AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINE
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINE."
Sealed the 27th July 1858, and dated the 12th February 1858.
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th February 1858.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING
MACHINE," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved construction of single-needle sewing
machine, the object being to obtain simplicity of construction with rapidity of
action. The frame of the machine carries a crank shaft for operating the
needle bar, to the extremity of which is secured a hooked or barbed needle for
forming a loop stitch. This stitch is made by the single operation of the
rotation of the crank shaft and without the intervention of secondary needles
or other working parts.
In combination with the needle bar and crank shaft an oscillating guide-
way is used for the purpose of guiding and sustaining the upward vertical
motion of the needle, and at the same time by its adjustment regulating its
leverage to determine the length of stitch or feed motion. In the rear of this
guideway, and secured thereto by an adjusting screw, is a stitch regulator
plate, having a graduated curved opening in it. The adjusting screw passes
through the upper end of the oscillating guideway, through the graduated

page_text: curved opening in the stitch regulator plate, and through a vertical slot in the
standard upon which the said parts are adjusted, and on which also the table
board is secured. For holding down the cloth upon the table an elastic
presser is used, having upon its upper surface a thread carrier or eyelet put
upon the edge of the slot through which the needle operates, and in front of
the point of entrance of the needle through the cloth. Upon the inner edge
of the slot is a small projection (beyond the straight line of the edges of the
slot) for the purpose of closing the hook or barbed point of the needle while
moving down with the thread to form the stitch.
By the combination of the several parts above enumerated, with suitable
appliances for sustaining and working them, a cheap and compact toilet sewing
machine is produced.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th August 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,. ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 "AN
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF SEWING MACHINE," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
.by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
consists in combining with the frame of a sewing machine a crank shaft for
operating the needle bar, having the needle secured thereto, to form the loop
stitch by the single operation of the rotation of the crank shaft, and without
the intervention of secondary needles or other working parts.
way
The second part of the Invention consists in the use of an oscillating guide-
in combination with the needle bar and crank shaft, for the purpose of
guiding and sustaining the upward motion of the needle, and at the same time
by its adjustment regulating its leverage, to determine the length of stitch or
feed motion.
The third part of the Invention consists in the combination and use of a
stitch regulator plate, having a graduated curved opening in it with the oscil-
lating guideway secured upon its face by a pin or adjusting screw, the said pin
or adjusting screw passing through the upper end of the oscillating guideway,
the graduated curved opening in the stitch regulátor plate, and a vertical slot
in the standard upon which the said parts are adjusted, and on which also the
table board 'is secured.
for
The fourth part of the Invention consists in the use of an elastic
presser
holding down the cloth upon the table, having upon its upper surface a thread
carrier or eyelet put upon the edge of the slot through which the needle
operates and in front of the point of entrance of the needle through the cloth;
also upon the inner edge of the slot a small projection (beyond the straight
line of the edges of the slot) for the purpose of closing the hook or barbed
point of the needle while moving down with the thread to form the stitch.
And the fifth part of the Invention consists in the use and combination of
all the several parts of the machine as a general arrangement and combination
of them to produce a cheap and compact toilet sewing machine.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a side view of the machine, Fig. 2
is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a detached view of the oscillating
guideway and needle bar.; Fig. 4 shews in front view the stitch regulator plate;
and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the presser. Letter A is the frame of the machine.
The precise form represented is not absolutely necessary for the combination
and arrangement of the working parts of the machine, though believed to be
the best that can be devised for a frame for a cheap toilet sewing machine to.

page_text: be operated by hand. When to be operated by a pedal, of course the parts
used by hand power and the clamping apparatus will be discarded, and only
the frame and working parts retained to be secured upon a suitable table to
accommodate the application of the pedal apparatus. B is a hand wheel.
secured to the frame of the machine, and having on its axle C a cog wheel D.
This cog wheel gears into a smaller cog wheel E on the end of a horizontal
needle crank shaft F. Attached to the crank by a pin f is a needle bar G,
having in its upper end a barbed or hook-eyed needle s. This needle bar.
works through guideways H, suspended by a pin I passing through its upper
end. The object of this adjustment is to allow the lower end of the guide-
ways to vibrate or oscillate with the motions of the crank, and thereby keep
the needle bar in a vertical position during the rotation of the crank shaft,
and at the same time control the amount of oscillating motion in the point of
the needle to that required for feeding or carrying the cloth forward to make
room for the new stitch. .Letter J is a stitch regulator plate (secured to the
standard A2 for supporting the table board L) by a centre pin or binding
screw K, so as to permit it to rotate or be turned to any desired point, and
then held fast by the screw. Through the face of the regulator plate is cut
a graduated curved opening M, through which the pin I passes for suspending
the oscillating guideway and through vertical slot N in the standard A².
The object of this vertical slot and the graduated curved opening in the plate
J is to regulate, or increase, or decrease the length of the stitch by.lengthening
or shortening the leverage of the needle bar in consequence of the change of
position of the oscillating guide upon the needle bar. Thus it will be obvious
that as the regulator plate J is turned on its axis, the curved opening M acts
upon the pin I for supporting the oscillating guideways, and causes it to
approach or recede from the crank pin faccording to the adjustment of the
plate. If to approach the crank pin f it causes the upper end of the needle
bar to have more motion for the feed or length of stitch; if, on the
contrary, to recede from it, of course it reduces the amount of motion in the
upper end of the needle bar, and consequently shortens the stitch, and thus
by a simple and easy adjustment any length of stitch may be obtained.
Letter P is an elastic presser attached to an arm a³, forming a part of the
frame of the machine. In this presser is a slot p³. Upon one of its inner
edges is formed a projection r, the object of which is to close the hook or
barbed points of the needle as it draws back, and hold it closed till it has
passed through the cloth. Thus not only is the enlargement of the hole
through which the needle passes avoided, but the breaking of the hook or
barb of the needle is prevented. Letter t is an eyelet, secured upon the.

page_text: upper edge of the slot p³ of the presser, to receive the thread. This eyelet is
arranged just at the point of intersection with the needle in such a position as
to cause the thread to draw directly across the point of it, and thereby be
taken up by the hook in its down motion to loop the thread. Letter R is a
spool for carrying the thread, and a guiding wire to deliver it to the eyelet t.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of an improved con-
struction of sewing machine, as communicated to me by my foreign cor-
respondent, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent
I claim,
First, the combination and use of the crank shaft with the needle bar as
a means for operating the needle (secured in the upper end of the needle bar)
to form the stitch by the single and direct action of the rotating crank, and
without the intervention of a second needle or other working parts, the said
parts being made and operating substantially as herein-before set forth.
Secondly, the use of an oscillating guide in combination with the needle bar
and crank shaft, for the purposes and in manner of construction and operation
substantially as herein-before set forth.
Thirdly, the use of the stitch regulator plate, having a graduated curved
opening in it or other analogous device, for the object herein-before specified
in combination with the oscillating guideway, the said parts being arranged
and used in manner and for the purposes substantially as herein-before set
forth.
Fourthly, the use of an elastic presser plate having an eyelet and a barb or
hook-closing projection upon it, substantially as herein-before described.
Fifthly, the combination and arrangement of all the several parts of the
frame and working parts of the machine as a general combination for making
a cheap toilet sewing machine, substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Ninth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)