Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th May, 1895-Accepted, 13th July. 1995
[Communicated from abroad by THE SINGER MANUFACTURING Co., of New
York, in the United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of the Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie, in the County of Dumbarton, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and u what manner the same is to be performed, as com-
municated to me to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our invention relates to sewing machines for working eyelets, and has for its
object to provide an cyclet-working machine in which, when the circle of eyelet
stitches has becu completed, the overseaming movement of the needle will be
suspended and a few fastening stitches be made and the machine will then be
automatically stopped; and simultaneously with this stopping operation, the
presser-foot will preferably be automatically lifted for the convenient shifting of
the work for the next eyelet When the work has thuɛ been shifted for the
next operation the machine may be again started by means of a treadle-operated
device which is of such construction that it will be in-operative between the time
when the machine has been started and the completion of the working of the
eyelet-hole, so that the starting device cannot accidentally be caused to interfere
with the stopping device.
In the accompanying drawings
Figs 1 and 2 are front and rear elevations, respectively, of our improved eyelet
machine, with the work-plate in section Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the same.
Fig. 4 18 a detail view of the rain by means of which horizontal movements are
impaited to the needle-bar.
Fig. 5 is a section of the throat-plate and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the throat-
plate and of the rotary feeding ring or dog surrounding the same
Figs. 7 and 8 are plan and sectional views, respectively, of the presser-foot.
Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views showing parts of the mechanism for suspending
the horizontal movements of the needle-bar aud of the stopping mechanism, and
Figs 11 and 12 are detail views of a part of the stopping and starting
mechanism.
Fig. 13 18 a detail side view of the clutch wheel.
Fig. 14 is a detail view of a part of the needle-bar mechanism.
Fig 15 18 a front end view of the machine with the face plate removed and
Fig. 16 a rear end view of the machine.
A denotes the work-plate and B the bracket arm of the machine. Journalled in
the upper part of the arm B is the driving shaft C provided at its rear end with a
fast pulley c and a loose pulley c'. D is a stopping and starting lever pivotally
mounted in a bracket & secured to the vertical part of the arm B, said lever having
its upper end pressed outward by a spring interposed between said lever and said
arm. To the lever D is attached a belt shifter to move the diving belt from
the fast pulley to the loose pulley, and vice versa. The fast pulley is provided
with a block o projection to engage the lever D when the upper end of the
latter is moved into the path of said block or projection, a retarding spring c
secured to said pulley e and so arranged as to wipe against the outer face of the
upper end of said lever serving to check the rotary movement of the driving
shaft somewhat before it is finally stopped by the impact of the block or pro-
”.01

page_text: jection with said lever.
Said spring also serves, by engagement with a
shoulder don said lever D, to prevent back-motion of the pulley c and driving
shaft when they have been suddenly stopped. To still further lessen the jar or
shock in stopping, the lever D is preferably provided with a stiff plate-spring
against which the block or projection comes in contact in stopping, instead
of impinging directly against the lever D, said spring thus serving as
cushioning device.
a
The upper end of the stopping lever D is connected by a rode to a bell-crank
lever e pivoted on a screw e attached to the head of the machine and having a
short arin or toe et which is arranged beneath a lug or projection e' on a bracket
attached to the presser-bar E, so that said bar and the piesser-foot F canned
thereby will be automatically lifted when the upper end of the lever D moves
outward to stop the machine.
The driving shaft C is connected by bevel gears and g to a vertical shaft G
having at its lower end a crank disc g' connected by a pitman g³ to a shuttle-
driving rock-shaft as is common in the well-known "Singer" over-seaming
machine, and above said crank-dist on said shatt G is a cam g' working in a yoke
at the rear end of a feed-operating lever 1, the forward end of which is connected
by a link to a clutch lever serving to impart an intermittent rotary movement
to the clutch-wheel 1 by a construction commou in feed wheels of sewing machines,
and which therefore need not be herein more fully shown and described, the
backward movements of said clutch wheel being prevented by a clutch-pawl *
operating in the usual manner.
18
Connected to the clutch wheel 1, to rotate therewith is a gear-wheel which 18
connected by an intermediate gear to a gear connected to or formed integial
with a rotary feeding ring or dog su rounding the throat-plate, the latter being
provided with a needle slot and with a pin at one end of said slot, said pin
serving as a pivot on which the goods will turn in working an eyelet The
presser-foot consists of a central hub portion f surrounded by a ring adapted
to rotate with the feeding ring or dog, said ring f' boing attached to said hub f
by small plates the inner ends of which engage an annular groove in said hub.
The needle bar K, which is reciprocated vertically by a pitman connected to a crank
at the forward end of the during shaft C, is mounted in a horizontally swinging
frame K', connected by a pitman k to a pio l' engaging a lover M pivoted at m
and operated by a grooved cam m' actuated by a bevel gear m³ meshing with a
smalle bevel gear of the shaft C, the proportion of these bevel gears being such
that the sand cam makes one revolution to two revolutions of the said shaft C; this
construction of parts, for moving the needle-bar horizontally, being the same as in
the Singer overseaming and button-hole machines.
