IM- PROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ormrod Coffeen Evans, of Whitton, in the Parish
of Twickenham, and County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENT IN SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 17th June 1862, and dated the 20th December 1861.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Ormrod Coffeen Evans at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 20th December 1861, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act 1852.
5 TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ORMROD
COFFEEN EVANS, of Whitton, in the Parish of Twickenham, and County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENT IN
SEWING MACHINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the
same, and have made solemn Declaration that I am the first and true Inventor
thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ormrod Coffeen Evans, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement:-
My Invention consists in such improvements in sewing machines, as by

page_text: means of which thread or cord, coarse or fine, waxed or without wax, may be
used with equal success. The machine, however, in many of its parts does
not differ essentially from many sowing machines now in use. Yet in others,
reference being had to Drawings hereunto annexed, such as devices for holding
the shuttle, for carrying the loop of the top thread over the shuttle, for feeding
at any angle within the quarter of the circle, for tension or drawing up of the
top thread, for lengthening and shortening the stitch, and for preventing the
top thread from roughing up or sticking when waxed, renders it importantly
different from any and all other machines.
In the machine, all the motions of its various parts are derived from a
single arbor, as may be seen at L, Fig. I., which is a side view or elevation of
the machine. This arbor runs lengthwise and underneath the bed plate A, a,
of the frame A, and is placed at such distance therefrom as best secures the
size of shuttle required. The centre of the shuttle is placed a little
below and in front of the centre of the arbor, and loosely held in its position
at right angle with the arbor by a circular open-sided box P, which is
attached to a lug R underneath and a part of the bed plate. The one half of
which box is held in its position by an arbor (a), that is adjusted to nitche in
the lug, and secured by a button (6). This admits of removing the arm at
will in order to take out the shuttle.
Attached to a boss T on the end of the arbor is a grooved slide plate (c),
and in the groove of which slides a hook N, which is adjustable by means
that, one part of the same forms the slide and the other is attached thereto
through separate slots (h) and (i), by a screw and pin. The hook, while
revolving around the shuttle by means of its attachment to the arbor, is made
to slide in a manner so as to pass to and from the needle (f) by a pin, which
projects from the under side of the slide part of the hook, and passed through
a slot in the slide plate, and thence into a groove of a stationary cam E, which
is firmly secured to a lug S, and together form the bearing for this end of the
arbor. From this arrangement it may be seen, that as the hook revolves it is
moved forward and takes hold of the loop of the top thread at (9), and draws
it out, and at the same time, over a somewhat round and oval-sided shuttle
to (j), when the hook releases itself from the thread by means of a sudden
motion of the hook backward, induced by a more excentric curve in the groove
of the cam in line with this part of the shuttle; and if too, from this position
of the loop, the top thread is drawn up, the loop completes its passage over and
around the shuttle, and in connection with the shuttle thread (k) forms the
well-known single lock or plain shuttle stitch. A sequence, however, depen-
dent upon the front side of the shuttle being raised to a sharp edge spirally, so

page_text: as to readily enter the loop as it is opened by the hook, and as (j) in front. of
the renticle centre underneath is made to terminate abruptly, so that when the
loop leaves the hook, it is drawn up behind this projecting edge, and thereby
prevented from passing up on the front instead of the back side of the shuttle.
And hence a very thick shuttle may be used as readily as a thin one; and,
also, from the needle being made to pass down on the side of the shuttle oppo-
site the hook, and the hook in its revolving around the shuttle to and from the
needle, which enables to pass the loop over the shuttle without twisting it.
The drawing up of the top thread is separate and independent of any motion
arising from the cam C and lever X, which gives motion to the needle bar,
and hence instead a tension lever Z, having its axis at the bolt pin (P) which
passes through a slot (n) in the lever, and a corresponding slot (o) in the
frame A, so that by moving the bolt pin forward or back in the slots, an
increase or decrease in distance of motion is given to the tension lever at the
end (a), which carries the thread. The motion of this lever is derived from
the cam B, attached to the disk U on the arbor, and connected with each other
by means of an upright sliding rod (2), having a pin (r) at the lower end,
which runs in the groove of the cam, and at the top an elbow, the extreme
end of the arm of which is connected to the lever by the bolt pin (y).
This mode of adjusting gives greater elasticity of motion to the lever than if
connected immediately at the top of the rod. The way (s) for the sliding rod
is attached to the inside of the cap (t), which is a part of the frame A, and a
part of which cap has been removed for the purpose of showing the under-
neath works in full. The end of the tension lever which carries the thread is
so formed as to spring or yield to the thread at the terminus of its upward
motion, sufficient to prevent the drawing of the stitch too tight, or if need be,
of breaking the thread.
The device for feeding at any angle within the quarter of the circle, and for
changing the length.-Fig. 2 is a plan or top view, and Fig. 3 is an end
view of the same, and in which is left out the broken section of the bed
plate A, a, seen in Fig. 2. In the different Figs. the same letters, whether
single or double, represent the same parts.
The motion of the many-angle feed is derived from the cam D upon the
arbor Fig. I., and by the groove of which is moved the sliding bar H, Fig. 2,
which is placed and secured underneath and in contact with the bed plate A, a,
and this by a pin projecting from underneath the bar and running in the groove
of the cam. Near the end of this bar is attached, either above or below, a spring
(e), which extends beyond and in line with the bar; and at the end of this
spring rises a pin (w) which works in any space between the teeth of the

