IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINERY
Year: 1864

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 MACHINERY."-A com-
munication from abroad by Walter Bennett, of the City and State of
New York in the United States of America
Sealed the 3rd January 1865, and dated the 16th August 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th August 1864.
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 MACHINERY," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements in the details of sewing
machines, the chief object being to increase their efficiency. The vertical
needle receives its motion from a rock lever pivotted on the side of the ordinary
bracket arm, and actuated by a toggle joint coupled by a connecting rod with
a crank on the main shaft. The proper tension and slack of the needle

page_text: tbread is obtained through the agency of a novel arrangement of guides
acting in conjunction with a spring presser. One of these guides is mounted
on the connecting rod of the crank, and serves by its movements to gather up
the slack thread, and at the proper moment to yield the slack to the needle.
Another guide is mounted on the end of the rock lever that is jointed to the
toggle, and another on the bracket arm near the upper arm of the toggle.
The spool of the needle thread is mounted upon a spindle aflixed to a shelf on
the bracket arm near the needle bar, and its thread is carried thenco under
the front arm of the rock lever before mentioned around one of two horns on
the tension spring, which is situate on the bracket arm.
The thread passes
thence between the spring and a tension plate, to which the spring is secured
by a set screw, which regulates the pressure of the spring on the plate for the
tension of the thread. The thread thence passes through the guide on the
rock lever, thence through the guide on the connecting rod, and through the
guide on the bracket arm; it then returns through the guide on the rock lever,
thence over the neck of that lever to a hook which projects upwards from
the forward end of the bracket arm, thence through the guide on the forward
end of the lever, and down to the eye of the needle.
The feed of the work is produced by the following novel arrangement :-
The roughened surface or "feed dog," which comes into contact with and moves
forward the work under tho vertical needle, is divided up into portions, say
three, which work in separate slots in the bed plate of the machine. This
divided feed dog is secured to a sliding bar, which is supported by and
traverses upon the end of a rock lever (below the bed of the machine) which
lever is rocked in a vertical plane by the rotation of an excentric on the main
shaft, and it is by the rocking of this lever that the feed dog receives its
vertical or up-and-down motions. Its traverse motion is obtained through a
link jointed to the sliding bar, and fitted at its other end with a nut, through
which an adjusting screw is passed, having its bearings on a vibrating plato
that is pivotted to the shuttle race, and also jointed to the rock lever. By
moans of this adjusting screw the nut is advanced towards or caused to recede
from the centre of motion of the vibrating plate, which derives its motion
'from the rock lever that carries the sliding bar, and thus a greater or less move-
ment is given to the sliding bar, as desired, and so the feeding dog, whose
length of traverse determines the length of the stitches to be put into the
.work.
"
.f
I will now describe the mode of obtaining tho requisité tension for the
shuttle thread. The upper side of the shuttle is pierced by holes, through
'which its thread is passed. These may be more or less in number according

page_text: as more or less tension is to be made on the shuttle thread, and the thread
may be passed through all or only a part of them, as the operator shall
determine. To explain the course of the thread, I will refer to the holes by
letters. The hole nearest the heel of the shuttle will call 6; this hole is
separated from the next adjacent hole a¹ (which is the usual delivery hole) by
a greater interval than occurs between the others to allow room for a spring
on the inside of the shuttle, to bear against the thread at a point between
those holes b and a'. The spring may be divided into two limbs, so as to
have more than one distinct bearing point on the thread.
Tension is produced upon the thread by passing the thread from the bobbin
first through the hole a', thence inwards through the hole 6, and under the
spring, then past the hole a' through the next adjacent. hole of a series of
holes a, thence through each successive or alternate hole a, according to the
degree of tension desired,. thence through the furtherest hole of the series,
and back through a loop formed by the thread between the holes 6 and a¹.
The effect of this arrangement upon the shuttle thread is,.that when the
shuttle is moving backward in its race, which will be when the needle is
descending to make a new stitch, the end of the shuttle thread that is fast to
the cloth will draw upon the loop through which it is passed, and wind off a
fresh supply of thread from the bobbin through the hole a'. The spring
meanwhile will press on that portion of the thread which lies on the inside of
the shuttle between the holes 6 and a', so as to prevent it from yielding to
the pull on the loop, the pressure of the spring being greater than the inertia
of the bobbin. The loop will thus be extended as the bobbin yields its thread
to the requisite degree-to suit the length of the stitch required to be made.
For operating the presser foot a spring lever is employed. This spring
lever is pivotted to the end face of the bracket arm, and is threaded through
an eye in an arm projecting from and clamped to the stem of the presser. foot.
It takes at one part of its length the form of an excentric segment, so that
the rotation of the spring lever to the left will cause the arm of the
presser to
rise and lift the presser foot above the cloth or surface of the table. When,
however, the arm rests at the lowest point of the segment, the foot will bear
upon the work.
When the machine is to be operated by the foot the treadle is hung at or
near the height of the ankle above the platform or tread, so as to ease the
motion to the work woman.
In the front part of the bracket arm, and upon its right-hand side, is secured
the shank of a seaming guide or gauge, made of a single piece of iron or other-
metal, which is bent on a curve so as to ride easily over the surface of the

