Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 21st Sept., 1888
I, JAMES STEWART EDWARDS, of Beechwood, Compton Place Road, Eastbourne,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines.
The machine is designed to produce a peculiar stitch; a lock stitch but formed by
a single thread. The stitch somewhat resembles the ordinary chain stitch but the
loops are alternately long and short. Each long loop is retained just as in the chain
stitch, by another loop which the needle passes down throughout, but cach long
loop in addition serves to retain an intermediate short loop. The long loop passes
through the short loop and extends beyond it to the next long loop, by which it is
itself secured.
I produce this stitch by means of a machine carrying a needle of the ordinary
description and apparatus for moving the work forward stitch by stitch after each
descent of the needle. On the other or under side of the fabric I provide a revolving
disc or shuttle like instrument, it does not carry any thread but is recessed at its
periphery so as to form in it two pairs of horns or hook-like instruments. These are
placed diametrically opposite to each other, and one set of horns aids in producing
the long loops and the other set the short loops. This revolving disc, or shuttle hook
as it may be termed, is so driven that it makes but one complete revolution whilst two
stitches are being produced; it is driven as rotating shuttles are usually driven, by
loosely engaging parts, so that the shuttle hook may pass through the loops of the
needle thread.
The stitches are produced as follows:-
When the needle is sunk through the fabric for the purpose of making say one of
the long loops, the point of one of the horns of the shuttle hook passes through the
loop of the needle thread and retains it whilst the needle rises. As the shuttle hook
revolves the horn carries down and retains the loop until the needle again sinks
through the fabric and then this second loop of the needle thread is caught by another
hon upon the other side the shuttle book, and it also is retained whilst the needle

page_text: rises. So that now the shuttle hook is retaining two of the loops, namely, the first
which is to be the long loop and the second the short loop. These loops at first stand
one behind the other in the order in which they are produced, that is to say, the loop
which is to be the long loop is in advance of the loop subsequently made, which is to
be the short loop, but the rotation of the shuttle hook when the long loop comes to
its upper side reverses this position and carries the long loop through the shorter
one. The long loop is now about to be delivered from off the horn of the shuttle
hook, but the delivery does not take place from the horn by which the loop was
originally caught but from another horn immediately facing it, for, during the rotation
of the shuttle hook, the loop passes down to the root of the first horn, which is at a
short distance from the axis of the shuttle hook, and being carried under the axis by
the rotation of the shuttle hook, it then slides up the incline opposite horn and so again
reaches the periphery of the shuttle hook. This opposite horn, from which the delivery
takes place, is double, so that the loop about to slip off from it is opened out wide
and the needle passes down through it. Thus when the long loop slips off it is
retained first by the needle and afterwards by the loop of the needle thread which has
been passed down through it. Each short loop is carried around by the shuttle hook
in a similar manner, but with this difference, that the opposing horn off which the
short loop is delivered, is not double or so formed as to hold the loop distended, and
it is consequently delivered clear of the needle; nevertheless the short loop is retained
so that it cannot draw through the fabric in consequence of the long loop having
previously been carried through it, as already explained.
In the machine for operating in this manner the needle and the feed foot may work
in all respects in the ordinary manner, but the shaft which rotates the shuttle hook
must make but one revolution whilst two stitches are being produced. Any suitable
arrangement of gear may be employed to obtain the requisite relative speeds, for
example, a double cam upon the axis which rotates the shuttle hook may be employed
to give the movement to the lever which actuates the needle bar.
In order to ensure the proper tightening of the loops the thread passing from the
bobbin is led through the eye of a lever, and this lever receives movement from a cam
on the revolving axis. The movement imparted to this lever is longer for one stitch
than it is for the other, and the form given to the cam is suitable to produce this
result. At the time when the thread tightening lever makes its movement the thread
is held so that it may not be drawn from off the bobbin; it is nipped between two
discs, and these discs are pressed together by an incline on the lever which operates
the needle bar.
Dated this 23rd day of Santember 1887
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, JAMES STEWART EDWARDS, of Beechwood, Compton Place Road, Eastbourne,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be perforined to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention has for its object improvements in sewing machines.
