IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE THREAD SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents;
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE
THREAD SEWING MACHINES."-A communication from abroad by Elias
Howe, junior, of New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 28th July 1865, and, dated the 11th February 1865..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th February 1865.
J
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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE.
THREAD-SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:
:.:
This Invention relates, firstly, to an arrangement of mechanism which
will greatly simplify the construction of sewing machine intended to form the
ordinary chain or tambour stitch. The rotating hook which opens out the loop'
of the needle thread and holds it open for the, insertion of the interlocking
loop is formed upon one end of a short cylindrical tube which is mounted
in a socket at the extremity of a vertical shaft. The hook is provided with a
.E "

page_text: point and a heel by cutting away a portion (about a quarter) of the circum.
ference of the tube. A half round groove runs round the outside of this tube
immediately below the hook. The top edge of the hook is immediately
below the throat or bed plate of the machine. The vertical shaft which
forms the driving shaft of the machine is mounted in suitable bearings.
At its lower end it carries a driving pulley for imparting rotary motion thereto,
and above this is an excentric which through a connecting rod works the
rocking arm carrying the eye-pointed needle by which the loops of thread
are formed in the ordinary way. The point of the hook in its rotation enters
the loop of the needle thread formed below the throat plate of the machine,
and this loop being spread by the continued rotation of the hook drops into
the groove before mentioned. At its next descent the needle presents another
loop which is immediately entered by the point of the hook as before, and the
previous loop being cast off by the heel of the hook is drawn up to complete
the stitch by the further rotation of the hook. This hook may beso constructed
that the needle and hook shall draw up the thread to complete the stitch.
The feed plate is actuated by a double cam on the vertical shaft which givesit
both a traverse and a vertical motion, the return motions being obtained by
means of a pressure spring.
The Invention relates, secondly, to certain mechanical means for improving
the quality of the work produced by single thread or chain stitch machines.
The objects of the improvements are to sew a looped seam without twisting
the loops on the under side of the cloth, and also to form at pleasure either
long and short stitches alternately, or stitches all of equal length. In this
arrangement a reciprocating vertical needle and a rotating double headed
looping hook are used, their actions being so timed that the needle shall
perforate the fabric twice for each revolution of the double headed looping
hook, and that this latter shall draw each loop of needle thread through the
preceding loop. The needle bar works in vertical guides carried by the
usual bracket arm, and receives its reciprocating motion from a horizontal
shaft carried by the bracket arm. The front end of this shaft has an arm
which is connected with the needle bar by a link. The shaft receives its
motion through an arm on its rear end and a connecting rod jointed thereto
from the driving shaft which is mounted in bearings underneath the table of
the machine. The lower end of the connecting rod carries two stud slides
which move in cross slots formed in a disc p plate attached to the driving pulley
or fly wheel, or other well known means for obtaining two reciprocating
movements of the rock shaft for one revolution of the driving shaft may be
employed. The looper consists of a disc of metal cut away to form two hook

page_text: heads on its outer edge. The hooks are placed diametrically opposite to each
other, and project in opposite directions from the body of the looper, and their
points are arranged to pass close to the stem of the needle. This instrument is
mounted vertically in a grooved ring which projects from the under side of the
bed plate of the machine and is held in the groove by means of a ring cap. The
hooks are extended at their rear so that they may not let off the loops of thread
they have respectively seized until the needle has entered the opened loop in
descent to deliver a loop of thread on to the following hook. In order that
the rear extension of the hooks may not prevent the descent of the needle a
vertical slot is cut in both hooks to form a groove to receive the needle. The
driving shaft has at its front end a hub which rotates in close proximity to
the back of the double looper. In this hub are mounted two pins which are
intended to take alternately into holes formed in the back of the looper; and
thus impart rotary motion thereto, while by withdrawing they allow of the loop
of thread opened out by the looper escaping between the looper and the hub
of the driving shaft. The heads of the pins are caused by coiled springs to
press against the face of a cam plate attached to the bracket bearing carry-
ing the shaft, and by moving over the face of this cam plate their opposite
ends will be alternately thrust out and made to engage with the looper.
When the needle is depressed and passes down through the throat plate,
carrying the loop of its thread within the range of motion of the hooked
points of the looping instrument, one hooked point enters the loop of thread
carried by the needle which in rising permits the loop to swell outward from
its side and pass over and around the hook. It is thus spread laterally so
that the succeeding hook point can draw the succeeding loop of thread through
its predecessor. And the loops (by this system of looping) not being twisted
thechain of loops will lie flat against the under surface of the fabric; arranged
in this manner the machine may be used for sewing ordinary seams. By
lengthening the rear extensions of the hooks the loop seized by the one hook
will not be given up until the succeeding hook has seized, and is extending
another loop of the needle thread, and the needle has descended a second time
and entered the loop of thread let off so that the loop of needle thread seized
at this last descent of the needle is drawn through the two preceding loops
thereby producing a double chain embroidery stitch resembling braid. In
using this looping hook a perforated guard may be placed under the table of
the machine so that the needle shall in its descent almost touch the side of the
guard, and throw the swell of the loop of needle thread wholly to one side of
the needle. This machine may be caused to sew with two threads by arranging
abobbin of thread in the double looping hook so that the loops of the

