IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alonzo Kimball, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 18th January 1867, and dated the 23rd July 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alonzo Kimball at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd July 1866.
I, ALONZO KIMBALL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to sewing machines with needles and shuttles re-
ciprocating vertically and horizontally respectively, and comprises various
improvements.
One improvement consists principally in arranging the presser foot, so that
it may either be stationary or be adjusted to have a vertical and vibrating
motion, it being found in practice that the stationary foot is better for some
kinds of work, whilst the moving foot is better for others, so much so that
separate machines with the foot differently arranged are sometimes required
where one machine would answer with the foot arranged to be changeable
according to the present Invention. A bar is fitted to slide vertically in a
groove in the front plate, and has the presser leg jointed to it by a pin per-

page_text: mitting the leg and foot to vibrate with the feed movement of the cloth or
material. On one side of the bar there is a slot to receive an adjustable pin
which is acted on by a bell crank lever centred on a pin on the inner side of
the front plate. The bell-crank lever is acted upon by a cam on the horizontal
revolving spindle which works the needle slide. The height to which the
foot is lifted is varied by moving the adjustable pin, and if this pin is placed
bigh enough the foot will not be lifted at all, and will consequently remain
stationary. Any simple locking catch may be used to prevent the vibration
of the foot when it is wished to keep it stationary, but in one plan the lower
part of the vibrating leg passes under a guide piece which limits the extent
of the vibration, and which is formed with a notch to receive a movable locking
piece that altogether prevents the vibration.
A second improvement is designed to prevent the breakage of the needle thread
and generally to improve the sewing action. Three movements are principally
concerned in the sewing action, the movement of the shuttle, the movement of the
needle, and the controlling of the needle thread. The present improvement is
more particularly adapted to the class of sewing machine in which the main
movements are according to what is known as the "Singer" system. The
shuttle has the simple reciprocating motion derived from a uniformly rotating
crank pin through a rocking shaft with levers and connecting links. The
motion of the needle slide is derived also from a uniformly rotating crank pin
which acts on a slotted piece fixed directly on the slide. The slotted piece is
shaped cam-wise in a peculiar manner in order to modify the motion due to the
revolving crank, but hitherto the slot has not been shaped so as to give to the
needle slide what would be the best motion had the shuttle's movements
alone to be considered because the shape has been partly adjusted to suit
the manner in which the needle thread has hitherto generally been controlled.
By the present Invention the needle thread is controlled quite independently
of the needle slide being carried through a tension regulator in the ordinary
way to a guide eye on the front plate, thence up to an eye in a controlling
lever, and back through the fixed guide eye, again to the usual guide eye
close to the needle. The controlling lever projects forward directly through
a slot in the upper part of the needle slide, the slot being made large enough
for the slide not to interfere with the lever. The lever is centred on a fixed
pin at its inner end, and is acted upon by a vertical slide which has on it
an antifriction pulley bearing on a cam on the revolving spindle. The
controlling lever takes up and gives back the slack of the needle thread, the
cam acting on it being formed with convexities and depressions to give the
requisite upward or downward movements to the lever at suitable periods,

page_text: and so as to be consistent with and adapted to the improved movement of the
needle slide. The cam groove of the needle slide is shaped entirely to suit
the motion of the shuttle, the principal difference in it, as compared with the
common form, being that the curves are much easier and flatter, and the
consequent motion of the needle less abrupt and smoother. The controlling
lever has its cam shaped to make it continue to let down the thread for a
little beyond the period when the needle slide crank pin is at its bottom
centre, whilst another part of the cam is shaped with a convexity which
causes the needle thread to.be drawn up pretty quickly just as the tail of the
shuttle is clearing the loop, and this prevents the thread from being caught
between the tail of the shuttle and its driver.
A third improvement relates to the parts for actuating the ordinary wheel
feed, and consists in forming the lever on the feed rocking shaft with an
inclined piece, and beyond it a concentric piece to be acted on by an over
hanging pulley on a wiper on the rocking shaft which works the shuttle.
With this arrangment the feed takes place sharply just when the shuttle
begins to return, and is completed before the shuttle has performed much
of its return stroke, and before the needle begins to redescend.
A fourth improvement relates to the spooling pulley and spindles, and
consists in making the supports fixed, and in giving a little longitudinal play
to the pulley spindle so that when the spool is inserted, the spring which
holds it in place also presses the pulley into driving contact with the fly
wheel, whilst the pulley slips out of gear of itself when the spool is removed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alonzo Kimball in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALONZO
KIMBALL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Alonzo Kimball, Her special licence that I, the said Alonzo
Kimball, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alonzo Kimball, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-

