IMPROVEMENTS IN TABLES FOR SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Griffith Brewer, of 33, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TABLES FOR SEWING MACHINES."--A communication from abroad by
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Griffith Brewer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 27th March 1875.
I, EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER, of 33, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TABLES FOR SEWING MACHINES," (a communication to me
from abroad by George Parmelee Draper, of Hamilton, in the Dominion
of Canada,) to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to that class of sewing machine tables in
which the machine or operating mechanism is susceptible of being fitted
into a casing located beneath the table top, so as to protect the machine

page_text: used as an ordinary table.
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The Invention consists in the provision of a supplementary or
detachable cover made separate or distinct from the ordinary table top
which supports the machine, so as to enable the same to be detached
from the table when the machine is in use, or to be applied in position
at one end of the table for forming an extension thereof, said supple-
mentary cover being provided with pendant flanges and mouldings
which embrace the edges of the table top proper, and serve to hold the
cover in position, adding also to the appearance or finish of the table.
The Invention further consists in attaching the machine or base plate
thereof to the table proper by means of double jointed reversible sliding
hinges, which are so arranged and constructed that the machine may bo
withdrawn from its closed case pocket, chamber, or enclosure, and be
turned into position for firmly supporting it upon the top surface of the
table when in use, the base plate of the machine being provided on its
under side with a cleat, rib, or projection which rests against the edge of
the opening through the top of the table, said cleat having also a lateral
flange which rests against one of the side edges of the opening, so as to
serve in connection with hinges or means for retaining the machine
firmly in position when in operation, and for guiding the same when
moving longitudinally.
The Invention further consists in loosely fitting the hinge or hinges
which serve to attach the machine to the table upon a fixed pintle rod
or axis located below the table top at the edge of the opening for the
passage of the machine, so as to enable the latter to be moved right or
left or longitudinally to such an extent as will cause the same to clear
the outside band wheel at the end of the closed case or pocket for
enabling the machine to be swung beneath the table, as herein-after
described, but for small machines for hand or foot the hinges in some
instances can be omitted, and the hand and elbow serve the same
office.
The Invention further consists in providing the supplementary or
detachable cover with fastening plates which embrace the edge of the
table top proper, and one or more of which plates posseses set or binding
screws for retaining the cover in place, whether the same is in position

page_text: to cover the entire table, or only a portion thereof, to form an extension
leaf.
In connection with a sewing machine table having an aperture as
described, and means for turning the machine beneath the same, a sup-
plementary or independent table cover is employed, which is applied in
position when the machine is shipped or stowed away to cover the entire
area or top surface of the table proper, forming thereby an unbroken
plain or smooth surface, which does not differ in appearance from an
ordinary table top, thus rendering the sewing machine table capable of
being used as an ordinary table for such purposes where a smooth and
unbroken surface is desirable; and, further, the union of a removable
cover enables me to convert at pleasure a short ordinary table into an
extension table.
The supplementary cover is provided at one end and at both of its
sides with pendant flanges or mouldings, which are grooved or rabeted
on their inner sides so as to slide on and embrace the edges of the
permanent top of the table. By this means the supplementary cover
can be applied at the end of the table, and moved upon the same to
cover the entire surface or area of the table, the pendant mouldings or
rabets perfectly concealing the joint or union with the permanent table
top, thus enhancing the appearance or finish of the table, which latter,
it should be noted, is not altered or reorganized to receive the cover.
The supplementary cover is secured in position by means of angle.
plates or clamps, which are applied to the under surface of the same at
the sides where the mouldings are located. Said angle plates project in
an inward direction beneath the table top proper, so as to bear against
the same, and for securing the supplementary cover in position upon the.
end of the table, or over the entire top of the table, one or more of said
angle plates is or are provided with a set or binding screw, which is
screwed against or into a metallic facing plate on the under side of the
table top, and in some instances a lock and key may be provided at the
end or side for additional security.
The supplementary top has been above referred to as detached, and is
removed when the machine is in use, but it may be also applied or
retained in position at one end of the table, so as to form an extension
or leaf for supporting work and for other uses.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Griffith Brewer in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 27th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
GRIFFITH BREWER, of 33, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Griffith Brewer, Her special
licence that I, the said Edward Griffith Brewer, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Griffith
Brewer, my executors, administrators, 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 TABLES FOR SEWING MACHINES," (a communication to
me from abroad by George Parmelee Draper, of Hamilton, in the
Dominion of Canada), upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Edward Griffith Brewer, my exccutors 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 Edward Griffith Brewer, 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 accompanying
Drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to
say:
1
This Invention has reference to that class of sewing machine tables in
which the machine or operating mechanism is susceptible of being fitted

