Improvements in and relating to Sewing Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 25th Nov., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Sewing Machines.
I, WILLIAM STANLEY NORTH, of 60, Michigan Street, Chicago, in the State of
Illinois, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
.
My invention relates to an improvement in sewing machines, and especially
to machines for overseaming or finishing the edges of fabrics or for ornamenting
the faces of fabrics.
The object of the invention is especially to provide a novel machine for
finishing the edges of knit goods, articles made of lace, and the like, and it is
herein shown as applied to a sewing machine of the chain stitch type, but it
will be understood that it is not necessarily limited to this type of machine, nor
to the particular work above referred to, for it is adapted to various kinds of
material and in addition to finishing the edges of fabrics may be used to ornament
the flat face of garments.
The invention consists primarily of a mechanism for adaptation to a union
special twin needle machine, such as illustrated in British Patent 8516, of
29th June, 1886, whereby the thread carried by one needle is seized by an imple-
ment and carried over into the path of the other needle, so that said other needle
passes down into the bight of the loop formed in the thread of the other needle
by the aforesaid implement, thereby forming an ornamental cross stitch on the
upper surface of the material being sewn, or if the one needle pass down outside
the edge or near the edge of the goods being sewn, forming an overseam or edge
finish which not only ornaments the edge of the garment being sewn, but binds
its raw edges and prevents ravelling.
Secondly, the invention consists in the combination with a stitch forming
mechanism, of a thread manipulating device, adapted to carry a loop of thread
across the line of the seam, release it and move back to its initial position.
Finally, it consists in various details of construction and arrangement of parts;
all as hereinafter described and referred to in the appended claims.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sewing machine, embodying my invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a perspective view, certain of the parts of the frame being removed
to show the mechanism forming the features of my invention more clearly;
Figures 4, 5, 6, and 7 are perspective views illustrating the various positions
of the thread manipulating finger;
Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of the stitch made on my improved machine;
and
Figure 9 is a top plan view of the same,
In these drawings, A represents the base of a sewing machine of the union
special twin needle type, B is the cloth plate. C the needle lever, 1) the goose neck
E the driving shaft, F the presser foot, G the feed dog, H the looper operating
pitman, I the needle bar, K K the needles, L the tongue on the presser foot,

page_text: over which the stitches are formed, and off of which they slide as the feed pro-
gresses, and M is the adjustable guide for the edge of the garment to be sewed,
all these parts being of well known construction, and substantially like corre-
sponding parts in the union special twin needle machine, the material features
of which are illustrated in the patent herein before referred to. The action of
the looper with respect to the needles is as described in connection with said
patent, the under or looper thread concatenating with the upper or needle threads
on the under surface of the fabric beneath the tongue on the throat plate, the
appearance of the stitch on the under surface of the fabric being illustrated in
Figure 8, in which a, a, are the loops of needle thread and b is the looper or under
thread.
Upon the rear end of the driving shaft E, adjacent the frame of the machine
is mounted two eccentrics or a part having two eccentric surfaces, over each of
which is clamped the lower end of a connecting rod, these connecting rods being
indicated by the numerals 1, 2, and the parts which embrace the eccentric and in
which it travels by 3, 4.
Secured to the head of the sewing machine, by any suitable means is a
rectangular frame or block N, provided with V-shaped tracks 5, fitting bevelled
grooves 6, in a gate or frame 0, which slides on said tracks or ways 5.
This gate or frame O has two lugs 7, 8, projecting toward the front of the
machine, provided with openings through which passes and in which is journalled
a vertical bar, or shaft P to the lower end of which is secured the thread manipula-
ting finger 9, the movements of which will be referred to hereinafter.
The rod or shaft P and with it the finger 9, is raised by the action of the
presser bar lifting cam 10, by reason of the connecting angular piece 11, which
at one end is formed with a collar embracing the presser bar 12, while its lower
extending portion lies beneath a collar 13 on the rod or shaft P, and as the
presser bar is lifted rises against the collar 13 and raises it also. The rod or
shaft P is normally kept in a depressed position by means of the coiled spring 14*
lying between the collar 13 and the lug 7.
