IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick,
of the Firm "Bradbury and Company," Oldham, in the County of
Lancaster, Sewing Machine Manufacturers, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."-Partly a communication from
abroad by Auguste Serveau, of Brussels, Belgium.
Sealed the 12th February 1869, and dated the 17th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Francis Brad-
bury and Thomas Chadwick at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 17th August 1868.
We, GEORGE FRANCIS BRADBURY and THOMAS CHADWICK, of the
Firm "Bradbury and Company," Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Sewing Machine Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," partly a com-
munication from Auguste Serveau, of Brussels, Belgium, to be as
follows:-
The Invention communicated to us is somewhat similar to the Wheeler
and Wilson class of sewing machines with the following exceptions :-

page_text: The hook is a segmental arm; it does not rotate, but makes a partial
rotation. The segmental arm is pointed to pass through the loop in the
needle thread and has a notch or hook formed on its inner periphery to
catch the thread of the needle loop. The hook has not a cavity in itself
for the thread spool, as in the Wheeler and Wilson machine, but there is
a dished cavity formed in a piece fixed in position, which piece has a
notch which prevents the back movement of the loop of the needle
thread when the hook makes its return oscillation. The thread spool or
shuttle does not turn with the hook, as in the Wheeler and Wilson
machine, but remains stationary, though a Wheeler and Wilson spool
may be used. The shuttle is of dish form and the thread is wound upon
a small pulley, which can turn upon a centre pin secured in the dish or
shuttle which is provided with any suitable friction arrangement to give
and regulate the tension upon the shuttle thread, which cannot be given or
regulated in the Wheeler and Wilson machine. The shuttle or thread spool
is held in its cavity same as the spool in the Wheeler and Wilson machine.
The segmental hook makes a partial forward rotation so as to pass its point
through the loop of the needle thread until its hook can catch the loop,
when it makes its back partial rotation, one side of the loop passing on
the inner the other side of the loop on the outer side of the shuttle, the
loop being taken by the hook past the lower part of the shuttle, so that
it will draw freely from the shuttle when the next loop is made, the
notch in the cavity of the shuttle holder preventing the back movement
of the loop by the friction of the returning hook. The partial rotary
motion of the segmental hook is produced by a toothed segment and
pinion or other mechanical equivalent.
The arrangement above described may be combined with a straight or
curved needle actuated in any convenient manner, and with either a
top or under-feed motion.
Our improvements consist in the combination and arrangement of the
parts of a sewing machine having a partial rotary segmental hook and
stationary shuttle or spool case, as above described, namely, in working
the needle by a vertical slide and crank pin upon the front end of a shaf
above the cloth table, and in giving motion by a crank pin or excentri
from the back end of the same shaft to a toothed quadrant or it
-equivalent gearing with a pinion upon the back end of a shaft below
the cloth table and parallel to the upper shaft. Thus the lower shaf

page_text: will receive an oscillatory motion, the segmental hook being placed upon
its front end. The upper shaft may be driven directly or by a hand or
fly wheel centred on the axis of the toothed quadrant. We prefer to
place the feed motion above the cloth plate actuated by cam surfaces
formed upon the disc carrying the crank pin for the needle slide, but the
feed motion may be placed below the cloth plate. The shuttle spool is
held in its cavity by a part that can swivel upon an axis parallel with
the axis of the shaft upon which the segmental hook turns, and the
cloth plate may be hinged or made to slide, so that it can be lifted or
slided out of the way when required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th February 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
FRANCIS BRADBURY and THOMAS CHADWICK, of the Firm of Bradbury
& Co., Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Sewing Machine Manu-
facturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said George Francis Bradbury and Thomas
Chadwick, Her special license that we, the said George Francis Bradbury
and Thomas Chadwick, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said George Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick,
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, exercise, 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," partly a communication from
Auguste Serveau, of Brussels, Belgium, and partly our own Invention,
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Francis
Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick, by an instrument in writing under our

page_text: hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should par-
ticularly 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 and
Thomas Chadwick, 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
accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
:-
The Invention communicated to us is somewhat similar to the Wheeler
and Wilson class of sewing machines with the following exceptions :-
The hook is a segmental arm; it does not rotate, but makes a partial
rotation. The segmental arm is pointed to pass through the loop in the
needle thread, and has a notch or hook formed in its inner periphery to
catch the loop of the needle thread. The hook has not a cavity within
itself for the thread spool, as in a Wheeler and Wilson machine, but
their is a dished cavity formed in a piece fixed in position, which piece
has a notch that prevents the back movement of the loop of the needle
thread when the hook makes its return oscillation. The thread spool
or shuttle does not turn with the hook, as in the Wheeler and Wilson
machine, but remains stationary, though a Wheeler and Wilson spool
may be used. The shuttle is of dish form, and the thread is wound
upon a small pulley which can turn upon a centre pin secured in the
dish or shuttle, which is provided with any.suitable friction arrangement
to give and regulate the tension upon the shuttle thread, which cannot
be given or regulated in the Wheeler and Wilson machines. The
shuttle or thread spool is held or retained in its cavity same as the spool
in the Wheeler and Wilson machine. The segmental hook makes a
partial forward rotation, so as to pass its point through the loop of the
needle thread until its hook can catch the loop, when it makes its back
partitial rotation, one side of the loop passing on the inner the other side
of the loop on the outer side of the shuttle, the loop being taken by the
hook past the lower part of the shuttle so that it will draw freely from
the shuttle when the next loop is made, the notch in the cavity of the
shuttle holder preventing the back movement of the loop by the friction
of the returning hook. The partial rotary motion of the segmental