The machine is designed to produce a peculiar stitch; a lock stitch but formed by a
single thread. The stitch somewhat resembles the ordinary chain stitch but the loops are
alternately long and short. Each long loop is retained just as in the chain stitch, by
another loop which the needle passes down throughout, but each long loop in addition
serves to retain an intermediate short loop. The long loop passes through the short
loop and extends beyond it to the next long loop, by which it is itself secured.
produce this stitch by means of a machine carrying a needle of the ordinary
description and apparatus for moving the work forward stitch by stitch after each
descent of the needle. On the other or under side of the fabric I provide a revolving
disc or shuttle like instrument, it does not carry any thread but is recessed at its
periphery so as to form in it two pairs of horns or hook-like instruments. These are
placed diametrically opposite to each other, and one set of horns aids in producing
the long loops and the other set the short loops. This revolving disc, or shuttle hook
as it may be termed, is so driven that it makes but one complete revolution whilst
two stitches are being produced; it is driven as rotating shuttles are usually driven,
by loosely engaging parts, so that the shuttle hook may pass through the loops of the
needle thread.
Each time the needle descends the shuttle hook catches the loop which the needle
carries down and the shuttle hook does not release this loop until the point of the
needle has twice again passed through the fabric. Sometimes the shuttle hook
presents the loop so that the needle descends through it and sometimes the loop is
presented so that the needle misses it. This takes place alternately in consequence of
a difference in form between the two horns of the shuttle from which the loop
escapes. The loops which the needle catches become the long loops of the work and
appear as such on the under side of the fabric; the alternate loops which the needle
misses pull up short and would pull back through the fabric, were it not that the long
loops pass through and retain them.
Any
In the machine for operating in this manner the needle and the feed foot may
work in all respects in the ordinary manner, but the shaft which rotates the shuttle
hook must make but one revolution whilst two stitches are being produced.
suitable arrangement of gear may be employed to obtain the requisite relative speeds,
for example, a double cam upon the axis which rotates the shuttle hook may be
employed to give the movement to the lever which actuates the needle bar.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 show several successive positions of the needle, the shuttle
hook and the feed foot.
Figures 9 are diagrams of the stitch enlarged.
a is the needle, it is carried by a needle slide which moves vertically in guides as is
usual, is the table or work plate, e represents the fabric resting on the work plate
and held down by the spring presser d. e is the feed foot operating as usual to move
the fabric stitch by stitch from right to left. fis a stationary guide eye to control
the threads beneath the table; the needle passes down through this guide eye. g is the
shuttle hook. h is the shaft by which the shuttle hook is driven, it makes one
revolution only whilst two stitches are formed. i is a fixed guide in which the
shuttle hook is loosely held. The shuttle hook has in it two indentations g¹ gl and
with these the rocking bolt on the end of the shaft h engages. The bolt is
controlled by a stationary cam surface k and it gets out of the way of the thread to
allow the shuttle hook to pass through each successive loop.
In Figure 4 the shuttle hook is seen with a loop upon it which when the hook
releases it and it is drawn up will form one of the long loops in the work.
The needle also is already down again through the fabric with another loop which
will ultimately form a short loop in the work.
In Figure 5 the needle has commenced to rise and the leading horn g² of the
shuttle hook has caught the needle thread.
In Figure 6 the needle after rising to its full extent is again descending; the loop
which in Figure 5 was just being caught is now distended around the shuttle hook
and the loop before seen upon the shuttle hook has been drawn through the new loop
and is on the point of passing off from the delivering horn g³. The form of this
horn is such that the loop is presented so that the point of the needle passes through
it. This loop therefore, which has been brought by the shuttle hook through the
preceding loop is now locked and it cannot draw back."
In Figure 7 the needle is rising again and the leading horn g* has caught the
thread and commenced to take a loop which is to form the next long loop of the
work.
In Figure 8 the needle is again descending and the loop which in Figure 7 is
distended around the shuttle book is now just dropping off from the horn go without
being caught by the needle.
In Figures 9 the appearance of the work both on face and underside is clearly
shown and a section is also given. are the shorter loops and 12 the longer loops or
stitches.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. Sewing machines susbtantially as described and so arranged that the alternate
loops taken through the fabric by the needle are caught by an instrument which
passes such loops each through the next succeeding loop and then presents it so as to
be caught by the needle thereby producing work such as is shown by the Figures 9
of the drawings.
2. In a sewing machine the shuttle hook with its two pairs of horns making one
rotation whilst two stitches are produced and operating substantially as described.
3. My improvements in sewing machines as described and illustrated by the
drawings annexed.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1888