IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."-
A communication from abroad by James Alford House, and Henry
Alonzo House, both of Brooklyn, King's County, New York State.
United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th May 1863.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements on the sewing machine for which
Provisional Protection was granted to me on the 25th of November 1862.
No. 8165.
The chief object of that machine was to work button-holes, which
was effected by means of an eye-pointed needle working up from below the
table, and piercing the fabric in combination with a finger or thread carrier
also working up from below the fabric. The entire stitching mechanism was
also mounted upon a disc or independent frame, capable of being rotated auto-

page_text: matically at proper intervals, without interfering with the operation of stitching.
In order to sew around curves such as the eyes of button-holes, the bed plato
carrying the fabric to be operated upon had an intermittent progressive
motion, and the fabric was held down thereon by a suitable clamp.
It is not proposed to depart from the principle of action of this machine, but
to introduce various improvements in the details of construction of the machine.
Thus, the stitching mechanism is mounted in a frame which traverses upon
the main frame of the machine, but the stitching mechanism is enclosed in a
casing composed of sections which protect it from view when the sections are
united.
Another improvement consists in mounting the nut of the screw which gives
motion to the traversing frame in an open bracket in the casing, to allow of
the easy removal of the frame from the casing. A fixed and an adjustable
guide (for determining the length of seam to be sewn) are used. In this
instance the fixed guide is mounted on the lower casing and the adjustable
guide on the upper casing. The clamp used consists of a presser lever with
an adjustable extremity or presser foot for regulating the pressure and fitted
with a locking lever (which projects through a slot in the presser lever), and
is used for raising, lowering, and holding down the presser lever.
The tension apparatus for both needles is arranged underneath the bed
plate. The lower thread passes through an eye carried by an adjustable
retaining spring. The tension apparatus for the other thread consists of a
lever playing vertically in its bearings, and pressed upwards by a coiled spring.
The inner end of this lever enters a slot in the needle arm and has an eye
near its point through which the thread passes. For graduating the length
of stroke of the needle mandril an excentric acts upon an adjustable arm
carried by a slotted arm attached to the arm which forms the support for the
needle mandril. Instead of a ratchet and click for rotating the sewing
mechanism a frog and gripping lever are used. The movement of the two
needles is made isochronous by coupling them together by means of a collar
and a heart-shaped cam projecting therefrom. For the purpose of bringing
the looper and needle bar close together the latter is slotted to allow the
looper to play into it; and in order to keep the edges of the fabric in proper
position while being sewn a travelling button is dropped over the needle bar
and held down by the presser foot before mentioned, so that it plays the part
of the thimble in the former arrangement. It is provided with a small handle
to facilitate its adjustment.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th November 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALfred
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by ller Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license, that I, the said
Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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," being a con-
munication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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) :-
This Invention relates to certain improvements on a machine for which
Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, (No. 3165), the
general construction and arrangement of which machine are to a considerable
extent retained.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the
machine, with the parts in position for operation; Fig. 2 is a plan or top view
of the same with the upper portion of the casing removed; Fig. 3 is a view
in elevation of the mechanism dotached from the casing; Fig. 4 is a vertical

