IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts-
man, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES." -A
communication from abroad by Elias Howe, junior, of the City of New
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th February 1867.
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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in connecting the bar which carries the
presser foot with the "take-up," or with the "thread controller," or with both
in such a manner that the needle is relieved of all tension as soon as its point
begins to enter the material to be sewn, and such relief is rendered self-regu-
lating according to the thickness of the material supplying the varying amount
of thread required for the stitches of the varying thicknesses of the material to

page_text: be sewn.
The take-up is in this case a pendent spring terminating in an eye,
through which the thread passes on its way to the needle; this spring or take-
up is secured by a screw to the front plate of the head or guide box, and the
needle thread passes from the reel or bobbin to the thread controller, then
through a vertical slot in the top of the needle bar, and down in front of the
head and between two pins, then through the loop of the take-up, and back
over one of the pins to a slot at the bottom of the needle bar, and it is the
slack formed by the descent of the needle that the take-up is intended to act
upon to prevent the needle as it descends to pierce the work from passing
through or getting entangled in its own thread. In order to relieve the needle
thread from the tension produced by the take-up as soon as the point of the
needle strikes the material to be sewn a pin connected to the presser bar is
caused to bear against an inclined part of the spring forming the take-up. If
thick material is sewn the presser foot being raised from the table to the
extent of the extra thickness of the material the distance between the loop of
the take-up and the pins before mentioned is decreased, and vice versa, so that
the take-up will strike the pin as soon as the point of the needle comes in
contact with the surface of the material to be sewn. Instead of adjusting the
thread controller by hand as heretofore to vary the amount of thread required,
it is now proposed to make it self-adjusting. In this case the thread controller
takes the form of an elbow lever, which has for its fulcrum a screw pivot on
the front plate of the guide box or head of the machine; this lever connects
by a wire with the top end of the presser bar. If thick material is sewn the
depression of the presser foot will be proportionately diminished, and the thread
controller turned down to a corresponding extent, so that its distance from the
slot in the top of the needle bar through which the thread passes is increased,
and thereby the increased amount of thread required for the thick material to
be sewn is supplied. The top of the needle bar is fitted with a hardened steel
tip, having in it a vertical slot for receiving and holding the thread as it comes
from the thread controller instead of threading it through a hole in the head
of the needle bar. The thread is thus introduced by slipping it into the slot,
and a better form for the thread to travel over than through a straight hole is
obtained by making the bottom of the slot convex.
A further improvement consists in placing a small projection on the rim of
the disc shell of the tension wheel. for holding the thread in place instead of
making a notch in the edge of the rim.
As an improvement in the shuttle race the face of the race against which
the flat side of the shuttle slides is formed shelving or overhanging from the
top to the bottom, instead of vertical, in order to obviate a common difficulty

page_text: occasioned by the needle striking the shuttle as they pass each other. That
the point of the shuttle shall certainly enter the loop of the needle thread it. is
Decessary that the shuttle and the needle shall approach as near together as
possible without actually touching, and this object is more effectually secured
by inclining or overhanging the side of the race, so that the needle can pass
through it back of the edge at the top, and emerge from the side of the race
at that point very near where the nose of the shuttle passes to take up the
loop of its thread.
A further improvement consists in making the ways of the race separate
from the bed, and securing them thereto by set screws for the purpose of
adjusting the ways as they wear, or renewing them when necessary..
The last part of the Invention relates to improvements in connection with
the shuttle, and consists, first, in the application of a flat slightly curved spring
to the inner side of the spool holder of the shuttle. This spring is made fast
by an adjusting screw, and is intended to give a perfect tension to the thread
as it unwinds; secondly,, in bending over the ends of the spool holder, or
forming springs thereon, so that the spool holder may be held in the shell of
the shuttle by merely pressing it in place, and may therefore be readily with-
drawn therefrom for the replacement of a full for an empty bobbin.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office ou
the 12th August 1867.
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 sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special licence 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,