page_text: after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Alonzo Kimball, 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 immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alonzo Kimball, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, that is
to say:-
My said Invention relates to sewing machines with needles and shuttles
reciprocating vertically and horizontally respectively, and comprises various
improvements.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended two Sheets of explana-
tory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing a sewing
machine as made with my improvements, and which is delineated full size.
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings is a sectional side elevation; and
Figure 2, Sheet 2 is a sectional front elevation with the front plate and
presser foot removed, these being shown in Figure 3, whilst Figure 4 represents
some details hid by the needle slide 1 in Figure 2.
The machine represented on the Drawings is constructed as far as regards
the parts to which my present improvements are not applied, like the well
known machines of the Singer Manufacturing Company, and it will therefore
be unnecessary to herein describe more of the machine than is considered
requisite to render my improvements intelligible.
One improvement consists principally in arranging the presser foot 2, so
that it may either be stationary or be adjusted to have a vertical and vibrating
motion, it being found in practice that the stationary foot is better for some
kinds of work, whilst the vibrating foot is better for others, so much so that
separate machines with the foot differently arranged are sometimes required
where one machine would answer with the foot arranged to be changeable
according to my present Invention. A bar 3 is fitted to slide vertically in a
groove in the front plate 4, and has the presser leg 5 jointed to it by a pin

page_text: permitting the leg 5, and foot 2; to vibrate with the feed movement of the
cloth or material. A spring a recovers the presser leg after each forward
movement. The bar 3, the lower part of which is hid by the presser leg
in Figure 3, has a projecting piece on one side formed with a slot to receive
an adjustable pin 6, which is acted on by a bell-crank lever 7, shown by
dotted lines, in Figure 3, and centred on a pin on the inner side of the front
plate 4. The bell-crank lever 7 is acted on by a cam 8 on the revolving
spindle 9, which works the needle slide 1. The height to which the foot 2 is
lifted is varied by moving the adjustable pin 6, and if this pin is placed high
enough, the foot will not be lifted at all, and will consequently remain
stationary. A spring under the bell-crank lever 7 keeps it always in contact
with the pin 6. Any simple locking catch may be used to prevent the
vibration of the foot 2 when it is wished to keep it stationary, but in the
arrangement represented in the Drawings, the lower part of the vibrating leg 5
passes under a guide piece 10, which limits the extent of the vibration, and
which is formed with a notch 11 to receive a movable locking piece 12,
that altogether prevents the vibration. The locking piece is fixed by means
of a small screw.
'
A second improvement is designed to prevent the breakage of the needle
thread, and generally to improve the sewing.action... Three movements are
principally concerned in the sewing, action, the movement of the shuttle, the
movement of the needle, and the controlling of the needle thread.
My present improvement is more particularly adapted to machines of
the class represented in the Drawings, in which the shuttle 13 has the
simple reciprocating motion derived from a uniformly rotating crank or eccentric
on the revolving shaft 9, through a rocking shaft 14 with a lever. 15, and con-
necting link 16. The motion of the needle slide 1 is derived also from a
uniformly rotating crank pin 17, which is upon a disc 18 on the revolving shaft
9, and which acts on a slotted piece 19 fixed directly on the back of the slide 1.
The slotted piece 19 is shaped camwise in a peculiar manner, in order to modify
the motion due to the revolving crank 17, but hitherto the slot has not been
shaped so as to give the needle slide 1, what would be the best motion had the
shuttle's movements above to be considered, because the shape has been partly
adjusted to suit the manner in which the needle thread has hitherto generally
been controlled.
By my present Invention the needle thread shown by a blue line in the
Drawings is controlled quite independently of the needle slide 1, being carried
from the bobbin 20, through a tension regulator 21 (Figure 3), in the.ordinary
way to a guide eye 22 on the front plate 4, thence up to an eye in the end
.

