Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd. Oct., 1891-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, WILLIAM JONES, Director of the firm "Jones' Sewing Machine Company
Limited" of Guide Bridge, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Sewing
Machine Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the presser foot mechanism of sewing machines having
for its object the lifting of the presser foot to a determined extent above and more
or less clear of the surface of the fabric being sewn, notwithstanding the varying
thickness of the fabric being operated upon.
In other words the object of the invention is to lift the presser foot to a given
extent above and more or less clear of the fabric whether one, two, or more folds or
thicknesses of fabric are being sewn together, this lifting movement taking place
when the needle is through the fabric being sewn, the removing of the pressure of
the presser foot from the cloth at such time allowing it to be freely turned about to
change the line of stitching as required.
My invention consists in an improved combination and arrangement of mechanism
to carry out the object above named.
Arrangements have been proposed which bite upon the presser foot slide bar and
lift it, leaving it free when the cloth is being fed, but many of these proposed
arrangements either throw an objectionable lateral strain on the presser foot slide
bar or become uncertain in their action and give trouble after being used a short
time.
By my improved combination of mechanism the lateral strains upon the presser
foot slide bar, are balanced by being made equal upon opposite sides of it, and
instead of only one or two edges biting upon the presser slide bar when lifting it,
four such edges are in use at the same time, the biting action is thus more distributed
and uniform, and there is less wear upon the parts.
My improved combination and arrangement consists of two steel bars or levers
each having a hole made through it near one end to pass on the presser foot slide
bar freely in that part of it projecting above the head of the arm of the machine.
The levers are placed one above the other, and having their long arms on opposite
sides of the presser foot slide bar with their lengthway in a line at about a right
angle to the axis of the shaft for actuating the needle slide bar which
through a hole or slot for it in one of the said levers.
passes freely
Each lever has a rounded projection from it on each side of the presser foot slide
bar, and opposite the centre of it.
The projections upon the lowest lever rest upon the face or end of a bush or
tubular part through which the presser foot slide bar can slide freely which bush
or tubular part has its bearings in a hole in the arm of the machine, and by a
handle can be oscillated partly round the presser foot slide bar.
This tubular part has a projecting flange on the underside of which a cam surface
is formed to rest upon the end of a pin secured in a hole in the arm of the machine
so that when the bush is rotated by the handle one way, it descends the presser foot
slide bar, and when moved the other way, ascends it.
The rounded projections upon the upper lever rest upon the upper face of the
lower lever, and there is a pin in and projecting upwards from the short end of each
lever, and the pin from the lower lever passes up through a hole made for it in the
upper lever.
The tops of the two pins above the upper lever are level with each other and
upon them the underside of a washer rests, which is free upon the presser foot slide bar

page_text: and upon the upper side of the washer the lower end of a helical spring rests, the
upper end of which abuts against the head of a screw screwed into a hole in the end
of the presser foot slide bar.
This spring keeps both of the short ends of the levers down, the upper against
the lower, and the latter against the end of the said bush, so as to be in a position
ready to bite upon the presser foot slide bar when the ends of the levers are lifted.
There are adjusting screws at the long end of each lever, the point of each of
which enters a hole in one prong of a lever having a forked end, which lever is a
bell crank lever, and has its fulcrum upon a projection from the arm of the
machine.
The vertical arm of the bell crank lever carries a bowl which is acted upon by
a cam on the needle bar actuating shaft, this cam giving movement in a line with
the lengthway of the shaft, and it operates to act upon the said two levers to cause
them to bite upon and lift the presser foot slide bar when the needle is in the fabric
being sewn.
There is or may be a bell crank formed spring having two or three coils at its
fulcrum part, or other spring, to act upon the bell crank lever to withdraw its bowl
from the action of the cam when permitted.
By means of the tubular bush part, having the handle and cam surface resting
upon the end of the pin, the said two levers may be made to cause more or less
lift to be given to the presser foot, or to prevent any lift from being given when
desired.
Dated this Twelfth day of January 1801
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, WILLIAM JONES, Director of the firm "Jones' Sewing Machine Company
Limited" of Guide Bridge near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Sewing
Machine Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to the presser foot mechanism of sewing machines, having
for its object the lifting of the presser foot to a determined extent above, and more
or less clear of the surface of the fabric being sewn, notwithstanding the varying
thickness of the fabric being operated upon.
In other words the object of the invention is to lift the presser foot to a given
extent above and more or less clear of the fabric, whether one, two or more folds
or thicknesses of fabric are being sewn together, this lifting movement taking place
when the needle is through the fabric being sewn, the removing of the pressure of
the presser foot from the cloth at such time allowing it to be freely turned about
to change the line of stitching as required.
My invention consists in an improved combination and arrangement of mechanism
to carry out the object above named.
Arrangements have been proposed which bite upon the presser foot slide bar, and
lift it, leaving it free when the cloth is being fed, but many of these proposed
arrangements either throw an objectionable lateral strain on the presser foot slide
bar or become uncertain in their action and give trouble after being used a short
time.
By my improved combination of mechanism the lateral strains upon the presser
foot slide bar are balanced by being made equal upon opposite sides of it, and
instead of only one or two edges biting upon the presser slide bar, when lifting it,
four such edges are in use at the same time, the biting action is thus more distributed
and uniform, and there is less wear upon the parts.