The gears provided with a few more teeth than the gear so that the
feeding ing or dog will have made a complete revolution before the clutch
wheel I, and when the circle of overseaming stitches has been completed to form
the eyelet it is desnable, before the machine is automatically stopped, that the
horizontal or overseaming movements of the needle-bar and needle should be
suspended and a few fastening stitches be made at the periphery of the eyelet.
To suspend the horizontal movements of the needle-bar and needle, for the purpose
of making the fastening stitches referred to, we provide a novel mechanism which
will now be described.
N15 a lover pivoted at n to a bracket a depending from the work-plate A, said
lover having at its forward end a roller n' and being jointed at its rear end to a
vertical bar connected by a pin n' to the rear end of a lever O pivoted on the
pin
kand having its forward end ai rauged to engage a shoulder of the pitman k,
said pitman having a slot in which the said piu can reciprocate idly when the
love is moved to the position denoted by dotted lines in Fig. 1 to disengage the
forward end of the said lever O from the said shoulder of the pitman k. The
clutch wheel has a projection or cam which, when a circle of overseaming
stitches, required to form an eyelet, has been completed, comes into engagement

page_text: with the roller n' of the lever N and thus raises the rear end of said lever to
lift the bar n' and thereby move the lever O out of engagement with the pitinan k,
and the spring L will then hold the said pitman in its rearward position with
its rear end against the stop bar a' on the cover-plate a'; the pin A, operated
by the lever M, now working idly in the slot as above stated, and the horizontal
movements of the needle-bat and needle being thus suspended.
When the machine is in operation the stopping lever D is in the position shown
in Figs. 1 and 2, with the belt shifter din proper position to hold the belt on
the fast pulley c, said leser being retained in this position by a rod P which is in
contact with an adjustable screw oi abutment with which the lower end of said
lever is preferably provided Rigidly secured to the forward end of the rod P is.
a block p which, when the machine is running, is engaged by a block of a holding
lever R, the toe-piece of the sand block r having its face slightly rounded or
cam-shaped, as clearly shown in Figs 9 and 10, and said lever having at its
opposite end the fingers. The clutch-dise is provided with a block t
having a tupping lug which, when the fastening stitches above referred to have
been made, engages the finger of the lever R and moves said lever so as to
disengage the toe-piece from the block p, and when the said unge is thus
disengaged from said block the 1od P will, by the stress of the spring acting on
the stopping lever D, be moved from the position shown in Fig. 9 to the position
shown in Fig 10 as said lever is moved by said spring to shift the belt from the
fast to the loose pulley and to bring the upper end of said stopping lever into the
path of the block o projection on the fast pulley c. As the rod P 18 thus
shifted from the position shown in Fig. 9 to that shown in Fig. 10 the block p
carried by said rod wipes along the rounded or cum-shaped face of the toe-
piece of the block 7, thus noving the lever R by which said block is carried,
80 as to disengage the finger from the tripping lug and at the sanfe time
and by the same movement of the said lever R cause the finger thereof to engage
the rear face of the block r and move the clutch-wheel I forward slightly so as to
shift the projection or cam 1 on said clutch-wheel out of holding engagement with
the roller n of the lever N and thus permit said lever, the bar and lever O to
assume their normal positions under the stress of the spring n', so that when the
machine is again started the horizontal or overseaming movements of the needle-bar
and needle will be resumed. Furthermore, this slight forward movement of the
clutch-wheel by the finger of the holding lever R brings the tripping lug
far enough for ward, so that when said lever is agam to be restored to its holding
position when the machine is next to be started, the finger of said lever can pass
behind the said upping lug.
The machine is started by means of a treadle-operated rod S connected to an
arm of a shout shaft T jounalled in a bracket a³ depending from the work-
plate A and having a second arm canying a pivoted toe-piece of part 12
against which bears a sping also carried by said arin t'. The rod Pis pro-
vided with a fixed collar; and loosely mounted on said rod 18 a block p' to
which is connected one end of a sping, the other end of which is attached
to the lever R, said spring thus baving a tendency to hold said lever in the
position shown in Fig. 9 and to force the block p toward the block p. To
limit the forward movement of the block p under the stress of the spring a
fixed abutment a' is provided formed as part of the bracket a', and when the
toe-piece of the block r cared by the holding lever R, and the block p and
od Paie moved to the position shown in Figs. 10 and 11, said abutment will
rest the forward movement of the said block so as to leave an opening
between the latter and the block r for the entrance of the toe-piece which
can thus become engaged with the block p', as shown in Fig. 11, when the
treadle-rod S is lifted. In thus lifting the treadle-iod to engage the toc-piece (*
with the block p³ the spring will yield to permit said toe-piece to turn
slightly on its pivot in passing the said block, said sping then restoring said
toc-piece to the engaging position shown in Fig. 11. To start the machine the

page_text: operator now depresses the trendle-rod forcing the rod P rearward and thus
moving the stopping and starting lever D to the position shown in Figs 1 and 2,
to withdraw its upper end from engagement with the projection or block c' of
the fast pulley c and at the same time to shift the driving belt from the loose
to the said fast pulley. When the rod P is thus restored to the position shown
in Fig. 9 the toe-piece of the block is forced into engagement with the
block pon said rod to retain the latter in place, and when the parts have been
thus restored to working position a slight further downward movement of the
treadle-rod disengages the toe-piece from the front or vertical face of the
sliding block p so that the latter, under the stress of the spring r³, will now be
moved forward against the block p, thus closing the opening between them
The
parts will now be in the position shown in Fig 12, and until the machine is again
stopped, so that the blocks and are separated from each other, to make an
opening for the entrance of the toe-piece , it will be impossible for the operator,
by any movement of the treadle-iod, to engage the said toe-piece t³ with the said
block p, and thus any accidental or involuntary movement of the treadle rod by
the operator will not effect such a displacement of the parts as will interfere with
the operation of the stopping mechanism at the proper time.
