IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Hart, of the City of Norwich, Machinist,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 26th July 1861, and dated the 1st February 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter Hart at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st February 1861.
I, WALTER HART, of the City of Norwich, Machinist, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be
as follows:-
The nature of this Invention consists in so constructing sewing machines
(particularly of that class which has not only a needle but a shuttle also), that
without any alteration of the machine it may at once be used to sew or
stitch articles which have been partially made up, such as sleeves, boots, shoes,
and the like, or of tubular form, all which cannot be operated upon by the
old machines without changing and altering the same, and even then in a very
clumsy manner.
This machine has also the advantage of permitting the mechanism to be so
arranged that in working it shall not spatter about lubricating oil to damage
work. All this I effect by arranging the parts of the mechanism which give
motion to the needle and shuttle (or its equivalent) as follows, viz.:-I con-
struct the mechanism for working the needle so that it is transverse to the
mechanism for actuating the shuttle (or its equivalent), whereby the box, con-
taining the same is caused to project as an arm or bracket, which may be
brought through the open part of such work as sleeves, boots, shoes, partly made
up tubular articles, and the like. Although when other work is to be done, a

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Walter Hart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
August 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WALTER
HART, of the City of Norwich, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Walter Hart, Her special licence that I, the said Walter Hart,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Walter
Hart, 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 Walter Hart,
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 Walter Hart, 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:-
The nature of the said Invention consists in so constructing sewing machines
(having not only a needle but a shuttle also), that without any alteration of
the machine it may at once be used to sew or stitch articles which have been
partially made up, such as sleeves, boots, shoes, and such like, or articles of
tubular form, all which cannot be operated upon by the old machines with-
out changing and altering the same, and even then in a very clumsy
manner.

page_text: This machine has also the advantage of permitting the mechanism to be so
arranged, as that in working it shall not spatter about the lubricating oil to
damage the work. All which I effect by arranging the parts of the mecha-
nism which give motion to the needle and shuttle (or its equivalent), thus,
viz.:-The mechanism for working the needle is so arranged that it is trans-
verse to the mechanism for actuating the shuttle (or its equivalent), whereby
the shuttle box is caused to project as or on an arm or bracket, which may be
brought through the open part of such work as sleeves, boots, or shoes partly
made up, tubular articles and the like, although when other work is to be
done a wooden table of the ordinary character may be used, extending from
this arm or bracket to the other part of the bed or table of the machine, so as
to form a more extended surface for the flatter work.
To render my Invention better understood by the practical man, I will now
proceed to describe the changes I make in constructing sewing machines,
taking Thomas' sewing machine now in public use as the example, I have a
fly wheel or balance as in Thomas' machine, but of two-thirds less diameter,
and carrying only the camb for propelling the needle shaft or lever; and this
camb in my arrangement works the said needle shaft or lever as in Thomas'
said machine; the whole of the arrangements for actuating the needle being
the same as in that machine. But my machine also differs from Thomas',
inasmuch as the axle or spindle of my machine is produced to some length (say
9 inches) underneath the bed or table, which is in width in the widest part, say
12 inches, the bearings for said spindle being pendant
from the under side of said bed or table, and the spindle
is free to turn therein. This spindle carries a camb or
double camb of the peculiar form shewn in the Diagram
here given, A, being in form nearly circular, save
where a portion is cut away, as at X, X, where it is
bevilled off; the object being to actuate the end of
the lever of the stitch mover in the same way that the
particular camb arrangement in the ordinary Thomas' machine does. B is a
camb, which actuates the pressure lever in similar manner. At the end of the
said spindle is a vertical pulley, which can be used to drive the machine by a
band or strap, by treddle action, or by other power. This pulley (which is, say
3 inches in diameter) forms an eccentric or crank wheel by having a pin
eccentrically placed, say inch from the centre, which forms a turning joint
to the end of a connecting lever placed at right angles, or nearly so, to the
axis or spindle of the fly wheel or balance first mentioned; the length of this
connecting lever being, say 11 inches, and it is of suitable thickness and

page_text: breadth, and the other end of this connecting lever being secured free to move
to a crank horizontally placed, said crank being a kind of bell crank, having
two arms (with a thick boss between); one arm, that to which the end of the
said connecting lever is secured as aforesaid being 1½ inch in length, and of
suitable breadth and thickness, and the other arm, which is much closer to the
under side of the table, having the said boss which is, say one inch in length
or height and proportionate thickness between it and the first-mentioned
arm); the said last-mentioned arm being, say 4 inches in length, and of suit-
able breadth and thickness. The said crank or bell crank being secured free
to move by means of a bolt or axis passing through the said boss, and screwed
into a bearing piece on the under side of the bed or table. The free end of the
crank last mentioned has a slot cut to receive a swivel on the end of a lever,
the other end of which works in a groove or slot in the shuttle box or race, and
propels the shuttle in the usual manner.
The shuttle box being fixed on an arm or bracket which issues from the
table, being parallel to the spindle first mentioned in this Specification, and
transverse to the needle-pressure lever and stitch-mover herein-before alluded
to. Hence upon motion being given by the handle on the fly wheel, or from
the pulley wheel, the whole will be set in motion, and needlework, such as
sleeves, tubular articles, and the like may be made up upon the said bracket
without difficulty.
The bed or table herein-before mentioned is of irregular rectangular form, as
thus,
(the dotted line (---) denoting the arm or bracket) and
is supported upon short legs, being very similar to the tables of what are known
as table sewing machines, except as herein-before stated. With regard to the
lever for actuating the stitch-mover and regulating the length of stitch, I
prefer to have a separate flat piece of metal jointed to the end of the ordinary
stitch-mover of Thomas' machine, the screw being dispensed with; this piece
to be turned round at the lowest end (and be jointed free to move) to the afore-
said stitch-mover, so that by turning a regulating screw it shall be made to
throw its curved end more on to the camb for actuating the stitch-mover before
E

page_text: the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I do not limit or confine
myself to the precise details set forth; what I claim being the use of an arm
or bracket and mechanical arrangements concurring therewith, so that the
work to be done when necessary may have the same passed into or through it,
whereby it will be facilitated as aforesaid.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Hart, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 31st day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WALTER HART. (L.B.)
Signed and sealed in my presence,
F. W. CAMPIN,
Patent Agent,
156, Strand.