page_text: needle thread will pass over such bobbin. With such an arrangement of
apparatus by reversing the direction of the feed a two-threaded back stitch
may be produced. The feed bar is pivotted near the middle of its length to the
under side of the bed of the machine and is raised once for each depression of
the needle by means of cam projections on the periphery of the hub or
rotating hook driver; its fall is ensured by making the fore half of the feed lever
as a spring. The rear end of the feed bar is fitted with two adjustable milled
headed screws or wipers which are caused by a spring to bear on two cams on
the driving shaft. One of these cams has two equal projections at its opposite
sides and the other has a single projection double the size of those on the
first cam. The cam with the single projection is set to act upon its wiper
at the same time that one of the two projections of the other cam is also in
position to act on the other wiper. Thus by having one wiper only in action the
feed bar will be caused to give a uniform feed and produce stitches of uniform
.length, but when the two wipers are brought into contact with their respective
cams the movements of the feed bar will be alternately long and short.
The relative length of the long and short stitches may be regulated by the
adjustment of the milled headed.screws or wipers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th August 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 Eleventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, 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 licence 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
"IMPROVEMENTS. IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SINGLE THREAD SEWING MACHINES,"

page_text: being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of 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 I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same 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 relates, firstly, to an arrangement of mechanism which will
greatly simplify the construction of sewing machines intended to form the
ordinary, chain or tambour stitch. In this improved machine, the chain;
or tambour stitch sewing is produced by the aid of a looper which rotates
in a horizontal plane and takes up the loop formed by the vertical needle
and holds
open until it is entered and secured by the next descent of the;
needle.
The construction and operation I will now proceed to describe with reference:
to Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings; Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 repre-'
sent the looper enlarged from its working size the better to illustrate its
operation. It consists of a hook A formed upon the end of a short hollow
cylinder, which is mounted vertically in a socket in the upper end of the
driving shaft B of the machine, as shewn in the longitudinal and transverse
sections of the machine, Figures 6 and 7. The upper end of this cylinder
is cut away, as shewn in Fig. 1, which is an end view of the same, and is
formed into a point e and a heel u. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the cylinder
shewing the edge form of the hook A, and a groove i running round the
cylinder below the book. The cylinder with its looper is rotated as indicated
by the arrow. Fig. 3 shews the hook in a position ready for the point e to.
enter the loop of the needle thread n, that loop having been brought into,
position through the intervention of the needle m and other parts of the
machine, as is well understood, the book then nearly completes a rotation,
the needle is withdrawn, and the feed plate C, Fig. 7 operates, which brings.
the thread into the position shewn in Fig. 4, with the loop extended and-
ready for the needle to enter it at its next descent, as in Fig. 5, which
shews the needle having entered the loop, and slightly withdrawn, prepara-;
tory to the hook A entering the needle loop n, and as the point e of the hook.

page_text: a,
enters the needle loop n, and continues to rotate, the loop of thread which
lies around the hook in the groove i is cast off at the heel of the hook and
is drawn up to complete the stitch. The hook may be so constructed that
it may be necessary to draw up the thread to complete the stitch by the joint
action of the needle and hook. The formation of a line of stitches is obtained
by a continuation of the above described movements.
The arrangement of parts shewn in Figures 6 and 7 for driving the needle
m, looper A, and feed plate C, and their mode of working will be obvious to
any one acquainted with the construction and working of sewing machines,
the excentric D on the driving shaft serving to operate through a connecting
rod the rocking arm D₁, which carries the needle m and the double cam E
on the driving shaft, together with a spring F, serving to operate the feed
plate C.
Under this head of the Invention I claim mounting the looper on the
end of the vertical shaft, by which the needle and feed plate are operated as
described..
The Invention relates, secondly, to certain mechanical means for improving
the quality of the work produced by single thread or chain stitch machines.
The objects of the improvements are to sew a looped seam without twisting
the loops on the under side of the cloth, and also to form at pleasure either
long and short stitches alternately, or stitches all of equal length. In this
arrangement a reciprocating vertical needle and a rotating double headed
looping hook are used, their actions being so timed that the needle shall per-
forate the fabric twice for each revolution of the double headed looping hook,"
and that this latter shall draw each loop of needle thread through the pre-
ceding loop.
In Sheet II. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents a side eleva-
tion of a sewing machine embodying the improvements; Fig. 2 represents a
vertical longitudinal section of a part of the same; Fig. 3 represents a plan
of the same with the parts above the line x, x, of Fig. 1 removed; Fig. 4
is an elevation of the driving end of the machine; Fig. 5 is an elevation of
the other end of the machine, and Figures 6 to 15 represent certain parts
of the machine detached from the remainder, and placed in different positions
which they occupy during sewing, and designated by the same letters of
reference as are applied to the same parts in the other Drawings. A is a
double headed rotating hook or looper which works beneath the table plate B
whereon the material to be sewn is placed. Cis the needle bar which slides
up and down in the head or guide box D, secured as usual to the extremity
of the bracket arm E, extending from the bed frame F of the machine. The

