say, that it is caused to
take its forward motion on one side of the needle and its backward motion on
the other, the needle now enters this or these loops of under thread, and the
instrument retreats, leaving its thread or threads on the upper needle, which
now begins to rise and form another loop, which the instrument again enters
with its thread, and so on, the needle and instrument successively entering
each other's loops.
To produce a shuttle stitch the instrument is removed and the piece of
flat or angular metal is turned to face the bracket, being held in position by
a catch, the shuttle is put in between the toe and heel of the bracket or
driver, its face bearing against the piece of metal before mentioned; the
machine is set to work, the needle descends with its thread and enters a
slot cut in the face of the piece of metal. and in rising forms a loop through
which the shuttle is passed by the bracket or driver; the needle rises out of the
fabric, its thread being locked or crossed with the shuttle thread, the feed and
other parts as before described; the needle again descends, and in rising
another loop is formed. through which the shuttle is again passed, and so on.
If an excentric and bracket are used for the foregoing stitch the heel of the
driver is made to spring.
To produce a button hole or sewing over stitch the bracket or driver is
removed and fixed to the bottom of the bed or cloth plate free to work on a
fixed stud as before, and in its place is put a needle carrier slide with a needle
working in fixed guides; the needle carrier slide and needle are caused to rise
and fall by a cam, excentric, or tappet on the end of shaft No. 2 by a spring

page_text: always keeping a part of the slide or lever that works the slide bearing against
it (the spring can be dispensed with by using the grooved cam), a separate
cam, excentric, or tappet working the bracket or driver which is now carry-
ing the hook, the under needle being threaded, the button hole or cut in the
fabric is placed over the under needle and a small opener, the under needle
and its thread being partly above the fabric, the looper is put into action and
the machine is set to work, when the under needle as it descends forms a loop,
which the looper is made to catch as it swings by means of the cam on the
circular plate of metal on the end of shaft No. 3, the looper being caused to
take a certain motion as it swings by its free end being kept against a shaped
piece of metal by a spring; this looper, as it takes the thread from the under
needle, lays it under the descending upper needle, which immediately secures
it, and the looper returns to its former position; the upper needle now begins
to rise and forms a loop of its thread, which the hook takes hold of and lays
over the point of the rising under needle, the hook being made to do so by
either of the means described. In the second stitch the under needle enters
the loop of the upper thread thus held open for it and the hook retreats; the
top looper now takes a loop from the under needle and lays it under the
descending upper needle, which secures it as before, and so on. The method
of fixing change cams on shafts when such are used is as follows:-There is a
slot or groove formed near the end of the shaft, and in this slot or groove one
end of a spring catch is fastened; the other end of this catch is formed similar
to a right angle triangle; the boss of the cam has an internal recess formed
in it, and the cam is kept from turning by an ordinary key fixed to the shaft
fitting in the key-way in the boss of the cam; to put the cam in its place it
is only necessary to push it on the shaft, when the end of the boss striking the
hypotheneuse of the triangle forces the catch down to a level with the shaft,
and when the cam has been pushed home the catch springs up into the recess,
preventing the cam coming off. To take the cam off the catch is pressed
downwards by a small button placed for the purpose, and the cam is pulled
off.
By means of the improvements in and improved combinations and arrange-
ments of parts of sewing machines herein-before described I am enabled,
with one and the same machine, by the addition or removal of certain parts,
or by the substitution of certain parts for certain other parts thereof, or by
putting certain parts into or out of gear, to effect the following stitches,
viz: A single thread twisted chain stitch in two different ways; a single
thread open chain stitch in two different ways; a double thread chain or em-
broidery stitch; a double thread shuttle or lock stitch; and a sewing over or

