IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stuart Guinness, of 42, Cheapside,
in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 14th August 1868, and dated the 19th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stuart
Guinness at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,, with his.
Petition, on the 19th February 1868..
I, WILLIAM STUART GUINNESS, of 42, Cheapside, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines,
and relates, firstly, to an improved combination of mechanism for
giving motion to the several parts of a shuttle sewing machine. For
this purpose I give motion to the slide which carries the needle by
means of a lever, as heretofore usual, and I give a reciprocating

page_text: to-and-fro motion to this lever by
connecting rod or link passing
from a crank on the driving shaft of the machine. The pin which
connects the link or rod with the lever carries another link, which is
pin-jointed to one arm of a bell-crank lever, the other arm of which
is by a link connected to the shuttle slide or carrier; the pin also by
another link is connected to a bell crank, which is formed with an eye
through which the needle thread is led, so that by turning this crank
on its centre there shall be a large amount of slack thread at the
time the shuttle is passing through the loop of the needle thread.
In order to give the forward feed motion to the fabric or work I
employ a serrated plate which acts against the under side of the
work, as is very commonly the case, and I give the requisite vertical
and horizontal motions to this plate by inclines on the shuttle slide
or carrier.
By the arrangements above described it will be seen that the machine
will work equally well whichever way the driving shaft be turned, as
the crank on the driving shaft acts only by its connecting rod to
give a reciprocating to-and-fro motion to the lever which operates the
needle slide, and all the other parts of the machine derive their motion.
from the pin which connects this rod with the lever. Also by giving
motion from one pin to the shuttle slide and to a lever which is
alternately to slacken and tighten the needle thread the simultaneous
tightening and loosening of the shuttle thread and needle thread
is ensured.
In order also that the lever which is to slacken and tighten the
needle thread shall not tighten the thread as the needle commences to
rise the pin which connects the link to the bell crank is arranged to
be then at its greatest distance, or nearly so, from a line drawn
through the axis of the bell crank and the pin from which motion
is derived, but as the needle rises it is by the turning of the bell crank
brought towards this linc, until at the end of the upward stroke
of the needle it is nearly in a line therewith. The bell crank will,
consequently by this arrangement be turned on its centre at a constantly
increasing speed during the upward motion of the needle, whilst as
the needle moves downwards the reverse of this will be the case, a
so that the needle thread will be entirely free (except from the
slight friction of the thread spring) while the needle point is above
the fabric during the descent of the needle.

page_text: The above described arrangement for simultaneously giving motion
to the thread tightener and shuttle slide may also be employed, together
with other arrangements of mechanism than those above mentioned,
for giving motion to the needle.
The manner in which I give motion to the serrated feed plate from
the shuttle slide or carrier is as follows:-The scrrated plate is carried by
a bar, which, as is usual, is capable of rising and falling, and also of
moving to and fro horizontally in suitable guides; this bar is pressed
downwards by a slight spring on to an incline surface on the slide to
which the shuttle holder is fixed, and as this slide is moved to and
fro the inclined surface regulates the rising and falling of the serrated
plate; the horizontal to-and-fro motion is given to the plate by two
other inclines carried by the slide, which as the slide moves to and fro
act alternately against opposite sides of a descending arm on the
bar carrying the serrated plate, so as to move the serrated plate first
in one direction and then in the opposite direction; the incline which
moves the plate in the direction to move the work forward is made
adjustable, so that it may be set to strike more or less against the
descending arm, and so move the work a greater or less amount after
each stitch; the plate which forms this incline is for this purpose
made capable of turning on a pin or hinge at one end, and at its
opposite end is acted on by a screw, by turning which this end of
the plate can be moved towards or from the descending arm.
Another part of my Invention consists in adapting the feed motion
described in the Specification of a former Patent granted to me on
28th day of August 1861 (No. 2143) to shuttle sewing machines in
which the shuttle is moved to and fro in a line at right angles to the
movement of the feed in place of moving parallel therewith, as described
in the above-mentioned Specification, and this I do by forming the
upper end of the lever which carries the serrated feed plate with an
arm which projects over the shuttle, and on this arm the serrated
feed plate is formed.
Another part of my Invention consists in in carrying the shuttle a
holder, so that it shall be entirely independent of any face or way, the
shuttle being caused to rest against the front of the holder in place
of against a stationary flat face or way, as heretofore usual, and in
order that the front of the shuttle may come close up to the side