page_text: transverse section taken at the line a, a, of Fig. 8; Fig. 5 shews the cam and
collar, by which motion is communicated from the needle mandril to the
curved finger; Fig. 6 is a plan or view of the upper side of the frog by which
the rotating movements of the disc which carries the stitching mechanism are
produced; and Fig. 7 is a view in perspective of the griping lever which fits
into the frog and by which the disc is rotated.
The mechanism is enclosed in a casing divided horizontally into two
portions, A and A', which when united securely protect and hide from view
the entire mechanism. These parts interlock with each other by means of
mortices and tenons a, which arrangement admits of their ready removal and
replacement. A bed plate A is secured to the raised portion of the upper
casing A', and covers an opening in it in which the stitching mechanism works,
the needles playing through a long slot A³ in the bed plate. One end of a
curved and slotted presser lever B is pivotted to standards on the bed plate.
This lever is in two parts, the presser foot B', which forms one portion of the
lever, is made flexible in order that it may be adjusted to different thicknesses
of cloth. The adjustment is effected by a set screw 6', which passes through
the rigid end of the presser lever. A peculiarly shaped lever C, also pivotted
to the upper casing, passes through a slot in the presser lever B. The arrange-
ment of this lever C is such that when thrown back a catch c upon it engages
the under side of the presser lever and holds it up from the bed plate, and when
thrown forward its nose c¹ holds the lever down, (as shewn in Fig. 1.) A sot
screw * which passes up through the lever, and strikes the nose c', serves to
regulate the pressure of the presser lever B upon the bed plate. It will thus be
seen that by moving the handle c³ of the locking lever C backwards or forwards
the presser lever will be raised or lowered, or held either up or down, without
further adjustment on the part of the operator. The mechanism is mounted
in a strong frame D, which slides on ways d on the lower casing. This frame
is caused to traverse back and forth at proper intervals by means of a screw E
which passes through a nut e. This nut fits accurately edgewise between ver-
tical standards e' on a horizontal bracket E' projecting from the lower casing A,
by which means the entire frame can be lifted out of the casing. The screw E
is rotated by means of a bevil wheel, which a'ternately gears into one of
two bevil wheels fif', mounted on a sliding collar F, and having teeth on
half only of their periphery. The collar F is free to move on the driving
shaft G. This shaft turns in bearings in the traversing frame D, and a slot g
is made in the side of the casing to permit of the shaft travelling with the
frame, as shewn in Fig. 1. The main bearing for the sewing mechanism
consists of a cylinder II, forming part of the traversing frame D. The spindle

page_text: or collar i of the upper section I of the disc is hollow, and passes down through
the cylinder H. The lower section I¹ of the disc is likewise provided with a
similar spindle, which encloses that of the upper one; the bottom of this
section bears upon the top of the cylinder II, and has a downward projecting
rin or flange, forming a cavity in which is placed a ring J, bearing a
flange on both its outer and inner edges. A frog K lies inside this disc, this
frog consists of a ring having projections k on its periphery, as shewn at Fig. 6,
and it fits accurately but turns freely in the ring J. A griping lever K', of
the form shewn in Fig. 7, has upon it a key k¹, which fits into the notch k³
on the frog. The nose of this lever fits into a slot in the lower section I'
of the disc, while its tail projects through a slot in the edge of the lower
disc I, as shewn in Fig. 3.
The above described arrangement is an improvement upon the pawl and
ratchet formerly described for turning the disc, as the griping lever permits the
frog to turn freely in one direction but not in the other. The reciprocating
or oscillating motion of the ring J around its axis is produced by an excentric L
on the driving shaft G which actuates a pusher L', pivotted to the ring J, as
shewn in Figures 2, 3, and 4. A fixed stop or detent M is secured upon one
end of the lower casing and a corresponding adjustable one upon the other
end of the upper casing. This latter stop is not shewn in the Drawings but is
like the one shewn in the other machine. The set screw M', and gauge M²,
by which the size of the button-hole is regulated are shewn in Fig. 1. The
needlo mandril N is driven by an excentric O on the driving shaft G, which
actuates a connecting link O'. This link is attached to a slotted arm 0³, by
means of a screw and nut o, in order to vary the throw of the needle mandril.
This slotted arm actuates a rock shaft O³, pivotted to a bracket O' underneath
the traversing frame D. The needle mandril is driven from the arm O', on
this rock shaft as shewn in Figures 2 and 3. The needle bar N', which is
mounted upon the upper end of the mandril N, instead of being curved or
hooked at top, as in the other machine, is mado with a projection on it in
which the needle is inserted, and a deep groove or slot is cut in it in order to
permit the thread carrier P to work within it. These needles play through a
stitching plate R, which is sufficiently firm not to yield or spring under
the pressure of stitching. Instead of a tension post two small stan-
dards are erected upon the stitching plate. These standards serve
both as guides to steady the needle bar (which plays between them) and to
maintain in proper position a button Q through a hole in which the needle bar
also plays; this button plays freely in the slot of the presser lever B', in order
to conform to the traversing movements of the needle arm, and is provided