page_text: button hole stitch.
These improvements and improved combinations and
arrangements of parts, together with the methods of adapting or altering one
and same machine to effect any or all of the stitches just mentioned, will be
fully understood by Figs. 1 to 12 of the accompanying Drawings, and the
following description thereof -
26
Figure 1 is a front view of a sewing machine with the bed plate in section,
to shew more clearly the working parts; Figure 2 is an end view, sectioned
in a similar manner; and Figure 3 a back view, also in section. This machine,
as shown in these Figures, is capable of producing what is known as the
single" thread twisted chain stitch. A is the bed plate, beneath which a
shaft B is fitted; this shaft is carried in journals or lugs C, D, forming part of
or connected to the bed plate: E is the driving pulley, fitted to one end of the
shaft B, so that its boss F bears against the outside of the journal C. On the
shaft B an excentric J is also fitted, the boss of which is caused to bear
against the inside of the journal C. whereby the shaft B is held in position;
the other end of this shaft passes through the journal D, and is formed with
a slot, in which a spring catch G is held by a pin, as represented in Figure 4
This spring catch allows of a collar or an additional piece of metal H being
held in place when pushed over the end of the shaft The collar H is
formed with a recess, into which the latch takes, a key fitting in a key-way is
employed to prevent the collar turning The collar II carries a hook I with
about three-fourths of its surface cut away, and from its point to its base it
forms an inclined plane to the left from the outside, and a corresponding plane
to the right from the inside: the point of this hook enters the loop formed by
the upward motion of the needle The excentric J is embraced by a strap
forming part of a connecting rod K: this rod passes up inside the standard L,
and is attached by a pin to a block M, which is capable of adjustment in a
slot cut in a disc N. This disc is fixed to one end of a shaft O, placed hori-
zontally within the projecting arm P of the machine; the other end of this
shaft O has connected to it a disc plate Q, to which a bar R is centred: this
bar passes up through a slot formed in the head S of the projecting arm P,
and its upper end is jointed to the top of the needle slide T. On the edge of
the disc plate Q is a tappet U, which strikes against a pin or lug on the inside
of the presser foot bar V; this striking of the tappet raises the presser foot at
the proper time to allow of the working being turned. The feeding is effected
in the following manner:-To the under side of the bed plate I attach a pin
or projection W. having a portion rounded to form a kind of ball; the ball is
embraced loosely by one end of a lever X, to the other end of which lever the
feed or serrated plate Y is affixed; the movement of the lever X is governed by

page_text: a cam Z on the shaft B. The action of this machine is as follows:-Thread
from a bobbin on the side of the standard L or other part of the machine is
carried to the eye of the needle in any ordinary manner; the shaft B is caused
to revolve by a band on the pulley E, and the needle slide T is caused to
descend by means of the action of the excentric J and rod K on the shaft O; the
needle with its thread passes down through the fabric which is placed on
the cloth plate, and through the needle hole when the needle is at its lowest
point; the hook I is brought into position by the rotation of its shaft B, so that
its point enters the loop formed by the thread when the needle begins to ascend;
the hook I having thus entered the loop, and the rotation being continued,
the body or broad part of the hook makes the loop larger, and at the same
time causes the two sides of the loop to cross each other. During this move-
ment the needle has ascended through and above the fabric, and the feed
plate Y has by the action of its cam Z carried the fabric forward a distance
for the next stitch. The needle then again descends, and it no sooner enters
the fabric than the tappet on the circular plate of metal raises the pressing
foot by striking against the pin on the pressing bar, leaving the work at
liberty to be turned, the descending needle acting as the axis or centre. The
hook at the same time as it revolves crosses its thread and opens it into a loop,
through which the descending needle passes. Another loop is formed by the
rising needle, which the hook again catches as it revolves, and as it does so
throws off its preceding loop and takes up the slack from the preceding stitch,
and so on. The feed plate in its movements is caused to rise by the cam Z in
a curved direction backwards from the front, taking the fabric with it, and
when it has fed the fabric the required extent it falls, and is drawn back by a
spring to its first position at the front, ready to be again acted on by the
cam Z. The block M is secured in the slot in the disc N at such a distance
from the centre of the shaft O as only to impart to it semi-rotary motion first
in one and then in the other direction, whereby the up-and-down motions of
the needle are controlled.
Another arrangement of producing a single thread chain stitch with the
machine last described is represented in Figure 5. The collar H, with the
hook I, is removed from the end of the shaft B. This may be easily effected
by applying pressure to the button to release the spring catch G from the
recess in the collar H. The journals C and D, Figures 1, 2, and 3, are double,
that is to say, they are provided with additional holes A', into which a second
shaft a (Figure 5) is placed. This shaft is prevented moving endwise when
in position by a spring tongue b, made to enter a groove in the shaft a.
The shaft a carries a toothed wheel c, geared into by another wheel d on the

