IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Campion and William Campion, both of
the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham, Machine Builders,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 21st December 1860, and dated the 28th June 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Campion and
William Campion at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 28th June 1860.
We, WILLIAM CAMPION and WILLIAM CAMPION, both of the Town and
County of the Town of Nottingham, Machine Builders, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES," to be
as follows:-
Our Invention has for object improvements in sewing machines, which we
obtain by the following arrangement and combination of parts, viz., a hollow
bed plate having a tab cast across and underneath near the needle bar end,
the plato supports a standard carrying at one end a spindle bar and presser
foot, a slotted bar is secured to the needlo bar, the har being moved up and down
by a pin placed excentrically in a cam on one end of a horizontal shaft carried
by the standard, the cam in which the pin is lifts a lever which is secured to the
presser bar; there is also another lever secured to the presser bar, which is

page_text: moved to and fro horizontally by a cam lying by the side of the first named
lever, the distance the presser foot bar is moved being regulated by a screw;
the presser bar is held down by an india-rubber or other suitable spring. The
horizontal shaft above named has another cam at the opposite end, which
gives motion to a rocking lever, the shaft of which passes through one end of
the bed plate and of the tab before mentioned; the rocking shaft is also moved
to the right and left by a wheel placed near the last-mentioned cam, one side
of the wheel being partially cut away for that purpose, and the end of the
shaft is held up to it by a spring coiled round the rocking shaft. There is a
small handle in the wheel by which the machine is driven, and at the opposite
end of the shaft to that of the wheel is inserted a small hook held by a set
screw, the hook taking hold of the loop made by the partial withdrawal of the
needle, and holding it until the needle has entered it again. Instead of using
the cam next the driving wheel for moving the rocking lever or carrying the
loop hook, we sometimes prefer using a short lever to the rocking shaft, the
end of the said lever working in a groove cut on the circumference of the
driving wheel, for giving the requisite movements to the hook. We also make
use of a shuttle moving in a shuttle race, the shuttle being driven by a bolt
having a pin in one end, which works in a groove in the circumference of the
driving wheel. The shuttle consists of a bobbin having one end flat and the
other end of a rounded form; the flat side lies upon a flat piece of metal
rounded at one end, and is of the same size as the bobbin, and the other end
projecting the distance of half the circumference beyond the bobbin, at which
distance it terminates; the part which projects turns over from the point,
each side being bent over a portion of the round end of the bobbin, the bobbin
being kept in its position on the round end of the plate by a light spring, in
which is rivetted a pin, which passes into a hole in the centre of the bobbin,
the opposite end of the spring being soldered into the pointed end of the
shuttle. We are thus enabled to manufacture sewing machines simple in con-
struction, economical in price, and expeditious in their movements, thereby
effecting great public utility and convenience.