page_text: double headed looping hook has two book heads a, a, placed:diametrically.
opposite to each other, and projectingin opposite directions from thebody of the
hook, and the back a', a', of each head of the hook is extended so far that.it
does not let off. the loop of thread seized by the hook until the needle.has
entered it in its descent to deliver a loop of thread to the hook point following
the back of the head which lets off the loop... In order that the back of the
head of each hook may not prevent the descent of the needle.for this purpose
each is slotted as shewn at Figure 7 so as to form. a groove into which the
needle can descend. The double headed looping hook isarranged to revolvein a
circular groove formed in a ring support G,which projects from the bed plate
of the machine, and it is held in the said groove by means of a ring cap b.
The driving of the double headed looping hook is effected by connecting
it with a shaft H, to which a grooved pulley J is secured that receives the.
round belt extending from the treadle motion or other driving mechanism, and
in order that the loop of thread seized by the hook heads may escape the
looperA its connection with the driving shaft is formed by means of two pins
m, m, which enter sockets formed in the body of the looper. Each of these
pins is contained in a separate socket in a hub K, secured to the revolving
shaft H, and each has a head c, which is borne against a stationary face cam
I, by means of a helical spring placed in the pin socket. The upper part of
the cam recedes from the looper as seen at Figures 2, 3, and 8, so that as
each pin is carried by the revolution of the shaft H along this recedingportion
its head is compelled by the spring to follow the inclination of the cam,andits
point is withdrawn from the socket in the double headed looper to permit
the loop of thread to escape. As the receding portion of the cam extends
but a short distance and then approaches the looper, the withdrawn 'pin
is caused to re-engage with the looper before the other pin is withdrawn
in turn, so that the double headed hook is always coupled with the shaft..
The needle bar C is caused to move up and down by means of a rock shaft L
which
passes through the hollow bracket arm E. The front end of this rock.
shaft is fitted with an arm n, which is connected with the needle bar by:
means of a link O, so that as the shaft L rocks to and fro the needle bar and
the needle d carried by it are alternately depressed and raised. In order:
that the needle bar may make two descents for each revolution of the double:
headed looper, the rock shaft L is connected with the revolving shaft H by:
means of an arm P, a connecting rod Q, two pins f, f, and two slides g, g,
moving in cross slots h,h, formed in the hub of the driving pulley or fly wheel:
J, these devices constituting one of the well knowii mechanical movements:
for obtaining two double reciprocations for one revolution of a shaft. The:

page_text: needle:d is secured in a socket in the needle bar G'by means of a clamp screw i,
when it is depressed its point passes down through a hole in the table plate B,
and carries the loop of thread in its eye within the range of motion of the
hooked points of the looper, and the motions of the needle bar and looper are
so timed that one hooked point of the looper passes by the needle and enters
the loop of thread carried by it as the needle rises and permits the loop
to swell outward from its side. The hook points of the looper are
arranged to pass close to the stem of the needle at the side nearest the
cam. I
....
C.T
The feeding instrument of the machine consists of a toothed plate 'S
secured to one end of a lever T, which is pivotted near the middle of its
length to the frame of the machine. The feed plate is arranged to rise and
sink, and to move to and fro in a slot in the table plate B of the machine. It
is raised once for each depression of the needle bar by means of the hub K,
which is secured to the shaft H, and has two protuberances ss, at its sides,
diametrically opposite each other (see Fig. 9). The feed bar is depressed by
the spring of the arinj of the lever T, which acts antagonistically to the
cams 8, s, and holds the feed plate out of contact with the cloth, except when
it is raised by the protuberances of the cains. In order that the feed plate
may be moved to and fro to feed the cloth forward, and to retrograde previous
to each feeding movement, the butt end j of the feed lever is fitted with two
adjustable wipers x and x³, Fig. 3, operating in connection with two cams U
and U', keyed to the shaft H. These cams acting upon the wipers, move the
feed plate in one direction to feed the cloth forward past the needle, and the
return movement of the feed plate is effected by a springr applied to the butt
of the feed lever. One of the cams U (see Fig. 11) has two protuberances t, t
which project equal distances at the opposite sides of the cam. The other
cam. U (see Fig. 12), has a single protuberance k of about double the
projection of those of first cam U. The shanks of the wipers x, x¹, are
screwed through bosses secured to the feed lever T, and pass through holes in
the frame of the machine to its exterior, where they are formed into milled
heads V, V, by turning which the positions of the 'wipers may be adjusted
relatively to the cams which act upon them. The cam U¹ is so set with
reference to the cam U that the protuberance of the former is in position to
act upon its wiper a¹ at the same time that 'one of the protuberances of the
latter is in position to act on its wiper x. Hence, if the wiper be adjusted
by screwing its shank outward (or from the cam), so that the cam in its
revolution cannot touch it, the feed plate S will be moved by the alternate
action of the two protuberances of the cain U on its wiper x, and as these

