IMPROVE- MENTS IN SEWING M pu
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford, of 32, Essex
Street, Strand, London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SEWING M
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"S
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Bellford at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 1st November 1855; pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD LORADOUX BELLFORD, of 32, Essex Street, Strand,
London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," a communication, to be as follows; and
consists, firstly, in a looper of a novel kind operating in combination with a
needle to form a stitch with a single thread..
Secondly, in a certain method of operating the needle in connexion with
the aforesaid looper to throw the thread over its point.
Thirdly, in certain mechanical means by which the said method of operating
the needle is acconiplished.
And, fourthly, in an improved feed motion for moving the cloth in the line
of the seam to receive the successive stitches.
The accompanying Drawings represent a sewing machine containing the
several features of the Invention.
Fig. 1 is a front view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a vertical central section ;*
Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of the parts by which the stitch is
produced; Fig. 4 is a plan of the device by which the loop is retained at the
back of the cloth; and Fig. 5 is a plan of the spring presser, which confines
the cloth to the table. A is the table upon which the cloth or other matérial

page_text: is placed to be sewed. a is the needle, with an eye near the point, attached
to a slide B, and receiving the usual reciprocating motion, by which it is
caused to carry the thread through the cloth to form a loop on the under side.
bis the looper, which consists of a piece of metal, which is straight except at
one end, where it is slightly curved and pointed. This is placed parallel with
the needle below the table A with its point downwards, and its other end
touching the under side of the table, and in such a position relatively to the
neelle, that the latter will pass close or nearly close to its point. The looper
is held stationary by a spring c within a cavity in the face of a small block of
metal C, which is secured to the stand of the machine, but it may be held in
a cavity made in the stand itself. The needle passes through the cloth far
enough to bring its eye below the point of the looper, and in so doing carries
that part of the thread which is to form the loop very near the point of the
looper. Immediately after the needle begins to rise and leave the thread slack
it also begins to turn on its centre or axis towards the point of the looper, and
by that means throws the slack of the thread over the said point, and as it
continues to rise it draws the thread in the form of a loop over the looper,
which, without detaining the loop, merely keeps it open and in a proper
position for the needle to pass through in its next descent. As tension is pro-
duced on the thread by the descent of the needle, the loop is drawn entirely
over and off the looper; hence it is apparent that the looper passes entirely
through the loop.
The turning of the needle on its axis to pass the thread over the point of
the looper is produced in the following manner :-The needle holder d is fitted
to turn freely in a socket e, attached to the slide B with a shoulder above and
below, to prevent its moving longitudinally without the slide; and on one side
it carries a pin f, which during the descent of the needle passes under a spring
9, which is secured to the guide or head D, in which the needle slide works,
and is by that means caused to work close to the said guide; but as the needle
rises, this pin, by reason of the bottom of the spring laying close to the guide,
passes up the inclined or curved lower part h of the spring, and is thus thrown
forward and caused to turn the needle. Before the termination of the ascent
of the needle, the pin passes under and within a stationary inclined or curved
piece i, and by it is thrown back again into contact with the guide D, and thus
caused to turn back the needle. The spring g and piece i are shewn in blue
outline in Fig. 2, in which Figure they are the most clearly exhibited. G is
a spring clamp of the form I propose generally to employ to confine the cloth
to the table. This spring consists of a curved bar of steel, attached to the side
of the head D or other fixed portion of the machine, and terminating with a