page_text: My improved combination and arrangement consists of two steel bars or levers
each having a hole made through it near one end to pass on the presser foot slide
bar freely, in that part of it projecting above the head of the arm of the machine.
The levers are placed one above the other, having their long arms on opposite
sides of the presser foot slide bar, with their lengthway in a line at about a right
angle to the axis of the shaft for actuating the needle slide bar, which passes freely
through a hole or slot for it in one of the said levers.
Each lever has a rounded projection from it on each side of the presser foot slide
bar, and opposite the centre of it.
The projections upon the lowest lever rest upon the face or end of a bush or
tubular part through which the presser foot slide bar can slide freely which bush or
tubular part has its bearings in a hole in the arm of the machine, and by a handle
can be oscillated partly round the presser foot slide bar.
This tubular part has a projecting flange on the underside of which a cam surface
is formed to rest upon the end of a pin secured in a hole in the arm of the machine
so that when the bush is rotated by the handle one way, it lowers the steel bars or
levers, and when moved the other way, lifts them.
The rounded projections upon the upper lever, rest upon the upper face of the
lower lever, and there is a pin in and projecting upwards from the short end of each
lever, and the pin from the lower lever passes up through a hole made for it in the
upper lever.
The tops of the two pins above the upper lever are level with each other and
upon them the underside of a washer rests, which is free upon the presser foot slide
bar, and upon the upper side of the washer, the lower end of a helical spring rests, the
upper end of which abuts against the head of a screw screwed into a hole in the end
of the presser foot slide bar.
This spring keeps both of the short ends of the levers down, the upper against
the lower, and the latter against the end of the said bush, so as to be in a
position ready to bite upon the presser foot slide bar when the ends of the levers
are lifted.
There are adjusting screws to take up the wear at the long end of each lever, the
point of each of which enters a hole in one prong of a lever, having a forked end,
which lever is a bell crank lever, and has its fulcrum upon a projection from the
arm of the machine.
The vertical arm of the bell crank lever carries a bowl which is acted upon by a
cam on the needle bar actuating shaft, this cam giving movement in a line with the
lengthway of the shaft, and it operates to act upon the said two levers to cause
them to bite upon and lift the presser foot slide bar when the needle is in the fabric
being sewn.
There is or may be a bell crank formed spring having two or three coils at its
fulcrum part, or other spring, to act upon the bell crank lever, to withdraw its bowl
from the action of the cam when permitted.
By means of the tubular bush part, having the handle and cam surface resting
upon the end of the pin, the said two levers may be made to cause more or less lift
to be given to the presser foot, or to prevent any lift from being given when
desired.
Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section in a plane parallel to the axis of the shaft
for the needle slide, and with the mechanism for actuating the presser foot slide
bar in its lowest position.
Fig. 4 is a similar elevation and section to that shown by Fig. 1 but with the
mechanism for actuating the presser foot slide bar in its highest position.
Fig. 2, is a front elevation of some of the parts shown in Fig. 1, looking towards
the end of the shaft (shown in section) for the needle slide, the cover plate being
removed and part of the framing being supposed broken away to show the cam
actuating the mechanism for lifting the presser foot.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