page_text: cloth being sewn. The hole which receives the shank of the guage passes
through the bracket arm, so that the guage can be set at any distance to suit
any width of scam.
To facilitate the winding of thread on to the shuttle bobbin, a bobbin holder
is constructed of wire and mounted on the table of the machine over a slot,
through which projects a friction roller on the main shaft, by which rotary motion
is given to the bobbin to wind on the thread. The wire is bent at one end at
right angles to present a supporting point to the bobbin; it is then carried
around a fixed stud, and secured thereon by suitable washers, so as to freely
rotate on the stud; it is thenco bent towards the friction wheel, near which a
loop is formed in it, and it is then brought opposite the end or supporting
point first mentioned, where it is bent at a right angle so as to form an arm
to sustain the shaft of the small friction wheel. The bobbin is centred
between a hollow mandril in the end of the shaft of the wheel and the sup-
porting point; the rotation of the friction wheel below will cause the bobbin to
revolve, and by this means a fresh supply of thread can be wound thereon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Scal Patent Offico
on the 16th February 1865.
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 Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand cight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licenso that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINERY," being a communication from abroad, upon the
condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 samo is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say):
:-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, relates
to certain improvements in the details of sewing machines, the chief object
being to increase their efficiency.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sewing
machine which contains the improvements as seen from the right-hand side,
the table being cut away, and also the lower casing R' on the red line in
Fig. 2, in order to shew the parts below the bed plate R; Fig. 2 is a front
view of the machine; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the sanie; Figures 4, 5, 6, 7,
and 8 are different views of the shuttle; Fig. 9 represents the spring lifter
which raises the presser foot; Figures 10 and 11 are views of the feed
arrangements; and Figures 12 and 13 are detailed views of parts of tho
feeding devices; Fig. 14 is a detailed view of the tension device for the needle
thread.
The first improvement relates to the means employed for operating the
needle. Figures 1 and of the Drawings shew the frame which supports the
table and the working parts of the machine, and which may be of any suitable
form and material. I will first explain the means of giving motion to the
machine through the instrumentality of a peculiar arrangement of treadle (for
which a claim is made), but it will be obvious that the machine may be
driven by any other suitable means. The legs of the frame furnish bearings
for the fulcrum Q of an elbow lever P, whose longer arm is attached to the
connecting rod U of the crank W', and its shorter arm is rigidly fixed to a
platform or treadboard M, its point of suspension Q being at such a distance
above the treadboard as to be about in line with the ankle of the operator, so
that the swing or oscillation of the treadle and the movement of the foot will
both be about a common centre of motion, or nearly so. By constructing the
treadle in this way the labor of driving the machine with the foot is lessened,
and there is no necessity of moving the knee in operating it. The crank W'
drives the crank shaft 19, which carries the pulley Ws and the balance
wheel V'. A band W from this pulley passes over a pulley on the main-