page_text: and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES,"
being a communication to me from abroad, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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 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 from abroad consists, firstly, in
connecting the presser foot with the "take-up," or with the "thread controller,'
or with both, in such a manner that the thread is relieved of all tension as
soon as the needles point begins to enter the material to be sewn, and such
relief is rendered self-regulating according to the thickness of the material
that is being sewn, while the supply of thread varies according to the quantity
required for the stitches of the varying thicknesses of the material introduced
to the machine.
A further improvement in connection with the needle thread consists in
placing a small projection on the rim of the disc shell of the tension wheel
for holding the thread in place, instead of making a notch in the edge of the
rim.
As an improvement in the shuttle race the face of the race against which
the flat side of the shuttle slides is formed shelving or overhanging from the
top to the bottom, instead of vertical, in order to obviate a common difficulty
occasioned by the needle striking the shuttle as they pass each other; that the
point of the shuttle shall certainly enter the loop of the needle thread it is
necessary that the shuttle and the needle shall approach as near together as
possible without actually touching, and this object is more effectually secured
by inclining or overhanging the side of the race, so that the needle can pass
through it back of the edge at the top, and emerge from the side of the race
at that point very near where the nose of the shuttle passes to take up the
loop of its thread.
A further improvement consists in making the ways of the race separate
from the bed and securing them thereto by set screws for the purpose of
adjusting the ways as they wear or facilitating their renewal when necessary.

page_text: The last part of the Invention relates to improvements in connection with
the shuttle.
These several improvements are illustrated by the accompanying Drawing,
in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the head of a sewing machine, partly
in section detached; Figure 2 is a side elevation, and Figure 3 is a rear
view of the same; Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a shuttle, and Figure 5
is a side view of the same; Figure 6 is a detached inside view of the spool
holder, which fits in the shuttle; Figure 7 is an end view of the sanie, and
Figure 8 is a view of the opposite end of the same; Figure 9 is a detached
view of the tension spring in the spool holder; Figure 10 is a cross section of
the shuttle race of a sewing machine (taken in a line with the needle) aud
a part of the bed plate; and Figure 11 is a detached top view of the tension
wheel of the needle thread. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding
parts.
A represents the presser foot which is secured to the bar B, that slides up
up and down in the guide box C, being subjected to the action of a helical
spring a, which has the tendency to depress the same and hold the presser foot
down on the work in the ordinary manner; D is the needle bar fitted to and
made to move up and down in the guide box in the usual manner, and by any
suitable mechanism; E is the take-up which is attached by a screw b to the
front side of the guide box C. The needle thread which passes from the reel
or bobbin to the thread controller, then through a vertical slot c in the top of
the needle bar, and down in front of the guide box C is led between the
pins d, d', and passed through the loop e of the take-up E, as indicated in
red outlines in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawing. As the needle descends the
slack is taken in by the take-up E, so as to prevent the needle from piercing
or getting entangled in its own thread.
It is desirable that the needle thread shall be relieved of the tension
produced by the take-up as soon as the point of the needle strikes the material
to be sewn. This object is attained by arranging the loop e so that the position
is regulated automatically according to the thickness of the material to be
sewn, a pin f being provided which is connected to the rod B carrying the
presser foot A, and which bears on the take up E, as shown in Figures 1 and 2
of the Drawing. If thick material is being sewn the presser foot will be raised
from the table to an extent proportionate to the extra thickness of the material
and the distance between the loop e, and the open pins d, d', is decreased in
proportion, and vice versâ, so that the take-up will strike the pin f as soon as
the point of the needle comes in contact with the surface of the material to
be sewn.
The varying amount of thread required for the stitches of the