page_text: Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views of some of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, but looking
from the opposite side of the mechanism from that in which Fig. 2 is seen.
Fig. 5 shows the lever and connected mechanism as when in its lowest position and
acting to its fullest lifting extent, Fig. 6 as when partly lifted and acting to a less
extent, and Fig. 7 as when it is out of action.
a, is part of the framing of the machine; b, is the shaft for actuating the needle ;
c, is part of the needle slide bar; d, is a part of the presser foot slide bar.
The above parts referred to by letters are ordinary and well known parts of
sewing machines.
f, is a bell crank lever, having its fulcrum on a stud f³, secured in a part or arm
from the framing.
The lower end of the vertical arm f', of the bell crank lever f, carries a bowl f*,
on a stud secured in the arm f', of the lever, and this bowl is acted upon by the
cam e, secured on the shaft & so that movement is imparted to the bowl, and thus
to the arm of the bell crank lever in a direction parallel to the lengthway of the
shaft b.
The vertical arm f', of the bell crank lever works through a slot formed in the
top side of the arm (a) of the framing.
The horizontal arm of the bell crank lever f, is forked as seen best in Fig. 3.
There is or may be a bell crank lever g, formed of elastic or spring wire, and
there are two or three coils of this wire round the collar on the stud f, for the bell
crank lever f
The end of the horizontal arm of the wire spring lever g, is bent to come under
the horizontal arm of the bell crank lever f, and the vertical arın g', of the spring
wire lever comes against one end of the slot in the hollow arm of the framing (see
Fig. 1) as an abutment, and thus the horizontal arm of the bell crank lever, is
lifted and its forked arms are kept close against the ends of the steel levers which
they act upon. But the spring lever g, is only intended to give pressure enough to
keep the ends of the forked arm of the lever, against the ends of the steel levers
so as not to lift them, but to take up "play" so that the steel levers will be ready
to act immediately the cam e, begins to move the bell crank lever f, to lift its
horizontal forked arm.
The presser foot bar d, at its upper end passes and slides up and down through a
bush or tube, fitting a hole in the framing and this bush has a collar at its upper
end from which a handle k, projects, by which the collar and bush can be turned
partly round the presser foot slide bar d, as a centre.
This handle k, can be placed in three positions, as shown best in Fig. 3, one
position, in full line, another middle position in dotted line 2, and a third
position, on the opposite side to that in which it is shown in full line.
There is a cam face formed on the under face of the collar of the bush or
tube k, (see best in Figs. 5, 6 and 7) and this face of the cam rests in two positions k³,
and 3, on the upper end of a pin ¹, inserted in a hole in the framing and projecting
upwards above it.
When the lever k, is in the position shown in full line in Fig. 3 the pin kis
opposite a hole in the collar of the tube or bush k, which is then in its lowest
position as shown in Fig. 5.
When the handle k, is in the middle position shown by 2, Fig. 3, the tube or
bush has been lifted, and the lifting action upon the steel levers is of the least extent.
When the handle k, is in the position shown by k³, Fig. 3, the underside of the
collar rests on the upper end of the pin k', as shown in Fig. 7, in which position
there is no lifting action upon the steel levers.
On the presser foot slide bar d, above the collar of the tube 4, there is or may
be a washer j, (or the washer j, may be solid with the collar) and also upon the
slide bar d, there are two steel levers m, and m¹, each having a hole through it near
its end which is just large enough to allow the presser foot slide bar d, to slide
through freely.

page_text: One of these steel levers (m³) is straight and is the lowest, the other (m) is cranked
or bent and is the highest.
The outer ends of these steel levers m, and m', have each a hole for an adjusting
screw m³, which has a lock nut upon it, to allow of adjustment for wear, and the
end of each screw m³, is reduced in thickness to freely enter a hole in the end of
the prong for it in the forked horizontal arm of the lever, and thus the levers m,
and ', are kept in position.
On the underside of each steel lever there is a projection m³, in the front and
back of each lever on opposite sides of the needle bar d.
The projections m³, upon the lower steel lever m', rest upon the upper side of the
washer j, and the projections m³, upon the under side of the upper lever m, rest
upon the upper side of the lower lever m'.
A vertical pin m', is inserted in a hole in the lower steel lever m', and passes
clear through a hole in the upper lever m, and extends above it to the underside of a
washer n, free on the presser foot slide bar d-there is a similar pin or projection m*,
from the upper side of the upper lever which also comes against the underside of
the washer n, but on the opposite side of it, to that for the pin m', from the lower
steel lever m².
On the slide bar d, there is a helical spring i, which rests at its lower end upon
the upper side of the washer n, and at its upper end abuts against a washer or the
head of a screw d', screwed into a hole in the end of the slide bar d.
The helical spring i, keeps the steel levers m, and m³, down one upon the other
and against a washer j, and the latter against the upper face of the collar on the
tube, and when the steel levers m, and m¹, and the bell crank lever f, are in the
positions shown best in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6 the presser foot slide bar d, is at liberty
to rise and fall freely, but when the bell crank lever f, is lifted by the cam e, as
shown in Fig. 4, the outer ends of the steel levers m, and m¹, are lifted and the
lower edges of the holes in the steel levers bite on one side, and the upper edges of
the holes on the opposite side of the presser foot bite on the other side of the slide
bar d, and lift it.
But when the bell crank lever ƒ, allows the steel levers m, and m¹, to descend,
they are released from the slide bar d, when the projections m³, rest again upon the
upper face of the washer j, which rests upon the collar of the tube k.
When the handle k, is in the position shown in dotted line by k³, Fig. 3, the
collar on the tube k, is lifted so high as to raise the steel levers above the range of
the action of the bell crank lever f, in which case the presser foot slide bar d, is
perfectly free to move up and down at all times.
To ensure that the horizontal arm of the bell crank lever f, shall be lifted
sufficiently to take the bowl f₁, clear of the cam e, there is or may be a projection f³,
(shown in dotted line in Fig. 3) from the bell crank lever f, that rests upon the
upper face of the collar of the tube or bush k, and lifts that arm of the lever f, and
thus the bowl f, clear of the cam e, when the collar is in the position shown in
Fig. 7.
The helical spring i, tends to lift the presser foot slide bar d, but the ordinary
spring for pressing down the slide bar d, is not only sufficiently strong to overcome
the spring i, but to give the required pressure of the presser foot upon the fabric
being sewn.
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. The combination of two levers m, and m', each lever having two biting edges,
with the presser foot slide bar, and with connected mechanism for actuating the
same, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the drawings.
2. The handle k, combined with the bush or collar k, and with the pin or

page_text: projection k', and levers m, and m', substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this First day of October 1891.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.