page_text: of the needle such parts of the front of the holder as would otherwisc
come in contact with the needle are cut away
*SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Stuart Guinness in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
STUART GUINNESS, of 42, Cheapside, in the City of London, send
grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hor
'Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-cight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Stuart Guinness, Her
special licence that I, the William Stuart Guinness, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
'Stuart Guinness, 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 SEWING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Stuart Guinness,
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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Stuart Guinness, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines,
and relates, firstly, to an improved combination of mechanism for giving

page_text: motion to the several parts of a shuttle sewing machine. For this
purpose I give motion to the slide which carries the needle by means
of a lever, as heretofore usual, and I give a reciprocating to-and-fro
motion to this lever by a connecting rod or link passing from a crank
on the driving shaft of the machine. The pin which connects the link
or rod with the lever carries another link which is pin-jointed to one
arm of a bell-crank lever, the other arm of which is by a link connected
to the shuttle slide or carrier; the pin also by another link is connected
to a bell crank, which is formed with an eye through which the needlo
thread is led, so that by turning this crank on its centre there shall be
a large amount of slack thread at the time the shuttle is passing through
the loop of the needle thread.
In order to give the forward feed motion to the fabric or work I
employ a serrated plate which acts against the under side of the work,
as is very commonly the case, and I give the requisito vertical and
horizontal motions to this plate by inclines on the shuttle slide or
carrier. The incline which gives the forward horizontal motion to the
feed plate is adjustable by a screw at one end and turns upon a centre
or axis at the other.
By the arrangements above described it will be seen that the machine
will work equally well whichever way the driving shaft be turned, as the
crank on the driving shaft acts only by its connecting rod to give a
reciprocating to-and-fro motion to the lever which operates the needle
slide, and all the other parts of the machine derive their motion from
the pin which connects this rod with the lever; also by giving motion
from one pin to the shuttle slide and to a lever which is alternately
to slacken and tighten the needle thread the simultaneous tightening
and loosening of the shuttle thread and needle thread is ensured.
In order also that the lever which is to slacken and tighten the needle
thread shall not tighten the thread as the needle commences to rise
the pin which connects the link to the bell crank is arranged to be
then at its greatest distance, or nearly so, from a line drawn through
the axis of the bell crank and the pin from which motion is derived,
but as the needle rises it is by the turning of the bell crank brought
towards this line until at the end of the upward stroke of the needle it
is nearly in a line therewith. The bell crank will consequently by this
arrangement be turned on its centre at a constantly increasing speed
during the upward motion of the needle, whilst as the needle moves

page_text: downwards the reverse of this will be the case, so that the needle thread
will be entirely free, except from the slight friction of the thread spring,
while the needle point is above the fabric during the descent of the
needle.
.
The above described arrangement for simultaneously giving motion
to the thread tightener and shuttle slide may also be employed, together
with other arrangements of mechanism than those above mentioned, for
giving motion to the needle.
Another part of my Invention consists in carrying the shuttle in a
holder so that it shall be entirely independent of any face or way, the
shuttle being caused to rest against the front of the holder in place of
against a stationary flat face or way as heretofore usual, and in order
that the front of the shuttle may come close up to the side of the needle
such parts of the front of the holder as would otherwise come in contact
with the needle arc cut away.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood
I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal and vertical section of a sewing machine
constructed according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the
complete machine; Figure 3 is also a plan but with some parts
removed; Figure 4 is an end view partly in section, and Figure 5 is
a back view partly in section of the same machine; Figure 6 shows
some of the parts separately.
a is the needle slide connected by the link a¹ to the lever b which turns
upon a centre at. 6', and which receives, an oscillating movement by
means of the connecting rod c, connected at its upper end by a joint ci
'to the lever b, and at its lower to a crank pin d'-mounted upon a wheel
or pulley d upon the main axis e, which is driven by means of a band
from a treadle or other convenient manner. The connecting rod c I
call the main connecting rod, and the pine' I call the main pin. The
pin c¹ is connected by means of a link f to one extremity g¹ of a bell-
cranked lever mounted upon a centro g', whilst the other arm g² of this
lever is connected by means of a joint at h¹ to the end of a rod
which is connected at its other end by the joint to the shuttlė
carrier to which it gives motion. The needle thread coming from
the reel is first passed between two friction discs j, j, or friction may

