IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Winter at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
December 1871.
I, WILLIAM WINTER, of Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby
5 declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:
My improvements have reference, firstly, to the needle or throat plate,
which I make adjustable to compensate for the wear in the throat or
.needle hole. The plate is fitted so as to move freely in a dovetailed
Oslide. Under the needle or throat plate a pin is fixed placed in a
suitable position so that it can be acted upon by means of a powerful
spring on the head of the machine. The plate is retained in any
required position with regard to the needle by means of a screw,
by turning which to any required extent the spring is allowed to force

page_text: the needle or throat plate forward to compensate for the wear in the hole
or throat or otherwise to regulate its position.
Secondly. I provide a self-adjusting needle groove to suit the various
sizes of needles. It consists in forming the groove of two loose steel
plates. In connection with these I provide a spring or springs, whereby &
the groove formed by the plates may be closed or reduced in size to any
required extent. As the needle passes into the groove the spring or
springs allow it to open or increase in size according to the dimensions
of the needle, whereby the needle is steadied and retained in its proper
course, and the missing of stitches which so often occurs with machines 1
of ordinary construction is avoided.
Thirdly. My Invention consists in an arrangement for braiding on
both sides of the material at one time. This is accomplished by means
of a hole which I form in the needle plate, through which the braid is
guided underneath the work, so that it is sewn on simultaneously with 1
and in the same form as the braiding at the top.
Fourthly. For embroidering on the surface I communicate motion to
a lever in front of the head from a cam driven by suitable gearing from
the driving shaft and parallel with it, the motion of which imparts a
reciprocating movement to the finger or fingers carrying wool or other 2
thread. The finger or fingers is or are mounted in suitable bearings in
front of the needle. The movement of the finger or fingers is across the
pathway of the shuttle. As the wool or other thread is carried backwards
and forwards by the finger or fingers it passes under the needle and is
sewn on to the material and resembles braiding in appearance.
The
number of strokes of the finger or fingers may be varied by the
employment of change wheels or different forms of cams.
Fifthly. My Invention consists in an improved mode of imparting
motion to machines where motive power is employed for drivin them.
For this purpose I mount two friction plates on the driving shaft, one ;
fast and the other loose. Motion is given to the loose plate from some
suitable motive power. The face of the fast plate has fixed to it cloth,
wood, or some other frictional substance.
When required the revolving loose frictional plate is brought up to

page_text: the face of the fast frictional plate by means of a treadle motion or hand
lever, and coming in contact with the frictional substance on, the face
thereof causes it to revolve, and transmits motion thereby to the driving
shaft of the machine.