IMPROVE MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Buchanan Robertson, of Lurgan, in the
County of Armagh, in Ireland, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 24th October 1866, and dated the 28th April 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Buchanan
Robertson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 28th April 1866.
I, JOSEPH BUCHANAN ROBERTSON, of Lurgan, in the County of Armagh,
in Ireland, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain new mechanical arrangements and con-
trivances for better effecting the French vein or hen stitch work by
machinery.
. Instead of adapting the feeder to a lateral as well as a progressive motion,
and thus moving also the fabric to be operated upon in a lateral direction, as
heretofore practised, I cause the needle itself to be moved in a lateral direction,
the fabric being moved only in a direct line. The lateral motion of the needle
is effected either by means of a lever jointed to the needle arm, and to one
end of which the needle is attached so that the stroke of the needle falls upon
one side or other of the edge of the fold, according as the opposite end of the

page_text: lever is elevated or depressed, or by causing that part of the machine which
carries the needle slide to move in a lateral direction bearing the needle along
with it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Buchanan Robertson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
BUCHANAN ROBERTSON, of Lurgan, in the County of Armagh, in Ireland,
Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the
day of
'
'
in the year of our Lord
in the
year of
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Joseph Buchanan Robertson, Her special licence that I, the
said Joseph Buchanan Robertson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Joseph Buchanan Robertson, my 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Buchanan Robertson,
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 Joseph Buchanan Robertson, 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 accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:→
The said Invention consists in improved means of producing certain stitches
commonly called and known as the French vein or hem stitch by machinery.

page_text: The hem stitch work, by which name I shall herein-after designate the
effects capable of being produced by this machinery, consists of a piece of
fabric prepared in the ordinary way folded in or down upon itself, and having
its fold firmly held by a constantly repeated or récurring series of three
stitches which at the same time produce a V-shaped perforation in the single
ply of the fabric, or what is commonly called and known as the French vein or
hem stitch aforesaid. Each stitch employed may be either a single thread
chain stitch or a lock stitch, as commonly produced by a sewing machine.
The mechanism for producing the hem stitch work consists of certain
attachments fitted upon and connected with sewing machines adapted to the
production of the single thread chain stitch or lock stitch aforesaid.
•
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed,
the same letters of reference indicating the same or corresponding parts
throughout all the Figures on the same Sheet. In the Figures on both
Sheets the parts of the original machine are marked with Roman capitals;
the attachments are distinguished by italics.
The Figures on Sheet I. shew the manner of adapting these attachments
to that class of machines known as Thomas' sewing machines.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Figure 2 is an end elevation ;
and Figure 3 is a sectional plan.
A is the main or driving shaft of the machine; B is the driving pulley; C
is the feeder; D is the progressive feed lever; E is the feed-lift lever. a is a
spur pinion fixed on the main or driving shaft, and 6 a spur wheel fixed on
a countershaft c and gearing into the pinion a; c, the countershaft carries the
cam next described, which regulates the movement of the machine; d is a
disc cam on the countershaft c, which acting on the screw f, moves the arm e,
and thereby causes the machine to move in one direction laterally, and also
acting on the progressive feed lever D, causes the feeder C to move forward
in the ordinary way; e, an arm projecting from the bed plate h carries the
screw f, which is acted upon by the feed disc cam d; f is a major screw, which
passes through a minor screw in the end of the projecting 'arm e, so as to bear
on the disc cam d; this screw carries a jamb nut to secure it in the position
it may require to be adjusted to for feeding or regulating the motion of the
machine; h, the bed plate is flush with the top of the shuttle box, which
being a fixed part of the machine receives the lateral motion communicated to
the machine in one direction by the disc cam d. To the plate his attached a

