CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES AND NEEDLE BARS, AS ALSO IN THE MEANS FOR ADJUSTING AND RETAINING SUCH NEEDLES TO THEIR RESPECTIVE BARS, AND WHICH SAID INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1875

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Robert Smith Bartleet, trading under the Style
or Firm of William Bartleet & Sons, Needle Manufacturers, of
Redditch, in the County of Worcester, and William Johnson, in the
employ of the said Firm, Tool Maker, also of Redditch aforesaid, for
the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES
AND NEEDLE BARS, AS ALSO IN THE MEANS FOR ADJUSTING AND RETAINING
SUCH NEEDLES TO THEIR RESPECTIVE BARS, AND WHICH SAID INVENTION IS ALSO
APPLICABLE FOR OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES."
"
:
Sealed the 14th March 1876, and dated the 22nd November 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Smith Bartleet
and William Johnson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 22nd November 1875.
We, ROBERT SMITH BARTLEET, trading under the Style or Firm of
William Bartleet & Sons, Needle Manufacturers, of Redditch, in the
County of Worcester, and WILLIAM JOHNSON, in the employ of the
said Firm, Tool Maker, also of Redditch aforesaid, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
.

page_text: MACHINE NEEDLES AND NEEDLE BARS, AS ALSO IN THE MEANS FOR ADJUSTING AND
RETAINING SUCH NEEDLES TO THEIR RESPECTIVE BARS, AND WHICH SAID INVENTION
IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES," to be as follows (that is
to say):
Our improvements consist in forming a parallel and (by preference)
circular shank, as commonly adopted in the making of sewing machine
needles, and to which needle (at the base of the part that enters the
needle bar) we produce one or more lateral projections, and on a portion
of the shank we file or otherwise produce a flat or indented part, pre-
serving the circular form of the shank below and above the said sunken
or flat part. At the bottom end of the needle bar we form one or more
recesses for the lateral projection or projections below the needle shank
to enter, so as to determine at once the relative position of the needle
with the bar, and we remove a portion of the side of the bar so as to
expose the deflected part of the needle shank before mentioned, and to
correspond in length with the said deflection, over which we apply a
collar with a tightening-up screw, which has the effect of firmly uniting.
the needle to the said bar so as to prevent its being pulled out,
unless by relaxing the hold of the screw. And these improvements are
equally applicable to the attachment of crochet crooks or needles to
their respective handles, as also affording an interchangeable principle
for applying various sized tools to one handle, such as shoemakers'
and carpenters' awls, as by making the shanks of an uniform size
the said tools may be readily removed and replaced according to
requirements, and other such like small tools may be similarly treated.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Smith Bartleet and William Johnson in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ROBERT
SMITH BARTLEET, trading under the Style or Firm of William Bartleet, 30
and Sons, Needle Manufacturers, of Redditch, in the County of
Worcester, and WILLIAM JOHNSON, in the employ of the said Firm,
Tool Maker, also of Redditch, aforesaid, send greeting...

page_text: '
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in
the thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto us, the said Robert Smith Bartleet and
William Johnson, Her special license, that we, the said Robert Smith
Bartleet and William Johnson, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Robert Smith Bartleet, and
William Johnson, 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 " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES AND
NEEDLE BARS, AS ALSO IN THE MEANS FOR ADJUSTING AND RETAINING SUCH NEEDLES
TO THEIR RESPECTIVE BARS, AND WHICH SAID INVENTION IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR
OTHER USEFUL PURPOSES,' upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said Robert Smith Bartleet and William Johnson, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or 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 we, the said Robert Smith Bartleet and William
Johnson, 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 accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say) :—
Our improvements consist in forming a parallel and (by preference)
circular shank, as commonly adopted in the making of sewing machine
needles, and on a portion of the shank of the needle we file or
otherwise produce a flat or indented part, preserving the circular form
of the shank below and above the said sunken or flat part. At the base
or bottom end of the needle bar we remove a portion of the side of the bar,
so as to expose the deflected part of the needle shank before mentioned,
and to correspond in length with the said deflection, over. which we
.