page_text: driving shaft B The wheel d is also shewn in Figure 1. The opposite end
of the shaft a carries a crank pin e. which takes into a hole in a lover * centred
to the lower end of the journal D; the upper end of this lever is forked to
receive a pin or stud h connected to what 'I term a driver, shewn detached
at Figure 6. This driver is held in position by a guide i, secured to 'the under
-side of the bed plate A. The toe of the driver is 'formed with a hole, in
which a rod k is free to turn; this rod is thinned off, and the thinned portion
is shaped to form a twist, or the rod may terminate in a twisted end. The
twisted portion works between two pins on a plate I, attached to the journal D.
The pins are in a vertical position, and the plate is so adjusted by a set
screw that the rod k is caused to turn with its point upwards on motion being
given to the driver i towards the front machine; the end of the rod h, between
the heel and toe of the driver i, is formed into a hook m 'to 'take hold of the
loop formed in the thread at the commencement of each ascent of the needle.
As the rod with its hook m turns with its point upwards in the forward
motion of the driver, the loop is simply opened out to allow the needle in its
descent to pass into it, and when the needle has descended a sufficient distance
the driver with the hook is driven back by the lever f. In this .backward
motion the rod is turned to its first position, the loop is released from the
hook m, and remains upon the needle till the needle rises again. During the
first portion of the next up stroke of the needle another loop is formed, and
the driver i boing brought into position for its hook m to take the loop now
formed, the preceding loop is thrown off the needle, the hook m takes the
new loop, and carries it to the front of the machine, whoreby the thread of
the preceding loop is drawn tight
To produce a single thread twisted chain stitch in the same machine, I
attach the plate to the frame of the machine instead of to the journal D,
with the pins in a horizontal instead of in a vertical position, and I cause the
rod k to turn with the point of the hook m downwards instead of upwards
while the driver is in its forward motion, whereby the thread of the loop is
twisted. The rod is prevented coming out of the toe by a pin passed
through the toe into a recess in the rod.
Another arrangement of producing a single chain stitch 18 represented in
Figure 7. The toe i of the driver has a projection n on its outer end, to which
projection a piece of spring steel is fixed; the spring passes through the tube
or barrel and terminates in a hook m, by which the loop of the ascendig
needle is taken hold of: o is a lug on the back of the spring, acted upon by a
projection or pin p attached to the frame When the pin p strikes the lug o,
the spring hook m is thrown out to bring the loop in the path of the descending

page_text: needle, which takes the loop from the hook as the driver is in its backward
motion. The bend of the book m is chamfered off at top and bottom, the
chamfer at the bottom being nearer the point of the hook than the chamfer
at the top if a single stitch is required, but when a twisted single chain
stitch is required, I form the hook with the chamfer at the top nearer the
point than the chamfer at the bottom. These chamfers cause the two parts
of the loop to lie in different planes, so that the needle in the next down stroke
can pass through it.
Figure 8 shews an arrangement by which I produce a double thread chain
stitch. I fit to the heel of the driver by a set screw an instrument or
This
additional needle q, which projects towards the toe of the driver.
needle has two eyes q', one near its point and the other near its head; the
needle is grooved on both sides between the two eyes to receive in the forward
motion of the driver a thread supplied from a second bobbin at any convenient
part of the machine; this thread is passed through both eyes q'. The action
of this needle is as follows:-When the upper ordinary needle, after having
passed through the fabric, begins to ascend, a loop is formed by its thread,
and the needle q passes into that loop and holds it while the upper needle
completes its up stroke and has passed thro' the fabric in its next down
stroke; during this portion of the down stroke the driver i commences
its backward motion; the friction thus produced by the first loop held by the
needle q causes the thread in the groove of this needle to form a loop which
the descending upper needle enters, the preceding loop being at the same time
thrown off the needle q by the continued backward motion of the driver. The
loop formed by the needle g, and which has been taken hold of by the upper
needle in its down stroke as before explained, is released from the upper needle
as this needle passes through the fabric in its next up stroke, the needle q
at the same time entering the new loop formed by the rising of the upper
needle. Instead of forming the needle q with only one eye near its point and
one eye near its head, it may be formed with two or more eyes near its point
and the same number near its head, to receive a corresponding number of
threads. Sometimes I form the needle q with a shoulder or bowed out, as
shewn in dotten lines to cause the thread of that needle to lay away from
the needle and so form a loop.
Figure 0 represents an arrangement for producing a lock or shuttle stitch
by the same machine. To the under side of the bed plate A is jointed an
angle plate r, Fig. 5, which forms with the guide a shuttle box for the
shuttle to work in. This shuttle acts in the same manner as in other
machines, and is well known. The angle plate r is held in position against

