IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, AND IN TABLES FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Smith, of the Firm of Robertson,
Brooman, and Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agents, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES, AND IN TABLES FOR SEWING MACHINES."-A com-
munication from abroad by John Niel Tarbox, of the Firm of
R. M. Wanzer and Company, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
West.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Smith
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th November 1870.
I, THOMAS JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and
Company, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINES, AND IN TABLES FOR SEWING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-

page_text: Secondly. To arranging or fitting a shuttle carrier and a driver in
a machine to enable the two to be adjusted and kept in working
order.
Thirdly. To an improved form of self-adjustable self-sewer.
And, fourthly. To arranging or fitting the tables with falling and
rising flaps or slabs and boxes, so that they can be adapted for ordinary
purposes.
The Invention consists in fitting to the front or to the side of the
machine head a spring or spring plate, which can be moved auto-
matically from bearing upon the thread by rods, levers, cams, or other
appliances in connection with the main shaft or some part operated
by it.
One way in which this can be accomplished is by fitting a vertical
rod or pin in the frame to bear upon the edge of the lifting cam, the pin
being inclined or wedge-shaped on its top bears against a horizontal pin
similarly shaped, and as the first one is lifted the second one is pushed
outwards to remove the spring or the spring plate from pressing upon or
against the top thread, the pressure being exerted for the purpose of
preventing thread being drawn from the reel in the descent of the needle
until it enters the fabric.
The shuttle carrier is connected to a driver, and is so made that it can
be shifted on the boss or other part of the driver or vice versa, to allow
for wear of the shuttle or of the race plate, which also forms a support
for the work plate at the front.
The self-adjustable self-sewer for heavy and light goods is formed of
tempered metal and of V shape, the legs of which yield according to the
thickness of the fabric and always present a flat surface.
The table top is recessed in two or more places for the reception of
the needle box and a false piece to fill up the space occupied by the
machine slab when the machine is not in use. By this means the table
can be used other than for sewing purposes. The needle box and the
filling piece are connected by jointed plates and move in opposite
directions. A spring or other catch may be employed if required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters. Patent
filed by the said Thomas James Smith in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 9th May 1871..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
JAMES SMITH, of the Firm of Robertson, Brooman, and Company,
of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agents, send
greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Thomas James Smith, Her special licence that I,
the said Thomas James Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I,, the said. Thomas James Smith, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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, AND
IN TABLES FOR SEWING MACHINES," (a communication from abroad by John
Niel Tarbox, of the Firm of R. M. Wanzer and Company, of Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada West,) upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Thomas James Smith, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas James Smith, 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, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
This Invention relates,―

page_text: Secondly. To arranging or fitting a shuttle carrier and a driver
in a machine to enable the two to be adjusted and kept in working
order.
Thirdly. To an improved form of self-adjustable self-sewer.
And, fourthly. To arranging or fitting the tables with falling and
rising flaps or slabs and boxes so that they can be adapted for ordinary
purposes.
The Invention consists in fitting to the front, the side, or some other
part of the machine head a spring or spring plate which can be moved
automatically from bearing upon the thread by rods, levers, cams, or other
appliances in connection with the main shaft or some part operated
by it.
One way in which this can be accomplished is by fitting a vertical rod
or pin in the frame to bear upon the edge of the lifting cam, the pin
being, inclined or wedge-shaped on its top bears against a horizontal pin
similarly shaped, and as the first one is lifted the second one is pushed.
outwards. to remove the spring or the spring plate from pressing upon or
against the top thread, the pressure being exerted for the purpose of
preventing thread being drawn from the reel in the descent of the needle
until it enters the fabric.
The shuttle carrier is connected to a driver, and is so made that it can
be shifted on the boss or other part of the driver or vice versa to allow
for wear of the shuttle or of the race plate which also forms a support for
the work plate at the front.
The self-adjustable self-sewer for heavy and light goods is formed of
tempered metal and of V or W shape,, the legs of which yield according
to the thickness of the fabric, and yet always present a flat surface.
The table top is recessed in two or more places for the reception of the
needle box and a false piece to fill up the space occupied by the machine
slab when the machine in not in use; by this means the table can be
used other than for sewing purposes. The needle box and the filling
piece are connected by jointed plates and move in opposite directions. A
spring or other catch may be employed if required.
The Invention will be understood on reference to the annexed Drawings
in which Figure 1 is a front side view, and Figure 2 an end view
of a shuttle sewing machine with the improvements attached as first
described.