page_text: hook is produced by a toothed segment and pinion or other mechincal
equivalent.
The arrangement above described may be combined with a straight or
curved needle actuated in any convenient manner, and with either a top
or under feed motion.
Our own improvements consist in the combination and arrangement of
the parts of a sewing machine having a partial rotary segmental hook and
stationary shuttle or spool case, as herein-before described, namely, in
working the needle by a vertical slide and crank pin upon the front end
of a shaft above the cloth table, and in giving motion by a crank pin
or excentric from the back end of the same shaft to a toothed quadrant
or its equivalent, gearing with a pinion upon the back end of a shaft
below the cloth table and parallel to the upper shaft. Thus the lower
shaft will receive an oscillatory motion, the segmental hook being placed
upon its front end. The upper shaft may be driven directly or by a
hand or fly wheel centred on the axis of the toothed quadrant or
segmental lever. We prefer to place the feed motion above the cloth
plate, and to actuate it by cam surfaces formed upon the disc carrying the
crank pin for the needle slide, but the feed motion may be placed below.
the cloth plate. The shuttle spool or case is held in its cavity by a part
that can swivel upon an axis parallel with that of the shaft upon which
the segmental hook turns, and the cloth plate may be hinged or made
to slide so that it can be lifted or slided out of the way when required.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, Fig. 2, a side elevation, partly in section,
Fig. 3, a back elevation of the machine, illustrating the improvements
communicated to us.
A, the frame part of the machine; a, the driving shaft; a', the driving
pulley; b, excentric giving motion through the rod (6') to the lever (6²);
which actuates the needle slide 63; C is the spool for the needle thread;
C¹, tension discs for needle thread; d, presser foot; e, the feed actuated
by a crank pin (a) on the end of the driving shaft (a), and (e¹) is the
handle for regulating the length of the stitch. All the parts just referred
to by letters and figures are similar to those in well-known sewing
machines. is an excentric on the shaft (a); it is connected by means
of a rod (f) with the arm (f) upon the end of a shaft (f³), arranged
as shown. Upon this shaft a toothed segment (") is secured, which

page_text: gears with a small pinion (f") upon a short shaft (f), arranged as
shown. The arm (g) carrying the segmental hook (g¹) is secured
upon
the outer end of the short shaft (f). This hook is shown detached by
Fig. 10 a front view, Fig. 11 a side view, and Fig. 12 a plan view. The
shuttle holder () is secured so that the centre of its cavity will corre-
spond with the axis of the short shaft (f). The shuttle holder is shown
in section in Fig. 2, and detached by Fig. 4 an edge view, Fig. 5 a front
view, and Fig. 6 a plan view. There is a hollow at the upper edge of
the shuttle holder to give clearance for the needle, and a notch (h¹) to
prevent the return of the loop, and the edges are chamfered, as shown,
to allow the loop to pass freely. The shuttle (k) with its spool k¹ is
shown in its place as when at work in Fig. 2 (in section), and the shuttle
or case is shown detached by Fig. 13 a section, and Fig. 14 a front
view, the shuttle spool (2) being also shown detached by Fig. 15 an
edge and Fig. 16 a front view. The centre for the shuttle spool is
formed by a pin (2), upon which a loose collar (3) is placed, which is
pressed against the head of the screw by a spring (k). There is a key
groove in the spool which fits the key upon the collar (³), so that the
spool will not rotate without turning the collar, which cannot turn
without overcoming the friction put upon it by the spring (k), and thus
tension is given to the shuttle thread, which passes from the spool
through a hole in the side of the shuttle. The shuttle is held in its
place by the retainer (1), as shown in Fig. 2 in section, which part is
shown detached by Fig. 7 an edge, Fig. 8 a front view, and Fig. 9 a
plan view, this part being somewhat similar to that used in the Wheeler
and Wilson machine, except that the form of the chamferings (shown
in the Figures) in the face of the retainer to give free passage to the
loops are different. The thread passes to the needle (m) in the above-
described machine, as shown by peculiar dotted line, and through the
eye of the needle from the front to the back.
Fig. 17 is a view of one side of a sewing machine, partly in section;
Fig. 18, the other side of the same machine, partly in section, and with
some parts omitted; Fig. 19, a front view; and Fig. 20, a back view,
partly in section; these views illustrating a machine arranged according
to our improvements. The framing of the machine is marked A.
hand or fly wheel (a¹) rotates upon a stud a, having its end squared
to fit a washer with a square hole secured by a screw (a2). This fly
The