י
Ilaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
trou, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim 18
1. In an eyelet working sewing machine, the combination with a rotary, toothed
or serrated feeding ng which dieetly engages the material to be rotated, of a
stitch-forming mechanism comprising a needle-bar and means for imparting
horizontal and vertical movements thereto, and connections between said feeding
ring and the mechanism for moving the needle-bar horizontally, whereby the
horizontal movements of the needle-bai are automatically suspended, but without
stopping the vertical movements thereof.
2. In an eyelet working sewing machine, the combination with a cucular rotary
feeding ring, of a stitch-forming mechanisin comprising a needle-bar and means for
imparting horizontal movements thereto, connections between said feeding ring and
the mechanism for moving the needle-bar horizontally whereby the horizontal
movements of the needle-bar are automatically suspended, and an automatic stop-
motion mechanism which is thrown into operation to stop the machine alter the
horizontal movements of the needle-bai have ceased.
3 In an eyelet working sewing machine, the combination with a rotary
horizontally placed feeding ring or dog and a gear-wheel for operating the same,
of an operating gear-wheel connected to and having a greater number of teeth than
the first-named gear-wheel, so that a complete revolution may be given to said
feeding ring or dog with less than a complete revolution of said operating gear-
wheel, to afford time for the production of fastening stitches before the said
operating gear-wheel has completed a revolution.
4 In an eyelet working sewing machine, the combination with a stitch-forming
mechanism comprising a horizontally movable needle-bai, of a swinging frame in
which said bar is mounted, a cam, a lever operated by said cam, a pitman & con-
necting said lever and frame and provided with the shoulder and the slot A', the
lever Ŏ, the bar 2, the lever N, à circular feeding ring or dog, and a wheel, as I,
having a geared connection with said feeding ring or dog and having a cam or
projection to engage a part of said lever N to suspend the horizontal movements
of said needle-bat.
5 In an eyelet working sewing machine, the combination with a rotary, toothed
or seirated feeding dog or ung, which duectly engages the material to be rotated
and which is fitted to be turned entely around in a complete circle, of a wheel,
as I, having a geared connection with said dog or ring, a stop-motion device, and
connections between the latter and said wheel whereby said device may be operated
to stop the machine.

page_text: block r having the toe-piece.
6 In an eyelet working sewing machine, the combination with a rotary feeding
dog or ring, of a wheel, as I, having a geared connection with said dog or ring and
provided with a tripping lug or projection, the stopping lever D, its spring d, the
rod P having the block p, and the holding lever R having the finger and the
7. In an eyelet working sewing machine, the combination with a rotary feeding
dog or ring, of the clutch wheel I geared thereto and provided with a block r¹ and
a tripping lug or projection, the stopping lever R having the fingers r³, and the
block having the toe-piece with a rounded or cam edge, the stopping lever D,
its spring d and the rod P having the block p to be engaged by said toe-piece.
8 The combination with the stopping lever and its spring, of the rod P provided
with the fixed block p, the fixed collar p' and the loose block p³, a spring connected
to said loose block, and an abutment or stop to limit the movement of the latter
under the action of said spring, the holding lever R having the block with the
toe-piece, the shaft T having the arms tand, the latter provided with the
spring-pressed toe-piece t, and a treadle-operated rod connected to said arm t
9. In an eyelet working sewing machine, the combination with a horizontally
rotating feeding dog or ring, of a presser bar, a presser foot carried by said bar
and provided with a ling adapted to rotate with the said feeding dog or ring, an
automatic stop motion mechanism, a presser foot lifting device and connections
between said mechanism and device whereby the presser foot is lifted when the
machino is automatically stopped
10 lu a sewing machine, the combination with a presser bar provided with a
bracket and a presser-foot, of a stop-motion mechanism comprising the lever D
placed at the rear end of the bracket arm of the machine, the lever e placed at the
forward end of the said bracket arm and having the toe e arranged to engage
portion of said presser-bar bracket, and the rod e connecting said levers D
and
Dated this 7th day of Nov 1805
WALLACE FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agent,
62 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agent for the Applicant.