IMPROVEMENTS IN. SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Starley, of the Coventry Machinists'
Company, Coventry, in the County of Warwick, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN. SEWING MACHINES."
1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Starley at the
*Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th January 1871.
I, JAMES STARLEY, of the Coventry Machinists' Company, Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to improve the action of the looper of
single thread sewing machines, and thereby to prevent the formation
of running or untied stitches.
In order to attain this object I employ a novel construction of rotary
looper which will seize, open out, and throw off the loop of the needle

page_text: thread with great certainty. The end of the cam or driving shaft I
enlarge by flanging it to an extent that will admit of an oval disc
being applied excentrically thereto, and of the same being partially
surrounded by a curved flat spring. This disc I secure to the end of
the shaft, and I form this disc into a looper by notching one edge thereof
so as to produce a hook, the point of which will be slightly within the
curve of its perimeter, and I bring this hook portion to a point by cutting
away the metal at the back thereof at that part. The flat spring which
partially surrounds this looper is made fast at one end to the flange
of the driving shaft and its opposite or free end extends to and a little
beyond the point of the looper, and is free to play laterally in front
of it. A tendency is given to this spring to lie close to the flange which
carries it and it being much thinner than the oval disc of which the
looper is formed the looper will stand out beyond the spring when the
latter is not in action. A slot is formed in the flange of the driving
shaft to allow of a stud which is fitted to the under side of the spring
(near the free end thereof) to project through the flange, and slightly
in rear of this flange is a fixed cam piece carried by the framing. As
the looper rotates it will bring round the stud of the spring into contact
with the cam piece, and will thereby press up the free end of the spring
to a level with the face of the looper. The action of this looper will
be as follows:-
Supposing the needle to descend through the fabric to be sewn, the
point of the rotating looper will move round to meet the needle, and
on the loop of the needle thread being presented to the looper, the point
will enter the loop and as the loop is enlarged by the combined rotation
of the looper the thread will be laid around the perimeter of the looper.
As the rotation is continued the looper will take up a second loop and
draw it through the first, and so soon as this is effected the stud will
strike the fixed cam piece and thus a lateral motion will be imparted
to the spring, which in moving outwards will push the first loop off the
perimeter of the looper: When the stud has passed the cam piece the
spring will retire and the action will proceed as before.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Starley, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 17th July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
STARLEY, of the Coventry Machinists' Company, Coventry, in the
County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Seventeenth day of January, 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, adminis-
trators, 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 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 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):
The object of this Invention is to improve the action of the looper of
single thread sewing machines, and thereby to prevent the formation of
running or untied stitches. In order to attain this object I employ a
novel construction of rotary looper, which will seize, open out, and throw
off the loop of the needle thread. with great certainty.
.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in side elevation so
much of a single thread sewing machine, with my improvements
applied thereto as will serve to illustrate the nature of the Invention,
and Fig. 2 is a front or end elevation of the same.
Figures 3 to 9 shew the construction and illustrate the working o
of
my improved looper in connection with the needle which pierces the
cloth and carries down the thread through the same to be looped into
a single thread chain stitch at the under side thereof.
In Figures 1 and 2, A is the framing of the machine, and B the
table on which the cloth to be sewn is placed, provided as usual with
a slot b, through which the roughened surface of the feeding device
projects. C is the spring presser foot for holding the work down upon
the table and fitted with a lifting cam c as usual; D is the needle which
is carried by a bar D', that slides freely in bracket guides a, a, cast
with or attached to the framing A.
In the Drawing I have not shewn the feed for traversing the work
under the needle, as its construction and operation are perfectly well
understood by all sewing machine makers. E is the driving shaft from
which all the motions of the machine are derived, it being itself driven by
a band f from a pulley wheel F. The up-and-down motion of the needle
bar is transmitted thereto by a rock lever D2 which has its fulcrum at d
and which is operated by a slotted cam on the rear end of the driving
shaft E, and on the other end of this shaft are fitted the cams for working,
the feed bar (not shewn in the Drawing). The front extremity of this
cam or driving shaft E is enlarged by flanging it at e to an extent that
will admit of an oval disc G being applied excentrically thereto and of
the same being partially surrounded by a curved flat spring. This disc is
secured to the end of the shaft, and it is formed into a looper by notching
one edge thereof so as to produce a hook g, the point of which is slightly
within the curve of its perimeter. The hook g is brought to a point
by cutting away the metal at the back thereof, and thus the hook is
made to stand out clear from the flanged end of the shaft. From t
base of the hook a groove is cut in the perimeter of the cam piece G
extending rather more than half its length. This groove is deepest at
its commencement and it becomes gradually shallower until it is lost..
Its use is to receive the thread of the loop as it is opened out and retain
it until the loop is discharged from the lopper. His the flat spring
which partially surrounds the looper G. It is niade fast at one end to
the

page_text: the flange of the driving shaft E, and its opposite or free end extends to
and a little beyond the point g of the looper, it being slightly notched.
at its extremity. for that purpose. A tendency is given to the spring H
to lie close to the flange which carries it and it is free to play laterally
in front of the hook g. The spring H being much thinner than the
oval, disc of, which the looper is formed the looper will stand, out
beyond the spring when the latter is not in action. A slot: is formed.
in the flange e of the driving shaft (see Figures 1 and 8) to allow of a
stud which is fitted to the under side of the spring (near the free
end thereof) to project through the flange, and slightly in rear of this
flange is a fixed cam piece I, carried by the framing A. As the looper
rotates it will bring round the stud of the spring into contact with the
cam piece and will thereby press up the free end of the spring to a level
with the face of the looper.
The action of the looper will be as follows:-Supposing the needle to
descend through the fabric to be sewn, the point g. of the rotating looper
will move round to meet the needle as shewn at Fig. 3, and on the loop
of the needle thread being presented to the looper the point g will enter
the loop. The continued rotation of the looper will now enlarge the
loop as shewn in Fig. 4, and the thread will be laid around the perimeter
of the looper. The progress of this operation may be clearly traced at
Figures 5, 6, and 7. Before the looper has arrived at the position shewn
at Fig. 7 the needle will have risen out of the work to allow of the
work being fed forward the length of a stitch. This having been
accomplished, the needle will then descend and passing through the work
will present a second loop (in front of the first loop) to the advancing
hook of the looper. The hook will now take up a second loop from the
needle and proceed to draw it through the first, as shown at Fig. 7. So
soon as this has been effected the stud / of the spring H will strike the
fixed cam piece I, see Figs. 8, (which represent the looper in front and
edge view) and thus a lateral motion will be imparted to the spring
which in moving outwards will push the first loop off the perimeter of
the looper and at the same time close the opening in front of the hook,
whereby the loose loop will be prevented from catching round the hook of
the looper. The needle will now rise out of the work and while the work
is being fed forward ready for the next stitch, it will take up the slack
of the loose loop as indicated at Fig. 9, and complete a stitch. When
the stud has by the continued rotation of the looper passed the cam

page_text: piece I, the spring will retire to its normal position and the action of
the lopper will proceed as before.
1
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in 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, the application to single thread sewing
machines of a rotary looper constructed and operating as above
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Starley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Tenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.