CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."-A com-
munication from abroad by Albert Gould Allen, of New York, in the
United States of America.
Sealed the 9th November 1860, and dated the 8th June 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left, by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
Sth June 1860.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON; of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be
as follows:-
This Invention consists principally in furnishing a sewing machine with a
cylinder, piston, piston rod, and valves substantially like those of a steam
engine, and which parts are so applied that the cylinder, piston, and piston
rod constitute parts of the machine. The reciprocating vertical needle is fixed
or attached to the lower end of the piston rod so as to admit of the machine
being driven by compressed air, or any other elastic fluid or gas, supplied from
a conveniently arranged reservoir or generator. The work or fabric to be
sewed is moved forward by means of a rotating disc or wheel, which is
actuated by gearing.connected with some of the moving parts,
Price S1

page_text: The Invention also consists in providing an obliquely arranged recess in the
side of the shuttle raceway next the needle, for the reception of one side of
the loop of the needle thread, and the protection of the loop from the shuttle,
which owing to the nature of the movements consequent upon the driving of
the machine by a directly applied piston would be very liable to chafe and
cut the needle thread in passing. through the loop were such recess not
provided.
And it further consists, in applying a turbine wheel in connection with a
bobbin holder, so. as to provide for the driving of the bobbin holder, for the
purpose of winding thread upon the bobbins used in the machine, by the
compressed air or other fluid used as the motive agent for driving the
machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th December 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Edward 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 "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward 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 William Edward 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 Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention of certain improvements in sewing machines consists prin-
cipally in furnishing a sewing machine with a cylinder, piston, piston rod and
valves, substantially like those of a steam engine, and which parts are so
applied that the cylinder, piston,and piston rod constitute parts of the machine.
The reciprocating vertical needle is fixed or attached to the lower end of the
piston rod, so as to admit of the machine being driven by compressed air, or
any other elastic fluid or gas supplied from a conveniently arranged reservoir
or generator. The work or fabric to be sewed is moved forward by means
of a rotating disc or wheel, which is actuated by gearing connected with some
of the moving parts.
"The Invention also consists in providing an obliquely arranged recess in
the side of the shuttle raceway next the needle, for the reception of one side
of the loop of the needle thread, and the protection of the loop from the
shuttle, which, owing to the nature of the movements consequent upon the
driving of the machine by a directly applied piston, would be very liable to
chafe and cut the needle thread in passing through the loop were such recess
not provided.
And it further consists in applying a turbine wheel in connection with a
bobbin holder, and so as to provide for the driving of the bobbin holder for
the purpose of winding thread upon the bobbins used in the machine, by the
compressed air or other fluid, used as the motive agent for driving the
machine.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a
machine with the improvements applied thereto; Figure 2 is a side view of
the same, with part of the bed cut away to show the working parts below it;
Figure 3 is a back view of the same, with part of the bed cut away; Figure 4
is an inverted plan of the bed, and parts immediately below it; Figures 5
and 5 are longitudinal vertical sections of part of the shuttle raceway;
Figure 6 is a plan corresponding with Figure 5.
A is the bed of the machine, having erected upon it the stationary stand-
ard B, B, of substantially similar shape to that employed in many other
sewing machines, but made of two separate parallel plates. This standard B
has secured to its end (in the place commonly occupied by the needle bar
guide), the vertical cylinder C, and the valve chest D. The cylinder C is

page_text: bored truly, and is fitted with the piston E, whose rod F passes through a
stuffing box A in the bottom of the cylinder. This piston rod F, has the
needle attached to its lower end in the same manner in which it is attached
to the needle slide or needle carrier of other sewing machines, and constitutes
in fact the needle carrier, while the cylinder and stuffing box constitute its
guides. The cylinder is closed at its upper end, and the valve chest is kept
constantly filled with the compressed air or other fluid to be employed as the
motive agent, by a pipe g. This valve chest extends nearly the whole length
of the cylinder,and contains two short D slide valves a,al, connected by a rod
or plate b, and fitted to two flat seats which are parallel with the length of the
cylinder. Each of these valve seats contains a port i leading into the cylinder,
and a port e leading to the atmosphere. The valves are held up against their
seats by a spring d secured to the back of the steam chest. Each one is
furnished with a pin f, which projects through its port i far enough into the
cylinder to be struck by the piston E, as the latter in its reciprocating motion
produced by the admission of compressed air or other fluid to the cylinder on
its opposite sides alternately arrives near the end of its stroke, so that in
completing its stroke toward the top or bottom end of the cylinder, the piston
may move the valves to open the port i at that end to the chest D, and bring
the corresponding port i at the other end into communication with its respec-
tive eduction port e, to permit the exhaust to the atmosphere, either directly or
by a suitable escape pipe of the compressed air or other fluid, which has already
acted upon the piston, by which means the reciprocating movement of the
piston within the cylinder is kept up, and the necessary movement of the
piston rod and needle carrier F to operate the neeele n, is obtained.
The necessary movements of the shuttle y, or other device employed in
combination with the needle to produce the interlacing of a locking thread
with the needle thread, or to produce the enchaining of the needle thread,
and the necessary movement of the feeding device, may be obtained from the
piston rod and needle holder F in various ways. The Drawing represents the
shuttle driver G applied in a well-known manner, and made to slide between
parallel ways h,k,and connected by a link G' with a horizontal elbow lever H,
arranged to work on a fixed fulcrumj under the bed A, and connected by a
link I, and two ball-and-socket joints k, k, with the lower arm of an elbow
lever L,somewhat similarly constructed and arranged to the needle operating
lever of many other sewing machines. The lever Lis arranged to work on a
fixed fulcrum m,between the two plates of which the standard B is composed;
and having the extremity of its upper arm connected with the bottom of the
piston rod and needle carrier F by an arm K, which is connected rigidly with

