IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Whitaker, of Murray Street, New North
Road, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 18th April 1856, and dated the 20th October 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Whitaker at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
October 1855.
I, FREDERIC WHITAKER, of Murray Street, New North Road, do hereby
declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF SEWING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to those descriptions of sewing machines in which
two threads are employed, and the manner in which the stitch is made is as
follows: The needle passes through the work, and in so doing carries a loop
of its thread through it. This loop is then caught by a hook, which carries it
round and over a globular ball or box, which is loosely held between suitable
supports, and in this globular box a ball of thread is placed. The end of
the thread is drawn through a hole in the ball, so that when the needle
thread is drawn over the ball, as before mentioned, the ball and needle threads
are looped through each other. The hook which catches the needle thread
travels about three quarters round the ball, so that when the hook gets near
the end of its course the loop slips off, because of the reversed position of the

page_text: hook, and when the needle thread is drawn tight the stitch is complete, and
the hook returns to take the loop made by another descent of the needle. The
delivery of the thread from the ball is regulated by passing the thread through
a small piece of vulcanized india-rubber, which gives the necessary friction to
the drawing off of the thread.
In place of drawing the loop of the needle thread over the ball, as before
described, the hook may be arranged to pass through the loop of the needle
thread, then to catch the ball thread and draw it into a loop, and through the
loop of the needle thread, and afterwards pass it over the ball.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederic Whitaker in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERIC
WHITAKER, of Murray Street, New North Road, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Frederic Whitaker, Her special licence that I, the said Frederic
Whitaker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I;
the said Frederic Whitaker, 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 "IMPROVE-,
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Frederic Whitaker, 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 Frederic Whitaker, do hereby declare,
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: This Invention relates to those descriptions of sewing machines in which
two threads are employed, and the manner in which the stitch is made is as
follows: The needle passes-through-the-work; and-in-so doing carries a loop
of its thread through it. This loop is then caught by a hook, which carries it
round and over a globular ball or box, which is loosely held between suitable
supports, and in this globular box a ball of thread is placed. The end of the
thread is drawn through a hole in the ball, so that when the needle thread is
drawn over the ball, as before mentioned, the ball and needle threads are
looped through each other. The hook which catches the needle thread travels
about three quarters round the ball, so that when the book gets near the end
of its course the loop slips off, because of the reversed position of the hook,
and when the needle thread is drawn tight the stitch is complete, and the hook
returns to take the loop made by another descent of the needle. The delivery
of the thread from the ball is regulated by passing the thread through a small
piece of vulcanized india-rubber, which gives the pecessary friction to the
drawing off of the thread. In place of drawing the loop of the needle thread
over the ball, as before described, the hook may be arranged to pass through
the loop of the needle thread, then to catch the ball thread and draw it into a
loop, and through the loop of the needle thread, and afterwards pass it over
the ball.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a horizontal section, Figure 3 a side view;
and Figure 4 an end view, of a sewing machine constructed according to my
Invention, and in which the stitch is made by drawing a loop of the ball thread
through the loop of the needle thread, and then drawing the loop of the ball
thread over the ball.
a is the frame of the machine; and b is the cam axis, to which motion is
given by the driving wheel c; d is a cam on the axis 6, which gives motion to
the lever d¹, which turns on a centre d² attached to the frame. At the further
end of the lever d¹ is a slot d³, through which passes a pin fixed on the needle
slide d', which by the action of the cam is slid up and down in a groove in
the frame. d is the needle, which is fixed to the slide d' by the screw and
nut d; e is a bobbin on which the needle thread is wound; it is supported on
standards e', attached to the frame a. e² is a spring, which presses on one of
the flanges of the bobbin to prevent it from turning with too great facility;
3 is a small barrel fixed to the framing; and which is used for the purpose of

page_text: putting the desired amount of tension on the needle thread, which passes
through a hole in its end and out through a hole in its side, then once or
twice round the barrel (according to the degree of friction required), and
lastly through a guide at its end. From the barrel the needle thread passes
to a guide e on the needle slide, thence through a guide d' on the lever,
afterwards through the eye of the needle d. f is another cam on the axis b;
which acts on a projection carried by the lever f'. This lever moves hori-
zontally on the centre f³, and its further end has teeth formed on it, as is
shown at f. These teeth gear with the teeth of the pinion ft on the vertical
axis f, which passes up through the hollow standard a¹ attached to the frame.
The vertical axis f³ has an arm fe attached to it, which arm carries the
pointed hook f. Thus it will be seen that a partial rotatory motion backwards
and forwards is given to the axis f, which carries the hook fabout two-thirds
round the ball g, which contains a small bobbin on which thread is wound;
and there is a small spiral spring on the axis of the bobbin' which prevents the
thread drawing off too easily; and if it is desired to put more tension on the
thread, it is passed through a small piece of sheet vulcanized india-rubber
-contained within the ball g. a² is a cup carried by the standard a'; in this
cup the ball is lodged, and it is prevented from escaping therefrom by the
position of the table a³. In the table a³ there is a slide a', which opens to
allow of the ball being removed when the thread or its bobbin is exhausted.
his another cam on the axis b, which acts on a projection on the arm h¹ on
the axis 2; on the same axis h² is another arm h³, to the end of which is
attached the point h; the point he has thus an up and down motion given to
it, and its object is to carry down the ball thread in order that it may be
taken by the hook f; and f is a point attached to the arm fe, which acts
on the ball thread after the point of the hook has passed it, so as to force it
away from the ball, and cause it to enter the barb of the hook. i is another
cam on.the axis b, which acts on a projection on the arm i, attached to the
longitudinal axis i. On the further end of this axis is another arm 2³, which
pushes the projection on the slide 3; this slide 2 moves backwards and
forwards in grooves on the under side of the table a³. On the end of the
slide teeth are formed, as is shown by the Drawing (at Figure 5), and the
work (which lays on the table a³, is pressed down on these teeth when they
move forward, and the pressure is relieved when the slide is drawn back by
the spring, by apparatus which I will presently describe. Thus a step by
step forward motion is given to the work, and the length of these steps, and
consequently the length of the stitches, is regulated by the screw 7, which
forms an adjustable stop against which the projection it rests when it is not

