IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Page Hubbard, of 13, King Street, Dawlish,
and Charles Adams, of High Street, Exeter, in the County of Devon,
CCTANT SWING MACHIKES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Page Hubbard and
Charles Adams at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 26th July 1866.
We, JOHN PAGE HUBBARD, of 13, King Street, Dawlish, and CHARLES
ADAMS, of High Street, Exeter, in the County of Devon, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines, and the
improvements relate, firstly, to that class of sewing machine in which the loop
of the needle thread is carried around the under or locking thread. We
employ a cop ball or reel of thread for the under or locking thread; this cop
ball or reel is placed in a cylindrical holder formed by preference of thin

page_text: sheet metal; the bottom of the cylinder is closed, and the top is provided with
a moveable cover or lid, through a hole in the centre or other part of which
the end of the thread is led out. The bottom of the cylindrical holder rests
on a horizontal disc on the top of a vertical axis that has a continuous rotary
motion imparted to it, and on the face of the disc are small pins which enter
indentations or recesses in the cylindrical cop holder, so that when the axis is
caused to rotate the cop holder rotates with it. When the needle of the
machine passes down through the fabric its point passes down close to the
side of the cylinder, and in order to allow of a loop of thread being thrown
out from the needle the side of the cylinder at one portion of its circumference
is formed with an indentation or recess. At one extremity of this recess or
indentation there is a nose or projection which is for the purpose of entering
the loop of thread thrown out from the needle and carrying this loop around
the cylindrical holder as it revolves. The loop of the needle thread passes
under and above the cylindrical cop holder, the part of the loop which passes
under the holder slipping over the pins on the face of the disc upon which the
holder rests, the pins being made inclined to allow of this. Tension may be
put on the thread as it is led out from the hole in the centre or other part of
the lid of the holder by leading the thread around a bent wire, or otherwise
bending the thread just before it passes out from the interior of the holder.
In place of the axis which gives motion to the bobbin holder being vertical it
might be placed in a horizontal position. By the arrangement of sewing
machines above described a very large quantity of thread may be employed
for the under thread, whilst at the same time the loop of the needle thread is
not extended much more than it is in an ordinary shuttle sewing machine;
the machine will also work with less friction than heretofore.
Another improvement has for its object the so arranging the mechanism for
feeding forward the cloth or work in sewing machines that the work may be
moved in any direction by the feeding mechanism. For this purpose the
feeding plate or foot (which is pressed down on to the work by a spring) and
the stem of the plate or foot in place of being carried as heretofore in guides
in the framing of the machine are carried in guides mounted so as to be
capable of turning around the rod or slide that carries the needle, and so that
they can be set fast in any position. The stem is (as is usual when guides
formed in the framing are employed) at all times pressed inwards towards the
needle by a spring, and in order to press the stem outwards at the desired
times to cause the feeding foot to feed forward the work, a disc carried by the
needle rod or slide is at each ascent of the needle caused to act on an incline

page_text: either on the stem of the feeding foot or on a piece that acts on this stem, and
the disc will act equally on the stem in whatever direction in the feeding foot
may be placed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Page Hubbard and Charles Adams in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 26th January 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, JOHN PAGE
HUBBARD, of 13, King Street, Dawlish, and CHARLES ADAMS, of High Street,
Exeter, in the County of Devon, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Page Hubbard and Charles Adams, Her special licence that we,
the said John Page Hubbard and Charles Adams, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Page Hubbard and
Charles Adams, our 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
SEWING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
John Page Hubbard and Charles Adams, our executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 Charles Adams, on behalf of myself and
the said John Page Hubbard, 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 thereof, that
is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines, and the

page_text: improvements relate, firstly, to that class of sewing machine in which the loop
We
of the needle thread is carried around the under or locking thread.
employ a cop ball or reel of thread for the under or locking thread; this
cop ball or reel is placed in a cylindrical holder formed by preference of
thin sheet metal; the bottom of the cylinder is closed, and the top is provided
with a moveable cover or lid, through a hole in the centre or other part of
which the end of the thread is led out. The bottom of the cylindrical holder
rests on a horizontal disc on the top of a vertical axis that has a continuous
rotary motion imparted to it, and on the face of the disc are small pins which
enter indentations or recesses in the cylindrical cop holder, so that when the
axis is caused to rotate the cop holder rotates with it. When the needle of
the machine passes down through the fabric its point passes down close to the
side of the cylinder, and in order to allow of a loop of thread being thrown
out from the needle the side of the cylinder at one portion of its circumference
is formed with an indentation or recess. At one extremity of this recess or
indentation there is a nose or projection which is for the purpose of entering
the loop of thread thrown out from the needle and carrying this loop around
the cylindrical holder as it revolves. The loop of the needle thread passes
under and above the cylindrical cop holder, the part of the loop which passes
under the holder slipping over the pins on the face of the disc upon which the
holder rests, the pins being made inclined to allow of this. Tension may be
put on the thread as it is led out from the hole in the centre of other part of
the lid of the holder by leading the thread around a bent wire, or otherwise
bending the thread just before it passes out from the interior of the holder.
In place of the axis which gives motion to the bobbin holder being vertical,
it might be placed in a horizontal position. By the arrangement of
sewing machines above described a very large quantity of thread may be
employed for the under thread, whilst at the same time the loop of
the needle thread is not extended much more than it is in an ordinary
shuttle sewing machine; the machine will also work with less friction than
heretofore.
Another improvement has for its object the so arranging the mechanism for
feeding forward the cloth or work in sewing machines that the work may be
moved in any direction by the feeding mechanism. For this purpose in place
of carrying the stem of the feeding plate or foot as heretofore in fixed guides
in the framing of the machine, so that the work is always fed in one direction,
the stem is so carried as to be capable of turning around the rod or slide that
carries the needle, and so that it can be set fast in any position; the feeding

