CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERI AVD JA SEWING CLOTH OR OTHER MATERIAL
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Albert Francis Johnson, of Boston. in the State of
Massachusetts, of the United States of America, for the Invention of
LETTERS PATENT to Albert Francis Johnson, of Boston, in-the State of
Massachusetts, of the United States of America, for the Invention of
CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERI AVD
JA SEWING CLOTH
OR OTHER MATERIAL."
Massachusetts, of the United States of America, for the Invention of
CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERT BUR SEWING CLOTH
OR OTHER MATERIAL."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Albert Francis Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 14th June 1861, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT
KNOWN, that I, ALBERT FRANCIS JOHNSON, of Boston, of the State of Massa-
chusetts, of the United States of America, have made an Invention of "CERTAIN
NEW AND USEPUL IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEWING CLOTH OR OTHER MATE--
RIAL," and I do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed are fully described in the following Speci-
fication, and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, of which Figure 1 is a
top view, Figures 2 and 3, side elevations, and Figure 4, a longitudinal
section, of a sewing machine, containing my Invention; Figure 5 is a trans-
verse and vertical section of the machine, such section being made through the
axis of the driving shaft, to be herein-after described.
Such other Figures as may be necessary to the illustration of my Invention.
will be hereafter referred to and explained.

page_text: The nature of my said Invention consists, 1st, in a peculiar mechanism for
operating the lower or curved needle of the machine, there being used on such
machine 2 needles, each of which carries a separate thread.
2nd, in a peculiar construction of the hooked or lower needle and its appli-
cation to its carrier, substantially in manner as hereafter described.
3rd, in a peculiar mechanism for operating the feeder by which the cloth
or material while being sewed is moved along from time to time in the
necessary manner.
4th, in a peculiar mechanism for or a mode of controlling the slack of the
thread of the lower or hooked needle, such being accomplished by the conjoint
operation of the 2 levers, substantially as hereafter specified.
5th, in a peculiar arrangement or mode of application of the two bobbins or
their carriers with respect to the lever of the upper needle.
6th, in a peculiar arrangement of the tension apparatus of both threads with
respect to the upper needle arm.
7th, in an improved bobbin carrier or spindle and nut, as made in manner
and so as to operate substantially as hereafter described.
In the Drawings above mentioned, A denotes the frame for supporting the
main operative parts of the machine, and particularly the platform or table B,
on which the cloth or article to be sewed is to be placed. From this frame
there extends over the platform B a stationary arm C, which carries a foot or
presser D, this latter being arranged as shown in the Drawings. A spring a,
arranged within the arm C, serves to force the presser down toward the table,
and the feeder E, which is arranged so as to work within and underneath such
table or platform, such disposition of the feeder being as shown particularly in
Figure 5.
The two needles employed in the machine are exhibited at F and G, the
former being termed the upright or vertical needle, while the latter is the
hooked needle. The said vertical needle is supported by and projects from
the upper arm 6 of the lever H; the lower arm c of the said lever being bent,
is carried around a table and against the vertical face of a crank wheel K,
which is fixed on one end of the driving shaft M. From the said crank wheel
Ka stud or crank pin d projects, and enters a long groove e made within the
arm c, as shown in Figure 6, which is a representation of that portion of the
arm which contains the said groove e. The driving shaft M extends trans-
versely through the frame A and below the platform B, and is furnished with
a grooved pulley N, upon which a belt may be made to run, for the purpose of
imparting rotary motion to the driving shaft.
The lower or hook needle G (front and rear elevations of which are shown

