CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ALEXANDER LEROW, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk and State of Massa-
chusetts, of the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Queen Victoria, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of
Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the Seventh day of November,
of the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and fifty, did give and grant unto
me, the said John Alexander Lerow, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Lerow, my exors, adñors, and assigns,
and such others as I, the said Lerow, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
and. in all the Colonies and Plantations abroad belonging to the Govern-
ment of Great Britain, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES;" in which Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
John Alexander Lerow, shall particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
instrument of writing under my hand and seal, to be deposited in the High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto
lad, will more fully and at large appear..
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Alexander Lerow, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which it is to be performed, are particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following instrument of writing and the accompanying
Drawings, letters, figures, and references thereof..
Of the said Drawings Figure 1 denotes a side elevation of my improved
sewing machine or Invention; Figure 2 is a vertical, central, and transverse
section of it; Figure 3 is a top view of it; Figure 4 is a front elevation of it;
Figure 5 is a vertical, central, and longitudinal section of it; Figure 6 is a
horizontal section of it, the same being taken through the middle of the
shuttle.
یا اس کا اسلام کی ای مست کالے
-
:
My Invention, or improved machine, differs from many others in use in
many important particulars: In the first place, the filling thread for securing
the loops made by the needle is carried or operated by a shuttle which travels
around in an endless groove or path, such rendering my machine vastly or
very much superior to those machines wherein the shuttle has a reciprocating
rectilinear or curved motion, as it admits of the shuttle being driven or moved
at a great velocity, witliout that liability of accident, or wear incident to such
other machines. "In the second place, I have so arranged the cloth carrier,
the needle, and the endless path of the shuttle, as to obtain a very important
advantage or great convenience in tlic disposition of the cloth during the
process of sewing it by my said machine. Such other improvements as I have
made will be herein after particularly described: +
In the said "Drawings A represents the base plate or bed of the frame of
the machine; B, B, B; B, are the posts or columns 'which rest thereon, and
which support the frame or platform C, to which most of the toperative parts
of the mechanism are attached. To the front side of the frame Car metallic
ring D is affixed,' as seen in the Drawings, the said metallic ring having or
carrying on its periphery the cloth carrier E; which consists of a circular
annulus or ring made with a series of ratchet teeth on one edge or some other
proper part of it, and with a series of points extending from its periphery," as
seen in the Drawings. The said cloth carrier E may be supported: by any
suitable contrivances which during its rotation, will prevent it from slipping
off the annulus or ring D.The said cloth carrier is put in revolution by
means of a pawl or click jointed to the outer end of a lever G, which turns
upon a fulcrum c, and has its inner-end raised by a cam H; and depressed by
the action of a retractive spring I, arranged as seen in the Drawings: The
pawl is pressed up against the ratchet teeth by means of a small spring'd fastened
to the annulus or ring D. K is the main driving shaft of the machine, which
is supported in proper bearings seen at e, f;'and carries a fly wheel g, and a
driving pulley h, arranged as seen in the Drawings or in any other proper

page_text: manner, the cam II, for moving the lever G,, being fixed to the upper surface
.of the said driving pulley: On the top of the main shaft K.a circular plate
For wheel L is fixed, and made to rotate with the shaft: Around the periphery
of,, this circular wheel, and, concentric with it; the shuttle' path or endless
groove M is arranged as seen in the Drawings, the said shuttle path or
groove being formed within the platform-C, and so as to receive within it the
shuttle N, as seen in the, Drawings:-. The said shuttle is made curved; so as
to correspond with and travel around within the groove M, and it has a pointed
nose, or, end, as seen. at i.. The filling, or binding thread seen at O is wound
upon a bobbin k arranged within the shuttle, and passes from said. bobbin
down through the bottom of the shuttle, thence around.the rear end of the
shuttle, and between it and a spring..fastened to; it, thence a short distance
over the top of the shuttle,; thence. again, into the bobbin cavity of the shuttle,
and thence out of the shuttle, as seen in Figure 7, which. represents a view
of the front side of the shuttle. Figure .8 .denotes a top view of said
shuttle; Figure, 9,. a rear end, view of. it; and Figure 10,-an-inner side
view of it. From the shuttle, the thread passes between the top of the
circular plate, or wheel L. and a pad Pmade. of wash.leather or. other
suitable material, and, attached to the under side of a plate Q, which is screwed
to the platform C, and made to project over the shuttle,path, race, or groove
and the plate L, as seen in the Drawings. The thread, may next,be.supposed
to pass through, any loop or loops, made, by. the thread of the needle. R.
Fastened to the periphery of the circular plate L are, two springs. m, n, whose
outer ends, rest-against the inner side of the shuttle, and have respectively two
studs o, p, projecting from them, and into recesses or holes, q, ; made through
or in the side of the shuttle, as seen in the. Drawings... Between the shuttle
race and the periphery of the plate L is a small, projection or cam s, which
cam is attached to the internal boundary of the shuttle race, and is formed as
represented in Figure 6.. During the, revolution of the circular plate: I' the
shuttle will be, carried around with.it; and while, each. of the springs.m, n,
passes by the cams, it will be pressed inwards by said cam, so as to cause its
stud o or p to move entirely out of its recess or holé qr, and so as to allow
the shuttle to freely pass through the loop formed by the thread of the needle,
or, in other words, to pass between. the thread of the 'needle and the needle
itself... The said, needle R is represented in front view, and on an enlarged
scale, in Figure 11, Figure, 12 being a cross section of it taken just above its
eye. The said needle is grooved on its front and rear sides and for some
distance above; and below its eye, and has its eye, t' situated near its point,