page_text: a is the base plate, and b, b, are standards for supporting the
work plate c and the curved arm d which carry the head e gearing
mechanism. The head, up and down which the needle barf moves, has
at its upper part a spring plate g, and this is kept forced outwards and
away from the thread h by the pin i when it is acted upon by the inclined
end of another or vertical pin j, dropped into the head e, which pin rides
upon the edge of the disc k on the rotation of the shaft 1,'the disc k has
an incline on its edge, and as this incline comes round to the pin j, the pin
falls by the pressure of the spring plate g so that the plate is enabled to
pinch the thread and prevent it giving out while the needle passes
through the fabric and the shuttle is passing through the loop, thus all
strain is removed from the thread while the sewing is taking place, an
advantage of the greatest importance in fast sewing, as it often happens
that the thread gets sagged and kinked in the front of the needle by the
sharp pull given to the upper bobbin when the needle starts upon its
down stroke, and thereby draws off more thread than is required for
making the stitch. The plate 9 is guided in its movement by the
pin m.
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, show the pin j in the two positions it occupies
upon the disc k. As before spoken of many ways can be adopted for
holding the thread at the required instant and the one given will perhaps
illustrate what is meant by this part of the Invention, but for clearance
sake I will describe another method by which a plate can be moved by a
spring intead of using what is strictly known as a spring plate, this being
a modification of the first arrangement. The plate is carried on the
front end of a bracket which is fulcrumed on the curved bar, as seen in
Figures 7 and 8, and the lower end of the bracket n is caused to bear
against the back face of the disc k by a spring o, the disc being recessed
with a double inclined recess p for the purpose of permitting the spring
to push the upper end farther away, and drawing the plate g to the
head e to pinch the thread h.
I have before referred to the plate g being pushed away from the head
by a pin, but this is not essential as the needle bar may have a rib on it
to ride in a slot, and at a certain part of its stroke for the rib to strike
against the pláte itself or against a rod depending from it.
Figures 1 and 2 have also the second part of the Invention illustrated
in them. I is the lower shaft carrying the cam r for actuating the
shuttle driver 8, which is centred upon the stud in the usual manner.

page_text: The boss of the driver is here however made to carry the shuttle carrier u,.
and it can be adjusted upon it and held tight at any part by a set screw
to keep the shuttle against the race plate as either or both of them
become worn, the race being fixed to the base plate and also serving to
support the work plate c.
I need not describe the other parts of the machine, as at the present
time the Wanzer" is so well known and so highly appreciated in this.
country both for its simplicity of action, fewness of its parts, ease of
working, and its non-liability to slip or miss stitches. however it may be
handled, that such description would be superfluous.
.
Although I have described the foregoing improvements as being:
especially applicable to the "Wanzer " sewing machine, they can be used.
with advantage upon machines of other make, and therefore I do not
claim the fitting of the same to the "Wanzer " exclusively.
Figure 9 is a view of the improved self-adjustable self-sewer of V shape.
This Figure shows it so clearly that no detailed description is necessary,
it being simply one plate pinned upon another to divide the fabrics being
sewn, the upper plate being so made that whatever the thickness of tho.
fabric it always lies flat upon it.
Figure 10 is a view of a similar instrument of W shape.. The lower
leg of this is fluted or corrugated to give rigidity.
Figures 11 and 12 represent the last improvement in this Invention,.
that connected with the tables, and this has been suggested by the fact
that of late years a great run has been made upon hand machines; but in
many cases the purchasers have desired to work these by a treadle.
Occasionally and for that purpose the Wanzer Company made holes in
the table tops for the slab or base of the machine to drop into to steady
it, and then a cord was led from the driver pulley to the hand wheel w;
this plan was therefore not complete, as when the table was not required
for the machino use it was an unsightly ornament in a room from the
hole being in the top, and also of the reel box being up above the level.
Now, however, these objections are removed, as by the improvements
shown the reel box x can be lowered and the false slab y raised level
with the other part of the table top, where they can be held by a spring
catch, the two being connected by a lever or levers, as shown; the
table can then be used for supporting flower vases or other articles as
desired.

page_text: And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and io
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. The employment of a spring plate or its equivalent for press-
ing upon the upper threads of sewing machines, substantially as described
and 'shewn.
Secondly. Arranging a shuttle carrier upon the boss of a driver of a
sewing machine, in the manner and for the purposes described and
shewn.
Thirdly. The modified arrangement before described of fitting one
upon the other.
Fourthly. The self-adjustable self-sewer for sewing machines, as well.
as its modified form shown in Figure 10 of the Drawings.
And, lastly, I claim, fitting table tops with a combined rising and
falling false slab and reel box as described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Smith, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
TI SMITH