IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick, of
the Firm "Bradbury & Co.," Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Sewing Machine Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Francis Bradbury
and Thomas Chadwick at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 16th September 1867.
We, GEORGE FRANCIS BRADBURY and THOMAS CHADWICK, of the Firm
"Bradbury & Co.," Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Sewing Machine
Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-.
PROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
The first and second parts of our improvements are only applicable to the
"Wheeler and Wilson" class of sewing machines, but the third part of our
improvements is applicable to other sewing machines as well as to the
"Wheeler and Wilson" class.
Firstly. Our improvements relate to arrangements of the cloth presser and
actuating parts, the object of which is to dispense with the necessity for an
additional spring, to make the spring employed adjustable so as to regulate
the 'pressure upon the fabric, and facilitate the changing of the spring if
required. It consists in boring out and "tapping" the upper part of the
holder for the presser stem, and fitting a screw in it which while it forms a
guide for the upper part of the presser stem to slide through also serves as the

page_text: abutment for the spring which surrounds the stem, and acts against a shoulder
at its lower end. By turning the screw above mentioned the tension upon
the spring can be regulated. In place of the arrangement above described a
screw nut may be placed upon the lower part of the stem of the presser to
form an adjustable shoulder for the spring to act against, the exterior of
the screw nut also forming a guide to the lower part of the stem of the
presser. The stem is lifted and held up by an excentric slotted plate acting
upon one of the projections from the stem, which serve to keep it from
rotating.
Secondly. Our Invention relates to an improved arrangement of the needle
plate, whereby it can be readily changed or removed, without taking off the
cloth plate, and our improvement consists in removing a part of the bevel from
one edge of the needle plate, so that it can be inserted in its place by first
entering the bevelled edge on one side, and then giving it a slight end
movement to cause those parts of the bevelled edge remaining upon the
other side to slide into the dovetail of the cloth plate, the needle plate being
secured by the head of a screw which enters a notch in the edge of the needle
plate.
Thirdly. Our Invention relates to an arrangement for preventing a sewing
machine from being turned backwards. It consists in placing a "pawl" upon
a joint or fulcrum, so as to act upon the driving pulley or fly wheel, the end
of the "pawl" which acts against the smooth periphery of the pulley or fly
wheel being covered with leather or other suitable material so as to give
adhesion. This "pawl" so arranged will allow the fly wheel or pulley to
rotate freely in the right direction, but will adhere and press against the
periphery of the fly wheel or pulley if turned in the opposite direction. This
"pawl" has a projection or handle which can be lifted to remove the " pawl"
when it is desirable to turn the wheel backwards. The leather upon the end
of the "pawl" may be dispensed with if its end is made to fit a groove in the
periphery of the pulley or fly wheel, or if the end of the pawl is forked and
the fly wheel or pulley is formed to fit it.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance. of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George, Francis Bradbury. and Thomas Chadwick, in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th March 1868...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE. PRESENTS SHALL. COME, we, GEORGE
FRANCIS BRADBURY and THOMAS CHADWICK, of the Firm of Bradbury and

page_text: Company, or ranam, in the County of Lancaster, Sewing Machine Manu-
facturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said George Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick, Her special
license that we, the said George Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
George Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING.
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George
Francis Bradbury and Thomas Chadwick, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 we, the said George Francis Bradbury and
Thomas Chadwick, 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 and accompanying Drawing
(that is to say):-
The first and second parts of our improvements are only applicable to the
Wheeler and Wilson class of sewing machines, but the third part of our
improvements is applicable to other sewing machines as well as to the Wheeler
and Wilson class.
Firstly. Our improvements relate to arrangements of the cloth presser and
actuating parts, the object of which is to dispense with the necessity for an
additional spring, to make the spring employed adjustable so as to regulate the
pressure upon the fabric, and facilitate the changing of the spring if required.
It consists in boring out and tapping the upper part of the holder for the
presser stem and fitting a screw in it, which while it forms a guide for the
upper part of the presser stem to slide through also serves as the abutment
for the spring which surrounds the stein, and acts against a shoulder at its