page_text: into a casing located beneath the table top, so as to protect the machine
when not in use, and to form a plain top or surface capable of being
used as an ordinary table.
The Invention consists in the provision of a supplementary or detachable
cover made separate or distinct from the ordinary table top which
supports the machine, so as to enable the same to be detached from the
table when the machine is in use, or to be applied in position at one end
of the table for forming an extension thereof, said supplementary cover
being provided with pendant flanges and mouldings which embrace the
edges of the table top proper, and serve to hold the cover in position,
adding also to the appearance or finish of the table.
The Invention further consists in attaching the machine or base plate
thereof to the table proper by means of double jointed reversible sliding
hinges, which are so arranged and constructed that the machine may be
withdrawn from its closed case, pocket, chamber, or enclosure, and bo
turned into position for firmly supporting it upon the top surface of the
table when in use, the base plate of the machine being provided on its
under side with a cleat, rib, or projection which rests against the edge of
the opening through the top of the table, said cleat having also a lateral
flange which rests against one of the side edges of the opening, so as to
serve in connection with hinges or means for retaining the machine
firmly in position when in operation, and for guiding the same when
moving longitudinally.
The Invention further consists in looscly fitting the hinge or hinges
which serve to attach the machine to the table upon a fixed pintle, rod,
or axis located below the table top at the edge of the opening for the
passage of the machine, so as to enable the latter to be moved right or
left or longitudinally to such an extent as will cause the same to clear
the outside band wheel at the end of the closed case or pocket for
enabling the machine to be swung beneath the table, as herein-after
described, but for small machines for hand or foot the hinges in some
instances can be omitted, and the hand and elbow serve the same
office.
The Invention further consists in providing the supplementary or
detachable cover with fastening plates which embrace the edge of the
table top proper, and one or more of which plates possess set or binding
screws for retaining the cover in place, whether the same is in position

page_text: to cover the entire table, or only a portion thereof, to form an extension
leaf.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a
sewing machine table representing the machine in position for operation,
with the supplementary or detachable cover removed.
Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the supplementary cover applied to
the table for forming an extension leaf, and the machine thrown back
upon its hinges, also representing the double jointed reversible hinges.
5
Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the table, with the supplementary
cover in position, and the machine within the closed case or pocket; 1
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of Fig. 3.
Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the angle protector plates or
clamps.
Fig. 7 is a detached view of one form of hinge, while Fig. 8 is a
modified form of a hinge adapted to slide upon its axis; and Fig. 9 is a 1
perspective view of a double reversible hinge having a fixed axis or
pintle.
A is the top of an ordinary sewing machine table, and B is the frame-
work, which may be of any of the usual skeleton frames or cabinet cases
as now in use. The table top is provided with an aperture or opening C,
of such form and size as to enable a sewing machine or operating
mechanism to be swung beneath the table into a close case, pocket,
chamber, or enclosure D provided for the reception thereof.
2
The aperture or recess is by preference made much narrower, and at
the same time somewhat longer than the foundation or bed of the 2
machine, the object being to retain the greatest strength possible within
the table top, and bring the bearings of the sides of the base of the
machine closely together. Said pocket or casing is suspended or attached
to the under side of the top at or about the back of the centre thereof,
and is provided with a rearwardly diverging or receding front wall, and 3
otherwise constructed and positioned so as not to occupy any space liable
to interfere with the free movement of the limbs of the operator. The
rear wall of the pocket inclines downward in an oblique direction, and
terminates at the junction with the front wall, so as to form an inclined
surface, which serves to support the machine when the same is turned 3