page_text: the guide by a spring catch S. When the shuttle is not required the spring
catch is drawn back by hand, the shuttle r' removed, and the angle plate r
thrown towards the end of the machine, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 9.
The driver in this arrangement is actuated by the apparatus as described in
reference to Figure 5, and moves in a straight line.
The toothed wheel c, Fig. 5, on the lower shaft a is geared into by the
wheel on the upper shaft B, and to ensure their proper adjustment when
thrown into gear I make one of them with one tooth of larger or double the
pitch of its other teeth, and I leave a corresponding space in the other wheel
for this larger tooth to work in. This is clearly shewn in Figure 10
Figure 11 represents the arrangement of a bracket and excentric when such
are employed to produce the shuttle stitch and other stitches as before
described. The bracket is fitted to the bottom of the journal D in the place
of the lever in Figure 5, and the excentric 1' is fitted on the front end of the
shaft a. The heel of the bracket is connected to a piece of spring steel 7",
which is secured to the outside of the bracket. When the bracket and
shuttle are moving to the front of the machine the heel comes in contact with a
stop fixed to the frame, which presses it away from the shuttle, thus forming
a space to allow the thread or loop to escape On the return stroke the spring
returns the heel to its first position If employ the apparatus shewn in
Fig. 6, or the instrument represented in Fig 8, with this bracket or cradle,
the apparatus or the instrument is curved or bent to correspond to the radius
of the arc described by the bracket.
The arrangement by which I am enabled to produce a button hole or sewing
over stitch is represented in Figure 12. which is a sectional elevation of a portion
of the machine before described as adapted for producing this stitch It will
be observed that the lever is removed from the bottom of the journal C and
secured to the under side of the bed plate A, so that its forked end operates
the pin h of the driver i, represented in the arrangements Figures 6 and 7,
by means of a cam on the main shaft B, in a similar manner to that described
with reference to Fig 5 To the bottom of the Journal C I attach by a screw
nut a needle slide frame u, in which a needle is placed so that its point will
pass up through the space forming the button hole when actuated by the
cam on the end of the shaft a. To the upper part of the head of the
machine I fix a spring plate r, having its lower end shaped to form a looper 1,
and by means of a cam y on the circular plate Q the looper is thrown round
the head, the plate w pressing against a shaped piece of metal attached
thereto to bring the loop into the path of the upper needle as it descends.
The operation is as follows.-Thread being put through the eyes of both

page_text: the upper and lower needles, and the lower needle and its thread being brought
a little above the cloth plate, the fabric is placed on the cloth plate with the
button hole or cut over the under needle and over a small opener. The
machine is set to work, and the lower needle as it descends forms a loop
which the looper catches as it is caused to swing by the cam 7 on the
circular plate Q. The looper thus lays the thread under the upper needle,
which in descending secures it, and the looper returns to its first position,
releasing the loop. As the upper needle begins to ascend and form a loop of
its thread the hook on the driver i takes hold of the loop and lays it over the
point of the under needle, which in rising enters it. The hook retreats, the
looper z takes the loop formed by the lower needle as it next begins to
descend, lays it under the descending upper needle, which secures it as
before, and so on. The lower needle does not pass through the fabric
but through the button hole, except when the sewing of each side of the
button hole is completed, and then both needles pass through the fabric for
fastening off.
My method of fixing change cams on the shafts of sewing machines is the
same as that represented in Figure 4 for fixing on the collar H. I form a
slot near the end of the shaft, and in this slot one end of a spring catch G is
fastened, the other end of the catch being in the form of a right-angled
triangle G. I form an internal recess in the boss of the cam, and the boss is
kept from turning when in place by an ordinary key on the shaft fitting in
the key-way in the boss of the cam. To fix the cam on the shaft, push it on
the shaft, and the end of the boss by striking the hypothenuse of the triangle G'
forces that end of the catch down to the level of the shaft, and when the cam
has been pushed home, the catch springs up into the recess in the boss and
prevents the cam coming off. To take off the cam it is only necessary to
press down the catch by means of a button G2, and the cam is free to be
pulled off.
The second part of my Invention is accomplished in the following manner :-
The head of the machine, that is to say, that part which carries the needle
carrier slide and pressing foot and bar, is swung on a joint that it may be set
to any angle required, and a set screw is provided to fasten it in any given
position; to this head is fastened a small grip and guide, of which the
following is a description:-The part that is fast to the head carries at its lowest
end a small eye, through which thread or cord is passed to lay what tailors
term the bar round the button hole, the other part of this grip is hinged
to the part just described, the whole being similar to a small pair of plyers,

