I don’t know if it applies in this case, but the term “automatic”, even on what we consider an “old timey machine”, was usually associated with improvements to the machine. It could have been any number of new “bells and whistles” that hadn’t been seen before. The most obvious automatic innovation back in the day, was the addition of an “automatic” bobbin winder. With the new automatic bobbin winder, you no longer had to guide the thread wraps personally by hand to wind a bobbin. The “new” “automatic” bobbin winder had a little arm on it that did that exhausting task for the operator....
CD in Oklahoma