IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry Smith, of Ipswich, in the County of
Suffolk, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 10th July 1863, and dated the 19th March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Henry Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th March 1863.
I, GEORGE HENRY SMITH, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the feed motion of machines known by the name
of double-action machines, and consists in the combination of a working
lever on which the feeder is suspended from a fulcrum with an universal joint
at its upper part admitting of the feeder being moved either forwards and
backwards, across the arm of the machine, or at right angles to such directions,
such feeder acting in combination with a double guide, capable of being
moved and set so as required to form a guide way for the feeder in either of
its respective motions, and a bevil formed on the end of the working lever
for the purpose of acting ou a bevil formed on the feeder in order to produce
the required motion of the same, either in the direction of the length of the
arm by the one bevil sliding on the other, or in the direction across the arm
by the pressure of one bevilled piece on the other. By means of this com-
bination the feeder is worked through the several motions by the agency of
one lever instead of two levers as usual, such lever having a fulcrum with an

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Henry Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HENRY SMITH, of Ipswich, in the County of Suffolk, Machinist, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said George Henry Smith, Her special license that I, the said
George Henry Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said George Henry 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 law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said George Henry Smith, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 George Henry Smith, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention of "Improvements in Sewing Machines" relates to the means
of producing the feed motions of certain sewing machines known by the name
of double or back action machines, and consists in the combination of a lever
working on an universal jointed or double action fulcrum and actuated by a
double tappet, on which lever is suspended from or near the end thereof
a feeder with an universal or double action joint at the upper part of the

page_text: operate on the lever. G is the fulcrum of the lever E, which has an universal
or double action joint (as shewn on the Drawing by dotted lines) formed by a
stud on which the lever is carried through its vertical oscillations, and to
which the said lever is further connected by a steel pin. passing through both
lever and stud at right angles to the direction of the said stud, and on which
pin and stud the lever oscillates in such a manner as, together with the other
parts of the combination, to produce the requisite feed motions.
I do not however confine myself to this particular mode of constructing the
universal joint or double action fulcrum of the lever. H is the operating end
of the lever, which is formed with a bevil I, as shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, capable
of acting on a correspondingly formed bevil K, on the feeder F, for the
purpose of moving the feeder, either in the direction of the length of the arm
or in that across the same, according as the double guide L is in the position
shewn in Fig. 3 or in that shewn in Fig. 2. In some cases it may be
desirable to fix the bevil intended to act on the feeder bevil on the end of a
spring fixed to the frame, instead of forming it on the operating end of the
lever E, such spring having a tendency to keep the opposite end of the lever
in contact with the operating face of the cam on the driving shaft. The
operating end of the lever in such case will only have to press forward the
spring with the bevil at its end, the reaction of the spring taking the lever
back again. The double guide L is turned on a pivot M by means of a
thumb screw N, and secured either in the position shewn in Fig. 2, or in that
shewn in Fig. 3. When it is in the position shewn in Fig. 2 it presents a
stop to the movement of the feeder in the direction of the length of the
arm B, but leaves an opening which admits of its movement in the direction
across the arm by the pressure of the bevilled part against that of the feeder.
And when the double guide is in the position shewn in Fig. 3 it presents a
stop to the movement of the feeder F in the direction across the arm B, but
leaves a space for the feeder to be moved towards the left hand in the
figure or in the direction of the length of the arm by the action of the bevil I
on the bevil K. Hence it will be seen that the required motions of the
feeder F may be controlled and regulated by merely setting the double guide
in the manner described, thereby obviating the necessity of displacing or
changing, the feeder when the direction of the feeding is required to be
changed. O is the fulcrum or centre of suspension of the feeder, this fulcrum
has also an universal or double action joint so as to accommodate the motions
of the feeder to the motions of the lever E. Fig. 4 represents detached a
horizontal section of the feeder shewing the foot or presser at the bottom of
the same, which, it will be observed, is formed with two members or claws,

page_text: whereof one is adapted for feeding in the direction across the arm B, and the
other in that of the length of the arm, the needle indicated by the small circle
being similarly situated in relation to each of them. The bottom surface of
the foot or presser is jagged or serrated in such a manner as to give it the
required hold on the cloth or material to be sewed when worked in either
direction. P is a vulcanized india-rubber spring for keeping the foot of the
lever E in contact with the part D* of the double tappet as required when
the bevil is formed on the end of the lever E. Q is another spring of the
same kind for bringing down the opposite end of the lever E as required, after
it has been raised by the action of the part D of the double tappet on the
lever. R is a steel spring for returning to its position the feeder F after it
has been acted upon by the lever E.
From the foregoing description it will be evident that on the revolution of
the driving shaft C, the double tappet D, D*, will be caused to act on the
lever E in such a manner as to work the feeder F through its required
motions for feeding the cloth under operation, either in the direction across
the arm B, or in the direction of the length of the arm, according as the
double guide L is set, either as shewn in Fig. 2, or as in Fig. 3.
of
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as
my Invention is, the application to double or back action machines for the
purpose of propelling or feeding the material to be sewed therein, of the
combination of parts consisting of a lever with an universal jointed or double
action fulcrum, from or near one end of which lever the feeder is suspended by
another universal jointed or double-action fulcrum, the operating end of such
lever being formed with a bevil, or being caused to impel a spring on which
is fixed a bevil capable of acting on a similar bevil on the feeder, and a double
guide for controlling and regulating the direction of motion of the feeder as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Henry Smith, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
WILLIAM PEPPER,
Station Road, Ipswich.
GEORGE HENRY SMITH. (L.B.)