IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SEWING
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of October, in the sixteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her especial license, full power, sole pri-
vilege and authority, that I, the said William Edward Newton, my exors,
adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Edward Newton,
my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree witli, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein men-
tioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within Eng-
land, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR SEWING," being a communication from a Foreigner residing
abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging mc, the
said William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,

page_text: as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Edward Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention of Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Sewing
relates to a novel arrangement or combination of parts, whereby fabrics may
be sewed or connected together with thread or yarns by mechanical means,
and consists principally in combining together in the operation of sewing two
threads in such a manner that each of the threads is made to hold or secure
the other in the fabric. In order, however, that the Invention may be clearly
understood, I have shewn in the accompanying Drawings the manner in which
my foreign correspondent proposes to carry out his improvements.
Fig. 1, Sheet I. is a plan view of the horizontal table on which the fabric
to be operated upon is placed; the horizontal needle, with the parts for
operating it, are represented partly by dotted lines, as they are situated
beneath this table.
Fig. 2, Sheet I., is a vertical section taken in the line A. . . . B, of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, Sheet II., is a vertical section taken in the line C. .
Fig. 1.
D, of
Fig. 4, Sheet II., represents the peculiar mode of constructing the parts which
carry the spools upon which the thread is to be wound, together with the
arrangement for tightening the spools thereon, so as to obtain the proper
degree of tension upon the respective threads.
Fig. 5, Sheet II., is a diagram representing upon an enlarged scale the
peculiar stitch produced by the machine. a, a, a, a, a, a¹, represents the
framework of the machine; b, b, is the vertical needle, which is supplied with
thread (as shewn by red lines in the Figures) from the adjustable spool c. c.
The needle 6 is made to move up and down by the bent lever d, d, which
turns on a fulcrum at in the framework a', a', the studf of the said lever
playing in the grooved wheel g,g, on the driving shaft h, h, thereby causing
the vertical needle to move up and down, as will be readily understood by
inspection of the Drawings. In this machine the horizontal needle i, i,
(Fig. 1, Sheet I.) is made nearly circular instead of straight, as the form
shown is preferable to any other form, although a beneficial result might be

page_text: obtained without adopting precisely the form shewn, I however much prefer
this circular form of needle, as it is better adapted for opening the loops of the
thread of the vertical needle, and also for spreading the loop of its own thread.
The horizontal needle i. i, is made to rotate intermittently, as follows:-The
end of the said needle is bent so as to be inserted in the pinion k, into which
works the toothed rack 1, which is attached to the bent lever m; m, the
stud n of which works in the excentric groove o, o, on the central cam of the
driving shaft h, h, as shown by dots in Fig. 1. The thread which supplies
the needle i, i, is represented by the blue lines in the Drawings, and is wound
upon the spool p, and passes from the said spool through the end of the small
spring h', and also through the end of the bent lever q, to which the spring h
is attached; from thence the thread passes through the guiding bar r, andi
through the point of and around the needle i, i, which is grooved for the pur-
pose; this, with its thread, passes through the loop of the thread of the vertical
needle and forms another loop, beyond and through this loop the vertical
needle passes, the two needles thus operating together, and forming the double
loop stitch in the manner herein set forth, as shown at Fig. 5. The bent
lever is attached to the bent lever m, m, and is moved backward and for-
ward by it and in connection with the small spring takes up the slack of
the thread of the needle i, i. The arrangement for tightening the spools and
producing a proper and even tension upon the respective threads, is as
follows:-, Fig. 4, Sheet II., represents the rod or axis upon which the
spool turns; this rod is secured in the framework a, a; at the foot of and
around the said rod is placed a spring g', and two small metallic cones, having
proper holes in them, are placed upon the rod i, and the spool is made to
rest upon the conical ends of the small metallic cones, which are inserted in
the opposite ends of the spool as shewn by the Figure. These cones are
allowed to slide up and down upon the rod i, and are prevented from rotating
with the spool by means of pins or projections running from them into a slot
made in the rod i for the purpose. To alter the tension upon the threads, the
nut is screwed down upon the outer cone or upwards from it. The appa-
ratus for feeding forward the cloth or other fabric to be sewed is represented
more particularly in Fig. 2, Sheet 1., and consists principally of a bent bar
8, s', the upper end of which is notched to hold the cloth, and extends above
the platform. The bent bar s has a reciprocating vertical motion, and also a
horizontal motion, forward and backward, imparted to it in the following
manner: The bar s, s¹, turns on a pin t, as a fulcrum, and has also a slot
made in it so as to allow it to slide on the said pin or fulcrum. The bar's, s',
is pressed up by the cams v, v, on the driving shaft, and is forced back again
by means of the spring w attached to the framework a, a. The bar is also