page_text: wheel (a) has an internal toothed wheel (a) which gears with a wheel (6¹)
on a shaft (6), upon the front end of which a disc 6* is secured, and
a pin (6) in this having a bowl upon it fits a groove in a cross piece (c¹)
secured to a vertical slide bar (c), in which the needle (c) is secured,
as shown. The feed motion is a serrated foot (d) jointed on the end of
a bar (d') forked at its upper end and moving on a fulcrum (d2). This
presser feed foot can be lifted and held up by the handle excentric (d³)
turning upon the pin (d), as shown. Side by side with the feeding
foot there is a lever (d'), which also centres on the pin (d), and this
lever has two projections, one coming over the top and the other to the
side of the disc (62), cam surfaces being formed on the edge of the disc,
one to give the lifting and the other the feeding movements, as is well
understood, the lifting cam acting upon the projection (d³). upon the
top, and the feeding upon the projection (d) at the side. The lever part
(d) has a pin (d) that fits a slot (d) in the pressing lever. The
projections (de and d) are kept against the cams, and the foot is
pressed against the cloth by the force of an india-rubber spring (e)
passing over an arm or projection (d) from the lever part (d) and a
pin (e) in the framing, as shewn. The action of the lifting cam is not
to lift the foot, but only to take off the pressure when the foot is moved
back. The point of a screw (d') passing through a hole in the frame
comes against the feed lever (d'), and by this screw the length of the
stitch is regulated, as is well understood. In place of the india-rubber
spring a metal spring may be used, or one adjustable in pressure by a
screw, as shown by the detached view, Fig. 22 a side and Fig. 23 an
edge view. This arrangement consists of a bent piece of wire (e) in
the staple form, secured at its two ends to a cross part (e*) having a boss ;
the screw (c) passes through this boss and screws into a cross part (e)
made to slide on the wire (e²) as a guide. The spring (e) is placed between
the two bosses, as shown. The upper part of the screw (e³) passes
through a part (e) which rests in a forked arm projection (ds) from the
lever part (d'). In the wheel (6¹) at the end of the upper shaft (6) a
crank pin (6) is secured, which has a bowl on it that fits a groove in a
toothed segmental lever (63) oscillating upon the stud (a). This toothed
segmental lever gears with a pinion (f³) upon the end of the lower
shaft (f). The arrangement of the segmental toothed lever (65) is
shewn best in Figs. 17 and 20, in which the pitch lines of the wheels
and radius of the crank pin are shown in peculiar dotted line.

page_text: Fig. 21 shows another arrangement for actuating the shaft (f) by
an excentric or crank (6) and connecting rod (f¹) jointed to a short
arm of the toothed segmental lever (65). The segmental hook (9') is
secured upon the front end of the shaft (f), and the hook (g), shuttle
holder (h), and retainer (1) are the same as those herein-before described,
except that the latter is secured upon a short shaft (), as shown in
Fig. 18, this shaft passing through a hole and being surrounded by a
spring () that acts against a nut (1) secured upon the end of the shaft.
This spring permits the shaft to be drawn outwards slightly to release
the cone point of the adjusting screw (1) from a small hole in the face
of the casting when the retainer is to be turned into the position shown
in dotted line in Fig. 19, for removing or replacing the shuttle in its
holder. The table (n) may be hinged, as shown in Fig. 17, if desired.
We wish to remark that the shuttle instead of being arranged as
shown in Fig. 2, may be reversed; the cavity to hold the shuttle (k)
and the notch (h') may be formed in the shuttle retainer (1), Fig. 2, and
the face of the shuttle holder (h), Fig. 2, may be made like the face of
the retainer 1, Fig. 2. In this case the bottom and hook side of the
shuttle may
be inclined, so as to come under the hook, the upper flat
face of the shuttle being in front and clear of the needle.
We have now particularly described the Invention communicated to
us, and our own Invention, and claim as the Invention secured to us
by the in part recited Letters Patent,―
Firstly. The combination of a needle, oscillating hook, shuttle holder,
and shuttle retainer, acting in the manner herein-before described and
illustrated by the Drawings.
Secondly. The mode of giving tension to the shuttle thread, as herein-
before described.
Thirdly. The combination and arrangement of the mechanism forming
a sewing machine, as herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings upon Sheet 2.
Fourthly. The combination and arrangement of the feeding mechanism
above the cloth plate, as illustrated on Sheet 2.
Fifthly. The mode of constructing the adjustable spring, as shown in
Figs. 22 and 23.

page_text: Sixthly. The arrangement of a shuttle retainer (4) so as to turn
on an axis (), as herein-before described and illustrated by Figs. 18
and 19,
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Chadwick, on my own
behalf and on behalf of the said George Francis Bradbury, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine,
THOMAS CHADWICK. (L.S.)