IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66,
'Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."-A communi-
cation from abroad by John Squire Andrews, of the City and State of
New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 21st February 1868, and dated the 4th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at, the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th November 1867.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
A bed and an arm rising above it carrying the needle bar and pressure
foot are provided a susual. The peculiarity of this machine consists in a
compound cam from which all the motions of the machine are derived, this
compound cam is at one end of a shaft rotated by a belt and pulley
or other usual means, and upon the side of said cam a screw or pin is
attached standing as a crank to the cam shaft and giving motion to the
lever that moves the needle bar, the said crank pin travelling in a slot in

page_text: that portion of the said lever which projects down through the bed. This
compound cam gives motion to the feed lever that is beneath the bed on a
fulcrum near its centre. At one end of this feed lever are a series of
points to take the cloth, a hole being provided through the bed near
the needle for the action of the feed, near the other end of this feed
lever a spring is applied that keeps the lever against the compound
The shape of this compound cam is such that the cylindrical portion
which is slightly excentric to the shaft causes the feed points to penetrate or
draw away from the cloth, while the other portion of the cam that stands as
a flange to the cylinder gives motion to the lever in the other direction.
effecting the feed movement of the cloth or the return of the feed an
adjustable amount which is regulated by a set screw stop.
cam.
Another feature of this Invention consists in a looper that is reciprocated by
a connection to the needle bar lever below the bed, and the said looper slides
through an eye on a lever that receives a sidewise vibratory motion from a
portion of the aforesaid compound cam. This machine is capable of being
used to sew with one thread or with two threads. When two threads are used
the looper below the bed carries one thread from a spool passed through eyes
on the said looper, the eye-pointed perforating needle the other thread.
The motions of the parts given as aforesaid are:-1st, the eye-pointed
needle perforates the cloth and rises to form a loop of needle thread;
2nd, through this loop the under looper is projected; 3rd, the needle rises,
the feed acts, and the needle makes a second perforation, during which time
the looper moves bodily across the needle's path below the bed; 4th, the
needle descends, takes a loop of lower thread from the looper; 5th, the looper
drawing back drops the previous loop of needle thread around the loop of its
own thread; and, 6th, goes forward on the other side of the needle, taking a
loop of needle thread; 7th, the needle rises and drops the loop of under
thread around the loop of its own thread, and so on. When the machine is
used to sew with one thread the under thread is left out, and a detaining
finger moved up to near the needle and between the looper and bed. The
same movements as before cause the looper to take a loop of needle thread,
cross the needle's path, and drawing slightly back one side of this loop is
detained and spread by the detaining finger so that the needle on its next
descent passes into the said loop with great certainty. The machine is again
converted into a double thread machine by drawing or turning back the said
detaining finger and rethreading the looper.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 2nd May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence that I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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," a communication to me.
from abroad by John Squire Andrews, of the City and State of New York;
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 Vincent Newton,. 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto.
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say :-
Fig. 1 is an inverted plan of the sewing machine adapted to sewing with a
single thread; Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the bed in section, and Fig. 3,
is an inverted plan of a portion of the bed showing the parts as adapted to
sewing with two threads. Similar marks of reference denote the same parts
in all the Figures.
A bed a and an arm a rising above it carrying the needle bar m and
pressure foot n are provided as usual. The peculiarity of this machine

page_text: consists in a compound cam d from which all the motions of the machine
are derived. This compound cam is at one end of a shaft c rotated by a
belt and pulley b, or other usual means, and upon the side of said cam a
screw or pin e is attached standing as a crank to the cam shaft and giving
motion to the lever f that moves the needle bar m, said crank pin travelling
in a slot in that portion of said lever which projects down through the bed a..
This compound cam d gives motion to the feed lever g. that is beneath the
bed on a fulcrum 2 near its centre..
At one end of this feed lever are a series.
being provided through the bed a near
near the other end of this feed lever g
of points 3: to take the cloth, a hole
the needle for the action of this feed;
a spring g is applied see Fig. 1, that keeps the lever against the compound,.
cam d. The shape of this compound cam is such that the cylindrical portion
d' which is slightly eccentric to the shaft, causes the feed points to penetrate
or draw away from the cloth while the other portion 4 of the cam that stands.
as a flange to the cylinder gives motion to the lever in the other direction,
effecting the feed movement of the cloth the return of the feed an adjustable
amount is regulated by a set screw stop. 7.
Another feature of this Invention consists in a looper h that is recipro-
cated by a connection to the needle bar lever f below the bed, and
said looper slides through an eye k on a lever that receives a sidewise
vibratory motion from the portion 5 of the aforesaid compound cam d.
This machine is capable of being used to sew with one thread or with two
threads. When two threads are used, as in Fig. 3, one thread is passed
through the eyes 6 and 8 (shown in Fig. 2), the latter being on a spring,
thence the thread goes through eyes on said looper h, as seen in Figs. 2
and 3, and the eye-pointed perforating needle x carries the other thread..
The motions of the parts before mentioned are:-1st, the eye-pointed
needle perforates the cloth, rises to form a loop of needle thread;
2nd, through this loop the under looper h is projected; 3d, the needle rises,
the feed 3 acts, and the needle makes a second perforation, during which
time the looper h moves bodily across the needle's path below the bed; and,
4th, the needle descending takes a loup of lower thread from the looper h;
5th, the looper h drawing back drops the previous loop of needle thread around
the loop of its own thread; and, 6th, the said looper h goes forward again on the
other side of the needle, taking a loop of needle thread; 7th, the needle a rises
and drops the loop of under thread around the loop of its own thread, and so
When the machine is used to sew with one thread the under thread is
left out and a detaining finger o moved up to .near the needle, as in Fig. 1,
and between the looper and bed, or so that the side of the looper is pressed
on.

page_text: by the spring c¹ against the end of the finger o. The same movements as
before of the needle x and looper h cause the looper to take a loop of needle
thread, cross the needle's path, and drawing slightly back one side of this loop
is detained and spread by the detaining finger o, so that the needle on its
next descent passes into said loop with great certainty. The machine is
again converted into a double thread machine by drawing or turning back
said detaining finger and rethreading the looper, as shown in Fig. 3. The
needle thread is supplied from the spool p, and passes through the eye p¹ and
thread tension apparatus q that is of any desired character, such as two discs
kept together by a spring and nut; thence the thread passes through the
eye r on the arm a¹, thence through the eyes on the lever f, and up to the
eye t at the upper end of the needle bar, and down to the eye of the needle.
By this arrangement of the eyes r, s, t, the thread is nearly straight when
the needle is out of the cloth, allowing sufficient slack for the loop of needle
thread below the cloth; but when the needle is in the cloth there is an
increased length of thread between the eyes r, s, & t so that slack thread is
thereby taken up, the previous stitch drawn tight, and there are no loose loops
of threads below the cloth to become entangled with the looper h.
What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,―
First. The compound cam d in combination with mechanism substantially
as specified between said cam and the needle x, the looper h, and the feed 3,
so that all the operative parts obtain their proper motions from said cam d,
substantially as specified.
Second. The finger o in combination with the looper h, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
Third. The arrangement of the eyes r, s, & t, through which the needle
thread passes for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of May, A.D. One thousand
Le Lundrakant ciute night
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)