IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick,
Directors, and Thomas Sugden, Foreman, of the Firm of Bradbury
& Co., Limited, Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Sewing
Machine Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Francis Brad-
bury, Thomas Chadwick, and Thomas Sugden at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 23rd May
1874.
We, GEORGE FRANCIS BRADBURY and THOMAS CHADWICK, Directors,
and THOMAS SUGDEN, Foreman, of the Firm of Bradbury & Co., Limited,
Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Sewing Machine Makers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
Our improvements apply to that class of sewing machines known as

page_text: '
cam for feeding by a clutch fork or equivalent mechanism and a sliding
rod or rods (and levers in some cases), the handle for regulating the feed
being placed at the upper side of the table or upon one side of the
machine, and communicates motion to the feed cam through the rods or
levers referred to. The arrangement is applicable when applied either
to the "step by step" or wheel feed.
making the conc cam
part or the edge of a
bar to work against
Secondly. Our improvements also consist in
fixed upon the shaft and arranging a die or face
lever which is in connection with the feed
the fixed conc cam, the dic face part or lever being moveable in the
lengthway of the cam by mechanism similar to that referred to under
the first part of our Invention for moving the sliding cone cam.
Thirdly. Our improvements consist in introducing a packing piece set
up by screws to take away lateral "play" in the "feed bar" as it
wears.
Fourthly. Our improvements consist in the mode of making the box
or bearing part of the needle slide bar so that the bearing part may be
tightened, as it wears, and we accomplish this by making cuts at the upper
and lower end of one half of the box, so that a screw passing through
the other half of the box and screwing into the piece cut will cause it
to bend sufficiently to clip the slide bar tight enough as it wears to
prevent " play."
"
:
Fifthly. Our improvements relate to sewing machine shuttles, and
consist in arranging a pulley-formed block of metal upon an axis in a
recess in the " nose of the shuttle, this pulley block having one end of
a flat spring secured to it, which is made to press against the side of the
shuttle, and there are ratchet teeth formed upon the block or other
suitable arrangement, so that the block may be turned round its axis and
held, this adjustment being for the purpose of giving more or less
pressure of the spring upon the side of the shuttle. The thread passes
from the spool in the shuttle round or partly round a round bar at the
side of the shuttle, then partly round the pulley block and between the
spring and side of the shuttle, the spring giving the required tension
upon the thread; the object of this part of the Invention being to obtain
an elastic frictional tension which will pass inequalities of the thread,
and thus prevent the-breakage which is common in the ordinary shuttle
tension.
:
::

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Francis Bradbury, Thomas. Chadwick,
and Thomas Sugden, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
November 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, GEORGE
FRANCIS BRADBURY and THOMAS CHADWICK, Directors, and THOMAS
SUGDEN, Foreman, of the Firm of Bradbury and Company, Limited,.
Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Sewing Machine Makers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said George Francis Bradbury,
Thomas Chadwick, and Thomas Sugden, Her special license that we,
the said George Francis Bradbury, Thomas Chadwick, and Thomas
Sugden, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said George Francis Bradbury, Thomas Chadwick, and Thomas
Sugden, our 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, excrcise, 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 we, the said George Francis Bradbury, Thomas
Chadwick, and Thomas Sugden, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands
and seals, should particularly describe 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 we, the said George Francis Bradbury, Thomas
Chadwick, and Thomas Sugden, do hereby declare the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement.
and the accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
Firstly. Our improvements relate to the feed motion, and consist in

page_text: actuating the cone sliding cam for feeding by a clutch fork or equivalent
mechanism and a sliding rod or rods (and levers in some cases), the handle
for regulating the feed being placed at the upper side of the table or
upon one side of the machine, so as to communicate motion to the feed
cam through the rods or levers referred to. The arrangement is
applicable when applied either to the "step by step" or "wheel feed."
сопацешани а опишу о 1 1000 (ана
for regulating the feed being placed at the upper side of the table or
upon one side of the machine, so as to communicate motion to the feed
cam through the rods or levers referred to. The arrangement is
applicable when applied either to the "step by step" or "wheel feed."
Secondly. Our improvements consist in introducing a packing piece
set up by screws to take away lateral " "play" in the "feed_bar” as it
wears.
Thirdly. Our improvements consist in the mode of making the box or
bearing part of the needle slide bar so that the bearing part may be
tightened as it wears, and we accomplish this by making cuts at the
upper and lower end of one half of the box, so that a screw passing
through the other half of the box and screwing into the piece cut will
cause it to bend sufficiently to clip the slide bar tight enough as it wears
to prevent play.
Fourthly. Our improvements relate to sewing machine shuttles, and
consist in arranging a pulley formed block of metal upon an axis in a
recess in the "nose" of the shuttle, this pulley block having one end of a
flat spring secured to it, which is made to press against the side of the
shuttle, and there are ratchet teeth formed upon the block, or other
suitable arrangement, so that the block may be turned round its axis and
held, this adjustment being for the purpose of giving more or less pres-
sure of the spring upon the side of the shuttle. The thread passes from
the spool in the shuttle round or partly round a round bar at the side of
the shuttle, then through holes in the side of the shuttle, and then
partly round the pulley block and between the spring and side of the
shuttle, the spring giving the required tension upon the thread, the
object of this part of the Invention being to obtain an elastic frictional
tension which will pass inequalities of the thread and thus prevent the
breakage which is common in the ordinary shuttle tension.
Fig. 1 is a partial front elevation, and Fig. 2 a side elevation of a
sewing machine having our improvements applied to it. -
Fig. 3 is an edge elevation of the box detached for the needle slide
and other parts, and Fig. 4 is an end view of the box.