page_text: with a small handle 2, that the operator may more readily adjust it. This
button takes the place of the thimble of the arrangement above referred to.
It has a small hole through it for the passage of a gimp or cord, and is pre-
vented from escaping from the slot of the presser lever by the overhanging
edge or rim of the lever. A curved needle or thread carrier pis screwed
on the end of the rock shaft P, which turns in open bearings and is held
down by a plate spring P¹. The shaft P is rocked by means of a bent arm or
crank p' on it which plays in a heart-shaped cam s, mounted on an arm s³,
projecting from an oscillating collar S, which encircles the spindles of the
discs. A detached view of this collar and its cam is given in Fig. 5. The
collar S is connected with the needle mandril by means of a screw which is
inserted into the mandril and plays freely in a curved slot S' in the collar, being
provided with friction rollers for that purpose; the movements of the two
needles are thus rendered isochronous. The tension rods T are inserted
loosely in holes in the disc that they may readily be removed. The spool
cases U are secured upon a bar on the under side of the disc. V, Fig. 2,
is an adjustable retaining spring having an eye in it through which
the lower thread passes. An adjustable tension or thread guide W is
also arranged upon the disc. This tension consists of a lever, the outer end of
which is pivotted to the disc so as to play vertically in its bearings; it is
prevented from rising above a certain point by a set screw to, Fig. 4, and is
held up against the screw by a spiral spring w'.
is curved inwards so as to enter a slot n in the
near its point through which the thread passes. The disc is prevented from
turning too freely by friction springs, the lower ends of which are inserted
into the frame D in such manner that they may readily be turned out of the
way when it is desirable to remove the disc. The shifting lever X is arranged
and operated in a manner very similar to the former machine. It turns upon a
pivot at one end of the sliding frame D, and is made of a U-shape in order
to encompass the cylinder II upon which the disc is mounted. Upon each of
its arms x, a small friction roller is mounted, which bear against the
periphery of the lower disc I'. There is a small cam or projection ³ on
one side of this disc, and a corresponding concavity or depression a² on the
other, so that when during the rotation of the disc the cam a strikes one of the
friction rollers, the other enters the concavity, and the shifting lever is moved,
and as a prolongation r³ of one of its arms fits into the sliding collar F, the
bevil wheels ff, are alternately thrown into and out of gear with the bevil
wheel on the traversing screw E.
The inner end of this lever
needle arm, and has an eye
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements in

page_text: Sewing Machines," as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,—
First, making the casing of the sewing machine in sections, substantially
in the manner described, so that the parts of the casing and the mechanism
within it may readily be separated, and yet the mechanism be enclosed and
protected from view when the parts are united.
Second, mounting the nut of the traversing screw in an open bracket on the
casing, as described, to allow of the easy removal of the frame from the casing.
Third, mounting the fixed guide upon the lower casing and the adjustable
one (which determines the length of seam sewn) upon the upper casing,
substantially as described.
Fourth, constructing the presser lever as described, and combining it
with a locking lever, as described, so that the presser lever may be raised,
lowered, or held up or down by simply moving the lever back and forth.
Fifth, arranging the tension apparatus for both needles underneath the bed
plate, substantially in the manner described.
Sixth, the combination of the excentric O, adjustable arm 0³, and slotted
arm Os, substantially in the manner described, for the purpose of graduating
the length of stroke of the needle mandril, as described.
.
Seventh, the combination of the frog and griping lever for rotating the
disc as set forth.
Eighth, the combination of the collar S with the needle mandril N, sub-
stantially as described, for the purpose of rendering the movement of the two
needles isochronous.
Ninth, forming a slot or groove in the needle bar N', as described, in order
that the looper may play into it and the two thus be brought close together.
Tenth, the combination of the travelling button with the needle bar and
presser foot, substantially in the manner described, for the purpose of keeping
the edges of the fabric in proper position while being sewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Sixth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)