IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry. Fort Mitchell and William Mitchell,
Whitesmiths, and John Clarkson, Coal Merchant, all of Silsden, near
Keighley, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 8th August 1856, and dated the 13th February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Fort Mitchell,
William Mitchell, and John Clarkson at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 13th February 1856.
We, HENRY FORT MITCHELL and WILLIAM MITCHELL, Whitesmiths, and
JOHN CLARKSON, Coal Merchant, all of Silsden, near Keighley, in the County
of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention relates to improvements in the construction and general
arrangement of the sewing machine, and particularly to an improved method
of working the feed motion and the under needle. We work the feed motion
direct from the main driving wheel by means of levers and cams. We give
the said feeder an up and down and backward and forward motion by the
same cams. The material to be sewn, lying on the top or surface of the
machine, is pressed down by the feeder, and held fast whilst the stitch is made,
then the feeder rises, passes backward the exact distance for another stitch,

page_text: and falls upon and draws forward and holds the material whilst another stitch
is made, and so on continuously. By the arrangement of our improvements
we are also enabled to regulate the length of the stitch required, and the time
for making the same, and also to adapt the lift of the feeder to the thickness
of the material to be sewn, as well as preventing thin material from locking
or catching in the machine. By our method of working the under needle,
we give it a reciprocating lateral and oscillating motion.
These improvements will be more clearly understood by reference to the
accompanying outline Drawing, in which a represents the frame; b, the shaft,
to which motion is given by hand or power; c, the cam, which moves the
horizontal needle d. The vertical needle is seen at e, and has motion imparted
to it by means of the beam or lever f, operated upon by a cam. 9 is the holder
or feeder, which has an upward and downward as well as a to and fro motion
imparted to it, by being connected to the upright h, the rod i, and the arm k.
The rod vibrates on a centre at 1, and gives to the feeder or holder its com-
pound motion by the arm k. coming in contact with the two cams m and n.
The length of the stitch is regulated by the screws o and p. The lateral and
oscillating movement of the horizontal needle is caused by the action of the
ratchet wheel g, spring r, and joint s.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Fort Mitchell, William Mitchell, and John Clarkson
... in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th August 1856:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
FORT MITCHELL and WILLIAM MITCHELL, Whitesmiths, and JOHN CLARKSON,
Coal. Merchant, all of Silsden, near Keighley, in the County of York, send
greeting...
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Henry Fort Mitchell, William Mitchell, and John Clarkson, Her
special licence that we, the said Henry. Fort Mitchell, William Mitchell, and
John Clarkson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we; the said Henry Fort Mitchell, William Mitchell, and John Clarkson,
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

page_text: 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 we, the said Henry
Fort Mitchell, William Mitchell, and John Clarkson, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,
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 Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Mitchell, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Henry Fort Mitchell and John Clarkson, 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 (that is to say) :—
Our Invention relates to improvements in the construction and general
arrangement of the sewing machine, and particularly to an improved method
or methods of working the feed motion and the under needle. We work the
feed motion direct from the main driving wheel by means of levers and cams,
the said motion acting both as a feeder and holder, having a rough surface
next to the material. We give the said feeder an up and down and backward
and forward motion by the same cams. The material to be sewn lying on the
top or surface of the machine, is pressed down by the feeder and held fast
whilst the stitch is made, then the feeder rises, passes backward the exact
distance for another stitch, and falls upon, draws forward, and holds the
material whilst another stitch is made, and so on continuously. We regulate
the length of the stitch required, and the time for making the same, as well as
adapting the lift of the feeder to the thickness of the material to be sewn, and
prevent-thin material from locking or catching in the machine; we also give
the under needle a reciprocating, lateral, and oscillating motion. The nature
of these our said improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, half-size, of a sewing machine constructed
according to our Invention; Fig. 2 is an end or front elevation of the same;
Fig. 3 is part of the obverse side elevation; Fig. 4 is a plan, as shewn when
looking on the top or upper side, and Fig. 5 is a plan of the same when
looking up underneath.
The same letters in each of these Figures refer to
the same part of the machine. a represents the framework; b, the main
driving wheel and shaft, to which motion is given by hand or power (as in