page_text: that part forming the jaws being lined with cloth or any soft substance of the
like description, and these jaws are caused to open and shut by the top end of
the jointed part of the grip being acted upon at the proper time by the
needle carrier slide or the lever that works it in conjunction with a spring;
on the bed or cloth plate there are two needle holes and two feed gaps. and
beneath the bed or cloth plate there are two feeds or one shifting feed that
can be used in either of the gaps Beneath the needle hole and feed gap
nearest the right-hand side of the machine is a shuttle and shuttle box of the
ordinary description, and beneath the other needle hole and feed gap is a kind
of circular hook, fixed either excentrically or concentrically on a small round
rod with which it works; this rod has a semi-rotary movement given to it on
Journals. by which it is fastened out of a houzontal line to the frame by means of
one end of a short slotted lever being fastened to it, in the slot of which is fixed
one end of a connecting rod. the other end of this connecting rod working in or
against a cam, the needle carrier slide. shuttle, and feed are worked by any of
the well-known means.
llaving described the machine, I will now describe its working -Supposing
a button hole is about to be stitched, the head of the machine is inclined to
an angle of about 60° (I do not confine myself to any angle), and fastened
in that position by a set screw, and a pressing foot to suit the angle is fixed
to the pressing bar The cut in the cloth is now put over a small opener,
as before, and the machine is set to work. the upper needle descends with its
thread and rises a little to form a loop. which loop is under the cut in the
cloth by reason of the angle of the upper needle, the under needle now rises
with its thread and passes through the loop of the upper thread. through the
cut in the cloth between the jaws of the grip, and over the cord or bar which
the grip guide is now paying out; the upper needle now rises out of the cloth,
leaving its thread on the under needlo: the feed now moves the cloth and the
thread grip is released and its jaws closed by a spring on the now retreating
under needle, causing it to throw out a loop of its thread. which the descending
upper needle enters and secures, and at the same time opens the jaws of the
grip and releases the under needle, another loop is formed by the rising upper
needle, which the under needle enters as before, and so on; the object of the
rod in which the under needle works being canted out of a horizontal line is
their line of motion is crossed. that is to say, when both needles are beneath
the cloth the under needle is in the rear of the upper needle, and when both
needles are above the cloth the under needle
Is in the front of the upper
needle. It is preferred to effect this object as herein-before described, but it

page_text: can be done by giving to the rod that carries the under needle a slight
movement at the proper time.
To produce a shuttle stitch it is only necessary to put the under needle and
thread grip out of motion, bring the head of the machine to a vertical position,
change the pressing foot, and put the feet to work in the gap nearest the right-
hand side of the machine, when the needle with its thread will descend and
enter a slot in the shuttle box, and in rising form a loop as before, through
which the shuttle with its thread is passed; the needle will then rise out of the
fabric, its thread being locked or crossed with the shuttle thread; the feed
now moves the fabric, the needle again descends, and in rising forms another
loop, through which the shuttle is passed as before, and so on.
This part of my Invention is represented in Figures 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17;
Figure 13 is a front view of the head work plate and shuttle box of a sewing
machine in the position for producing the shuttle stitch; Figure 14 is an end
view, and Figure 15 a back view of the same.
I make the head A of the machine of a larger size than ordinary to allow
of the needle slide plate B and the plate C, to which the leg of the presser
foot D is attached, being moved forward on the head; the head has a hori-
zontal slot E cut in it near the top, in which a pia a is free to move; and
another slot F, parallel to the slot E, but curved upwards at its fore end, is
cut near the bottom of the head for a screw pin to work in. The straight
part of the lower slot F is of the same length as the upper slot E, so that the
two plates B and C may be moved endways together. When it is required to
move the two plates B and C from a vertical into an inclined position, they
are first moved endways until the pin a comes against the left-hand end of
the slot E; the two plates are then moved into an inclined position, the pin a
being the axis upon which they turn; they are secured in the inclined
position by a set screw b in the slot F. To move the plates back into a
vertical position the reverse movements take place.
Figure 16 is a front view and Figure 17 an end view showing the plates
B and C moved into an inclined position for producing the button hole stitch.
In this position the shuttle and driver or the shuttle only are thrown out of
gear, and a circular hook G is placed under the end of the cloth plate H;
this circular hook has a shank bent at right angles and connected to one end
of a rod I, which is caused to oscillate by means of a slotted line J depending
from the other end of the rod, and acted upon by a lever K, worked by the
cam on the main shaft. The rod I is carried in journals L and M, and is in
an inclined position, as shown, to enable the hook G when passed up through