page_text: shaft V, sco Fig. 1, which has a crank A' from which the needle shuttle and
feeding device derive motion, the said shaft being furnished with a counter-
balance A' opposite tho crank to give steadiness to the shaft. W is the needle
bar, and B the rock lever for operating the needle; this lever works on a
fulcrum a supported by the bracket arm S, as in many other sewing machines.
One end of the lever B is connected with the needle bar, and the other end
with the link F of the toggle levers E, F, the link E of which vibrates on a
pin or rock shaft 6 carried in lugs projecting downward from the bed plate R.
The link E is also connected with the crank A by means of the connecting
rod D, through which the vibrating movement is given to the toggle joint è to
make it impart the required movements of the lever B and the needle bar W.
The connecting rod D must be of such a length as that, after having produced
the complete downward movement of the needle, by moving the toggle joint e
toward the right, that is, toward the point which brings its links E and F in
the same plane, it will then, as the crank A continues its rotation, carry the
toggle joint e a little way beyond that point in order to raise the needle a
short distance, so as to form the loop in the needle thread for the passage of
the shuttle between the thread and the needle. By the continued rotation of
the crank the toggle joint is drawn back to the straight line, and the needle is
again brought to its lowest position preparatory to its withdrawal from the
material being sewn, which is effected by the movement of the toggle joint to
the left. This last depression of the needle gives the shuttle an opportunity
to pass through the newly-formed loop of the needle thread before the loop
and the slack of that thread have been drawn up at the time of the ascent of
the needle. The advantages of this method of operating the needle are great
ease of operation under either a slow or rapid motion, simplicity of con-
struction, and durability. The arm S is made with curtains 22 extending
beneath and over the lever B from near a point 20 down to the table at 21,
so as to protect that part of the lever, and the thread guides and take-up, and
the toggle joint from interference and contact with the work. X is the shuttle
driver, connected with the crank A by the coupling rod C, by means whereof
the necessary motion is transmitted from the crank to the shuttle driver, such
motion being so timed by the adjustment of the crank and the needle-operating
mechanism with respect to the shuttle driver as to produce the proper relative
movements of the needle and shuttle. The bed plate R is sunken between
the points d', d², to a depth and width sufficient to form a shuttle race, through
the floor of which is cut a slot to receive fastening pins, by which the driver X
is secured to the shuttle carrier X' (see Fig. 8) which travels in the raco
above the driver, the said slot (not shown in the Drawings) being a guide to

page_text: the driver in its reciprocating movements. The carrier has the usual arms
for holding the shuttle, the arm at its heel being clothed with leather or other
packing to deaden the noise of its movements, and the depression in the toe
of the shuttle which receives the arm of the carrier being also packed with
an elastic bed properly secured therein for the same purpose.
The second improvement relates to the means whereby the requisite tension
for the shuttle thread is obtained. The shuttle A is provided with a bobbin B
in the usual manner (see Figures 4 and 7). The upper side of the shuttle
is pierced by holes, as seen in the Drawings, through which its thread is
passed. These holes may be more or less in number, according as more or
less tension is to be made on the shuttle thread, and the thread may be passed
through all or only a part of them, as the operator shall determine. Fig. 8
represents the shuttle as it lies in the carrier; it is shewn with a number and
an arrangement of holes which have been found suitable in practice, the hole b
on the right being separated from the adjacent hole a¹ by a greater interval than
occurs between the others, to allow room for a spring d on the inside of the
shuttle to bear against the thread at a point between those boles 6 and a¹. The
spring d may be divided into two limbs, as shown, so as to have more than
one distinct bearing point on the thread. Tension is produced upon the
thread by passing the thread from the bobbin first through the hole a', thenco
inwards through the hole 6 and under the spring d, then past the hole a'
through the next adjacent hole of a series of holes a, thence through each
successive or alternate hole a, according to the degree of tension desired,
thence through the furthest hole a² on the left, and back through a loop a³
formed by the thread between the holes band a¹. The effect of this arrange-
ment upon the shuttle thread is as follows:-When the shuttle is moving
backward in its race, which will be when the needle is descending to make a
new stitch, the end a* of the shuttle thread -being that part which is fast to
the cloth will draw upon the loop a³, through which it is passed, and wind off
a fresh supply of thread from the bobbin through the hole a¹ (see Fig. 4).
The spring d meanwhile will press on that portion of the thread which lies on
the inside of the shuttle between the holes band a³, so as to prevent it from
yielding to the pull on the loop a³, the pressure of the spring being greater
than the inertia of the bobbin. The loop will thus be extended as the bobbin
yields its thread until it reaches a point between the holes a' and a², more or
less distant from the latter according to the length of the stitch required to
be made. When the shuttle advances to pass through the loop of the needle
thread, the end a', which is fast to the cloth, will assume the position shewn
in Fig. 7, thereby drawing the slack of the loop a³ through the holes a¹³, a, a,

