IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Robert Rossiter, of No. 62, Saint Luke's
Road, Totterdown, Bristol, in the County of Somerset, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Robert Rossiter
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th August 1872.
I, THOMAS ROBERT ROSSITER, of No. 62, Saint Luke's Road, Totter-
down, Bristol, in the County of Somerset, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
-
This Invention has mainly for its object to construct a sewing
machine capable of sewing simultaneously two rows of stitches, in-
dependent one of the other, and at any desired distance apart.
For this purpose I arrange the vertical needle slide or arm which
carries the needles for piercing the fabric to carry two needles, one of

page_text: which can be set to or from the other according to the distance apart
required between the two rows of stitching. With each vertical needle
a horizontal needle below the bed of the machine is arranged to work
so as to loop its thread around the loops of thread of the upper needles
and produce what is known as the Lancashire stitch.
:
In order that the machine may be capable of producing the two rows
of stitching in close proximity to one another the horizontal needles are
arranged to work in opposite directions, and so that they move towards
one another as they move forward to catch the loops thrown out from
the vertical needles; one of the vertical needles is also set slightly in
advance of the other, so that the two horizontal needles shall not be in
the same line and shall not interfere with one another. The horizontal
needle which works with the moveable vertical needle, and the mechanism
by which it is driven are carried by a horizontal sliding plate forming
part of the bed or table of the machine, and in this plate is a hole for
the vertical needle to pass through. This hole can always be brought
into position for the needle to pass through by shifting the slide in its
guides. To give motion to the horizontal needles each needle is carried
at one end of a rod, the opposite end of which is jointed to a crank pin,
and the rod near its forward end is jointed by a link to a fixed pin.
This link is made of a length to cause the horizontal needle as it is
moved forward by the revolving of the crank to travel in a straight line,
or nearly so, and to travel in a curved course as it is moved back again
so as to be well away from the vertical needle at the time when this
needle is descending.
The slide carrying the vertical needles receives motion from a lever
worked by a cam on a driving shaft below the bed of the machine. This
shaft is parallel with the horizontal needles and the sliding plate before
mentioned, and has upon it two bevel wheels. These gear with other
bevel wheels on the axes of horizontal discs that carry the crank pins
before mentioned from which the horizontal needles receive their
motion.
In order that the bevel wheels which transmit motion to the movablo
horizontal needle may always remain in gear, the sliding plate upon
which this needle is mounted has an arm fixed to it which enters a
groove formed around the boss of the bevel wheel upon the driving shaft,
and this bevel wheel is made capable of sliding along the shaft so as to
be free to move to and fro with the sliding plate.

page_text: Machines arranged as above described. to produce two rows of stitching
at any desired distance apart are especially applicable for stitching tapes
or strips of fabric on to another fabric, and when thus using the machine
the two edges of the tape or strip of fabric may be. passed through
apparatus for doubling over both its edges before it comes up to the
needles of the machine, so that the two edges of the tape may be turned
over and be sewn down at once on to the face of another fabric.
This is more especially of advantage for making stays, crinolines, and
such like articles of dress.
The arrangement herein-before described for giving motion to the
horizontal needle of a sewing machine to cause it to move forward in a
straight line or nearly so when moving forward, and to move in a curved
course in its backward movement, is applicable to machines for producing
a single row of stitches.
"
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Robert Rossiter in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 14th February 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ROBERT ROSSITER, of No. 62, Saint Luke's Road, Totterdown, Bristol,
in the County of Somerset, send greeting.
-i. 1
:
"
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters, Patent,, bearing date the Fourteenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Robert Rossiter, Her special
licence, that I, the said Thomas Robert Rossiter, my exécutors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Robert
Rossiter, 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 Thomas Robert. Rossiter, my executors or adminis
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their