page_text: cam
protuberances are of equal projection the movements of the feed plate will all
be equal,and the stitches will be of uniform length, which may, however, be
regulated by adjusting the wiper-z. If, on the other hand, the wiper x¹ be
adjusted by screwing its shank inward (towards the cam),so that the. U
in its revolution acts upon it, the feed plate will be moved alternately by the
action of one of the protuberances of the cams U on its wiper x,and by the
action of the protuberance of the cam U¹ on its wiper and as the protu-
berance of the cam U' is double that of those of the cams U, the movements.
of the feed plate will be such that the stitches will be alternately long and
short, the lengths of the long and short stitches being regulated by the adjust
ment of the wipers. The machine is fitted as usual with a standard x for
the spool of needle thread and a thread tension y, and thread guides w, w,to
direct the needle thread on its way to the needle. It is also provided with a'
presser
foot Zof the usual construction and its appurtenances. The machine
is operated by turning the shaft H in the direction of the arrow z'in the
Figures. When it is sewing, the needle is caused to descend, perforate the
material to be sewed, carry the loop of needle thread through it, present it to
the action of the looper, and rise again preparatory to a succeeding descent.
As the loops of needle thread are presented by the needle they are seized
alternately by the hooked points of the looper, and are extended by them:
The body of the looper is wider than its points,so that as each loop of thread
is extended by the revolution of the hook point that has seized it, it is spread
laterally, so that the succeeding hook point can draw the succeeding loop of
thread through its predecessor,and as the loops are not twisted by this mode
of operation the chain of loops forming the under side of the seam, when
completed,lies flat against the surface of the cloth. As the backs of the hook
heads of the looper extend backwards for a considerable distance(as shewn in
the Drawings) the loop seized by each hook point is not given up or let off
until the succeeding hook point has seized and is extending a succeedingloop
of thread presented by the needle, and the needle has descended a second time
and entered the loop of thread let off. The loop of needle thread seized at this
last descent of the needle is drawn by one of the hooks through the two pre-
ceding loops, thereby producing a double-chain embroidery stitch resembling
braid upon the under face of the fabric.
When the machine is used for sewing ordinary seams it may be made to
produce an ordinary single-thread chain stitch, in which each loop of needle
thread is drawn through the next preceding loop alone (instead of the two
preceding loops) by substituting the double-headed looper represented at
Figures 13 and 14 for that represented in Figures 5, 6, and 7. This looper

page_text: differs from that first described in the form of the hook heads, the backs of
which do not extend so far as those of the looping hook first described; hence
as the hooked points of the double looper are at opposite sides of the circle
described by it the loop extended by one hooked point is given up as the next
one is extended, so that each loop of needle thread is drawn through the loop.
next preceding it, and there need be no surplus loose thread to embarrass the
operation of the machine. In using this second looping hook a perforated
guard may be placed under the table plate B in such position relatively to
the needle that the latter in its descent almost touches the side of the per-.
foration of the guard farthest from the cam I, so that the guard prevents the
swell of the loop of needle thread at that side of the needle, and causes it to
swell out to a greater extent at the otherside than it otherwise, would, thereby
ensuring its seizure by the hook of the looper.
Under this head of the Invention I claim the combination in a sewing
machine of the reciprocating needle bar with the double-headed rotating
looper, the whole operating substantially as set forth.
I also claim coupling the double-headed looper with the driving shaft, in
the manner and for the purpose above described.
And I further claim the arrangement above described for operating the
feeding instrument.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto™
set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of August, 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.)