Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1392
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ARTHUR HOBART METCALF, of Pawtucket, in
the County of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, and CHARLES SUMNER
GOODING, of Brookline, in the County of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts,
both in the United States of America, Mechanical Engineers.]
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The principal feature of this invention consists in the combination of a shuttle
and a curved hooked needle in such a way that the shuttle while traversing the
loop passes between the point of the needle and the material. While the com-
bination of a shuttle and a curved hooked needle is not new, yet it is believed the
communicators are the first to combine a shuttle with a hooked needle which has
two distinct motions, one an oscillating motion to cause the needle to traverse the
material, and the other a motion from and towards the material to carry the needle
point to such a position that the shuttle can pass between it and the material and to
return the needle to position for traversing the material by an oscillating motion.
The communicators are aware of United States Patents No. 93,371, to Mills,
95,571 to Destouy and 124,393 to Stein, which show a curved hooked needle with
two distinct motions, one an oscillating motion to traverse the material and the
other a motion from and towards the material to tighten the stitch and to return
the needle to position for traversing the material: but our combination of a shuttle
and its actuating mechanism with a curved hooked needle, its carrier and mechanism
which oscillates the carrier and also moves it from and towards the material is new,
and of great practical value; as our machine is in fact the first machine of its class,
that is the first shuttle machine with a curved hooked needle, in which the shuttle
passes between the point of the needle and the material; thus for the first time
combining all the advantages due to the use of a curved hooked needle with all the
advantages due to passing the shuttle between the point of the needle and the
material.
Another feature of this invention relates to the presser foot and is fully described
below.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is an elevation, with the frame in section, illustrating the lower portion
of our improved machine.
Figure 2 an elevation of the neck or upper portion on a slightly larger scale
than Figure 1 for greater clearness.
Figure 3 is a front view of the lower portion of the machine with the front plate
and shuttle with its adjuncts removed, the needle rock shaft being shown in
section.
Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 1, drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 5 is a front view of the lower portion of the machine with the front plate
removed, the needle and its adjuncts omitted.
Figures 6 and 7 are details illustrating the mechanism for operating the thread
arm or thread eye or looper.
Figure 8 illustrates by a side and front elevation the presser foot and its
adjuncts.
In the drawings the invention is shown embodied in that form of machine,
Price &1

page_text: described in United States Patent to Campbell No. 253,156 dated January 31st,
1882 and all the parts not lettered are the same in substance as those fully
described in that Patent, and are too well known to require description.
The needle a, is a curved hook needle, connected with its carrier A, and this
carrier oscillates with a stud, which is journalled in slide a', as clearly shown in
Figures 3 and 4. The slide a' is reciprocated by the rock shaft a², one arm of
which is forked to receive a block pivoted to the slide a¹ (as will be clear from
Figure 3) and the other arm is controlled by one of the needle cams a³, (Figure 1
and Figure 3). By this rock shaft and its cam the slide a' is reciprocated length-
wise, and properly timed, as will be clear; this motion being in substance the usual
motion of a straight needle, so far as it goes, but it does not of course, carry the
needle through the material but only into position when the oscillation of the
needle carrier A, will cause the needle to pass through the material. While
the slide a¹ is in the position shown, the plunger a is actuated by bell crank a³,
which is controlled by the other needle cam a, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 4.
The bell crank is shown as supported by shaft a², but is, of course, loose upon that
shaft, as it must not move with it. The plunger a' is connected by link a' with
carrier A, so that when the plunger moves while slide a¹ is stationary, the curved
needle will pass through the stock as usual; but as slide a¹ is moved away from the
throat plate as, the plunger a accompanies it, in order that the carrier may not be
oscillated by the relative motion of the slide a¹ and plunger at.
The main advantage of this feature of my invention is that I am enabled to move
the point of the hook needle in a curve of a very short radius, and also get that
motion of the needle which is desirable when a shuttle is used.
The point of the curved needle is brought into the same relation with the shuttle
as is the point of the straight needle in the Campbell machine; and this, namely a
curved hooked needle which presents its loop to the shuttle substantially as the
straight hooked needle of the Campbell machine does, is the distinguishing feature
of my invention.
The curved awl b, and its carrier B are operated much as usual; but in order to
operate the carrier by the awl bar of the Campbell machine I use a yoke b' fast to
the awl bar of the Campbell machine, and connect that yoke by link b² with
carrier B. Of course no awl will be used with the awl bar, the curved awl 6 taking
its place. The awl carrier B is journalled in a bracket b³.
In operation the awl punctures the material and feeds, as usual in awl-feed
machines; and the needle follows the awl as the awl is withdrawn. While the
needle is in the material the thread is placed in its hook by the thread eye d,
and a bight is formed in the thread between the material and the hook of the
needle by the action of the thread eye, aided by the thread arm as in the Campbell
Patent. But in the machine shown the details of construction are such that the
eye must move vertically in addition to its horizontal movements and this is
provided for by pivoting the bracket D, to the frame of the machine, and con-
trolling the outer end of the bracket D by a link d from the presser foot lever.
This bracket D has heretofore been rigidly fixed to the frame of the machine.
It contains a straight slot in which slides the block to which the inner end of the
arm carrying the thread eye is pivotted and also contains an armed slot shown in
Figure 6, which slot guides the motion of the outer end of the arm carrying the
thread eye. In all these respects the bracket D is the same as in the former
machine; but, as before stated, the thread eye is given a slight vertical motion by
moving the outer end of the bracket D slightly.
That is a slight vertical movement is given to the thread eye in the machine
shown in the drawings in addition to its movements in the former machine;
because the details of construction of our present machine are such as to make that
additional movement desirable.
The presser foot F is hinged to the presser foot bar and is slotted at its outer
end, which slot engages a pin fast to the frame of the machine, so that as the
presser foot moves in relation to the needle, this slot and its pin ƒ causes the inner

page_text: end of the presser foot to move in the curved path of the needle. This is a feature
of my invention of considerable importance in certain classes of work.
As the point of both needle and awl moves in a curved path through the slot or
throat of the presser foot, it would be necessary to make this slot much wider than
the diameter of the needle or awl, or to cut away one side of the slot altogether,
were the presser foot rigidly attached to its bar. But by hinging the presser foot
to its bar, the position of its slot, with relation to the curved path of the needle and
awl, is so governed by the cam slot and its stud that the slot will always be in
place for the passage of the needle and awl. Moreover in sewing on the outer sole
to a shoe with the last in it, it is often desirable that the presser foot should move
laterally as it rises, for the reason that at some parts of the work the presser foot
would strike the lasted shoe and throw it out of place if the presser foot did not
move laterally as it rose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. In combination a shuttle and actuating mechanism for the same, a curved
hook needle and its carrier; and mechanism for moving the needle carrier towards
and from the material and for oscillating it to cause the needle to traverse the
material combined and operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Second. In a sewing machine a presser foot hinged to its bar with a cam fast
to the shank of the presser foot, and a stationary cam stud, substantially as
described.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.