page_text: of a controlling lever 23, and back again through the fixed guide eye
22 to the usual guide eye 24 close to the needle.. The controlling lever
23 projects forward directly through a slot in the upper part of the needle
slide 1, the slot being made large enough for the slide not to interfere
with the lever. The lever 23 is acted upon by a vertical slide 25 shown
separately in face view in Figure 4, and which has on it an antifriction
pulley 26, bearing on a cam 27 on the revolving spindle 9. The lever
is centred on a pin carried by a spring e fitted with an adjusting screw
by means of which the position of the fulcrum can be adjusted to cause
the lever to give more or less slack as may be found suitable for each
particular fabric operated upon. The fulcrum may be made adjustable in a
different way or it may be fixed if preferred. The controlling lever 23 takes
up and gives. back the slack of the needle thread, the cam 27 acting on it
being formed with convexities and depressions to give the requisite upward or
downward movements to the lever at suitable periods, and so as to be consistent
with and adapted to the improved movement of the needle slide 1. A spring
6 is applied above the controlling lever 23, to insure its following the
downward motion of the slide 25, and a spring indicated by dotted lines at c
(Fig. 1) is also applied to this slide to insure its pulley 26 being kept in
contact with the cam 27. In order that the action of the controlling lever 23
may be determined with the greatest nicety, a small adjustable piece 9 is screwed
to the slide 25 to bear against the under side of the lever. The cam groove
19 of the needle slide is shaped entirely to suit the motion of the shuttle 18,
the principal difference in it, as compared with the common form, being that
the curves are much easier and flatter, and the consequent motion of the
needle less abrupt and smoother. The controlling lever 23 has its cam 27
shaped to make it continue to let down the thread for a little beyond the
period when the needle slide crank pin 17 is at its bottom centre, whilst
another part of the cam 27 is shaped with a convexity which causes the
needle thread to be drawn up pretty quickly just as the tail of the shuttle 13
is clearing the loop, and this prevents the thread from being caught between the
tail of the shuttle and its driver 28. Excepting at the moment of forming the
loop for the entrance of the shuttle the needle thread is always kept equally free
from slackness and from unnecessary strain, and there is consequently no risk
of its becoming entangled, I may here remark that I do not claim the applying
of a cam for controlling the needle thread except when applied and combined
with the other movements for obtaining the peculiar and improved sewing
action, and substantially in the manner herein-before described.
A third improvement relates to the parts for actuating the or:linary "heel"

page_text: feed and consists in forming the lever 29, on the feed rocking shaft 30 with
an inclined piece 31, and beyond it a concentric piece 82 to be acted on by
an overhanging pulley on a wiper 38, on the rocking shaft 14 which works
the shuttle. With this arrangement the feed takes place sharply just when the
shuttle 18 begins to return, and is completed before the shuttle has performed
much of its return stroke, and before the needle begins to redescend.
A fourth improvement relates to the spooling pulley 34, and spindles 35,
36, and consists in making the supports or bracket bearings 37 fixed, and in
giving a little longitudinal play to the pulley spindle 35, whilst the spring is
arranged so that when the spool 88 is inserted it not only holds it in place,
but also presses the pulley 34 into driving contact with the rim of the fly
wheel 39, the pulley 34 slipping out of gear of itself when the spool 38 is
removed.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that what I believe to be
novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The arranging of the presser foot so that it can be worked either as a
stationary or as a vibrating one, and the using of a bell crank (7) for raising
it, substantially as herein-before described.
2. The improving of the sewing action by means of a cam acting through a
lever on the needle thread combined with the improved and independent action
of the needle slide, substantially as herein-before described.
3. The shaping of the feed lever (29), substantially in the improved
manner herein delineated and described. And,
4. The arranging of the spooling pulley so as to be put into gear by the
inserting of the spool, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alonzo Kimball, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
A. KIMBALL. (L.S.)