page_text: operated on by the cam. The work is pressed down on to the teeth of the
slide, as before mentioned, by the action of the cam k on the axis b. This:
cam acts on a small roller on the lever k¹, which turns on the centre 2; the
further end of this lever is bent so as to form a spring, and its end acts on the
projection of the slide k', which works up and down in grooves in the frame,
and which carries the presser k³. The cam k is so formed as to relieve the
pressure on the work when the slide is moving backwards. The machine
works in the following manner:-The work lays on the table a³ and under the
presser k, and the ends both of the ball and needle threads are attached to the
work by the last stitch. The needle d³ passes through the work, carrying with
it a loop of the needle thread, and at about the same time the point h* takes
down a loop of the ball thread sufficiently long to be passed over the ball, as:
will be hereafter described. The inside thread of this loop enters the notch
at at in the ball cup a², by which it is temporarily held (so as to help it clear.
of the point f). The needle d³ now moves up a short distance, so as to open.
its loop, and the point of the hook passes through it and in front of the ball
thread; then the point f8 passes behind the ball thread, and presses it against.
the hook f; the forward motion of the hook f continues until its barb has
passed the ball thread, when its retrogade motion commences; the ball thread
is now caught by the barb of the hook, and a loop of it is carried by the hook
through the loop of the needle thread; as the retrogade motion on the hook.f
goes on, the point h³ rises, so as to slacken the ball thread, and when the hook
f has travelled some distance it draws the loop of the ball thread entirely off
the point ; the point.h* continues its ascent, and the hook f" also continues
its motion, carrying the loop of the ball, thread over the ball, until from its
change of position the loop of the ball thread slips off the barb; then the
needle ascends, so as to pull its loop tight, and the point h* again descends, so
as to tighten the loop of the ball thread and draw it up to the fabric; it also
places the ball thread so as to be taken by the hook, aş before.
:
Figure 6 is a side view, Figure 7 an end view, and Figure 8 a plan, in
section, of another sewing machine constructed according to my Invention,
arranged so as to make the stitch by passing the loop of the needle thread
over the ball. This machine is very similar to the one already described; it
will therefore be sufficient to mention and describe those points in which it
differs therefrom. The hook f" now works on a horizontal axis f³, in place of a
vertical axis, as before, and the ball is now supported between two ball cups a².
There is an excentric f on the axis b, which excentric works the rack f³ back-
wards and forwards, so giving motion to the pinion f* on the axis f³, by which
the hook is carried. The machine. works in the following manner :-The

page_text: needle d³ descends, carrying a loop of its thread through the cloth; it then
ascends a short distance so as to open this loop for the entrance of the hook
f", which passes through the loop, and then commences its return movement,
during which its barb catches the loop of the needle thread, and carries it
about two-thirds round the ball. During this motion one thread of the loop
passes on each side of the ball, the width of the hook being such as to insure
this taking place; the needle do remaining stationary in the position shewn
in side view of Figure 6, until the hook f" has arrived at or near the end of
its motion; then needle begins to ascend, and draws the loop tight; the
needle again descends, and the motions are repeated, as before. The thread is
drawn tight in the following manner :-It is passed from the barrel e³ through
a.hole in the head of a small screw m, fixed near to the needle slide; it then
passes through holes formed for it in the two pins do, do, carried by the needle
slide d', afterwards through the guide d' on the needle arm, and then through the
eye of the needle. On the front plate of the needle slide is attached an upright
n, on the front of which is formed or affixed a spring n¹, so arranged that it
shall take the thread which extends across from the one to the other of the pins
d", and retain it there during the descent of the needle, until such time as the
eye of the needle begins to enter the fabric, when it is withdrawn by the tension
thereby occasioned overcoming the resistance of the spring n'.
1
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the exact details described; but what I claim is,-
Firstly, the use of a globular holder or box to contain the lower thread, and
the method of obtaining the necessary tension on the said thread by threading
it through a small piece of vulcanized india-rubber.
'
-Secondly, the so arranging sewing machinery that a loop of the lower
thread is (by the action of the machine) drawn through a loop of the upper
thread, and afterwards passed over the instrument or holder containing the
lower thread.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Whitaker, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
FRED HARRIS.
FREDERIC WHITAKER. (L.S.).