IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Kenny at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th July
1860.
I, JOHN KENNY, of No. 21, Litchfield Street, Soho, in the County of
Middlesex, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
My said improvements consist of, first, so arranging, adjusting, and operating
the needle and shuttle and other accessory apparatus of a sewing machine that
the stitch formed may be either the plain interlocked stitch, or it may varied
to that known as the tied stitch, by simply varying the delivery of the shuttle
thread. This object is effected by employing a vertical stationary circular
shuttle box or bearing containing a peculiar formed circular or discoidal
shuttle, having a flanch on its periphery, such fanch being formed by the face'
or disc being larger in circumference than the back portion of the shuttle.
The width of flanch being one-fourth, and the lesser circumference the
remaining three-fourths of the width of periphery; the back of this flanch
bears against a similar flanch in the shuttle box. A front plate or washer
forming a bearing for the front in that part of the periphery free of the
bearing, and towards the extreme back is placed the holes for the delivery of
the thread from a bobbin contained therein, having its axis in a line transverse
to the axis of the shuttle. Similar holes are placed at and near to the axis or
centre of the face or disc, this forming the other point of delivery. A portion
of the bearing underneath the plate on which the work is laid is cut away for
the free passage of the loop of the needle thread; the plan of the outline of
the face of the shuttle is somewhat in the form of a crescent, with one horn
rounded off, the other horn forming the point. The point is likewise flexible,
being formed of a spring, or it may be jointed to ensure its taking into the

page_text: loop of the needle thread, whereby the liability of what is termed slip stitches,
is avoided; into the space between the rear and point is placed a pin con-
nected by a short arm to a spindle having a bearing in the bottom arm of
the frame, such arm forming the box on which the work is caused to travel;
on the end of this spindle is a pinion taking into a segmental rank on a lever
placed on the back of the frame in a vertical position, having a slot cut
vertically in its upper arm vibrating on a centre placed between the lower end
of the slot and the rack segment. The main shaft has its bearing in the over-
hanging bracket in a line parallel with the bottom spindle; the fly or driving
wheel revolves between the back of the frame and the upper arm of the lever,
the handle passing thro' a friction box placed in the slot, the rotation of
the wheel causing the lever to vibrate by the action of the lever on the pinion;
it communicates to the spindle or shuttle driver, and consequently to the
shuttle a reciprocating rotatory motion. On the front extremity of the main
shaft are the cams actuating the feeder, which feeder consists of a bar placed
in a recess of the framing vibrating on a pin, which is passed through a slot
in it, having a roughened presser foot attached to its lower end; the upper
part of the bar is in the form of a yoke, extending round that part of the shaft
bearing the cam having an incline on its periphery, such incline striking direct
on the bar forming one side of the yoke, causing the necessary vibration. The
amount of return stroke determines the length of stitch, which is regulated by
a stop screw in the framing, a blade spring effecting the return.
On the top
bar of the yoke is a small bracket, holding a screw, having a button at its
extremity; another incline on the cam wipes against this button, causing the
feeder to lift during the return stroke. A blade spring pressing on the top of
the bar brings it down again. On the face or disc of the cam piece is a pin
passing through a friction box placed in a slot in the cross piece of a T-formed
needle bar, or the pin in place of being on the disc may be fixed on the back
of the needle bar, and having a friction roller thereon placed in a groove in
the disc communicates the necessary up-and-down motion, the slotted cross
piece in this case being dispensed with, the needle bar has a projection on it,
which operates a lever having an eye-piece on each arm for taking up the
slack of the needle thread. The needle when down and through the material,
is in front of the face or disc being perpendicular to but a little on one side of
the axis of the shuttle. When the shuttle thread is delivered from the axis it
passes up through the hole of the work plate in a line nearly paralel with the
needle. The point of the shuttle entering the loop of the needle thread on
the opposite side. The shuttle in rotating draws the loop of the needle thread
down, and coiling it round its own thread it is drawn off the rear end of the

page_text: shuttle by the retraction of the needle, the termination of the upward motion
of the needle bar, and forward motion of the shuttle completing a tied stitch.
When the ordinary lock stitch only is required, it is necessary to deliver the
thread from the periphery; this has the effect of passing the shuttle thread
thro' the loop of the needle thread in a different track without coiling or
twisting the loop of the needle thread, as in the former case, and forms the
ordinary shuttle or plain lock stitch.
Another part of my Invention consist of arranging sewing machines in such
manner that the direction of the movement of the work or material when
required to be at right angles to the previous action may be changed by
moving the handle of a lever in the direction in which it is required the work
to travel, as the machinery is substantially the same as in the preceding case,
excepting that part which relates to the feed movement, it will be necessary
only to describo those parts having direct reference to it, the recess in which
the feed bar is placed is in excess of that part of the bar it encloses, the slot in
this bar extending a greater distance upwards, and having a similar slot cut in
a transverse direction; a pin is inserted in each of these slots, having their
bearings in the framing, one immediately above the other, crosswise, the bar
being free to turn on either as a centre. In the upper part of one of the
slots a bolt is inserted having a bearing in the framing; into the end of this
bolt one fork of a Y lever takes, and also a spring catch keeping it locked in
that position. A similar bolt is placed in the framing at right angles, into
which the other fork of the lever engages; there is also an additional cam on
the shaft, having the incline on its face or disc; suitable springs are provided
for the return stroke. The action of the lever on moving the handle in the
required direction, first disengages the catch, then withdraws the bolt engaged
from its position in the slot of the bar, inserting the other bolt into its
respective slot, a spring catch locking it there; the pressure of the spring
for the return stroke causes the bar to traverse this bolt, and turn on the pin
at right angles to it, bringing the yoke within the line of action of the cam
that gives the motion in that line of travel. Such cams being so disposed in
relation to the yoke that when one is in action the other is not, the lifting
cam always acting in either case, and the stop screws regulating the length of
stitch; by this arrangement the operation of changing the direction of the
work is much simplified.