IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Starley, of Coventry, in the County of
Warwick, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 22nd August 1871, and dated the 8th March 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Starley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th March 1871.
I, JAMES STARLEY, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
1
The object of this Invention is to simplify the construction of sewing
machines, and thereby to reduce their cost of manufacture and to render
them silent in action.
The Invention relates, firstly, to an arrangement for driving the
shuttle and working the needle from a crank pin of the driving shaft.
For transmitting the motion of the crank pin two links are employed,
one of which connects with the crank and with a lever pendent from the

page_text: upper part of the frame, and connected with the shuttle driver in a
manner to be presently described. The other link is jointed to the
shuttle driver link and to the rock lover which works the needle bar.
The joint which couples.these two links together is placed in such a
position as to insure the proper action of the needle with respect to that
of the shuttle, it being necessary, as is well understood that the needle
shall have a "dwell" after forming an open loop, in order that the
shuttle shall pass through that loop.
The Invention relates, secondly, to a peculiar mode of connecting the
pendent lever with the rod which gives motion to the shuttle carriage or
driver, and the shuttle driver with the carriage. The pendent lever is
fitted at its lower extremity with a long horizontal pin which receives a
socket made fast to the shuttle driving rod. This rod is connected to
the shuttle carriage or driver by a pin, with which it is provided,
dropping into a hole in the driver, and it is held in position by the
pressure of a spring attached to the driver. The carriage runs on a
single guide rod, and it is prevented from rocking thereon by means
of a long joint connecting the driving rod to the pendent lever, and
by the spring which presses on the flattened and upturned end of the
driving rod.
This mode of coupling the driving rod with the shuttle carriage
allows of the facile detachment of the parts when required.
Thirdly. As an improvement in the top feed I form the feeding and
presser foot at the extremity of a curved rod or bar, which I mount
loosely on the side of the frame of the machine, passing it over and
under antifriction bowles, which are carried by brackets on the framing.
The rear end of this curved rod I fit with an adjustable bearing piece
suitably shaped to receive the pressure of a double-action cam on the
driving shaft, and by means of a spring I keep this bearing picce always
in contact with the cam. This spring serves also to depress the presser
foot, and to give it its forward or feed motion. The action of this cam
will be to lift the presser foot and to retract it at the proper moments,
and this will be done by giving the curved rod' an endway and an axial
motion.
The last part of this Invention relates to an improved throat plate
which is adapted for use in connection with needles of various sizes.
The throat plate I make in the form of a disc and secure it in its place

page_text: by a central screw. The disc I slot radially, making the slots of various
widths to suit the several sizes of needles employed in the machine.
By slackening the screw any size of slot desired may be brought under
the needle, and the throat plate thus adjusted is to be secured by
5 tightening the screw.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Starley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
STARLEY, of Coventry, in the County of Warwick, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Starley, Her special licence,
that I, the said James Starley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Starley, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and 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
THE CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Starley, 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 James Starley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention. and in what manner the same is

page_text: to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
The chief object of this Invention is to simplify the construction
of shuttle-stitch sewing machines, and thereby to reduce their cost of
manufacture, and also to render them silent in action.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn my improvements as
applied to a shuttle machine.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine, a side plate which covers
the driving mechanism being removed to shew the construction of the
parts; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite side of the machine, the
driving shaft and a portion of the frame being shewn in section; Fig. 3
is a transverse section of the machine taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2,
and looking in the direction of the arrow.
A is the driving shaft mounted in suitable bearings in the framing B,
and fitted with a band, pulley, and fly wheel as usual; C is the needle
bar; D is the presser foot and feed bar, and E the shuttle carriage.
The Invention relates, firstly, to an arrangement for driving the
shuttle and working the needle from a crank pin of the driving shaft.
a is a crank pin projecting from a disc keyed on to the end of the driving
shaft A. This pin forms a fulcrum for a bell-crank lever a', to the
longer limb of which is jointed a peudent lever a², which has its fulcrum
at a³, and is intended to transmit motion to the shuttle. For this pur-
pose it is connected to the socketed end of a rod c, which rod constitutes
the shuttle driver, and extends forwards to the shuttle carriage E, and
is attached thereto. Jointed to the shorter limb of the bell-crank lever a¹
is a link a, the opposite end of which connects with the rock lever C',
which transmits motion to the needle bar C. The joint pin which
couples the link and bell-crank lever together is placed in such a
position as to insure the proper action of the needle with respect to
that of the shuttle by the throw of the crank pin a, it being necessary,
as is well understood, that the needle shall have a "dwell" after forming
an open loop, in order that the shuttle shall pass through that loop.
The Invention relates, secondly, to a peculiar mode of connecting the
pendent lever a with the rod or shuttle driver e, and the shuttle driver

page_text: with the shuttle carriage E. The pendent lever a² is fitted at its lower
extremity with a horizontal pin a³, which receives a socket a made
fast to the shuttle driving rod e. This rod is connected to the shuttle
carriage by a pin, with which it is provided at its extremity, dropping
into a hole made in the carriage to receive it. It is held in position by a
flat swivel spring e' attached to the carriage E pressing on its extremity.
The carriage runs on a single guide rod E', and it is prevented from
rocking thereon by the side pressure of the driver e. To give steadiness
to the driver the long joint which connects the driving rod to the
pendent lever is adopted, and by the pressing of the spring e' on the
flattened and upturned end of the driving rod close contact between
the rod or driver e and the carriage is maintained. This mode of
coupling the driving rod with the shuttle carriage allows of the facile
detachment of the parts when required.
Thirdly. As an improvement in the top feed I form the feeding and
presser foot at the extremity of a curved rod or bar D, which I mount
loosely on the side of the frame of the machine, passing it over and
under antifriction bowles F, F, which are carried by brackets on the
framing. The rear end of this curved rod I fit with an adjustable
bearing piece D' suitably shaped to receive the pressure of a double-
action cam G on the driving shaft, and by means of a coiled spring &
connecting the rod D with the framing I keep the bearing piece always
in contact with the periphery of the cam. This spring serves also to
depress the presser foot. H is a screw stop for adjusting the feed
motion. The action of the cam G will be to lift the roughened presser
foot, and to advance it at the proper moments, and this will be done by
giving the curved rod an endway and an axial motion. The back motion
of the feed is derived from a flat spring d¹.
This arrangement of feed and presser foot it will be obvious is
applicable to other than shuttle machines.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in the Construction of Sewing Machines," and explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First. The arrangement above described for driving the needle and

page_text: carriage, and of retaining the shuttle carriage in position on its guide
rod, as above explained.
Thirdly. The mode of mounting the feeder and presser foot, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Starley, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, the Seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Tiraly. The mode of mounting the feeder and presser loot, as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Starley, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, the Seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-onc.