page_text: in Figures 7 and 8) is supported by an arm 0, which is hinged to one side of
a lever P, supported on a stationary fulcrum or pin f that projects from the
side of the frame A, as shown in Figure 5. It also exhibits the arm O and
the lever P. The shank g of the needle G passes through a projection h,
which extends from the inner .side of the arm 0, the said shank being held in
place by means of a clamp screw k, which is screwed through the arm and
against the needle shank. By this application of the needle to the arm I am
enabled to readily adjust the needle, either in longitudinal or transverse direc-
tion, as occasion may require, in order to have it operate correctly with respect
to the upper needle.
A spring R, extending from the fulcrum f, presses against the arm O, and
serves to press a stud i against a cam S, which is fixed upon one end of the
driving shaft M, the stud i being extended from the projection h, as shown
in Figure 5. The purpose of the cam S and the spring R is to impart to the
hook needle G its lateral motion, such as will cause the vertical needle to
operate alternately first on one side of the hook and next on to the other side
thereof.
Figure 9 is an edge view of the cam S. By turning the spring R downward
into a position as shown by dotted lines at R in one of the side elevations of
the machine, I am enabled to turn the arm O downward, in order to either
facilitate the threading or adjustment of the lower needle. Furthermore ex-
tending transversely through the upper part of the arm P, there is a curved
groove l, it being formed as shown in Figure 10, which represents a side view
of the said lever P. This groove receives a stud or pin m, which projects from
the main driving shaft M. During the rotation of the driving shaft the lever P
will be moved on its fulcrum in such manner as to cause the proper advance-
ment and retrocession of the thread needle G with respect to the needle F.
From the upper arm 6 of the lever H there extends backward a bracket n,
which serves to support not only the two bobbins o, p, but two sets of tension
apparatus, which are represented at T, T', in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and also in
longitudinal section in Figure 11. In constructing the said tension mechanism
a rod r is employed and made to extend in opposite directions from the said
bracket. Screws are formed upon opposite sides of the rod and receive nuts
8, 8, which screw against springs t, t, that envelop the rod and respectively press
two disks u, u, against two stationary disks v, v, such disks and springs being
arranged on the said rod 7, as shown in Figure 11. Each bobbin revolves on
one of two vertical spindles w, w, which extend upward from two cups or
stands a, a, that are supported by the bracket n. These cups hold disks of
cloth, upon which the bobbins rest. Each spindle above-mentioned is slotted

page_text: longitudinally, as shown at y in Figure 12, which is a vertical section of the
spindle, its bobbin, and the cup, on which the latter rests. The said Figure also
represents a nut or slider, which slides on the spindle, which is male some-
what tapering in order to receive the nut. In consequence of the spindle being
constructed tapering and slotted as described, the nut, while serving to keep
the bobbin on the spindle, will be held in place by friction, and can be readily
removed from said spindle as circumstances may require.
The thread for the upper needle is represented at al; it passes from its
bobbin through an eye , thence between the friction plates of one of the ten-
sion mechanisms, thence through two eyes or guides c', d', projecting from the
arm b, and finally passes through the eye of the needle F. The other thread,
or that of the lower needle, is exhibited at f' from its spool or bobbin; it is led
between the plates of its tension apparatus, and from thence is turned down-
ward underneath a stud g that projects from the needle arm c, thence it passes
through a guide h', situated at the first elbow or crook of the lower needle
arm, from which it extends through the needle G, in manuer as shown in
Figure 17, which is a horizontal section of said needle.
The feeder E, a top view of which is exhibited in Figure 13, extends
through an opening or slot i, made in the platform B, as shown in Figure 14,
which is a top view of the platform. This feeder is actuated by means of a spring
and 2 cams, m', the whole being situated as shown in Figure 5, the cam
serving to advance the feeder, the spring operating to produce its recession, in
order to move the cloth along the platform. The cam n¹ serves to elevate the
feeder against the cloth preparatory to the action of the feeder thereon.
Figure 15 is a side view of the cam P, while Figure 16 is a similar view of
the cam n¹.
During the operation of the above-described mechanism the two threads are
alternately interlooped, the needle F being the only one which passes into and
through the cloth to be sewed. By the conjoint operation of the levers P and
II, the slack of the thread of the lower needle will be controlled, so as to pre-
vent the thread from knotting or kinking, and preserve it at a proper degree
of tension.
By means of the curved groove the needle G will be maintained at rest
while the cloth is being fed forward, and the upper needle is caused to enter the
cloth; while, however, the upper needle is being retracted, the action of the
stud min such groove will cause the lower needle to advance and pass through
the loop formed by the vertical needle, and hold such loop until such vertical
needle shall again pass down in front of such loop and through the loop of the
lower needle, such lower needle in the meantime being retracted allows tho

page_text: loop of the latter needle to slip from its end and become interlocked with
the former loop. By the action of the spring R and the cam S the lower
needle is caused to pass on opposite sides of the vertical needle, whereby an
extra twist is given to the chain on the lower side of the line of sewing. Thus,
by continuing the above operation, a line of sewing of great beauty and dura-
bility may be made in cloth or other fabric.
Having described my Invention, what I claim is as follows:-
I claim the above-described mechanism for operating the lower or curved
needle.
I also claim the construction of the hooked needle G and its application to
its carrier or hinged arm O, substantially in manner as described.
I also claim the mechanism for operating the feeder E.
I also claim the mechanism for or the mode of controlling the slack of the
thread of the lower needle G, the same being accomplished by the conjoint
operation of two levers, substantially as specified.
I also claim the arrangement or mode of application of the two bobbins with
respect to the lever of the upper needle.
I also claim the arrangement of the tension apparatus of both threads with
respect to the upper needle arm.
I also claim the. improved bobbin carrier or spindle and slider as made,
in manner and to operate substantially as described.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this 18th
JM 1001
ALBERT FRANCIS JOHNSON. (L.S.)