page_text: broad shoe E to bear upon the material to be sewed all around the needle, the
latter being intended to work the opening a¹ (see Fig. 2) made in the shoe for
the purpose. Another hole b' is also made in the shoe for the feeding dog to
work through. The purple line in Figs. 1 and 2 represents the material con-
fined to the table by the spring. f¹ is the feeding dog, consisting of a piece of
steel or other metal, having a serrated face, and being attached rigidly to or
forming part of a light bar F, which is suspended from the arm 1 of a' lever L,
whose fulcrum is a pin d', which may be either secured in the upper part of
the spring clamp G, as represented, or in some other convenient fixed part
of the machine. If the said bar is attached to the spring G, all the elasticity
should be below the point of such attachment. The dog works through the
opening in the shoe E, which should be as near as possible to the needle.
At about the middle of its length the feed bar F works within a forked guide
e attached to the spring G, and near this guide an adjusting screw g¹ (see
Fig. 1) is fitted to the spring G, (which should have sufficient substance and
stiffness at that part for the purpose) to control the movement of the feed bar
away from the needle. When the dog is not in contact with the material on
the cloth bed, the feed bar rests against the point of the screw g¹, as shewn in
black outline in Fig. 1, being brought to this position by its own weiglit.
The other arm 2 of the lever L stands in such position that it will be thrown
up during the ascent of the needle by a pin j attached to the needle slide-B,
and thrown down during the descent of the needle by another pin j: The
effect of the former movement is to raise the arm 1, to which the feed bar is
attached, and of the latter to depress the said arm.
I will now describe the feeding operation, first supposing the dog to be
raised from the surface of the cloth and hanging against the screw g¹, as
indicated in black outline in Fig: 1. I will now suppose the needle slide to
be rising from the cloth, by which action the pin will be caused to strike the
arm 2 of the lever L, and throw the said lever into the position in which it is
shewn in red outline; and in so doing will depress the arm 1. The feed bar
F during the above operation will slide along the point of the screw g¹ until
the dog f¹ bears upon the cloth, after which the dog will be caused to slide
the cloth along the table in the direction of the arrow. When the needle
slide descends, the pin in pushing down the arm 2 will raise the arm 1 of the
lever L, and as the dog is by that means withdrawn from contact with the
cloth, the feed bar will fall back to the screw g¹. The screw g¹ serves to
regulate the length of the stitch, by controlling the backward movement of the
dog. In applying the feed bar, care must be taken to give it an angle
deviating so far from a perpendicular to the cloth table that it will be caused

page_text: to press its teeth firmly into the surface of the cloth, but not sufficiently
approaching the perpendicular to prevent the dog sliding easily. I consider
an angle of about 120° to be well adapted for the purpose. In order to
prevent a reaction being produced on the dog by any elasticity of the cloth or
material being sewed after the pin leaves the arm 2 of the lever as the
descent of the needle slide commences, I attach a spring k to the fixed part of
the machine so as to produce friction upon. the pin s, by which the feed bar is
connected to the arm 1 of the lever L, or apply some equivalent device to
produce sufficient friction on the said pin to prevent the dog being returned
by such means. I have only represented a single toothed feeding dog, but I
propose to use, if desirable, two united in the form of a fork, one working on
one side and the other on the other side of the needle, which will work within
the fork. This feed motion is applicable also to sewing machines which
employ two threads to make the interlocked stitch.
Having thus fully described the particulars and nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, what I claini is,-
First, the looper b applied substantially as described on the opposite side
of the cloth to that at which the needle enters, and operating in combination
with the needle, so that the loops are formed and kept open to receive the
needle in its succeeding movement through the cloth by being drawn entirely
over the said looper, as herein fully set forth.
:
Second, giving the needle a movement upon its centre or axis substantially
as described during the early portion of its 'ascending or retracting movement,
for the purpose of throwing the thread over the point of the looper.
Third, the within described method of turning the needle 'to tirow the
thread over the point of the looper by means of a pin f, attached to the needle.
or its holder; and an inclined or curved piece i, attached to the guide
in which the needle slide works..
or stand.
And, fourth, the combination of the spring clamp G with the feeding bar or
dog, constructed, arranged, and operating together against the cloth on its
one side or surface, substantially as herein set forth.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Edouard Loradoux Bellford,
bave hereunto set my hand and seal, this First day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
A. E. LORADOUX BELLFORD.. (L.S.)...