page_text: thin cross plate h¹, which carries the fabric, and is slotted, as shewn to admit
of the free action of the needle at any position of the machine; & is a bent
rod or arm connecting the feeder C with the plate h; m, m, are two brackets
attached to or fixed upon the lower surface of the plate h, having sockets at
their lower extremities parallel to the upper surface of the plate; n is a framing
attached to the machine having a socket at its lower extremity, so adjusted as
to carry the top of the shuttle box flush with the top of the bed plate when
the pin o is driven through the sockets in the extremities of m, m, and n.
The position of these parts, as shewn on tho Drawings may; however, be
altered, so as to bring the centre of gravity vertically over the pin o; and
the position of the gearing a and b may also be altered; so that the cams may
be fixed upon the wheel 6 which may run free on the countershaft:
The Figures on Sheet II: shew the manner of adapting these attachments
to that class of machines known as the Wheeler and Wilson sewing
machines.
Figure 1 is a plan of the machine; Figure 2 is a section following the
linë x, y, on Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section following the lino z; z², on
Figure 1.
A is the bed plate of the machine; B is the driving cylinder;
C is an
eccentric ; D is the crank; E is the crank rod; F is the needle arm; and
G, G, are the uprights. a is a grooved ring having teeth cut on the inner
cylindrical surface, and having cams on its outer cylindrical surface; b is a
pinion on the end of the driving cylinder B; c is a face plate attached to G,
and carrying on its outer surface a ring d, which fits into a groove in the face
of a; e is an arm moving on a centre f, fixed to the lower surface of the plate
A, and having near its upper extremity a snug 9 and pin; h is a bent link
with a socket fitting on to the pin in 9, and häving at its other extremity a fork
which passes on to the axis of D; & is a snug fixed to the lower surface of D;
into which is fixed a pin carrying the bent arm 1; the arm 7 moves on a centre
in k; m is a snug attached to i; n is an adjusting screw passing through the
end of o, and bearing on the snug m; o is à lever jointed to the needle arm at
one extremity, and having the screw » at the other extremity, for regulating
the lateral motion of the needle secured on it at the joint; p is a pin fixed in
i, passing through a slot q in the link h; and communicating the motion given
by the cams on the outer cylindrical surface of the ring a, through the arm c
and link h to i; so as to act on the screw n fixed in the end of tho lever o;
thus giving the lateral motion to the needle.
I shall now describe the actions of these attachments. In the attachments

page_text: first described the plate and feeder are fixed to the table, and the machine
itself moves in a lateral direction: This movement is effected by the disc
cam d coming into contact with the screw f, and causing the machine to
move in a lateral direction. The fabric is carried forward for the first stitch
in the ordinary way; and at the same time the cam d comes into contact with
the screw, causing the machine to move laterally in one direction. The
needle then by the ordinary action of the machine passes through the shire
of the fabric and completes a forward stitch, being the first of the series of
three stitches: While the machine remains in the position given by the
lateral movement above described; the screw in the end of the progressive feed
lever D falls into a slot on the face of the disc cam d, so as to carry the feeder C
and the fabric in a backward direction, when the needle again passes through
the shire of the fabric and makes a reverse stitch; which is the second of the
series of three stitches. The lesser radius of the disc cam d then comes
towards the screw f, when the machine recovers its original position either by
the action of gravity or the energy of a spring. Simultaneously with this
movement of the machine the fabric is again carried forward in the ordinary
manner, the needle then pierces the fold and completes a second forward stitch,
being the last of the series of three stitches: A recurrence of this series of
three stitches produces the hem stitch work aforesaid.
In the attachments secondly described the point of the needle alone moves
in a lateral direction. The action of the machine by which this movement of
the needle is effected has been sufficiently set forth in the reference herein-
before made to the Drawings on Sheet II. By this means a stitch into the
fold of the fabric is accomplished. The ordinary feed bar of the machine
receiving its motion from the grooved ring a, effects two stitches in the shire
of the fabric; thus completing the series of three stitches by a recurrence of
which the hem stitch work aforesaid is produced:
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed; I hereby declare that I do not claim as of my
Invention or the exclusive use of the several parts of the sewing machines
herein before described and referred to, except when the same are used in
and for the purpose of my said improvements; which I hereby declare to
consist in constructing a sewing machine in which,―
First, the movement of the machine in a lateral direction is effected either
by means of a cam fixed on a countershaft; or by means of a cam and gearing
running free on a countershaft, or by means of internal gearing set and kept
in action by a pinion on the driving shäft; or in which,

page_text: Secondly, the movement of the needle in a lateral direction is effected by
means of internal gearing set and kept in action by a pinion on the driving
shaft.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Buchanan Robertson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.