To enable the thread manipulating finger 9 to properly do its work it is
desirable that it should have movement in an elliptical path or at least that it
should have movement to enable it to take the thread carried by needle K¹, carry
it over so that the needle K will go down in the loop thus formed, then it must
release the loop, and move out of the vertical plane of the needles as they are
moving down and then move back to first position, so as to pass underneath the
points of the needles as they are completing their upward movement.
To give the finger 9 its forward and backward movement to carry the thread
of the needle K over into the path of needle K, the sliding gate or frame 0, is
provided on its front face with a ball stud fitting in a socket in the head 14, to
which is secured one end of the connecting rod 15, which at its opposite end is
secured to a similar head 16, pivotally attached to the stud 17 on the upper
arm 18 of a bell crank lever, sleeved on the shaft Q, the lower or transverse
arm 19 of this bell crank lever having a ball and stud or other flexible joint
connection with the upper end of the eccentric connecting rod 1.
By this arrangement, it will be noticed that as the eccentric on the driving
shaft E, rotates it will raise the rod 1 up and down, oscillate the bell crank
lever 18, 19, and through the connections described, slide the gate or frame Q
which supports the thread manipulating finger back and forth.
While the reciprocating movement is taking place the finger 9, must also have
an oscillatory movement on a vertical axis to cause it to take and leave the needle
thread and move sidewise to avoid the needles in their descent. This movement
is accomplished by oscillating the rod or shaft P, on its axis. This rod or shaft P
has clamped about its upper end, the end of a link 20, which at its opposite
end is provided with a ball 21, fitting in a socket in the head 22 on the end of
connecting rod 23, which at its opposite end is pivoted on the stud 24 on the
end of the vertical arm 25 of a bell crank lever, journalled on the stationary

page_text: shaft Q and having its horizontal arm 26 connected ly a ball and socket or other
flexible joint to the eccentric connecting rod 2. By this arrangement, when the
driving shaft rotates the eccentric rod 2 rises up and down and through the connec-
tions described oscillates the shaft P and through it the thread manipulating.
finger 9. Assuming that the needles have reached their lowest position, the looper
its retracted position, and the thread finger 9, its retracted position, movement of.
the driving shaft raises the needles, moves forward the looper to engage the needle
loops and at the same time the end of the finger 9, swings in so that in the con-
tinued movement, it will move bodily forward so that the depression 27, in the
end will engage the thread carried by the needle K', will pass beneath the points
of the needles K', and K, and carry the loop drawn out by it to such position
that the needle K in its descent will pass into the bight of the loop as shown
in Figure 6; when the needle K has engaged the loop the finger 9, swings toward
the rear of the machine, to pass out of the loop and then moves positively back-
ward in a plane to the rear of the needles. It will be seen that the parts are so
timed that after the finger has engaged the thread of needle K¹ the bell crank
levers move in unison for a distance, until the line of seam has been crossed
when the smaller moves ahead of the other, and the latter begins to move back
ahead of the smaller one, thus swinging the finger out of the thread loop, this
swinging of the finger on its axis taking place when it moves in to engage the
thread, and moves out to release it.
To prevent danger of breaking of the thread of the needle K¹ it is desirable
to pull off from the spool an additional quantity of that particular thread to allow
for its passage across the line of seam and, therefore, the pull off 28, is provided.
Various minor modifications and changes may be made in the construction of
the parts of the machine without departing from the spirit of my invention, and
it will be readily seen that the mechanism which actuates the thread carrying
finger 9 may be employed to actuate a finger which is threaded to carry a thread,
which would be interwoven with the needle threads and I wish, therefore, to
claim the mechanism for operating the thread carrying finger broadly, no matter
for what purpose it may be applied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. In a sewing machine having a plurality of needles and complemental stitch
forming mechanism, an implement and means for operating it whereby the thread
carried by one needle is seized by said implement and carried over into the path
of another needle, so that said other needle passes down into the bight of the
loop formed by the aforesaid implement in the thread of the other needle; sub-
stantially as described.
