AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Turner, of Coventry, in the County of
Warwick, Manager of the Coventry Machinists' Company, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES.'
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Turner at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th August 1878.
I, JOSIAH TURNER, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Manager
of the Coventry Machinists' Company, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide a facile means for changing
the direction of the feed in sewing machines with respect to the
operator, so as to suit the various requirements or the fancy or con-
venience of the operator. This I do by mounting the machine on the

page_text: stand or bench in such a way that it will be capable of being turned (as
on & swivel pin) through a quarter or more of a circle.
The machine will in its general characteristics be like any ordinary
sewing machine which is driven by a treadle, but instead of securing it
by bolts to the table or bench I mount it upon a vertical spindle which
passes down through the table, and through a fixed socket bearing pro-
vided to receive it. Below this socket bearing the spindle is fitted with
a stud axle which projects laterally therefrom, and is intended to receive
the driving or crank wheel. A band from this wheel passes up through
a segment shaped slot in the table to the band pulley on the cam or
driving shaft of the machine.
The connecting rod from the crank wheel I attach to the treadle by
means of a ball and socket coupling, which allows of the crank wheel
being shifted to a right angle to the plane of motion of the treadle without
interfering with its working. Thus if it is desired instead of feeding the
work towards the operator to feed it to the right or the left hand, it is
only necessary to turn the machine on its spindle, say 45 degrees.
To ensure the steady action of the machine I provide a spring or snap
bolt either above or below the table, which bolt by snapping into one of
a series of notches or holes will lock the machine in the desired position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Josiah Turner in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th February 1874..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSIAH
TURNER, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Manager of the
Coventry Machinists' Company, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Josiah Turner, Her special licence that I,
the said Josiah Turner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Josiah Turner, my executors, administrators,

page_text: 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Josiah Turner, 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 Josiah Turner, 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 statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
The object of this Invention is to provide a facile means for changing
the direction of the feed in sewing machines with respect to the operator,
so as to suit the various requirements or the fancy or convenience of the
operator. This I do by mounting the machine on the stand or bench in
such a way that it will be capable of being turned, as on a swivel pin
through a quarter or more of a circle.
The machine will in its general characteristics be like any ordinary
sewing machine which is driven by a treadle, but instead of securing it
by bolts to the table or bench I mount it upon a vertical spindle which
passes down through the table and through a fixed socket bearing pro-
vided to receive it. Below this socket bearing the spindle is fitted with.
a stud axle which projects laterally therefrom, and is intended to receive.
the driving or crank wheel. A band from this wheel passes up through
a segment shaped slot in the table to the band pulley on the cam or
driving shaft of the machine.
The connecting rod from the crank wheel I attach to the treadle.by
means of a ball-and-socket coupling, which allows of the crank wheel
being shifted to a right angle to the plane of motion of the treadle with-
out interfering with its working. Thus if it is desired instead of feeding.

page_text: the work towards the operator to feed it to the right or left hand, it is
only necessary to turn the machine on its spindle, say forty-five degrees.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings I have shewn my Invention
as applied to a sewing machine, the table of which is supported by
standards, and in Sheet II. I have shewn the Invention as applied to a
table carried by a central pillar.
Fig. 1 is a front clevation of the sewing machine fitted to a table sup-
ported by standards, and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same. The
cast-iron bed A. of the machine is mounted on a vertical spindle B which
has its bearings in the framing C, which serves to connect the standards
D, D, together. Projecting from the spindle B is a stud axle B¹ on
which is mounted loosely the driving pulley and fly wheel E. This
pulley carries a crank pin E¹ which terminates in a ball that is socketed
into the upper end of the connecting rod F of the treadle G. The con-
nection of this rod F with the treadle G is also formed by means of a
ball-and-socket joint; H is the work table in which a segment shaped
slot H³, Fig. 2, is formed to provide for the passage through it of the
driving band I, which passes up as usual from the pulley E to the pulley
K of the driving or crank shaft of the machine. The cast-iron bed A is
formed with a lug to receive a stop pin L which is intended to lock the
sewing machine in the desired position. This stop pin may be acted
upon by a coiled spring contained within the lug to give it a downward
tendency, or it may be threaded to take into a tapped hole in the lug,
and act as a binding screw; M is a segment plate fixed to the table H
and fitted with holes to receive the stop pin L. Supposing it is desired
to turn the sewing machine from the drawn position of Figures 1 and 2
to the dotted position of those Figures, this may be done by unlocking
the pin L, and giving the vertical shaft B a quarter turn. The coupling
rod F will then assume the dotted position of Fig. 1, its ball-and-socket
couplings allowing of its free axial motion to make this change of
position; N is a shield made fast to the vertical spindle, and serving to
fence the driving pulley E.
In Sheet II. Fig 3 shews in side elevation a sewing machine fitted
to a pillar table, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same. As in this
drawing the same letters of reference are used for indicating corre-
sponding parts in Sheet I., a repetition of the foregoing description will be
unnecessary. It will suffice to remark with respect to this arrangement

page_text: that instead of locking the machine by means of a pin dropping into
holes in a segment plate attached to the table a binding screw O, Fig. 3,
entering a tapped hole in the pillar P is caused to bear against the
vertical spindle B and fix it in its bearings.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "An Improve-
ment in Sewing Machines," and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim, the arrangement above described whereby
I am enabled so to adjust and fix the position of the sewing machine with
respect to the table as to suit the various requirements or convenience
of the operator without interfering with the driving of the machine by
the treadle action.
the treadle action.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Turner, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Fifth day of February in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
J. TURNER. (L...)