page_text: and from beneath the spring and through the hole b, until enough thread is
taken up to form the stitch. The shuttle having now passed through the loop
of the needle thread it is ready to retrace its movement in its race; so soon
as the hole a' passes the stitch in the cloth just made, or, in other words, the
point where the shuttle thread is fastened to the cloth, the position of the
end a is changed, so that it is made again to enlarge the loop a³, so as to
furnish slack sufficient for the next stitch, and so on to the end of the seam.
A cushion 5 (Fig. 8) is attached to the binder arm of the carrier X to
prevent any noise in the movements of the shuttle and the point of contact
between the heel of the shuttle, and the cushion 5 is at such a height on the
heel as to lift its toe slightly from off the carrier as it begins its passage
through the loop of the needle thread.
The third improvement relates to the controlling of the needle thread. The
spool of the needle thread is mounted upon a pin i affixed to a shelf i' pro-
jecting from the bracket arm S near the needle bar; the spool thread is
carried under the front arm of the rock lever B around the left horn 40 of
the tension spring T (see Figures 1, 2, 3, and 14), thence under that spring
and between it and the tension plate T, to which the spring is secured by a
set screw; by means of this screw the pressure of the spring on the plato
may be adjusted for the tension of the thread. The thread thence passes
through a guido ; projecting from the rear end of the rock lever B, thence
through a guido j', which extends from the joint of the rod D with the lever E
at right angles to the rod, thence through a horizontal guide projecting
inwards from the upper curtain 22 of the bracket arm S, thence again through
the guide j, and over the neck of the lever B to a hook j', which projects
upwards from the forward end of the bracket arm S. From this point the
thread passes to the guide j³ on the forward end of the lever B, and through
it down to the eye of the needle. A proper degree of pressure having been
made upon the thread by the tension device, which may be of any suitable
construction, it will be seen that when the rock lever B drives the needle
through the cloth, the lever bears down upon the thread which passes under
it and winds off a fresh supply from the spool, the thread already wound off
being held by the tension, which is the greater when the needle descends by
the pull of the throad wound around the horn 40 of the tension spring; thus
the drawing back of the slack thread is effectually provented, and the descent
of the rock lever is caused to draw off fresh slack from the spool. The
arrangement of the guides j, j', j', is such that when the needle has ascended
to its highest position, the crank end of the connecting rod D is being carried
to its lowest position, bringing the guide ja towards the position in which it is

page_text: seen in Fig. 1, during which movement (the needle meanwhile remaining
nearly quiet), the guide ja has gathered up the slack thread which lies behind
the tension device T', and its succeeding movements will yield the slack to the
needle as it makes its next descent. In these offices the guide ja is assisted
by the guide on the hinder end of the lever B.
The fourth improvement relates to a novel construction of reciprocating
feeding device. K is a feeding dog divided into three sets of teeth, which
reciprocate in as many slots in the bed plate R, as seen in Fig. 12. The
position of two of them is seen in the sectional view, Fig. 13, which is taken
on the dotted line of Fig. 12. The three divisions of the dog are all shewn
in Figures 10 and 11, so much of the bed plate as contains them being shewn
in those Figures in section on the dotted line of Fig. 12. The feeding dog is
secured by means of slots and screws to admit of adjustment to the edge of a
bar K', which moves vertically and longitudinally in the guides f¹ and f
which are slotted pins projecting from the under side of the bed plate. The
bar K is sustained upon a finger C³, which is rigidly secured to a connecting
rod C', carrying at the end a ring C, which embraces an excentric upon the
shaft V. The finger C³, which is an extension of the rod C', extends when
the needle is in its highest position in a plane parallel with the bed plate, and
it sustains the bar K' by passing through rings made by turning over portions
of the said bar at each end, another portion f of said bar being bent over so
as to reach the slot of the guide f³. The rod C¹ is secured to a vibrating
plate by a screw pin 11, which admits of the axial movement of the plate
thereon, and this plate is secured by a like screw pin 10 to the side of the
shuttle race or other part of the bed plate. A flat spring H', secured to the
plate H, rests upon the shank of a screw rod 9 so as to retain it in an open
bearing upon the lower corner of said plate, the other end of the screw rod
being secured in a close collar f' on the upper end of the plate. A nut n¹
hinged to a bridle n travels up and down along the screw rod 9, which has a
milled head for convenience in operating it. The bridle n is fastened to the
further end of the bar K¹ by a loose joint about which it may vibrate. The
vertical movements of the feeding dog are produced through the finger C³, by
means of the excentric on the shaft V and the plate H, which cause the finger
and the bar to describe a figure of an elliptical shape, the excentric being so
adjusted as that the bar will advance in the line of the feed when the excentric
is in its lowest position, at which time the bar K³ is nearest to the bed plate,
and the feed teeth are consequently pushed up against the presser foot. The
strap or bridle n governs the length of the stitch by controlling the extent of