page_text: the slit or hole in the fabric to cross the path of the needle N The circular
hook G has two eyes, one near its point and the other near the shank, a
groove is formed on both sides of the hook between the eyes for its thread to
lic in when the point is brought above the fabric When the needle N
commences to rise the hook is in position to enter and take the loop of the
needle thread the needle continues to use out of the fabric: the hook at
the same time passes through the button hole, still carrying the loop. When
the point of the hook has passed through the button hole a fixed distance the
hook is taken hold of by the jaws of a small pair of plyers O, one leg of
which is fixed to the edge of the needle slide plate B, this leg is fitted with
a spring P so as to draw the other leg towards it, and thus tend to keep the
jaws closed. The Jaws remain closed and retain their hold of the hook G
until the needle, N commences its down stroke. the hook then begins to
descend through the shit. the Jaws of the plyers allowing it to slip, but still
holding it with sufficient pressure to produce a drag on the thread in tho
grooves. this drag forms a loop of the hook thread, which the needle enters
and takes the loose leg of the pivers is struck at the same time by the end
of the lever Q that works the needle. or it may be struck by the needle carrier
slide B: the jaws are thus opened: and the needle is allowed to take the
loop of the hook thread without strain The hook has by this time arrived
at the bottom of its course ready to enter the next loop formed by the rising
of the needle I form the cloth plate with two feed gaps, one of which is
used for the shuttle stitch and the other for the button hole stitch I fix an
additional feed plate R to the end of the machine to feed the fabric when
effecting the button hole stitch. The feed plate previously used for the
shuttle stitch may he shifted from its position and fixed in the feed gap for
working the button hole: the feed plate in each case may be operated by the
same lever, or another lever may be substituted if the lever is not of the
proper length The jaws of the plyers are lined with cloth or other soft
yielding material T is an eye in a projection on the fixed leg of the plvers
through which thread or cord is passed to lay what is termed the "bar"
round the button hole. The presser foot D can be set at any required angle
by a set screw U on the bottom of the leg V. so that it may press uniformly
on the fabric. In some cases I place the shuttle box in a position at right
angles to that shown in Figures 13 to 17, in order to dispense with the
necessity of moving the needle slide plate on the head endways before canting
it when it is required to move it into position for producing the button hole
stitch, as before explained. The manner of fitting the shuttle box at right