page_text: lower end. By turning the screw above mentioned the tension upon the
spring can be regulated. In place of the arrangement above described a
screw nut may be placed upon the lower part of the stem of the presser to
form an adjustable shoulder for the spring to act against, the exterior of the
screw nut also forming a guide to the lower part of the stem of the presser.
The stem is lifted and held up by an excentric or slotted plate acting
upon one of the projections from the stem which serve to keep it from
rotating.
Secondly. Our Invention relates to an improved arrangement of the needle'
plate whereby it can be readily changed or removed without taking off the
cloth plate, and our improvement consists in removing a part of the bevel
from one edge of the needle plate so that it can be inserted in its place by
first entering the bevelled edge on one side and then giving it a slight end
movement to cause those parts of the bevelled edge remaining upon the other
side to slide into the dovetail of the cloth plate, the needle plate being
secured by the head of a screw which enters a notch in the edge of the needle
plate.
.
Thirdly. Our Invention relates to an arrangement for preventing a sewing'
machine from being turned backwards. It consists in placing a "pawl" upon
a joint or fulcrum so as to act upon the driving pulley or fly wheel, the end of
the "pawl" which acts against the smooth periphery of the pulley or fly
wheel being covered with leather or other suitable material so as to give
adhesion. This "pawl" so arranged will allow the fly wheel or pulley to rotate
freely in the right direction, but will adhere and press against the periphery of
the fly wheel or pulley if turned in the opposite direction. This "pawl" has a
projection or handle which can be lifted to remove the "pawl" when it is
desirable to turn the wheel backwards. The leather upon the end of the
pawl" may be dispensed with if its end is made to fit a groove in the
periphery of the pulley or fly wheel, or if the end of the "pawl" is forked and
the fly wheel or pulley is formed to fit it.
66
Fig. 1 is a front sectional view, and Fig. 2 a side view of a cloth presser
according to the first part of our Inventory. a is the foot of the presser in
which the glass (a¹) is fixed (if glass is used); 6 is the stem of the presser ;
c, the boss of the arm (c) in which the presser stem slides up and down, the
upper part of the stem passing through a screw (d), which screws into the
upper end of the boss (c). The presser spring (e) surrounds the stem and
acts against the shoulder upon the lower part of the stem abutting against
the end of the screw d. f is a pin passing through the stem (b) and sliding in
slots in the boss (c). One side of the pin projects so as to be acted upon by

page_text: the cam slot in the handle (9) centered. at (9), the presser foot being med
and held up by turning the handle (9).
Figs. 3 and 4 show views corresponding respectively to Figs. 1 and 2, of
another modification according to the first part of our Invention. The same
letters and figures are repeated upon the same and corresponding parts. In
this modification the boss (c) is bored out to leave a shoulder at (c³). The
upper and lower parts of the stem (6) are screwed, and each part has a screw
nut upon it. The lower screw (d) serves to regulate the pressure of the
spring (e), and the exterior of the screw acts as a guide to the stem. The
upper screw nut (f¹) serves to secure a small disc (f), having two pro-
jections from its sides and a square hole through its centre which fits upon
squares formed upon the upper part of the stem. The projections from the
disc work in slots in the boss part as shewn, and act to prevent the stem from
turning. The stem is lifted and held up by the excentric handle (9) acting
against one of the projections from the disc (f) as shown.
Fig. 5 is a plan and Fig. 6 a sectional view of the cloth and needle plate
arranged according to the second part of our Invention. The bevel is partly
removed from one edge of the needle plate (h), as shewn in dotted line, so
that by partly unscrewing the screw (h¹), one side of the bevelled head of
which screw enters a slight notch in the edge of the needle plate (h), and by
sliding the needle plate a little endways, the edge having the bevel partly
removed can be lifted, and then the other edge of the needle plate may be
withdrawn from the grooves in the cloth plate (k).
Fig. 7 is a sectional view shewing part of the table and fly wheel of a
sewing machine and an arrangement for preventing the fly wheel from being
turned backward. is a lever having its fulcrum (1¹) in a bracket (12)
secured to the under side of the table (m); the end of this lever (1) is
covered with leather or other suitable material. When the lever is arranged
at the angle shewn it will prevent the wheel from being turned backward,
but will allow the wheel to turn forward in the direction pointed by the arrow
without obstruction. By pressing upon the tail part (73) of the lever it will
be lifted from the fly wheel (n), which may then be turned backwards. We
prefer to make the lever (1) of bard wood.
We have now particularly described the nature of our Invention and the
manner of carrying it into effect, and claim as our Invention,-
Firstly. The construction, arrangement, and combination of a presser
stem (6), adjusting screw (d), spring (e), pin (f), and handle (g), in the
Wheeler and Wilson class of sewing machines, substantially as herein-before
described and illustrated by Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings.

page_text: Secondly. The construction and arrangement of the needle plate (h) in the
Wheeler and Wilson class of sewing machines, as herein-before described and
illustrated by Figures 5 and 6 of the Drawings.
Thirdly. The use of a lever (1) for preventing back movement in
sewing machines, arranged as herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Francis Bradbury and Thomas
Chadwick, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventh day of
March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-eight.
GEORGE F. BRADBURY. (L.S.)
THOMAS CHADWICK.
(L.S.)
GEORGE F. BRADBURY. (L.S.)
THOMAS CHADWICK.
(L.S.)