page_text: other machines); c, the cam or tappet affixed to the driving wheel, which
moves the horizontal needle d. The vertical needle e has motion imparted to
it by means of the beam or lever f, operated upon by another cam or tappet
c', also affixed to the driving wheel. The holder or feeder g has an upward
and downward as well as a to and fro motion imparted to it by being con-
nected to the upright h, the rod or lever i, and the arms k and k¹. The rod
or lever i vibrates or moves on a centre or universal joint at I, and gives or
communicates to the feeder or holder its compound motion, by means of the
arms and coming in contact with the two cams m and n, which are also
affixed to the driving wheel. The length of the stitch is regulated by the
screw o, and the holder g is forced or pressed down by the spring p. The
lateral and oscillating movements of the horizontal needle are caused or
produced by the action of the ratchet wheel q and pall or catch q', the springs
r and r¹ and joints s and s¹, through the medium of the bar t, being caused to
reciprocate by means of the cam or tappet c'. It will be seen, that when the
driving wheel, carrying the cams (or tappets), is.put in rotation in the direction
of the arrow, the cam n will come in contact with the regulating screw o, in
the arm k¹ forcing or pushing the said arm outward or forward, whereby the
holder or feeder g at the other end of the rod or lever i will also be forced or
pushed forward over the top or surface of the table of the machine, being at
the same time pressed down by the spring p. The cam n in like manner, as
as the wheel rotates, will come in contact with and act upon the pin in the
arm k, whereby that end of the lever i will be depressed, and consequently
the other end will rise and lift the holder or feeder g from contact with the
table, when the pressure of the said cam m on the arm k, and the gradual
release of the cam n on the arm k¹, will cause the feeder g to move backward
the proper distance for making a stitch, and when the cam m has arrived at
the position as shewn on the Drawing the arm k is released, allowing the
feeder to fall or be pressed down by the spring p upon the material to be
sewn, lying upon the table of the machine, ready to be pushed forward again
after the stitch is made, drawing the material forward over the surface of the
table, as before.
By these our improvements we obtain a clear quadrangular movement of the
holder and feeder, which we can regulate, both to length of stitch and thickness
of material, by means of the screw o and pin o¹. The material being drawn
over a plain even bed or table prevents any locking or obstruction, as the only
aperture required in the table is the small one for the vertical needle to pass
through.
By our method of working the under needle we obtain a combination of

page_text: motions which we find of great utility. The bar t receives reciprocating
motion from the cam c, and being connected or jointed to the needle
carrier, which is hinged or jointed upon a fixed stand at s, produces an
oscillating motion of the needle carrier, and by means of the pin or stud
fixed in the said carrier, which takes into the ratchet wheel q, through
the pressure of the spring r, the ratchet wheel being held in position
or prevented from returning by the pall or catch q' and spring r', after being
pushed forward one notch by the outward stroke of the bar t, the needle
carrier is forced sideway by the pin sliding out of one notch on the ratchet
wheel to the next notch, thus producing a lateral movement of the under
needle. Figs. 6 and 7 are plan (underneath) and elevation, full size, of a
modified means of working the under needle, whereby we obtain the same
movement without the ratchet wheel and pall, in which t is the reciprocating
bar; u, the needle carrier; v, a spring guide piece instead of the ratchet
wheel; the pin of the carrier passing over the surface of the spring in the
outward stroke, and on the side of it in the return stroke, thus producing
the lateral movement of the needle.
Having thus fully described and ascertained the nature and particulars of
this our Invention, I would have it understood that we do not claim separately
any of the parts or movements herein set forth; but what we claim is, the
peculiar method or methods of working the feed motion, and the horizontal
or under needle, with the general arrangement and combination of the parts,
as herein described, and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
or any modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mitchell, for and on behalf of
myself and the said Henry Fort Mitchell and John Clarkson, have
hereunto set my band and seal, this Twelfth day of August, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
WILLIAM MITCHELL. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-named
William Mitchell, in the presence of
WM. TASKER, Patent Agent,
Halifax.