page_text: And these
apply a collar with a tightening-up screw, which has the effect of firmly
uniting or holding the needle shank in the said bar, so as to prevent its
being pulled out unless by relaxing the hold of the screw.
improvements are equally applicable to the attachment of crotchet hooks
or needles to their respective handles, as also affording an inter-
changable principle for applying various sized tools to one handle, such
as shoemakers' and carpenters' awls, as by making the shanks of a
uniform size the said tools may be readily removed and replaced
according to requirements, and other such like small tools may be
similarly treated; but with a view of our Invention being more clearly
understood we will describe the same aided by the Drawings hereunto
.

page_text: in the last Figure, this part may be of a semicircular form, as shown in
dotted lines at %, Fig. 9, in which case the semicircular recess of the
circular recess must be of sufficient depth as to terminate in a slightly
circular indentation formed in the needle shank; as exhibited at k, Fig.
10, which simply exhibits the needle detached; and we have exhibited
at the bottom of the needle bar, as at m, m, Fig. 9, a projecting flange
which will have the effect of preventing the screw collar falling off the
bar when out of use, but which collar may be removed at pleasure
by sliding it up over the bar.
:
Hitherto we have described out improvements so arranged that the
position of the needle with its shank shall be concentric with the needle
bar; but this arrangement is by no means arbitrary, as by forming a
vertical recess in the needle bar, slightly less than the diameter of that
part of the needle shank which has not been filed away to cause a recess,
as at Figs. 2, 7, and 10, thus it is evident that the needle may be
there held by the simple application of the screw collar, as in the other
Figures herein described. And this mode we have exhibited in a side
view at Figs. 11 and 12, the former shewing the position of the needle
in dotted lines, and the latter the needle held in position by the screw
collar p, which is slightly modified to meet this arrangement, as shewn
by a detached flat view of the collar at Fig. 13, the thumbscrew being
marked q, whilst Fig. 14 represents a front lower part of the needle
bar for the purpose of exhibiting the sunken vertical cavity in the needle
bar marked r, r, for the shank of the needle to lie in which sufficiently
projects beyond the reduced part of the needle bar for the needle shank
to be held perfectly secure, so that the tightening up or turning of the
said thumbscrew will hold the needle firm and secure. But instead
of cutting through the projecting flange s, s, a hole may be made
for the shank to pass up, as at Fig. 15, which simply represents the
lower end of the needle bar, shewing the full circumference of the
flange s, s; this mode may be preferable as it presents no angles for
catching thread."
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner
in which the same may be carried into effect, för facilitating the setting
of sewing machine needles to their respective bars, as also the positive
manner of locking the said needles in position by the use of a screw
collar. Notwithstanding that we do not purpose limiting ourselves to
the precise shape of the inner face of the collar that engages, or holds,

page_text: or sets the needle in the needle bar, as this part and corresponding
surfaces or indentations of the needle shank may be varied from those
shewn, as for instance, two or more parts of contact of the inner
surface of the collar with the needle shank may be used as effectual as
the mode generally exhibited; but what we claim as our Inven-
tion and desire to protect by these our in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
The means, herein fully described and exhibited, for facilitating the
setting and locking of sewing machine needles in their respective needle
bars (that is to say), by bringing in contact with the special setting part
or parts of the shank of sewing machine needles (when placed in their
respective needle bars) the inner portion or adapted surface of a screwed
collar, whereby the said surface (while on the needle bar) is brought
into dead contact with the said setting surface of the needle shank,
by the screw of the collar bearing against, or in tight contact with the
external surface of the needle bar against which it presses; by which
arrangement the needle becomes self setting, so that the operator cannot
help fixing the needle at once in its right position, we therefore
designate them as lock fast and self-setting needles.
ROBERT SMITH BARTLEET (L.S.)
WILLIAM JOHNSON.
(L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE GRIFFIN,
Clerk to Mr. J. S. Cockings,
17, Ann St.,
Birmingham.