page_text: beneath the table top. The base plate E of the machine has applied to
its rear edge one or more suitable hinges F (or a single large hinge, if
desirable), which hinges are jointed or connected at one end to pintle
plates a attached to or let into the under surface of the base or founda-
tion E, their opposite ends turning upon a pintle rod or axis G located
beneath the table top at the rear edge of the opening or aperture for the
machine. The hinges are thus joined at both ends, thus being double
jointed, reversible, and sliding so as to enable the machine to be turned
in a backward, forward, and vertical direction for setting the latter in
position when required for use, and turning it beneath the table top into
the closed casing, pocket, or chamber D beneath the table top. The
pintle rod or axis G is secured in position by eyes or keepers b, or by
any other suitable preferred means for holding the same in a fixed
position.
When the machine is required for use it is turned above the table top
in a rearward direction, as shown in Figure 2, and is then brought down-
ward to rest upon the table top, being held in this position by its over-
lapping base or foundation, and hinges and shoulder plate, ribs, or
cleat H, which is constructed upon the under side of the base or founda-
tion, and which rests against the edge of the recess in the table top, a
flange or rib being arranged on said plate or rib so as to guide the
machine as it is moved along the recess.
The hinge or hinges F may fit into notches or slots I cut in the rear
edge of the opening or recess in the table top, so as to serve in connec
tion with the cleat at the front edge as effective means for firmly retaining
the machine in position when it is in operation.
The operation of folding the machine into its closed case or pocket
below the table top is performed by lifting the front edge of the machine
and drawing it forward to bear the flange against the edge of the aper-
ture, and sliding the machine along the table so as to clear the band
wheel and bridge wall, or extension tray or drip pan K at the end of the
closed case or pocket D, below which the fly wheel of the machine is
located. When the machine is turned in a downward and backward
direction through the aperture in the table top, and then by turning the
machine upon the hinges the base plate or bed is caused to rest upon
the rear inclined wall of the pocket D, with the machine portion disposed
in the front part of the case or pocket.

page_text: The machine is moved to the right or left longitudinally over and off
from over the band wheel, such result being secured by the employment
of the double jointed reversible hinge or hinges, or by a construction of
hinge or hinges, pivot or pivots, that possess a second joint or axis a¹,
whereby the machine can be turned up, as in Fig. 2, for the purpose of
oiling, repairing, or adjusting of the running parts, and for passing the
machine over upon the table, so as to lap the bed or foundation of the
machine over the edges of the aperture, and there hold the machine
automatically and firmly when in operation, and, further, such construc-
tion of hinge or pivot enables machines having irregular shaped bed
plates to be hinged upon the table top, which said bed plate may be
extended or provided with a base of a suitable shape and dimensions to
effect such a connection, and may be constructed of wood or metal, and
which may be termed a supplemental bed base or foundation.
In the present instance a portion of the aperture in the table top is
not occupied by the machine when the same is arranged in its scat upon
the table top in proper relation to the band wheel and bridge wall of the
case or pocket, and for closing this opening I provide a small cover or
plate L, which is fitted into the table top after the machine has been
placed in position for operation, this cover subserving the two-fold
purpose
of closing said opening, and in a measure of locking or staying
the machine by preventing any movement of the same in a longitudinal

page_text: on their inner sides, so as to slide on and embrace the edges of the
permanent top of the table. By this means the supplementary cover
can be applied at the end of the table, and moved upon the same
to cover the entire surface or area of the table, the pendant mouldings
or rabets perfectly concealing the joint or union with the permanent
table top, thus enhancing the appearance or finish of the table, which
latter, it should be noted, is not altered or reorganized to receive the
cover.
The supplementary cover is secured in position by means of angle
plates or clamps O, which are applied to the under surface of the same
at the sides where the mouldings are located. Said angle plates project
in an inward direction beneath the table top proper, so as to bear against
the same, and for securing the supplementary cover in position upon the
end of the table, as in Fig. 2, or over the entire top of the table, as in
Fig. 4, one or more of said angle plates is or are provided with a set or
binding screw P, which is screwed against or into a metallic facing plate
on the under side of the table top, and in some instances a lock and key
may be provided at the end or side for additional security.
The supplementary top has been above referred to as detached, and is
removed when the machine is in use, but it may be also applied or
retained in position at one end of the table, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to
form an extension or leaf for supporting work and for other uses.
Second. In combination with the table top of a sewing machine,
having an opening therein, a double jointed hinge or hinges for con-
necting the bed plate or base of a sewing machine with such table top,
whereby the machine is adapted to be raised above or below the said top,
substantially as described.