page_text: moved back by the cams a, a, striking against the projection y, and by the
spring, Fig. 2, Sheet I. The vertical needle b, b, is seen best in Fig. 1,
with the eye formed at a proper distance from the point, and fixed in the
socket end of the needle bar o', 0', which is made to move up and down as
above stated. The arrangement for taking up the slack of the thread of the
vertical needle, is as follows:-The thread first passes from the spool c, c,
through the end of the small spring n', and thence through the 'eylet p¹, and
down between the semicircular projection m³ (Fig. 2), and the small wheel l',
which wheel is pressed by a small spring against the projection m¹, and is
turned upon its axis by the friction of the said projection against it. It will
be seen that the projection m' moves upward and downward with the needle
bar o and thus turns the wheel in passing and repassing it. If the pres-
sure of the projection m¹ against the wheel l' is found insufficient to take up
the slack of the thread of the vertical needle b, it may be wound once around
the projection m¹ in passing.
In Fig. 3, represents a small guide, which is used in putting binding
upon cloth or leather. It is bent in the proper, shape for folding the binding
upon the edge of the fabric, and has a proper slot in it through which the
binding passes when folded. This guide is so arranged, that it may
readily be removed from the machine when other work is to be done, or it may
be exchanged..for, one of larger, or smaller size, as may be required by the
width of the binding to be used. The cloth or fabric to be sewed is placed
upon the notched bars, s' (Fig. 2), and in order to hold it upon the same
while the stitch is being made, it is pressed by the vertical motion of the
bar b', 6', which is attached to the sliding rod c', c', on the upper end of
which the spring d' bears. It will be seen, that as the work progresses the
cloth will be held upon the notches of the, bar s, s; by the striking of the
said bar against the yielding plate 6', b, and, the cloth will be fed along after
each stitch by the horizontal motion of the bar s, s', the downward motion of
the bar s, as above described, releasing, the cloth from the pressure of the
plate ', ', so as to allow it to be fed along. The operation of the machine
is as follows: The fabric to be sewed is placed upon the platform a, a,
which has a proper hole in it for the play of the vertical needle, which passes
downward through the fabric and forms, a loop on the under side thereof,
and the horizontal needle then passes through the last formed loop and forms.
another loop beyond, and holds the first loop until the vertical needle is
drawn up and pressed down again through the loop formed by the horizontal
needle, which draws up the loop first made and forms the double loop stitch,
as before described.
1. Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me

page_text: by my foreign correspondent, and the best means with which I am at present
acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would observe in, conclusion, that
I am aware that fabrics have been heretofore stitched or connected together by
means of two separate threads, and, furthermore, that horizontal and vertical
needles, each with a separate thread, have been heretofore employed for such
purposes, I do not therefore mean or intend to claim the exclusive right of
using two needles or two threads, except when combined, worked, and
arranged substantially in the manner herein set forth; but that which I con-
sider to be new, and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
First, the making of a seam by carrying a first thread through the fabric
to be sewed, and passing the loop of a second thread through the loop of the
first thread formed on the under side of such fabric, and again carrying the
loop of the first thread through the last formed loop of the second thread, and
thus forming the double loop stitch substantially in the manner set forth. I
also claim the use of two needles operating alternately, one working vertically
and the other horizontally, substantially as herein above described, and forming
by the double loop stitch a scam, as set forth.
Secondly, I claim the arrangement above described for feeding the cloth
along under the vertical needle, or any modification thereof, consisting of a
notched bar which has a vertical or up-and-down motion for holding the
fabric upon, and releasing it from the notches of the said bar by striking it
against a yielding plate, and having also a lateral motion, or motion forward
and back, for feeding the cloth along after each stitch, substantially as above
set forth.
I also claim the arrangement above described for taking up the slack of
the thread of the horizontal needle, and also the arrangement for taking up
the slack of the thread of the vertical needle above described, and also the
arrangement above described for folding the binding upon the fabric to be
sewed, as well as the arrangement for tightening the spools and procuring a
proper and even tension upon the respective threads (namely) the use of
cones, so arranged that the spool is made to turn upon the conical ends of
them.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
W. E. (L.s:) NEWTON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1853, the aforesaid William Edward Newton, came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Eighteenth day of April; in the year of our Lord One
'thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Enrolled the Eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
'thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.