2. The combination with the stitch forming mechanism of a sewing machine,
of a thread manipulating device adapted to carry a loop of thread across the
line of the seam and recede to its initial position; substantially as described.
3. In a sewing machine in combination with the stitch forming mechanism
thereof, a thread manipulating device with means for reciprocating it bodily
across the line of the seam, and means for oscillating it on its vertical axis of
support; substantially as described.
4. In a sewing machine, in combination with the stitch forming mechanism
thereof, a thread manipulating device with means for moving it across the line
of the seam, in a plane below the points of the needles, means for oscillating it
on its supporting axis, and means for returning it to its first position; sub-
stantially as described.
5. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulating device, a sliding frame or gate,
supporting the same, and means for oscillating said thread manipulating device;
substantially as described.
6. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulating device, a vertical shaft sup-

page_text: porting the same, means for oscillating said shaft, a support for said shaft, and
means for reciprocating said support; substantially as described.
7. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulating device, a vertical shaft sup-
porting the same, means for oscillating said shaft, a gate or frame on which
said shaft is journalled, a stationary frame on which said gate or frame is sup-
ported; and means for reciprocating said gate or frame on its supporting sta-
tionary frame; substantially as described.
8. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulating device, a presser foot and con-
nections between the presser foot and thread manipulating device, whereby the
latter partakes of the vertical movements of the presser foot; substantially as
described.
9. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulating device, supplemental to the
stitch forming mechanism, means for reciprocating and oscillating said thread
manipulating device, including rocking levers with connections between the latter
and the driving shaft; substantially as described.
10. In a sewing machine, in combination with the stitch forming mechanism.
a driving shaft, a thread manipulating device, a sliding support therefor, a bell
crank lever, connections between the bell crank lever and said support and eccen-
tric connections between the bell crank lever and the driving shaft; substantially
as described.
11. In a sewing machine, in combination with the stitch forming mechanism,
a driving shaft, a thread manipulating device, a shaft supporting the same, a
sliding support for the shaft, a bell crank lever oscillated from the driving shaft
and operatively connected with the shaft which supports the thread manipulating
device, and a second bell crank lever oscillated from the driving shaft, and opera-
tively connected with the sliding support; substantially as described.
12. In a sewing machine, the combination with two vertically reciprocating
thread carrying eye pointed needles, and complemental stitch forming mechanism,
an oscillating and reciprocating thread manipulating device with means for
moving it into position to engage the thread of one of the needles, and to carry
it across into position to be engaged by the other needle, said device in its further
movement releasing the thread; substantially as described.
13. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulating device, with means for recipro-
cating it to carry a looper thread across the line of the seam and means for
oscillating it to release the loop of thread and for returning it in a plane back
of the needles to its initial position.
14. In a sewing machine having a plurality of needles, a thread manipulator
acting upon one of the needle threads, and a pull off as 28, for supplying an
extra amount of slack to one of the threads; substantially as described.
15. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulator supported above the bed plate
of the machine and means to reciprocate it and to oscillate it on its supporting
axis substantially as described.
:
16. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulating device, a presser foot, con-
nections between the presser foot and thread manipulating device whereby the
latter partakes of the vertical movements of the presser foot, and means for
normally holding the presser foot and thread manipulating device in depressed
position substantially as described.
17. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulating device, a presser foot, con-
nections between the presser foot and thread manipulator, and a single lever for
lifting both the presser foot and thread manipulator: substantially as described.
18. In a sewing machine,, in combination with the stitch forming mechanism
thereof, a thread manipulating device having its forward end parallel with the feed,.
whereby it may force a thread across the line of the seam and then when said
manipulator is swung on its axis may release the thread; substantially as
described.
19. In a sewing machine, in combination with the stitch forming mechanism
thereof, a thread manipulating device having its forward end parallel with the feed,

page_text: whereby it may force a thread across the line of the seam and then when said
thread manipulating device is swung on its axis may release the thread, and
having a depression to retain the thread; substantially as described.
20. In a sewing machine, a thread manipulator supported above the bed plate
of the machine and having means to reciprocate it and to oscillate it on its
supporting axis; substantially as described.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.