page_text: plate can thus be caused to feed the work in any direction. The stem of the
feeding plate or foot is acted on either directly or indirectly by a disc carried
by the needle rod or slide so as to impart the requisite motion to it, and the
disc will act equally on the stem in whatever direction the feeding foot may
be placed.
ひ
a is the
In Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed is shewn a longitudinal
section of a machine constructed in the manner above described.
cylindrical holder for containing the cop or ball, or it might be reel of thread
which is to form the under or locking thread. The holder is of thin metal
and is closed at the top with a cover a', which can be readily taken off when
it is required to put another cop ball or reel of thread into the holder. The
thread from the cop ball or reel is led out through the hole a in the centre
of the cover. The bolder a is placed within a cylindrical recess in the framing
of the machine, within which recess it is capable of turning freely; the top
of this recess is covered over by the moveable table or plate o, upon which the
work to be sewn rests; the bottom of the holder a rests on the horizontal
disc b, which is carried by the vertical axis c; this axis has a continuous
rotary movement imparted to it, as herein-after described. Projecting up from
the face of the disc is a pin ' entering a recess in the side of the holder, as is
seen in the plan view of these parts shown in Figure 2. The pin b¹ bears
constantly against the end marked a of this recess in consequence of the
axis c being constantly driven in the direction shown by the arrow. At the
opposite end of the recess marked y is a nose or projection which catches the
loop of thread which is caused to project out from the needle into the recess
in the holder. In order to project this loop of thread into the recess in the
holder the needle is caused to descend into a small groove at the side of the
cylindrical recess containing the holder as shown, and the loop of thread is
thrown out in the ordinary manner; after the projection has caught a loop of
the needle thread the continuous rotation of the holder enlarges the loop and
passes the holder through it. The requisite tension is put on the thread by
passing it through one or more holes formed in a plate d carried by the
under side of the cover of the holder; or other arrangements may be employed
for putting on the requisite tension, as will readily be understood. The needle
slide has the requisite up and down motion imparted to it by a crank pin on
the driving axis e working in a cam groove in the needle slide, as is now
commonly the case. In the machine shewn in the Drawing rotary motion is
imparted to the axis e by a band from a hand wheel, but the axis may be
otherwise driven. The axis c has a continuous rotary motion imparted to it

page_text: from the main axis by the inclined shaft f, which has formed at each end of it
a long open screw thread. The screw thread at the upper end of the inclined
shaft gears with a similar screw thread on the driving axis, the two open
screw threads working together as toothed wheels; the screw thread on the
lower end of the inclined axis gears in a similar manner with an open screw
thread on the axis c. The above arrangement being noiseless is the arrange-
ment we prefer to employ for giving continuous rotary motion to the holder a,
but other arrangements of mechanism may be employed for the
the
purpose,
holder in all cases being caused to revolve horizontally or in a plane at right
angles to the needle.
I will now describe more fully my improved arrangement of mechanism for
giving the requisite feed motion to the cloth or work. 9 is the pressing and
feeding foot, capable of feeding in any direction; the stem g¹ of this foot has
a slot formed in its upper end through which a fixed pin h passes, so that the
stem can turn on this pin; the upper end of the stem is also formed with an
arm 9, which is constantly acted on by a spring g³ in such manner as to
press the foot downwards towards the table o upon which the work is
supported. The pin h is carried by a forked piece formed in one piece
with a tube k, which is capable of being turned around the exterior of the
cylindrical piece 7 of the framing, and of being set in any position by the set
screw m; the rod or stem that carries the needle passes through a hole
formed through the centre of this portion of the framing; the whole of the
feeding mechanism can thus be caused to turn or swivel concentrically around
the needle.
In the arrangement shewn in the Drawing the requisite feeding motions
are imparted to the feeding and pressing foot from the disc p on the rod or
stem that carries the needle in the following manner, other arrangements
may however be adopted :-As the needle rises the disc p on the stem that
carries it comes against the projecting arm of a bell-crank lever n, the other
arm of which acts on the arm g³, first acting to depress it to raise the foot off
the work, and then moving the stem of the foot towards the needle, the slot
in the stem allowing of this motion. When the disc p has risen above the
end of the lever n the spring g³ again presses the foot on to the work; as the
needle continues to rise the disc comes against an incline on the piece r,
which turns on a pin joint at its upper end, and at its lower end rests against
the stem of the feeding foot; the disc by acting on this incline causes the
lower end of the piece r to press back the stem of the foot, the slot in the
stem allowing of this motion; as the stem is so moved back the foot feeds

page_text: forward the cloth or work. By the arrangement shown the length of stitch
produced is not capable of variation. To vary the length of stitch the pin on
which the piece r turns can be so carried that it can be set to or from the
needle stem, or the position of the disc on the needle may be made capable of
variation, or other arrangements may be adopted.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Adams, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
CHARLES ADAMS. (L.S.)