page_text: .
the longitudinal movement of the bar K', for as the plate H vibrates about its
centro of motion 10, it pushes the bar a greater or less distance according as
the nut n is further from or nearer to the point 10. It will be seen that tho
bar slides upon the finger C³ by means of the eyes f", and that tho feed teeth
are moved to bite, advance the cloth, and then release it by the hanging of tho
bar K' at such a distance from the centre of motion 10 of the crank plate II,
and on a finger C³ of such length as to lift and depress the feed teeth sufficiently
to bite and release the cloth, the finger being suspended at such a distance
below the centre of motion on the crank plate that the forward motion of tho
feed teeth shall be nearly in a straight line.
The fifth improvement relates to the winding of thread upon spools or bobbins,
and consists of the following contrivance:-A friction wheel O, which is also a
balance wheel, is secured upon the shaft V, and projects slightly above the bed
plate through a slot provided for it (see Fig. 3), and also Fig. 1, in which it
is shown in dotted outline. A stud 4 projects above the bed plato near the
wheel O, and a bobbin holder 3 is secured to it, as seen in Fig. 3. This holder
is made of one piece of wire, one end thereof 30, sustaining a friction wheel
2, which rests upon the periphery of the wheel O, and which is formed with a
socket on the inner end of its shaft so that it answers as a hollow mandril to
receive one end of the bobbin of the shuttle, while the other end is centred upon
the other end 31 of the spring holder, which is brought opposite thereto, and
is made to travel in a guide loop 32 made from a bend in the wire.
The manner of constructing the holder is as follows:-A piece of wire of
the necessary length and stiffness, bent to form a right angle at one of its ends,
as at 31, after laying off a suitable length to reach the highest part of the
wheel O, is carried around the stud + several times, and is secured thereon by
suitablo washers so as to be free to move on the stud. The wire is then bent
towards the wheel O, near which a loop 32 is formed in it, and it is then
brought opposite the end 31, where it is bent at a right angle so as to form an
arm 30 to sustain the shaft of the small wheel 2. The bobbin being centred
by the end 31 against the hollow mandril in the end of the shaft of the wheel 2,
the rotation of the wheel O will cause the bobbin to revolve, and by this means a
fresh supply of thread can be wound thereon.
The sixth improvement relates to a peculiar construction of seaming gaugo
or guide. In the front part of the bracket arm S, and at its right-hand side,
is secured the shank of a scaming guide or gauge h, made of a single piece of
iron or other metal, which is bent on a curve, see Figuros 1 and 2, so as to
ride casily over the surface of the cloth being sewn. The hole which receives

page_text: the shank of the gauge passes through the bracket arm S, so that the gauge
can be set at any distance to suit any width of seam.
The last part of the Invention relates to a novel construction of spring lifter
for operating the presser. This presser 8 consists of a foot attached. to a
vertical rod, which slides up and down in guides at the forward end of the
arm S, just behind the needle bar W. An arm 13, secured to it about the
middle of its height by a set screw, projects through a vertical slot p¹ cut in
the guide box at the end of the bracket arm S. A spring lever 7 (a detailed
view of which is given in Fig. 9), fixed to the top of the guide box by a
pin 9, about which it is free to turn, passes through a hole cut in the projection
of the arm 13.
The turning of the spring lever to the left will cause the arm 13 to move to
the point 15, which will bring the presser foot above the cloth or surface of
the table a distance equal to the difference in length of the line 9.15 and 9.8,
and when the arm 13 rests at the point 8 of the lever the foot should rest
upon the table. It will be seen that the arm of the lever from the point 8 to
the point 15 has an elliptical curve, decreasing its curvature from the point 8,
so that the presser may be adjusted to any thickness of material by reason of
the curve 8.15, and the spring of the lever being also self-adjusting so as to
adapt itself to variable thicknesses in the cloth being sewn.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in
Sewing Machinery, as communicated to me from abroad, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First, obtaining the movements of the needle from a crank or its equivalent
by the means above described.
Second, the means above described for giving the requisite tension to the
shuttle thread.
Third, gathering up and yielding the slack of the needle thread by means of
the fixed and moving guides j, j', and, and obtaining the requisite supply
and tension of the thread, all as above described.
Fourth, the construction of feeding device, as described with reference to
Figures 10, 11, 12, and 13.
Fifth, the construction of spring holder for winding the bobbin of the.
5 shuttle, as above described.
Sixth, constructing a seaming gauge or guide of a single piece of metal,
and applied substantially as above described.
Seventh, the spring lifter for operating the presser, constructed substantially

page_text: as described, and operating both as a lifter to the presser foot and as a spring
presser.
Eighth, banging the treadle of a sewing machine to be operated by the foot
at or near the height of the ankle above the platform or tread, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of, February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.B.)