page_text: shuttle driver and part of feed bar and other parts.
Fig. 6, a side clevation; and Fig. 7, a plan showing a modification for
actuating and securing the sliding cam rod.
Fig. 8 is a plan; Fig. 9, a longitudinal section; and Fig. 10, a side
elevation illustrating our improvements in shuttles.
Fig. 11 is a plan, and Fig. 12 a section illustrating a modification of
our improvements in shuttles.
The first part of our Invention is illustrated by Figs. 1, 2, 6, and 7.
a is the bed plate of the machine; b, the ordinary cam shaft with the
ordinary fixed lift cam c upon it, and with the varying conc feed cam d
arranged to slide in a key groove in the shaft b. This cam (d) is con-
nected with a fork or arm (d¹), which fits so that the exterior part of the.
boss of the cam.rotates freely in it, end play of the fork or arm d¹ upon
the boss of the cam being prevented by a collar d* secured upon the
cam against the side of the fork or arm d¹ as shown. The fork or arm d¹
is secured upon the end of a rod d² that slides in a bearing in projections
from the bed plate (a), the outer end of the rod being secured in a
stud d³, the upper end of which passes through a slot in the table (a).
The end of the stud projecting above the bed plate has a screw upon it
for moving the rod and securing it when the cam has been adjusted to
give the required length of feed or stitch.
Fig. 6 and 7 show a modification for actuating and securing the
sliding rod d². The end of the rod (d) is secured as shewn in a slotted
picce d³. In the two sides of this piece there is a diagonal slot do for
the two trunnions of a nut d', which fits to slide within the sides of the
slotted piece a³. Through this nut the screw ds passes, which has a
milled head above the table, and rotates in a hole in the bed plate a. At
the bottom of the screw ds there is a screw collar do to screw against the
slotted piece d³ and hold it up and also prevent the screw from lifting.
When the screw d³ is rotated the screw nut d will rise or fall, and its
trunnions will act upon the diagonal slots to slide the rod d' and adjust
the feed cam to the required position.
It will be understood that levers or other arrangements may be readily
applied to give movement to adjust the fork or arm d' of the feed cam d;

page_text: which we do not consider it necessary to describe, as such arrangements
may be readily applied by ordinary skilled mechanics if desired. We
have shown our improved arrangements f adjusting the cone feed cam
as applied to what is known as the four motion," or up-and-down
back-and-forward feed motion, but it i also applicable for adjusting the
cone cam when it is used to actuate the well known serrated feed
wheel.
The second part of our Invention is illustrated by Figs. 1 and 5. e is
the feed bar, one end of which slides in a groove formed in a projection
from the bed (a), and oscillates upon a screw e', which passes through
the said projection and through a slot in the feed bar. The lateral play
in this bar is prevented by a packing piece e², which has a hole in it
through which the screw passes, the screw e³ being arranged to act
upon the sides of the packing piece to set it up against the side of the
feed bar.
..
Our third improvement is illustrated by Figs. 1, 3, and 4. The box (ƒ)
for the presser foot bar (g) and the needle slide (/) is made in the
ordinary manner, that is, in two halves, as seen in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The
two halves of the box are screwed together, holding the presser foot
bar and needle slide bar between them, the bearings being formed
at the upper and lower end of the box. The back half of the box at
the upper and lower end has cuts made horizontally and a groove made
vertically, so as to leave parts f* so cut partly severed from the con-
nected side of the "box" S, and such parts will bend sufficiently when
the screw f', which passes through it into the other half of the box is
tightened so as to bear against the needle slide, and thus compensate
for wear.
The fourth part of our Invention is illustrated by Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11,
and 12. i, Fig. 9 and 10, is a pulley formed block, upon a screw, the
head of which is sunk in the block, and between the head of the screw
and the block there is an elastic spring 2 to give friction to hold the
block from turning when set. In place of the spring under the head of
the screw there may be an elastic washer between the pulley block and
the body of the shuttle or other arrangement to prevent the pulley block
from rotating by the force of the spring when the shuttle is working.
To the pulley block one end of a thin spring j is secured, which presses
against the side of the shuttle %. The thread unwinds from the spool (?).

page_text: and passes partly round a bar (1) formed by two slots in the side of the
shuttle, then across the shuttle through a hole (2) in the side of the
shuttle, then back through another hole (3), then along the inner side
of the shuttle, partly rounde pulley block i, and between the spring j
and side of the shuttle through a hole (4) in the side of the shuttle to
the work being sewn. The pressure of the spring ; upon the passing
thread is increased or decreased by turning the the pulley block one way or
the other by means of a screwdriver having a gap spanning over the
centre screw, as well understood. Figs. 11 and 12 show a block or
lever part m, having one end of a spring m¹ secured to it. The lever part
can ascillate upon a centre pin m², and a screw m³ passing through a
curved slot made concentric to the pin m² holds the lever block in the
position in which it is adjusted. By slackening the screw m³ the spring m¹
can be pressed with greater or less force against the side of the shuttle,
and by tightening the screw the lever block m is secured. The thread
passes from the spool and between the spring m¹ and side of the shuttle,
as described in reference to Figs. 8 and 9. The spring m¹ and lever
block m may be formed in one piece by bending the steel for the spring
in the form shown by Fig. 13.

page_text: upon the thread of sewing machine shuttles, substantially as herein..
before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Chadwick, on my own)
behalf and on behalf of the said George Francis Bradbury and
Thomas Sugden, have hereunto affixed my hand and seal, this
Fourteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.