page_text: quadrantal ratch K, in a manner so that by drawing aside the spring the pin
is released and ready to be dropped, when the ratch is turned, into any space
between the teeth desired. The ratch moves easily upon its attachment (z)
to the needle plate I, but when turned, is moved round by turning the needle
plate, which has in it two segmentary slots (m), and held in its position by
screws inserted through these slots into the bed plate. A hole is cut through
the bed plate (indicated by dotted line (n, a,) and rabbetted on the upper side
in a manner fitted to receive the needle plate.
The feed surface (d) is the same as found in most machines, and is attached
to a sliding bar (v), Figs. 2 and 3, which runs through a slot in the lug (1),
which extends down from and underneath the needle plate; a spring (r, d,)
is here attached to the needle plate, and which runs through the same slot at
the top of the feed bar, for the purpose of holding it down, as there is a bevel
(u, s,) at the inner lower end of the slot, and a corresponding deflection of the
under side of the bar, so that when moved forward it rises, and when drawn
back the spring keeps it in a proper falling position. The other end of the
feed bar is laterally held in position by stops attached to the under side of the
needle plate, and is also attached to the device for regulating the stitch by a
screw pin (u), which enters through a slot in the same into the feed bar below.
The device for regulating the stitch is formed by a circular cap G, which is
recessed underneath, and fastened down to the ratch plate K, and in the centre
of which cap is a hole a little less in diameter than is the recess, and which
extends through the ratch plate below. Into the recess of this cap is fitted
another plate (a, x), with an arm (p, o,) extending out through the side of the
cap, and is also slotted within the hole of the cap, and through which the screw
pin (u) passes, and upon which the slot acts to move the feed bar back and
forward. Underneath the arm (p, o,) is a tube (j, y), Fig. 3, open only at
the inner end, and into which is placed a spiral spring followed by a follower,
which has at the out end a cog-shaped tooth that fits into between the teeth
of a small quadrantal ratch (l, e), the radius of which is from the centre of the
circular cap G. The slot in the centre it will be observed is in line with the
arm (p, o). Now, if the follower is drawn back, by taking hold of a nob
attached thereto, the tooth is released from the ratch, and the arm may be
turned either way, and thereby enables to place the slot at any angle with the
feed bar necessary to produce the length of stitch required; so too, by taking
hold of the knob attached to the needle plate, and at the same time release the
pin (w) from the ratch K, as before described, and turn the needle plate, and
therefore the ratch anywhere round within the quarter of the circle, and secure
it in such position by the screws in the slots, shows the feed to be equally

page_text: effective at any angle, it may be placed within the quarter of the circle. No
important use of this arrangement could be made, however, unless the foot
which holds down the material sewn, moved in like manner to correspond with
the feed below. Hence the device Figs. I., 4, and 5, attached to the head of
the machine, and the different parts of which are represented by Figures 1, 2,
&c. Fig. 4 is an upright side view, and Fig. 5, an end view of the same.
The rod (1), Fig. I., which holds at the bottom end the foot (2), is not
unlike that which is common in sewing machines, but instead of its being held
in position by a hole through the head of the machine, it runs in and through
a tube F, Figs. 1, 4, and 5, which has semicircular arms (3) and (4),
extending at right angle with and for the purpose of holding it in position on
the head of the machine. These arms are perforated with segmentary slots
(5), so that when the tube is attached to the head of the machine, as is repre-
sented in Fig. I., by placing the arm (3) over the top and the arm (4) over
the bottom, and this arm held in place by a pin inserted through the slot into
the head, and a thumb screw (6) through the slot of the top arm into the
head, it may be turned (if the back part of the head is rounded to suit), so as
to place the foot to correspond with the feed at any angle within the quarter
of the circle.
To prevent the roughing or sticking of the top thread or cord when waxed,
it is passed over a roller (j') at the end of the tension lever. At the top of the
head (2) of the machine, at the bottom of the head (³) and at the neck of
the hook (j') where the greatest amount of friction takes place.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ormrod Coffeen Evans, have hereunto
set my hand and seals, this
day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
RLOת זותתתממ
זותתתמו
ORMROD COFFEEN EVAND
(M.S.)