IMPROVE- MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes and Son,
Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SEWING MACHINES" A communication from abroad by Messrs.
Funker and Ruh, Manufacturers, of Carlsruhe, Baden, Germany.
Sealed the 31st May 1878, and dated the 1st December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st December 1877.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents
123, Chancery Lane, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES." A com-
munication from abroad by Mossrs. Funker and Rub, Manufacturers, of Carlsruhe,
Baden, Germany.
All sewing machines provided with ship-shaped bobbin cases, and the needle and
lever of which are put in motion by curved rollers fastened on the driving shaft,
have hitherto been composed of a certain number of castings, the so-called "curved
guides" sewing machines of the system "Howe, Grover, and Baker," No. 19, " Weed,
Louie," our own machines " Badenia, Rhenania, Fidelitas," as well as those in which
only the motion of the needle is effected by curves, such as Lippmann and Lird,
Faylor, though of simple mechanism are nevertheless when made on a large scale
cumbersome to put together, and the screws by which they are held often give way
during their transport.
In order to obviate these disadvantages of the existing systems the frame of our
improved machine is composed of a single casting, shaped and bored by special
machinery, so that any sample is absolutely similar to all others for machines of the
same size, and the additional parts being also identical are interchangeable. The
needle holder, bobbin holder, driving shaft, with the curved guides and bobbin slide
are fastened to this frame, and the arrangement of the other parts, the presser foot,
stitch regulator, covering plate, with lock is thereby facilitated, and the machine
made the simplest of all sewing machines with ship-shaped bobbin cases.
The immense advantage our machine offers is the cheap and exact method of its

page_text: construction without in the least detracting from its durability and working
qualities, as well as being specially adapted for machines worked by hand.
The arched frame of our improved machine worked by hand is fastened by a foot
to the bed plate.
Eyes or bearings in which the horizontal driving shaft is supported are cast in
the arched frame. Besides those, double eyes are also cast in the frame for guiding
the needle bar, the presser foot, and tho plute, to which is secured by screws the
slide for the bobbin holder.
Cast in one with the fly wheel is a chain pulley, on the periphery of which are
cast small projections which give hold to the chain links, and are so formed that the
pattern is easily drawn from the moulding sand. In order to put the chain on the
pulley a groove is turned on the periphery of the latter, in which the chain links
put on edge are fitted. The pulleys are thus constructed in the best manner, the
Bniall pulley secured on the driving shaft and driven from the fly wheel pulley,
being formed in the same manner
The chain is made of soft iron wire with open links, that are locked and hardened
when the chain is put on the pulleys. Once in its place the chain can neither open
nor stretch itself, and can be tightened by a bolt turning on an excentric tenon,
whereby the distance of the centre lines of shafts is varied. This endless chain
gearing is much cheaper than pinion and wheel, works entirely without noise, and
has not the disadvantages of strap and pulley.
The needle arm is pivoted on a bolt to the curved frame, and one end of it is
guided by a friction roller working in the curved slot of a roller or drum on the
driving shaft, and derives its peculiar alternating motion from the same. The other
end extending to the front of the machine is forked, and by means of a die that is
pivoted on a screw bolt passing through it is connected with the needle bar. With
the movement of the needle arm in a segment of a circle round its centre the die
slides in the fork. The stud projecting from the dio at the same timo slides in a
small bore hole in the inferior part of the fork and hinders in the simplest manuer
the turning of the needle bar round its axis, thus superseding the lining pieces and
slide block. This kind of articulated motion is strong and simple.
The presser foot with its spring and excentric by which it is removable offers no
novel features.
The lever for the working of the bobbin case is moved by a curved slotted roller
fastened to the driving shaft. A friction roller on the end of the said lever slides
in the curved slot of the roller, whereby the bar oscillates on its fulcrum The ship-
shaped case of the bobbin rests on two small projecting arms at the forcend of the
lever where two other arms adjustable to a certain extent take hold of it and move
it to and fro, one side of it slides along a circle-shaped guide. The needle passing
up and down in a small slot behind the curve.
The presser foot motion is distinguished by its simplicity and the lightness and
cheapness of its construction.