page_text: The needle so made stands vertically or nearly so, and is attached to a
.vibrating arm s, which projects over and above the platform C, and from a
rocker shaft T, arranged as seen in the. Drawings. From the under side of
the said rocker shaft an arm U projects, and has its end bent and extended
into a cam groove V, made in the periphery of a cylinder W, fixed upon the
main driving shaft K, such cam groove being so formed as to produce the
necessary vertical or up-and-down movements of the needle. . Although
the needle is made to ascend and descend in a circular arc, yet it is evident
that the said needle may be arranged vertically, and be made by suitable
mechanism to travel upwards and downwards in a vertical line. The thread u
of the needle is wound upon a bobbin X, which is arranged in any proper
position, and supported so as to be capable of free rotation on its axis. After
leaving the bobbin the thread passes through three or any other suitable
number of guides v, w, a, projecting from the vibrating arm s. After passing
through the guide a it extends under a nipper y, thence down through a
hole or passage Z made through the end of the arm s, thence through the eye
of the needle, it being passed from the back side of the needle to the front
side of it in its passage through the eye thereof. The nipper y constitutes the
short arm of a bent lever, which turns on a fulcrum or pin a' extended through
the arms, the other arm of the said lever being a long bent spring b', whose
rear end extends through a projection c fastened to a bent bar y, which
projects from the rear part of the plate Q, and under the arm s, and directly
over the cloth carrier E, the said bar y being for the purpose of preventing
the cloth from rising upwards during the time when the needle is rising
upwards and out of it, the said needle being made to play freely through the
said bent bar Y. After the shuttle has passed entirely through the loop of
the thread of the needle, and while the needle is in course of being elevated,
the nippery will be borne down upon the thread, and so firmly confine it to
the bars as to cause said bar to draw the loop closely into the cloth. The
movement of the nipper against the thread is produced by pressure on the
spring, which is created while the arms is in the act of being raised, an
opposite effect being produced during the depression of the said arm. The
next part of the mechanism is a guide for the edge of the cloth to rest against
during the rotation of the cloth carrier, such guide being seen at Z, and as
confined to the frame C by a clamp screw d. In the operation of the
machine the cloth to be sewed is placed with its edge against the guide Z, and
so as to project over the cloth carrier. It is pressed down upon the points of
the cloth carrier so as to cause them to pass through it, and enable it to rest

page_text: upon the carrier, which carrier has a regular intermittent rotary movement.
imparted to it, such as will cause it to move forward the length of each.
stitch, and to remain at rest a suitable time for the needle to pass into and
out of the cloth during the formation of each stitch. The needle, .in passing
down through the cloth, carries the thread with it. It then should be made
to rise a short distance, so as to slacken the thread laying against its rear side
to such extent as will enable the nose or point of the shuttle to readily pass
between such part of the thread and the needle. The needle should then be
allowed to descend to or about to its original position, and while the shuttle
is passing through the loop, which having been accomplished, the needle
should be elevated to its highest position, and so as to enable the cloth carrier
to be moved a suitable distance for the formation of the next stitch. The
needle is next made to descend into and through the cloth, and the shuttle
to operate in connexion with it, as before described. The purpose of the
pad P, which is made to rest lightly upon the top of the plate L, is to pre-
serve the proper position of the filling thread during the rotation of the shuttle,
or to prevent said thread from becoming entangled with the springs or con-
trivances by which the shuttle is operated, the said thread being drawn under
the pad during each rotation of the shuttle.
Having thus described my improved machine, what I claim as my Invention
or improvements therein is as follows:-
I claim the improvement of constructing the shuttle of the curved form,
and with a pointed nose, and making it to travel around within an endless
shuttle race, and so as to operate in connexion with the needle substantially as
herein before set forth, and whether such shuttle be made to revolve within a
circular endless race or an endless race of any other suitable form.
And I also claim the improvement of the pad or washer P in its appli-
cation and use substantially in the manner and for the purpose as herein-
before set forth.
And I also claim the improvement of the combination of the nipper y or
bent spring lever of which it forms a part, with the vibrating arm s, and so as
to operate substantially in manner and for the purpose as specified.
And I also claim the combination of the springs m, n, their studs o, p, the
recesses or holes 9, r, and the cam s or other, equivalent mechanical con-
trivances, together and with the shuttle race or main frame and the driving
shaft, the whole being for operating the shuttle and allowing it to pass through
the loop, substantially as herein-before described.
And I also claim the improved arrangement of the cloth carrier, the shuttle

page_text: race, and needle, with respect to one another, as herein-before described, and as
represented in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Alexander Lerow, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, A.D. 1851.