page_text: be applied to it in other convenient way; it passes from thence through
an eye formed in the end of one of the arms of a béll-cranked lever:
mounted on a centre at *; the end of the other arm of this lever is.
connected by a joint to the lower end of a link or connecting rod 1,.
which at its upper end is mounted upon the main pin c¹ from which
it receives motion. The thread of the needle in passing from the eye k.
is led through a hole in the plate m, and thence underneath a light
spring n to an eye in the piece o, and then it descends to the eye of.
the needle. The thread spring n is mounted in the manner shown and
is moved by the needle lever 7. As the needle descends the lever
acts on the spring so as to liberate the thread from its pressure as soon
as the needle has penetrated the fabric, and the spring n-is kept off the
needle thread during the remainder of the descent of the needle, and
until the needle in again rising has cleared its point from the fabric,.
then the spring is again allowed to act upon the thread and to press
lightly upon it.
?
The shuttle carrier i is supported and guided in its to-and-fro
movement by guides, such as the Drawing shows; it not only carries
the shuttle and its case but it is also furnished with instruments>
for giving motion to the toothed feed plate p in the following manner :-)
The feed plate p is carried in guides p¹ upon the throat plate and it is
provided with a descending arm or tail-p³. q is an incline on "which
the feed plate p rests, and this incline as it moves to and fro with the
shuttle carrier gives the required vertical movement to the toothed end;
of the feed plate p. The lateral movement to move the fabric forward
is given to the feed plate by means of a piece q' jointed at q* to the.
incline q, and which acts as an incline upon the tail and so moves"
the feed plate forward; the inclination of the piece q' can be adjusted
by means of a screw 2³, and the picce q' is caused to bear against the
end of the screw 23 by a small spring 7, thus by means of the screw q³
the machine can be set to make stitches of any length which may be
desired. The return motion of the food plate is obtained by means of
the incline q which also operates upon the tail p³. p³ is a small spring
acting upon the feed plate to press it down against the incline q, and
so to keep it out of contact with the fabric during the return motion.
The presser works in the ordinary manner, the spring pressing it
down on to the fabric. is an eccentric with a small handle upon it
for lifting the presser and holding it up out of the way.

page_text: The machine can be clamped to a table by means of the lugs 8, either
so as to project beyond its edge, as will be most convenient for circular
work, such as sleeves, or may be clamped in the middle of a table, as will
be more convenient for flat work.
In some cases I do not arrange the shuttle to work up against a
stationary face, but I cause it to rest against a front with which the
shuttle holder is provided; Figure 7 is a plan, and Figure 8 is a side
view of a shuttle carrier constructed in this manner. The shuttle is
supported at its two ends in the ordinary manner, and at the front it
rests against the front end of the shuttle carrier, and in order that the
front part of the shuttle may come close up to the needle the front of
the shuttle carrier is cut away at a¹.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,―
First. The general arrangement of the machine, substantially as hercin
described..
:
Second. The arranging the parts in such manner that the shuttle-
carrier and the thread tightener both receive motion by means of
connecting rods or links and levers from one reciprocating pin or
joint.
Third. The arranging the parts in such manner that the feed plate
may receive both its vertical and horizontal motions from inclines on
the shuttle carrier, as above described.
Fourth. The constructing the shuttle carrier as described in respect
to Figures 7 and 8 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stuart Guinness, havo
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Nineteenth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and sixty-
eight.