The front slide consists of a piece of steel sheet that is punched and bent by one
operation. The same oscillates on and slides over a screw, and a small eccentric
stud on a shaft lifts the slide and shifts it at the same time from right to left. 4
A spiral spring effects the continuous pressing of the slide against the leather disc
of the stitch regulator, if the latter, a small lever is shifted to the right-hand side,
the stitches grow longer; if to the left-hand side they grow shorter, only part of the
throw of the excentric being effective in this latter case.
The indented cloth feeder may be shifted higher or lower by means of a slide and a
screw, and instead of leading it in a slide guide as usually done it is only guided by
a screw and stud in a slot of the slide, and adjustable therein
The indented cloth feeder moves in a slot on the front side of the guide of the
spindle case, and pierces through a moon-shaped plate of steel sheet that is fastened
on the upper side of the guide of the spindle case. To the same is screwed the {
covering plate, which encloses from one side a little plate. The cover in the upper
plate is formed with one straight edge of the plate filed to a bevel, and the small
>

page_text: cover slides under this with its edge of a corresponding bevel. The latter is
provided on the other side with a projecting hook, in which a small lever is pressed
by a spring, and keeps the cover locked. The hook projecting downwards pressos
on a second spring which presses it upwards as soon as the small lever is pushed to
5 one side; this locking mechanism is simple and safe.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st
June 1878.
EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents,
123, Chancery Lane, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES." A com-
munication from abroad by Messrs. Funker and Ruh, Manufacturers, of Carlsruhe,
Baden, Germany.
All sewing machines provided with ships hoped bobbin cases, and the needle and
lever of which are put in motion by curved rollers fastened on the driving shaft,
have hitherto been composed of a certain number of castings, the so-called "curved
guides" sewing machine of the system Howe, Grover, and Baker, No. 19, Weed,
Lome, our own machinos Badenia, Rhonania, Fidelitas, as well as those in which
only the motion of the needle is effected by curves, such as Lippmann and Lind,
Taylor, though of simple mechanism are nevertheless when made on a large scale
cumbersome to put together, and the screws by which they are held often give way
during their transport.
In order to obviate these disadvantages of the existing systems the frame of our
improved machine is composed of a single casting, shaped and bored by special
machinery so that any sample is absolutely similar to all others for machines of the
same size, and the additional parts being also identical are interchangeable. The
needle holder, bobbin holder, driving shaft with the curved guides and bobbin slide
are fastened to this frame, and the arrangement of the other parts, the presser foot,
stitch regulator, covering plate with lock is thereby facilitated, and the machine
made the simplest of all sewing machines with ship-shaped bobbin cases.
The immense advantage our machine offers is the cheap and exact method of its
construction without in the least detracting from its durability and working
qualities as well as being specially adapted for machines worked by hand
And in order that the said Invention may be well understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, reference being made to the accompanying
Drawing and to the letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a side view of our improved sewing machine; Fig. 2, an end view of the
same from the hand wheel end; Fig. 3, a front view; Fig. 4, a plan; Fig. 5, a
sectional plan on line A, B, Fig. 1; Fig. 0, a sectional view from below, of the
covering plate; Fig. 7, views of the ship-shaped bobbin case.
The arched frame A of our improved machine worked by hand is fastened by a
foot a, a, to the bed plate A¹, A'.

page_text: Eyes or bearings A2, A3, in which the horizontal driving shaft B is supported, are
cast in the arched frame A. Besides these double eyes A4 and A* are also cast in
the frame A for guiding the needle bar N, the presser foot S, and the plate A³, to
which is secured by screws the slide for the bobbin holder.
Cast in one with the fly wheel B' is a chain pulley B², on the periphery of which
are cast sinall projections which give hold to the chain links, and are so formed that
the pattern is easily drawn from the moulding sand. In order to put the chain on
the pulley a groove is turned on the periphery of the latter, in which the chain
links put on edgo are fitted The pulleys are thus constructed in the best manner,
the small pulley BS secured on the driving shaft B, and driven from the fly wheel
B³ pulley, being formed in the same manner.