page_text: angles will be understood on reference to Figures 5 and 9, which show &
shuttle box in this position. The position of the hook G must be altered to
suit the altered position of the shuttle box.
Another part of my Invention is effected as follows:-I take a piece of
spring metal, the top of which I form into a looper or hook, with an eye at
its point and heel, and give it a right-angled twist in or near the centre (this
might be a piece of round wire); this at the bottom is fastened by screws to
the frame, a stud that is in one part of this piece of metal bears against a
cam that gives it motion. The other parts of this machine are of the ordinary
description. The action of this machine is as follows:-If a single thread
chain stitch is wanted, the needle with its thread is caused to descend through
the fabric, and in rising forms a loop, which the hook or looper enters and
holds the hook or looper, moving as it does so in a kind of horizontal elliptical
course, the major axis of the ellipse being in a line with the feed, the
needle striking in the centre of the conjugate axis of this imaginary ellipse,
from which it will be seen that the looper or hook moves forward and takes
the loop on one side of the needle, which it no sooner has done than the
needle rises out of the cloth, leaving its thread on the hook or looper. The
needle now begins to descend, by which time the hook or looper is at one end
of the major axis, and the loop of thread on it is thus laid in the path of the
descending needle, which enters it, the hook or looper now returning on the
opposite side of the needle, leaving its thread as it passes on the needle,
which now rises and forms another loop, which the hook or looper enters and
holds as before, and so on.
To form a double thread chain stitch it is only necessary to put thread in
the eyes of the hook or looper, when the action will be as before. The other
parts of this machine are of the ordinary description. This part of my
Invention is represented in Figure 18. a is a piece of spring metal, the top of
which is formed into a looper or hook b, with an eye at the point and an eye
at the heel, a groove being between the eyes on each side of the hook. The
piece of metal a is twisted at right angles at c; it is fastened at the bottom d
by a screw to the frame; a stud e on the piece a rides in the groove f of a cam
plate f, which gives it motion. The cam plate f has a swell on the face in
which the groove f is formed, that is to say, the cam plate is thicker at one
portion than at another, as represented in Figure 19. The other parts of the
machine are of the ordinary construction.
When a double chain stitch is required the needle with its thread descends
through the fabric, and in rising forms a loop, which the looper b with its
thread enters and holds, moving as it does so in a kind of horizontal elliptical

page_text: course, as before explained. The needle strikes in the centre of the conjugate
axis of this imaginary ellipse: it will thus be understood that the looper b
moves forward and takes the loop on one side of the needle, and the needle
then rises out of the cloth, leaving its thread on the looper. By the time the
needle again descends the looper with its thread is returning. In returning
the loop of the needle thread on the looper produces sufficient friction on the
looper thread to form a loop, which is laid in the path of the descending
needle, which enters it; the looper now completes its backward motion on the
opposite side of the needle, leaving the thread on the needle, which now rises
and forms another loop, and the looper enters and holds it as before. For a
single thread chain stitch the looper is required to be thrown to a greater
distance. This is accomplished by removing the pin e into the hole g in the
piece a.
In place of the top feeding foot as described in the Specification of my herein-
before mentioned Letters Patent, and shown in the Drawings annexed thereto,
an ordinary pressing footing and bar is used, as represented in Figure 20
To the foot a one end of a small spring b is fastened, the other end of this
spring has an opener c fixed to it, which is formed with an inclined planc, and
a small opening is made in the shuttle box lid and box for the opener to go
into. When a button hole is to be stitched the cut or slit is placed under the
foot a, and the opener c springs into this cut or slit in the cloth, the machine
is set to work, and one side of the button hole being stitched, the opener
keeping the slit open while such is being done, the end of the slit or opening
in the cloth comes against the inclined plane of the opener and raises it out
of the button hole, which is now turned round to stitch the opposite side, and
as soon as it is turned round the opener c again springs into the slit or hole
and opens it as before, and so on; or the opener c may be attached to the
shuttle box, as shown in Figure 21, and work in a small groove provided for
it. When one side of the hole is stitched as before, the end of the button
hole forces the opener beneath the cloth by means of the inclined plane, the
opener being kept down by a small catch d till the button hole is turned
round to stitch the opposite side, when the pressing foot is lowered and the
opener released, which again springs up into the slit or hole, opening it as
before, and so on.
The next part of my Invention consisting of arrangement of under feed is
as follows:-Beneath or at the side of the arm which carries the shuttle box
a lever moves universally in a crutch carried by a stud, by which it is suspended
to the arm herein-before mentioned; to one end of the lever is fastened a
stitch screw, and this end of the lever is acted upon in the ordinary manner to

