IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES AND NEEDLE ARMS
Year: 1870

page_text: '
LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," Southampton Buildings, London, Consulting
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINE
NEEDLES AND NEEDLE ARMS.”.
A communication from abroad by
George Albert Lloyd, of San Francisco, California, United States
of America, Gentieman.
-
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 1st February 1870, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Consulting Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES AND NEEDLE ARMS,” and have petitioned Her
Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns,

page_text: Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Decla-
ration that it has been communicated to me from abroad by George
Albert Lloyd, of San Francisco, California, United States of America,
Gentleman.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming
a part of this Specification :-
The said Invention relates to certain improvements in devices for
facilitating the operation of threading the needle of a sewing machine,
and consists mainly in certain details of construction of the needle, and
the arm or bar 'to which the needle is attached as will herein-after more

page_text: more or less liable to catch the cloth. Another serious defect in needles
so constructed is, that the cutting through one side of the needle so
weakens it that it is very liable to break. Now to overcome these
defects numerous Inventions have been made, such as rounding off the
edges or corners, forming protuberances above or below the eye, providing
the needle with short springs that pass entirely through the cloth or
fabric (sometimes called fingers), but these and other similar devices,
are but partial and ineffectual remedies for the cutting, catching, or
tearing the cloth, and even a spring that closes the slot or entrance to
the eye and terminates so near the top of the needle that it is never
thrust entirely through the fabric will if its upper end is not secured in
some manner while it effectually prevents catching the fabric make
a still weaker needle than the one that such a spring is intended to
improve..
It has also been proposed to add metal to the side of the needle
opposite the slot or opening for the purpose of obtaining the required
strength, but every such addition of strength so acquired increases the
diameter of the needle to such an extent that such needles are absolutely
worthless for fine work on account of the size of the hole that they mako
in passing through the cloth. To obviate these difficulties a needlą
has been invented having two eyes, a large circular eye at the top in
addition to the ordinary eye near the point, these eyes being connected
by a slot or passage for the thread. The operation of threading this
last mentioned needle is about the samo, as in the case of my Invention,
but this two eyed needle while it is free from the objections herein-
before ennumerated is of very limited application without the use of
my improvements in needle arms, and the large circular eye renders it
unfit for use in many machines where a needle having my improvements
can be readily applied.
A still later Invention consisting of a needle having a longitudinal
slit or passage extending from below the eye up through the body and
out at the top for the passage of the thread while in common with my
own and the two-eyed needle last referred to, although free from tho
objections of weakness and catching in passing through the fabric, is.
still liable to the serious practical objection that certain complex and
expensive modifications or alterations of the needle arms in general use.
are essentially necessary before it can be used while my needle can be.
applied at once in place of the ordinary needle to many machines.

page_text: without the least change in the bar, for by making my needle straight
and like an ordinary needle at the top with the looped spring on one
side instead of the large circular eye above referred to it can be adjusted
in regard to height on many machines where this last mentioned needle
would require an alteration in the arm.
By manufacturing my needles of various lengths they can be readily
applied to any sewing machine by simply filing or forming in an arm
actually in use the notch that forms a part of my improvements.
g
It will be observed that the looped spring e is made comparatively
light from the loop downward, but that the loop itself is thick and strong,
and after the needle is otherwise finished and tempered the needlo is
sprung sufficiently to slacken the spring e; the loop is then heated to
redness and contracted by drawing or forcing the point toward the
point i; then it is suddenly cooled to temper it, and when the needle is
allowed to straighten itself there will be a constant tension on the
spring e that will add greatly to the strength of the said needle. The
notch is cut in or formed upon the arm ƒ at a suitable height when-
ever there is not room for the loop of the spring e below the arm, but
the said loop may be much more contracted from towards i than is
shown in the Drawing.
Figure 4 illustrates the manner of forming the notch in a needle
bar when the line of the needle passes up through the centre of the
bar. The point of the set screw in this case secures the needle by
jaming it against the opposite side of the hole.
It will be readily understood from the foregoing description of that
part of my Invention represented by the notch g that the said notch g
is a device that has for its object the facilitating of the application of
my improved needle to sewing machines already constructed in which
there is not room enough between the lower end of the arm and the
fabric for the loop of the spring e, and that consequently its form will
be modified in each instance to suit the variety of machines to which it
may be applied.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I claim,―
First. The looped spring e in sewing machine needles, substantially
ps and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: :
Second. The looped spring e in combination with the notch
in
needles and arms of sewing machines, substantially as and for tho
purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this First day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)
Witness,
H. J. GEDGE,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Southampton Buildings,
-
London.