page_text: the latter, and fitted loosely into a slot in a rocker n, whose journals are fitted
to bearings in the sides of a fork at the extremity of the lever. To prevent
any springing or bending of the arm K it is fitted to upright guides provided
for it in the standard B, B. A spring J is so applied to the lever H as to
just overcome the weight of the piston E, rod F, and lever.L, as well as the
friction of those and other parts of the machine, and thereby to raise the
needle when the operation of the machine is suspended. The length of move-
ment of the lever L is controlled by two buffers M, M, faced with wood,
cork, india-rubber, or other material, of a moderately yielding character,
attached to the standard B in such positions that the lever Lmay strike them,
and the movement of this lever being thus controlled, controls the length of
stroke of the piston E and needle carrier F.
The feeding contrivance represented in the Drawing is the well-known feed
wheel. This wheel N. is fitted with one of the friction dogs commonly
employed, and is operated by a lever P, whose fulcrum is the fixed axle p on
which the wheel N rotates. This lever P is connected by a link P' with the
arm Q of a horizontal rock shaft R, which is arranged in bearings below the
table, and which has another arm R' arranged to be operated upon by a cam
formed upon the lever H. The cam produces the movement of the lever P
in a downward direction, and a spring rattached to the bed operates upon the
projecting head of the pin s, which connects the lever P with the link P¹ to
produce the movement of the lever in an upward direction. The upward
movement of the lever P produces the movement of the feed wheel N,and the
downward movement simply carries back the lever P and its dog.
The presser S for confining the cloth or other material (to be sewed) to
the bed and to the feed wheel is attached to the outside of the cylinder C, in
a manner substantially similar to that in which it is attached to the guide
block in many other sewing machines, and the needle-thread controlling
lever T is applied in a substantially similar manner to that in wbich it is
applied to many other sewing machines.
The pipey, which conducts the compressed air or other fluid to be used as
the motive agent to the vale chest D, may be arranged in any convenient
manner, and should be furnished with a stop cock, by which to stop,start, and
regulate the speed of the machine at pleasure. In a manufacturing establish-
inent where several machines are used, they may be arranged in a line, and
each supplied by a separate branch from a main pipe running along the apart-
ment containing the machines, each branch being fitted with a stop cock to
enable each operator to control her machine. The most convenient arrange-
ment of pipes.and cock for a machine is represented in Figures 1 and 2. The

page_text: pipe g passes near the floor under the machine; the stop cock U is connected
with a small shaft t, which is arranged in bearings in a small stand V secured
to the floor, and which has secured to it a double treadle-like footrest W, upon
which the operator keeps her foot balanced in such a way as to be able to
press down the front or back part, and so control the opening or.closing of the
cock at pleasure, and thereby to start, control the speed of, and stop the
machine without taking her hands from the work.
The bobbin holder and the turbine wheel for driving it may be variously
arranged upon the machine, but the arrangement' shewn is considered the
most convenient. The bobbin holder consists of two female centres u and v.
The lower centre u, made in the form of a cup large enough to receive one
head of the bobbin Y, as shown in Figure 1, is attached to the top of the
turbine wheel X, which is fitted to a box X' arranged above the valvechest D,
and having its bottom connected therewith by a short pipe w, fitted with a
stop cock w¹. The upper centre vis fitted to the top of a frame a, which is
attached to the turbine box X,and it has a spring applied in such a manner
as to press it downward, but is not allowed to turn in the frame. The bobbin
being placed between the centres, as shown in Figure 1, and the stop cock w¹
opened, the air from the valve chest rushes through the turbine and causes it
to rotate rapidly with the lower centre u and the bobbin.
In driving a sewing machine by a directly applied piston without the use of
a rotating driving shaft, the movements of the needle and shuttle must be
simultaneous and both perfectly continuous; and it would be difficult, if not
impracticable, to provide for the partial or total suspension of the upward
movement of the needle while the shuttle is passing through the loop of the
needle-thread, as is done in sewing machines having a rotating shaft. The
consequence of this is, that both sides of the loop are at the same time in
contact with the shuttle, instead of the needle being interposed between the
shuttle and one side of the loop, as is the case when the movement of the
needle is suspended for the shuttle to pass. The shuttle hugs that side of
the raceway on which the needle is placed, and without the interposition of
the needle or some other means of protecting the loop on that side it (the
loop) would be rolled or chafed between the shuttle, and the raceway l
(Figures 5, 5*, and 6,) is the oblique recess which is provided in that side of
the raceway on which the needle works to receive the side of the loop which
comes next that side of the raceway. This recess commences where the
needle enters the raceway, and extends downward in the direction in which
the shuttle moves to enter the loop. The taper portion of the shuttle carries
the loop alcug with it,and, before the straight portion arrives within it,carries

page_text: it into the recess, as shown in Figure 5*, where it is protected while the
straight portion is passing.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated to me
as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect
I would observe, that I do not mean or intend to confine myself to the precise
details herein described and represented in the Drawings, as such may be varied
or modified without departing from the principle of the present Invention ;
but what I claim is,-
First, actuating the working parts of a sewing machine by means of com-
pressed air or other elastic fluid made to act on a moveable piston in a
cylinder, as herein set forth,
2nd, I claim actuating the bobbin holder by means of a turbine wheel, as
herein set forth.
3rd; I claim providing an oblique recess in the shuttle raceway for the
purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
20 Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)