page_text: hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Thomas Robert Rossiter, 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 :-
The object of this Invention mainly relates to the construction of a
sewing machine capable of sewing simultaneously two rows of stitches,
one independent of the other, and at any desired distance apart.
The means whereby I effect the above object are as follows:-I
-arrange the vertical needle slide or arm which carries the needles for
piercing the fabric so as to carry two needles, one of which can be set
to or from the other according to the space required to be preserved
between the two rows of stitching. With each vertical needle à hori-
zontal needle is arranged below the bed of the machine to work so as
to loop its thread around the loops of thread of the upper needles and
produce what is known as the Lancashire stitch.
In order that the machine may be capable of producing the two rows
of stitching in close proximity to one another the horizontal needles
are arranged to work in opposite directions, and so that they move
towards one another as they move forward to catch the loops thrown
out from the vertical needles; one of the vertical needles is also set
slightly in advance of the other so that the two horizontal needles shall'
not be in the same line and shall not interfere with one another. The
-horizontal needle-which works with the moveable vertical needle and
the mechanism by which it is driven 'are carried by a horizontal sliding
-plate-forming part of the bed or table of the machine, and in this platē
is a hole for the vertical needle to pass through. This-hole-can-always-
be brought into position for the needle to pass through by shifting the
slide in its guides. To give motion to the horizontal needles each
needle is carried at one end of a rod, the opposite end of which is jointed
to a crank pin, and the rod near its forward end is jointed by a link
to a fixed pin. This link is made of a length to cause the horizontal
needle as it is moved forward by the revolving of the 'crank to travel
in a straight line, or nearly so, and to travel in a curved course as it is
:
4.

page_text: moved back again so as to be well away from the vertical needle at the
time when this needle is descending.
=
The slide carrying the vertical needles receives motion from a lever
worked by a cam on a driving shaft below the bed of the machine.
This shaft is parallel with the horizontal needles and the sliding plate
before mentioned, and has upon it two bevel wheels. These gear with
other bevel wheels on the axes of horizontal discs that carry the crank
pins before mentioned from which the horizontal needles receive their
motion.
In order that the bevel wheels which transmit motion to the moveable
horizontal needle may always remain in gear, the sliding plate upon
which this needle is mounted has an arm fixed to it which enters &
groove formed around the boss of the bevel wheel upon the driving
shaft, and this bevel wheel is made capable of sliding along the shaft
so as to be free to move to and fro with the sliding plate.
Machines arranged as above described to produce two rows of stitching
at any desired distance apart are especially applicable for stitching
tapes or strips of fabric on to another fabric, and when thus using the
machine the two edges of the tape or strip of fabric may be passed
through apparatus for doubling over both its edges before it comes up
to the needles of the machine, so that the two edges of the tape may be
turned over and be sewn down at once on to the face of another fabric.
This is more especially of advantage for making stays, crinolines, and
such like articles of dress.
By taking out one of the upper needles my improved machine can
be used as a single needle machine.
The arrangement herein-before described for giving motion to the
horizontal needle of a sewing machine to cause it to move forward in a
straight line or nearly so when moving forward, and to move in a curved
course in its backward movement, is applicable to machines for pro-
ducing a single row of stitches.
-

page_text: Fig. 3, enlarged view of under needle carrier, shewing the particular
figure produced by movement.

page_text: W, turnover for turning two edges of a strip (see Fig. 4).
✗, presser foot. In the view, Fig. 4, the upper needles are shewn in
position one slightly in front of the other, one needle is also placed
in the hole of the holder, the other in any of the notches to suit width
required.
When my improved sewing machines are used to sew, the upper
needles are to be set to the width required, when the left hand plate is
to be fixed so that the needle hole in it coincides with the left hand
upper needle (as this plate is moved the large gear wheel on shaft will
be moved also by piece Q, thus always keeping it in action with the
lesser gear).
The material to be sewn is to be placed under presser foot. If a strap
is required to be sewn to any material pass the end of strap-through the
turnover and also under presser foot.
The machine is to be started by turning the hand wheel, and this causes
the upper needles to descend and pierce the strip and material, at which
point the under needles are relatively to the upper ones in the position
shewn in Fig. 7; the upper needles then slightly return, the upper
cottons being retained by the spring at top of needle slide, causing a
loop to be formed underneath the work.
During this operation the under needles will have got round the
figure to Y and will have carried the under cottons round the upper
needles, and then enter the said loops carrying through them the under
cottons, thus in effect locking one loop by passing through it another,
which is in its turn locked by the succeeding one, forming what is
called the double chain or knotted stitch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my Invention, and in what manner it is to be performed
or carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim the herein
described Invention of improvements in sewing machines wherein im-
portant features are rendering said sewing machines capable of sewing
simultaneously two rows of stitches, one independent of and apart from
the other, and sewing and turning two edges of a strap at one operation,

page_text: and such improvements may be advantageously applied to single needle
machines, and produce a single row of stitches as
herein-before
explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Robert Rossiter, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Twelfth day of February, in 5
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
Witness,
THOMAS ROBERT ROSSITER. (L.S.)
62, St. Luke's Road, Totterdown, Bristol.
THO. W. HUMPHREYS,.
Weare Street,
Bristol.