which was moved
back to its original position. The cloth was moved forward on the pins,
and the seam continued.

In his patent specifications, Howe claimed the following:

1. The forming of the seam by carrying a thread through the cloth
by means of a curved needle on the end of a vibrating arm, and the
passing of a shuttle furnished with its bobbin, in the manner set
forth, between the needle and the thread which it carried, under
combination and arrangement of parts substantially the same with
that described.

2. The lifting of the thread that passes through the needle-eye by
means of the lifting-rod, for the purpose of forming a loop of
loose thread that is to be subsequently drawn in by the passage of
the shuttle, as herein fully described, said lifting-rod being
furnished with a lifting pin, and governed in its motion by the
guide-pieces and other devices, arranged and operating
substantially as described.

3. The holding of the thread that is given out by the shuttle, so
as to prevent its unwinding from the shuttle-bobbin after the
shuttle has passed through the loop, said thread being held by
means of the lever or slipping-piece, as herein made known, or in
any other manner that is substantially the same in its operation
and result.

4. The manner of arranging and combining the small lever with the
sliding box, in combination with the spring-piece, for the purpose
of tightening the stitch as the needle is retracted.

5. The holding of the cloth to be sewed by the use of a
baster-plate furnished with points for that purpose, and with holes
enabling it to operate as a rack in the manner set forth, thereby
carrying the cloth forward and dispensing altogether with the
necessity of basting the parts together.

The five claims, which were allowed Howe in his patent, have been quoted
to show that he did not claim the invention of the eye-pointed needle,
for which he has so often been credited. The court judgment[34] that
upheld Howe's claim to his patented right to control the use of the
eye-pointed needle in combination with a shuttle to form a lockstitch
was mistakenly interpreted by some as verifying control of the
eye-pointed needle itself.

[Illustration: Figure 15.--HOWE'S PATENT MODEL, 1846. (Smithsonian photo
45525-B.)]

After patenting his invention, Howe spent thre