The chain is made of soft iron wire with open links that are locked and hardened
when the chain is put on the pulleys. Once in its place the chain can neither open
or stretch itself, and it can be tightened by a bolt A' turning on an eccentric tenon,
whereby the distance of the centre lines of shafts or pulleys B2, B3, is varied. This
endless chain gearing is much cheaper than pinion and wheel works entirely without
noise, and has not the disadvantages of strap and pulley.
The needle arm N is pivoted on a bolt A to the curved frame A, and one end of
it is guided by a friction roller n working in the curved slot of a roller or dium N'
on the driving shaft B, and derives its peculiar alternating motion from the same.
The other end extending to the front of the machine is forked, and by means of a
die m that is pivoted on a screw bolt passing through it is connected with the needle
bar. With the movement of the needle arm in a segment of a circle round its
centre; the die m slides in the fork. The stud projecting from the die at the same time
slides in a small bore hole in the interior part of the fork and hinders in the
simplest manner the turning of the needle bar round its axis, thus superseding the
lining pieces and slide block. This kind of articulated motion is strong and
simple.
The presser foot S with its spring and eccentric S by which it is removable offers
no novel features.
The lever for the working of the bobbin case is moved by a curved slotted roller
fastened to the driving shaft. A friction roller on the end of the lever slides in
the curved slot of the roller, whereby the bar oscillates on its fulcrum A. The ship-
shaped case of the bobbin rests on two small projecting arms at the foie end of the
lever where two other arms adjustable to a certain extent take hold of it and move
it to and fro; one side of it slides along a circle-shaped guide. The needle passing
up and down in a small slot behind the curve.
The presser foot motion is distinguished by its simplicity and the lightness and
cheapness of its construction.
The front slide V consists of a piece of steel sheet that is punched and bent by
one operation, as shewn in Figs. 3 and 5. The same oscillates on and slides over a
screw v, and a small eccentric stud b on the shaft z lifts the slide V and shifts it at
same time from right to left. A spiral spring effects the continuous pressing of
the slide against the leather disc of the stitch regulator; if the latter, a small
lever vⓇ is shifted to the right-hand side the stitches grow longer; if to the left hand
side, they grow shorter, only part of the throw of the eccentric being effective in
this latter case.
The indented cloth feeder may be shifted higher or lower by means of a slide V
and screw V4, and instead of leading it in a slide guide as usually done it is only
guided by the screw and stud in a slot of the slide V, and adjustable therein.
The indented cloth feeder moves in a slot on the front side of the guide of tho
spindle case, and pierces through a moon-shaped plate of steel sheet g that is
fastened on the upper side of the guide of the spindle case.
To the same is
screwed the covering plate F, which encloses from one side a little plate g.
The cover in the upper plate is formed in the following manner :-One straight
edge of the plate g (Fig. 6) is filed to a levil, and the small cover slides under this
with its edge of a corresponding levil. The latter is provided on the other side

page_text: with a projecting hook, in which a small lever his pressed by a spring i and keeps
the cover locked The hook projecting downwards presses on a second spring k,
which presses it upwards as soon as the small lever h is pushed to one side; this
locking mechanism is simple and safe.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Invention
and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original, and therefore claim
as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,―
1 The chain notion by means of a chain composed of soft iron wire bent half in
advance, and locked and hardened after it is mounted, so as to prevent stretching of
the ungs of the chain, substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated by
the accompanying Drawing.
2. The adjustment of the distance of the shafts of the chain pulleys B² and B³ by
the eccentric pin A', substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated by the
accompanying Drawing.
3. The combination and use of the holding fork N¹ of the needle arm with the
studs which hinder the turning of the needle bar, substantially as herein-before
described, and illustrated by the accompanying Drawing.
4 The construction of the mechanism of the cloth feeder, substantially as herein-
before described, and illustrated by the accompanying Drawing
5. The construction of the covering plate with its spring catch, substantially as
herein-before described, and illustrated by the accompanying Drawing.
6. The combination and arrangement of sewing machines, as shewn on the
Drawings, with frame cast in one piece, substantially as herein-before described, and
illustrated by the accompanying Drawing.
7. The construction and use of chain pulleys with recesses formed for the
reception of the "on edge" links of the chain by turning a sunk ring in the pulley
through the projections that are cast on its periphery, substantially as herein-
before described, and illustrated by the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
1070