page_text: varying thicknesses of the material to be sewed is obtained by connecting the
thread controller F with the rod B, which carries the presser foot; usually
the thread controller is connected to the back of the head or guide box C by
a set screw, so that it can be adjusted up and down according to the thickness
of the material to be sewn. Instead of adjusting the thread controller in
this manner by hand, it is rendered self-adjusting by being made in the form
of an elbow lever which rocks on the screw pivot g, and connects by a wire h
with the top end of the rod B that carries the presser foot. If thick material
is sewn the depression of the presser foot will be proportionately diminished,
and the thread controller is turned down to a corresponding extent, so that its
distance from the slot c in the top of the needle bar will be increased, and
thereby the increased amount of thread required for the thick material to be
sewn will be supplied. In the top of the needle bar D a hardened steel
tip G is screwed or otherwise fastened, and in it the vertical slot c is formed,
extending from the top to the lower end, in order that the thread shall pass
over a convex bottom with less friction than through a straight hole; the slot
also allows the thread to be slipped in place through the head of the needle
bar with greater facility than by running an end through a hole in the ordinary
way. A small lug or ear n (see Fig. 11) is placed upon the rim of the shell
or disc of the needle thread tension wheel Fig. 11, for the purpose of
holding the thread in place to prevent it from slipping around the wheel disc
as a more effective plan than that of a notch hitherto used for the same
purpose.
As seen in Fig. 10 (rather exaggerated in the Drawing to shew it clearly)
the face of the race p against which the face of the shuttle slides is made
slightly shelving or inclining instead of vertical in the usual manner, so that
the needle can be set back from the upper edge of the face and descend
perpendicularly to the point where the nose of the shuttle passes to take up
the loop of its thread before emerging from the face of the race; by this
arrangement the point of the needle never comes in contact with the shuttle,
as often happens when the face of the race is vertical, and the needle descends
in the line of the same plane, projecting a little from top to bottom. In the
bottom of the race (see Fig. 10) the slide rest or ways q for the shuttle
driver y are made of brass or other suitable metal fitted in the bed plate H
and secured in place by the set screws t, by which the ways are adjusted to
compensate for wear, or may be removed when necessary for renewal. The
shuttle L is provided with a spool holder M that fits in a cavity and forms a
cover for its face. The ends w of the cavity in the shuttle are made a little
shelving or overhanging, as shewn clearly in Figure 4, and the ends o of the spool

page_text: holder M are made elastic in such a manner that they shall bear like springs
against the inclined ends w and have a tendency to press the spool holder
down in the cavity and hold it firmly in place in the shuttle. The ends o are
made by forming them of the same piece of metal of which the back v of
the shuttle holder is made by bending them at right angles and then folding
them back upon themselves so that the extremities shall flare outward slightly,
as shewn in Fig. 4, exaggerated a little in the Drawing. On the inside of the
spool holder M is placed as usual a long staple for the thread to pass over as
it comes from the spool and unwind evenly, and on the opposite side of the
spool holder is placed a long, flat, and delicate tension spring z, which is slightly
curved, and is fitted with its concave side next the side of the spool holder, to
which it is fastened by a small tension screw ¹ that enters from the outside,
as shewn in Figure 6; by means of this screw the tension spring may be
perfectly adjusted and the tension of the shuttle thread varied and regulated
at pleasure from the outside without removing the shuttle from the race. The
tension spring z is slotted at one end to form a tongue, and slightly grooved
in the fork or eye thus formed, as shewn in Fig. 9. When threading the
shuttle the thread is passed from the spool over the staple x to the end of the
tension spring around the tongue 2, and thence between the tension spring
and the inside of the spool holder into a notch u by means of the tension
screw, which draws the delicate spring z down upon the thread, thus
arranged its tension may be regulated perfectly, and the facility thus afforded
to the threading up of the shuttle will be obvious to any one practically
acquainted with the use of the shuttle sewing machine.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improvements in
sewing machines as communicated to me from abroad, 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 pin for its equivalent projecting from or connecting with the
bar B or any other part of the presser foot to act in combination with the
take-up E, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
Second, connecting the thread controller F with the bar B of the presser
foot, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Third, the improvement in the needle thread tension wheel, as described.
Fourth, forming the face p of the shuttle race shelving or overhanging to
allow the needle to be set back from the upper edge and operate in com-
bination with the shuttle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Fifth, the application of the adjustable tension spring to the spool
holder M, as and for the purposes shown and described.

page_text: And, lastly, the elastic folded ends o of the spool holder M, constructed and
operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)