page_text: move the fabric; the other end of this lever moves a serrated plate, which
works in guides. The arrangement of this under feed will be understood on
reference to Figure 22. A is the arm which carries the shuttle box; at the side
of this arm is a lever B, which moves universally in a crutch C, carried
by a stud D, by which it is suspended to the arm A. To one end of the lever B
a stitch screw E is fitted, and this end of the lever is acted upon by the
cam F in the ordinary manner to move the fabric, the other end of the lever B
moves a serrated plate which performs the feed. This serrated plate is
represented at G, Figure 23; il terminates in a block H, which works
between side plates I, forming guides; these side plates are in a piece with
an arm K, fixed to the shuttle-box arm. The block H is slotted and recessed
to receive a spring L, which bears against a pin M between the side plates I.
The front of the block H, under the plate G, is inclined as shown. The end
of the lever B, Figure 22, has a corresponding incline to fit this incline of the
block H. When the lever B is acted on by the cam F, Figure 22, it lifts and
moves back the serrated plate G, whereby the feed is performed. When
the lever falls it presses against the incline of the block H, and lowers the
serrated plate; the spring L then returns the lever B, block II, and plate G
to their first position ready for another feed.
The next part of my Invention consists in forming a double time and stitch
cam in the following manner:-It is first made like an ordinary cam, then a
slot is formed in the stitch part of the cam, and a pin hole in the boss, to
which can be secured at pleasure an extra time and stitch cam.
Figure 24 represents a single time and stitch cam formed to receive an
extra time and stitch cam. a is a slot in the stitch part of the cam, and ba
pin hole in the boss. When it is required to apply an extra time and stitch
cam to make a double time and stitch cam, I secure it by means of a plate or
rib c on the back of the extra cam, as seen in Figure 25, introduced into the
slot a, and by means of a pin d, which takes into the pin hole b, I then make
all fast by a screw e.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same to be performed, I declare that I claim as my improvements
in sewing machines,―
First, the improved combinations and arrangements of parts of sewing
machines, substantially as described in the first part of this Specification, and
represented in Figures 1 to 12 of the accompanying Drawings, whereby I am
enabled with one and the same machine, by the the addition or removal of
certain parts, or by the substitution of certain parts for certain other parts
thereof, or by putting certain parts into or out of gear, to effect according to

page_text: requirement the various stitches numerated in this part of my Specification,
or some of them.
Second, the disc plate represented at Q. Figures 2 and 12, formed with a
tappet U for raising the presser foot. and with a cam for actuating the looper,
all arranged substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
Third, the rod k attached to the driver in the manner described with
reference to Figure 6, and caused to twist, when required, by the pins on the
plate, for the purpose herein-before described.
Fourth, the piece of spring steel represented in Figure 7, formed with a pro-
jection or lug o at the back, acted upon by a projection p, substantially as and
for the purpose herein-before described
Fifth, the instrument or additional needle represented at q. Figure 8,
arranged and acting substantially in manner and for the purpose herein-before
described
Sixth, the arrangement herein-before described with reference to Figure 9,
whereby the angled plate may be brought into or removed out of position,
according to whether a shuttle stitch or another stitch is required.
Seventh, the arrangement of bracket or cradle represented in Figure 11,
and acting substantially as herein-before described.
"
Eighth, the combined employment of a spring looper z, Figure 12, and of a
shaped piece of metal attached to the head of the machine for guiding the
looper in its motions, substantially as hercin-described.
Ninth, fitting the head of sewing machines, substantially as herein-before
described with reference to Figures 13 to 17, so that it may be placed in
either a vertical or an inclined position, according to the stitch required to be
produced
Tenth. the improved grip and guide, consisting of a pair of plyers fitted and
acting substantially in manner and for the purpose herein-before described,
and represented in Figures 16 and 17 of the accompanying Drawings
Eleventh, the employment of two feed plates, one for each of two feed gaps
in the cloth plate or of one feed plate, which is capable of adjustment to either
of the two feed gaps, substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described
with reference to Figures 13 to 17 of the accompanying Drawings.
Twelfth, the piece of spring metal a, Figure 18, having a twist at right
angles, and formed at the top with a looper or hook, all arranged and actuated
substantially in manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
Thirteenth, the employment of the spring opener c attached to the presser
foot, as in Figure 20, or to the shuttle box, as in Figure 21, substantially in
the manner and for the purpose herein-before described.

page_text: Fourteenth, the arrangement of parts for effecting the under feed, sub-
stantially as herein-before described and represented in Figure 22 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Fifteenth, constructing double time and stitch cams, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Figures 24 and 25 of the accompanying
Drawings, so that one of the cams may be detached or attached as required,
according to the stitch to be produced.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Smith, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twentieth day of January, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-six.
ALFRED SMITH. (L.S.)