IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."-A commu-
nication from abroad by William Gould Beckwith, of Newark, New
Tomov nited States of America.
)
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 3rd May 1871, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has been commu-

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming a
part of this Specification.
This Invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrange-
ments of parts, and has for its object the production of a cheap and
effective single thread sewing machine.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine; Figure 2 is a
front elevation from the left-hand side of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view
of the lower lever which supports the cloth or material to be sewed;
Figure 4 is a view of the under side of the cloth plate showing the form
and arrangement of the looper; Figure 5 is a view of the mechanism
which actuates the looper; Figure 6 is a view from the left-hand side
of Figure 1 of the clamp which is used to attach the machine to a table;
Figure 7 is a diagram representing the action of the needle in feeding the
cloth along through the machine.
A, B, represent two levers hinged together at I and having arms C, D,
projecting from them at right angles, or nearly so, the lower arm C.
having the cloth plate J or support for the cloth secured to it and the
upper arm D serving as the needle carrier; E, represents a lever which
operates and forms part of the looper G, it is pivotted at d to the under
side of the lever A.; F is a curved rod secured to the upper lever B
and working through a slot e in the side of the lower lover, it passes
through the slot in the lever E, and operates to give the proper motion
to the looper G. When the levers A, B, are pressed together the looper
will be forced back into the position represented by the full lines in
Figure 4, but when they are extended as in Figure 1 the looper will
occupy the position shown in Figure 4 by the dotted lines; H represents
a spring which throws the ends of the levers apart when pressure upon
them is removed. The presser foot for holding the cloth upon the
plate J is formed of a spring Ķ secured at one end to the lever A by the
screws i, and provided at the other with the necessary slot or aperture

page_text: for the needle. A needle a of a curvature greater than the are described
by the end of the arm B is held in the end of the arm D by the screw
and clamp nut c in such position that it performs the operations of
feeding and sewing the cloth or material at the same time. As the
needle arm D moves in the arc of a circle, of which the pivot I is the
centre, the end of the needle à is carried diagonally and at a tangent to
this circle so that as it is forced down into the cloth it will tend to draw
it forward between the cloth plate and the presser foot a certain distance.
This action of the needle causes a new portion of the cloth to be brought
under it at each movement of the needle arm and thus forms a regular
succession of stitches. The length of stitch is governed by the distance
the end of the needle is adjusted outside of the arc in which the bracket P
on the needle arm D moves, so that by throwing the end of the needle
towards or from this are the stitch will be changed in a corresponding
manner, for instance, if the needle after striking the cloth at w pene-
trates as far as the point x the distance the cloth will be moved by it
will be theoretically equal to the difference between the radii of the
arcs x, y, in which the end wo of the needle and the point a respectively.
move, but the resistance of the cloth will make this distance practically
somewhat less. The needle is held in a slot in the screw 6 which is
pivotted in the brackets P so that it may turn and the clamp nut c holds
the needle in position on the needle arm. The looper C is provided with
a pin g which forms a stop for the loop of needle thread to prevent it
being thrown too far upon the point of the looper, and the cloth plate
is provided upon its under side with a block f wedge-shaped upon the
end nearest the needle which forms a loop check to hold and properly
distend the loop for the purpose of insuring the descent of the needle
through the loop as it descends to form a second loop and the consequent
perfect formation of stitches. When the needle rises out of the cloth
the loop formed by it beneath the cloth plate is held by the point of the
looper against the end of the block f and kept distended and in position
against any twisting or turning of the cloth so that the needle in
descending will carry the next loop through it. The clamp L, shown in
Figures 1 and 6, has a slot beneath the upper one of the two arms l, l,
through which the end of the lever A is passed, and it is provided with
a thumb screw M for the purpose of securing it to the side of a table to
hold the machine firmly in position to be operated. The spool carrying
the thread is held upon the spindle on the arm D and the thread passes
from it to the tension wheel R composed of two circular discs between

page_text: which it is held by pressure communicated by the nut Q through the
coiled spring upon the screw spindle v. The thread from the tension wheel
passes through a hole in the arm D to the cyc of the needle. The necessary
vibratory movement may be given to the needle arm D by grasping the
two levers and working them in a manner similar to a pair of shears or 5
the lower lever A, it may be secured to a table by means of the clamp L,
and the upper lever operated by the cord N and ring, as represented in
Figure 1; suitable means may also be arranged for connecting the upper
lever with a treadle and operating it by foot power.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to 1
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim,―
First. The combination and arrangement of the levers A, B, recipro-
cating eye pointed needle «, vibrating looper G, and rod F, constructed
and operating substantially as described.
Second. Feeding the material by the needle substantially as described. 1
Third. Operating the looper by the curved rod F and slot / substan-
tially as described.
Fourth. The combination with the needle and looper of the wedge-
shaped block for spreading the loop so that the needle shall always
enter the last formed loop of its thread substantially as described.
Fifth. The clamp L for attaching the machine to a table constructed
and operating substantially as described.
Sixth. The machine as a whole constructed and operated in the manner
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this Third day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
2
Witness,
E. C. JACKSON.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)